Plain Dealer Daily Sports Section by Plain Dealer Contest

Sunday, November 15, 2015 | Section B | cleveland.com/sports*

High schools: St. Ignatius wins seventh state soccer title; Gilmour wins ﬁrst volleyball championship. PAGE B8 Browns Extra: Johnny Manziel faces a challenge today in Pittsburgh; plus predictions, rosters, and more. SECTION S

Buckeye Extra: Ohio State is 10-0 after beating Illini; Mount Union tops JCU; Michigan escapes Indiana. SECTION J Division I, Region 1 | No. 1 St. Edward 34, No. 8 Mentor 10

Eagles get a move on in second half and move on Scott Patsko spatsko@cleveland.com

St. Edward scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Mentor for a 34-10 win in a Division I, Region 1 quarterﬁnal Saturday at Byers Field in Parma. The Eagles (11-1), the region’s No. 1 seed, play No. 5 Euclid (102) in the region semifinal at 7 p.m. next Saturday at a site to be announced today. Euclid beat No. 4 Westerville Central on Saturday, 49-24. Eagles running back and Indiana commit Cole Gest injured his groin last week in St. Edward’s win over Cleveland Heights and didn’t finish the game. He returned Saturday and had 26 carries for 210 yards and two touchdowns. G e s t ’s s e c o n d t o u c h d o w n started the 21-point run, which also included a Jimmy Keefe 2-yard run and a 46-yard touchdown catch by Matthew Gonzalez. “We just sometimes start off slow on offense,” Gest said, “but we pick it up in the third and fourth quarter when the [opposing] defense gets tired.” The Eagles actually started fast Saturday, scoring touchdowns on their ﬁrst two possessions and driving to the Mentor 13-yard line on their third. Mentor’s Malik Porter intercepted a pass in the end zone to end that drive, and a fumble at the Mentor 20 ended the next drive, keeping the Eagles’ lead at 13-0. “We can’t continue to shoot ourselves in the foot. Two turnovers and a big penalty and the next thing you know the game we are in control of is neck-andneck,” Eagles coach Tom Lombardo said of his halftime message. “Mentor kept battling and hung in there.” CHUCK CROW / THE PLAIN DEALER

see ST. ED | B6 St. Edward running back Cole Gest (20) gets past Mentor’s Malik Porter for a fourth-quarter touchdown during the Eagles’ 34-10 win Saturday in Parma.

Bucks 108, Cavaliers 105 (2OT)

Division II state girls volleyball

LeBron can’t do it all and the Cavaliers fall Next for Cavs

Chris Haynes chaynes@cleveland.com

Tim Bielik tbielik@cleveland.com

At Pistons, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Auburn Hills, Michigan, Fox Sports Ohio.

Milwaukee — LeBron James

played the part of superhero Saturday by scoring a game-high 37 points while pulling down 12 boards, but he couldn’t do it by himself. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Cavaliers, 108-105, in double overtime Saturday evening at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee’s win snapped Cleveland’s eight-game winning streak. The Cavaliers didn’t intimidate the young, long, pesky Bucks (5-

NDCL state champs for 2nd straight year

5). When they appeared to have control of the game early on, the Bucks answered time and time again with a run of their own. Their length and athleticism caused multiple problems for the Cavaliers. Those routine passing angles and easy looks at the basket were hard to come by Saturday.

Medina

2015 CADILLAC ATS SEDAN STK. #C150459 BRIDGESTONE VEHICLE

see CAVALIERS | B4

Fairborn — Notre Dame-Ca-

MORRY GASH / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Milwaukee’s Jabari Parker dunks over the Cavs’ Kevin Love during the Bucks’ 108-105 win in double overtime Saturday.

2015 CADILLAC ESCALADE 4WD 1 IN STOCK • STK. #C151794

888-697-8176

2015 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV

2015 CADILLAC SRX

1 IN STOCK • STK. #C151314

STK. #C151743

thedral Latin overcame a slow start to defeat Plain City Jonathan Alder, 3-1, to win its second straight state championship on Saturday in the Division II state title volleyball match. NDCL won by scores of 14-25, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-16 at the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University. The win backed up the state title NDCL (25-3) won last year. “Winning it the ﬁrst time, no one was expecting us to win,”

WWW.MEDINAGMAUTOMALL.COM

2015 CADILLAC CTS SEDAN

2015 CADILLAC CTS STK. #C151337

STK. #C151716

MSRP $88,115 BUY FOR

MSRP $83,285 BUY FOR

Courtesy Transportation Vehicle

MSRP $38,600 BUY FOR

LEASE FOR 39 MONTHS

399

/MO

469

2.0T All Wheel Drive Luxury Collection

LEASE FOR 39 MONTHS

/MO

10,000 MILES/YEAR, $4,995 DUE AT SIGNING 10,000 MILES/YEAR, $4,995 DUE AT SIGNING MSRP $48,340

MSRP $55,480

39,990 75,500 69,900 27,600 $39,988 $46,480

$ C3192988-01

MSRP $49,000 BUY FOR

4 Wheel Drive, Luxury Collection

Premium Collection, Bridgestone Vehicle

see NDCL | B8

HOURS: MON AND THURS 9-9 TUES, WED, FRI, AND SAT 9-6

All Wheel Drive, Standard Package Performance Collection, All wheel drive, sunroof, navigation, heated seats, 18: wheels

NDCL senior Ambre Pierce said. “There was like no added pressure from anyone, just ourselves. But this year, everybody’s coming after us. There’s a target on our back and the pressure’s coming not only from ourselves, but other teams and our coaches.” The Lions lost the ﬁrst set after committing 10 attack errors and recording only seven kills. After that set, NDCL had only 17 attacking errors in three sets. Pierce helped lead her team with 11 kills and seven block assists.

BUY FOR

ALL PRICES AND PAYMENTS ARE PLUS TAX. PICTURES ARE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. ALL REBATES AND INCENTIVES ARE ASSIGNED TO THE DEALER. ALL LEASES ARE CLOSED END. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT ON CADILLACS. DUE AT SIGNING IS STATED - ONLY TAX WILL BE EXTRA. 10,000 MILES PER YEAR, LESS THE MILES ON THE VEHICLE, ARE ALLOWED PER YEAR AND .25 THEREAFTER. LEASE PULL AHEAD PYS UP TO $2000. SALE ENDS 11/16/15

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Terry’s Talking…

Sunday, November 15, 2015

More Terry Pluto online Follow his blog at cleveland.com/pluto or email him at tpluto@plaind.com

About Johnny Manziel and QB decisions About the Indians’ search for I outfielders

’m on record about three things when it comes to Johnny Manziel: 1. I didn’t like Manziel as an NFL quarterback before the 2014 draft and wrote it. Then I wrote a column questioning the Browns for making him the 22nd pick immediately after that selection. 2. I thought the Browns were right to name Josh McCown the starter this season and to stick with him. 3. But after the 31-10 loss to Cincinnati, I wrote that I favored playing Manziel. It’s not because of any tremendous conﬁdence in Manziel as a starting NFL quarterback. It’s because McCown is 36 years old and has been physically pounded this season. So the Browns are now 2-7. They play in Pittsburgh today. They have a two-week break after that. McCown has bad ribs, a sore shoulder and who knows what else. Let him rest and recover. Let Manziel face the Steelers. Why not? The Browns coaches disagree. They would prefer a battered and bruised McCown to Manziel. If Manziel does play, it’s because McCown can’t physically do it.

The coaches’ opinion

Manziel was 15-of-33 passing for 168 yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati. The good stats were no interceptions, no JOHN KUNTZ \ CLEVELAND.COM fumbles. The Browns coaches Browns quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown have taken some big hits this season. obviously didn’t like much of anything they saw on film from Man- when Duke Johnson was wide pocket problems hurt the devel- open Johnson or quickly scramziel in the loss to the Bengals. It open in the flat. This requires a opment of Travis Benjamin and bled in the wrong direction. Gary Barnidge, two players who 3 To be fair to Manziel, this was was a bad game for most of the short, quick throw. Manziel simply missed the are having career years catching only his fourth NFL start. He team, not just Manziel. wasted much of last season with opportunity to deliver the ball the ball this season. As Profootball Focus wrote: He credited McCown for some poor decisions when it came to “His receivers didn’t help him into the hands of one of the few by dropping five passes … three Browns players who is athletic of that, as the veteran stays in the his life off the field and work ethpocket and looks for them to get ic in practice and the film room. by Taylor Gabriel. But Manziel enough to produce big yardage. Common sense tells you that he’s This happened at least three open. did little to help himself, vacatWhite also wrote: “Maybe the not going to come close to Mcing clean pockets and bringing times. Too often, Manziel saw a blitz Browns don’t care about win- Cown in terms of football IQ as his eyes down too quickly to ning anymore at 2-7. Maybe they it relates to the NFL game. scramble on occasion, leading and took off scrambling. White’s video study showed don’t think much of Benjamin 3 You can break down the tape of to unnecessary pressure. There were positives in this game, but several examples of Manziel sim- and Barnidge developing any- several of McCown’s games, and still flaws that Manziel must ply breaking out of the pocket way. Maybe for them it’s more it probably would not look very eradicate if he is to get the keys and turning his back on a large important to give Manziel every good. But he’s having a very solid part of the field — meaning he opportunity to succeed before season, 11 TD passes compared to the offense.” with four interceptions, a 95.2 Mike Pettine and the Browns could not see some wide-open they decide to move on. “All I know is that judging from rating. A big issue for McCown is coaches don’t want Manziel to receivers. this game, Manziel isn’t close to fumbling. He leads the NFL with turn into a pure pocket passer, being ready for a full-time start- nine fumbles, and six have been but they believe he abandons the ing job, not when he’s trying to recovered by the other team. He pocket too quickly. DeFilippo said there were three use his legs rather than his head has turned the ball over 10 times “Part of being successful in the NFL is being able to operate from plays in the second half where to throw the football. … Manziel in seven games. the pocket,” Pettine said. “I don’t Manziel had a “run/pass” option. wasn’t failing his Ph.D disserta- 3 A very disturbing stat for Manziel is that he’s completing only think you can put your quarter- In others, he went to the line of tion, he was failing QB 101.” 51.8 percent of his passes. That’s back on the run all the time. It’s scrimmage with the responsibilthe lowest percentage of any NFL an area of his game we want to ity to make the right call. Read player throwing at least 50 times develop and have it be comple- the defense … run it or pass it. A l l t h r e e t i m e s , Ma n z i e l 3 McCown stays in the pocket, this season. Since coming to the mented by his ability outside the sometimes to his own physical Browns, accuracy has been an ispassed. pocket.” “Looking back on it,” said De- danger. That’s why he takes so sue in practices. Or as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said: “If there is a Filippo, “maybe instead of giving many hits. He is trying to help 3 Manziel was unfairly critiplay to be made in the pocket, we a run/pass option, maybe you just his blockers by staying in one cized for his comment about spot and his receivers by giving “faith throws.” Every quarterback need to make it. If there is not, run the football.” makes them. It’s throwing a pass In the first half, Isaiah Crowell them time to get open. then we need to use his God-given ability to make a play outside had nine carries for 42 yards, a 3 The coaches and veteran play- to a spot where the receiver is ers love McCown because he supposed to be, before he arrives of the pocket. … If you are in the respectable performance. In the second half, Crowell car- knows the offense. He is a pure, there. It’s a quick pass and has pocket and he is open, [you] need ried the ball once — for minus-4 no-nonsense football player. They to be accurate. But it’s not just to deliver it.” yards. No other running back had know his limitations, but they throwing the ball up and whiscan trust him. He’s been in the pering a prayer to the football a rushing attempt. Is this all the fault of Manziel? NFL for 13 years, and the experi- gods, as some suggested. 3 I’d play Manziel this week, and Former NFL player Stephen Hardly. DeFilippo calls the plays. ence shows. 3 There was frustration because I’d play him for several weeks to White did a video study of Manthe Browns are trying to put the see if he improves. But I’m not ziel’s game at Cincinnati. ball in the hands of Johnson as Pettine and his coaches who have Writing for SB Nation, White In his SB Nation story, White (a a receiver. The rookie has caught reason to be worried about their concluded that Manziel missed many open receivers. He had seven-year former NFL defensive 90 percent of the passes thrown jobs — having lost 12 of 14 games some tape showing a few times lineman) wrote that Manziel’s to him. Manziel simply missed an dating back to last season.

Play calling

Quarterback question

Looking at the ﬁlm

Developing others

About the Browns

3 I received a few emails about the Browns cutting Robert Turbin so quickly, given that they cut Terrelle Pryor to claim an injured Turbin from the waiver wire. Well, Pryor has tried out with several teams, and no one signed him. So the Browns apparently made the right decision to cut the former Ohio State quarterback. 3 Two of the fumbles charged to McCown were on handoffs to Turbin in the 34-20 loss to Arizona. The Browns lost one of those, and the coaches believed Turbin was at fault for both plays. Now, they will look at Glenn Winston, who has been with the team since 2014. Isaiah Crowell will start, but it’s possible Winston will see some action. 3 The more I see of Duke Johnson, the more I wonder if he’d be best as a slot receiver. 3 Rookie Ibraheim Campbell played well at safety in the loss at Cincinnati. He has been on the field a lot in the last two games, ﬁlling in for injured safeties Donte Whitner and Jordan

Poyer. Whitner is still out, Poyer is back. Campbell has impressed the coaches. 3 The coaches also are high on rookie Charles Gaines, who is coming back from a hamstring injury. I would not be surprised to see him on the ﬁeld ahead of Justin Gilbert when the Browns look for extra defensive backs in passing situations. 3 I lost track of Brian Hoyer, so I looked up the former Browns QB, who is now starting for Houston. Hoyer has a 2-4 record as starter. His numbers are good: 13 TD passes compared with 3 interceptions and a 97.4 rating. 3 Former Browns RB Terrance West was cut by Tennessee and is now on the practice squad with Baltimore. 3 A very good documentary on the early days of pro football is “Before The League.” It will be carried on Time-Warner Cable (Channel 311) on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting both nights at 8.

he Indians needed an outfielder before it was announced that Michael Brantley had shoulder surgery and is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. Now, they need … well … lots of outfielders. The outfield situation is not quite as desperate as after the 2012 season. That’s when the Tribe had Brantley and no one else. Taking turns in the outfield that season were Zeke Carrera, Johnny Damon, Aaron Cunningham and Russ Canzler. During the 2012 season, ShinSoo Choo started. But the Tribe knew they had to trade him. He was heading into free agency after the 2013 season and was represented by Scott Boras. No way was he signing with the Tribe. General Manager Chris Antonetti made an excellent deal, turning Choo into Trevor Bauer, Bryan Shaw, Matt Albers and Drew Stubbs. The Indians also used Tony Sipp and Jason Donald in that trade. But it still left them with Brantley as the only viable outfielder. That led to $104 million worth of free-agent signings: Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. The problem was no outfield prospect in the upper levels of the farm system. That brings us to 2015. The Indians have to do something about the outfield. Paul Hoynes (cleveland.com) wrote a story about how the Indians don’t plan to trade any of their key starting pitchers for outfielders. The same with Carlos Santana. I’d be sending the same message if I happened to be in the same position as Antonetti. I would not want to be viewed as desperate. But the facts are … well … not pretty.

Here are the candidates Let’s pretend it’s Opening Day and look at the current roster. Who plays the outﬁeld with Brantley still recovering? Center field: Abraham Almonte, who batted .264 (.766 OPS) with 5 HR and 20 RBI in 178 at bats. Right field: Lonnie Chisenhall, who batted .246 (.666 OPS) with 7 HR and 44 RBI in 333 at bats. Left field: Well … Jerry Sands? He batted .236 (.676 OPS) with 4 HR and 19 RBI in 123 at bats. He’s gone: The Indians decided not to pick up the $3 million option for Ryan Raburn (.301, 8 HR, 29 RBI) because he had a variety of injuries and sometimes could not play the outﬁeld. At this point in his career, he’s probably a part-time DH.

Outfielders down on the farm 1. The Indians do like Tyler Naquin, their 2012 first-round pick, who can play center field. He batted .300 (.828 OPS) with 7 HR and 27 RBI between Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus last season. But he played only 84 games. Naquin had a concussion and a hip injury. He also doesn’t have much power. 2. James Ramsey (for Justin Masterson) and Zach Walters (for Asdrubal Cabrera) were acquired at the July 2013 trading deadline. The hope was at least one of them would be ready for 2016. Walters can play several spots in the infield and outfield. He is coming off a year where he had oblique and shoulder injuries. He was briefly with the Tribe and was 4 of 30 with 15 strikeouts. Ramsey batted .243 (.709 OPS) with 12 HR and 42 RBI in 126 games for Columbus. 3. The best outfield prospects are Brad Zimmer and Clint Frazier. They are both expected to open 2016 at Class AA. So they are at least a year away. Frazier finished a strong Arizona Fall League season batting .297 (.825 OPS) with 3 HR in 75 at bats. That competition is considered at least the Class AA level.

Kipnis in the outﬁeld?

JOSHUA GUNTER | CLEVELAND.COM

Browns rookie running back Duke Johnson looks like he might make a good slot receiver.

The Tribe did have some brief postseason discussions about moving Jason Kipnis from second base to the outﬁeld. He was signed as an outﬁelder. He probably could play well out there.

CHUCK CROW / THE PLAIN DEALER

Michael Brantley, who just had surgery, is the Indians’ only starting outﬁelder.

Notice how Chisenhall and Alex Gordon moved from the inﬁeld to the outfield and became exceptional defenders. The idea with Kipnis in the outfield would be Jose Ramirez at second base. He ranked wellabove average defensively at second. But the Indians decided to keep their All-Star second baseman at second. Kipnis batted .303 (.823 OPS) with 9 HR and 52 RBI. WAR (Wins Above Replacement) is a complicated stat that tries to rate the total player (offense, defense, base running and more). With a 5.2 mark, Kipnis ranked No. 1 in the majors at second base. I don’t fully understand the rating, but I do believe Kipnis is one of the best second basemen, period. After ranking No. 19 in defense at second in 2014, a healthy and better conditioned Kipnis ranked No. 4 in 2015, according to fangraphs.com. He will be 29 on opening day. As of now, the Tribe wants to keep Kipnis at second.

Johnson in the outﬁeld?

Near the end of the season, Chris Johnson told me that he planned to work hard in the offseason and learn the outfield. He has played third and first in the majors. The Indians like the idea. They want Johnson to show up in better shape. Acquired from Atlanta in the Bourn-Swisher trade, Johnson batted .289 (.678 OPS) for the Tribe with 1 HR and 7 RBI. He struck out 25 times and walked only three times in 93 plate appearances. He also missed about 10 days when bit by spider. In 2013, Johnson had a career year, batting .321 (.816 OPS) with 12 HR, 68 RBI for the Braves. Johnson is 31. In the last three years, Johnson batted .280 (.711 OPS), averaging 8 HR and 48 RBI. He really looks like a platoon player, as the right-handed Johnson is a career .314 hitter vs. lefties. Maybe you put together a platoon in right field with Chisenhall and Johnson. Part of the reason the Tribe didn’t retain Raburn is that they have Johnson. A big contract is why the Tribe had to take Johnson in return for Bourn and Swisher: 3 2016: $7.5 million. 3 2017: $9 million. 3 2018: $10 million ($1 million buyout).

Think about it

We just went through the roster on a safari for outfielders. Suppose Brantley comes back in May. The odds are good that he will probably make a full recovery, according to research done by fangraphs.com. But it’s always hard for a player to walk into the middle of the season and produce after coming off something like major shoulder surgery. Even with a healthy Brantley, the Tribe has to do something for an outfielder. That’s why I believe a major trade is possible. The Tribe is not going to take a major backflip into the free-agent pool and spend as they did for Bourn and Swisher. So any significant addition has to come via a trade. So don’t be surprised if rumors pop up. My guess is we’ll hear the names of every starting pitcher at some point. The Indians do have to listen to offers … and make some of their own. The outfield situation demands it.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Terry’s Talking… Part 2 About Tristan Thompson

hen the Cavaliers finally reached a contract agreement with Tristan Thompson, they were counting on his personal character as much as his ability as a player. The ﬁve-year, $82 million deal was reached only six days before the opening of the regular season. Thompson had no real training camp, yet you’d never know it based on how he’s played this season. He had 12 rebounds in the Cavs’ opening-night loss to Chicago. He’s played well ever since. It was in the postseason that the 6-10 Thompson found his identity as an NBA player. He is there to rebound, defend and hustle. He averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds in The Finals. That mind-set has carried over into this season. Thompson doesn’t start, but he usually is on the court in the fourth quarter of

most games. He plays center, and Timofey Mozgov often finds himself on the bench. The reason is defense. It’s rebounding. It’s fitting in with LeBron James and the rest of his teammates. Thompson is averaging 9.7 rebounds and 7.7 points in 25 minutes a game. He also is shooting .609 from the field. The Cavs don’t even have a single play for Thompson to shoot. That would bother many NBA players, but Thompson has embraced his role. “Tristan is going to do the things he does regardless of the play call or what the coach is doing,” coach David Blatt said recently. “He’s going to rebound, be active, get his hands on the ball, deflect the ball … and run to the rim to finish plays.” Blatt talked about Thompson being in constant motion, set-

ting screens for teammates and then rushing to the boards for rebounds. It’s a demanding way to play even if an athlete has had a full training camp. The fact that Thompson’s contract talks lingered could have been a disaster early in the season. But he stayed in shape. His agent, Rich Paul, helped Thompson hire a trainer. Some days, he worked out three times. But in the end, it comes down to the player. Will he stay ready? And he has to do it without playing basketball against others, because there is a risk of injury in pickup games. Blatt joked that it took Thompson, “about three games” to be in full NBA condition. And it took the coaching staff less time than that to realize Thompson needed to be on the court in crucial parts of the game.

GUS CHAN / THE PLAIN DEALER

Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is showing no ill effects from his contract holdout.

About J.R. Smith

mith seldom is injured, and that’s why he’s been struggling early this season. Smith has dealt with minor injuries to a knee and a quad muscle. He played in the Cavs’ first four games and probably should have sat out some of those. He wasn’t moving well. His shot was a mess, his confidence sagging. Then he missed three games, resting his legs. When Smith returned to action in Tuesday’s 118-114 victory over Utah, he scored seven points in 22 minutes. He was 3-of-7 shooting. It was the best that he’s played since the season opened. He was 3-of-10 vs. the Knicks with eight points in Friday’s victory in New York. In his first five games, Smith

is only 2-of-9 from 3-point range. The real surprise is that he’s taken a mere nine shots from behind the arc. Smith averaged 7.3 shots per game from 3-point range last season for the Cavs. The Cavs have been telling Smith to just relax: “Grip it and rip it.” If there’s anything close to an open shot, don’t think — shoot it. That’s how Smith played last season, when he was a 12.7 point scorer and a major factor in the playoffs until the Cavs reached The Finals. Smith was 3-of-10 shooting in New York, 2-of-7 on 3-pointers. So he looked more like his old self in terms of looking to score.

JOSHUA GUNTER / CLEVELAND.COM

Cavaliers head coach David Blatt nearly agreed to become an assistant coach for Golden State last year.

Just a thought

JOHN KUNTZ / CLEVELAND.COM

Cavaliers guard Mo Williams is playing an average of 32 minutes a game at the age of 32.

uppose the Cavaliers didn’t hire David Blatt as their head coach last season. Blatt was set to become one of Steve Kerr’s top assistants with Golden State when he interviewed with the Cavs. Blatt has often thanked Kerr for allowing him to take the Cavs job after having agreed to be a Warriors assistant. Now consider that Kerr has been out all season with back problems after two summer surgeries. Alvin Gentry was the Warriors’

About playing time

o Williams has been superb starting for the Cavs, averaging 16.9 points. He’s shooting .496 percent from the field, 40 percent on 3-pointers. He’s been starting in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, and he’s been a terrific fit playing as the third scoring option behind James and Kevin Love. But there is one problem: He’s

playing 32 minutes a game. That’s the most the 32-year-old guard has averaged since 2009-10, his last season with the Cavs. Matthew Dellavedova has split some of the point guard duties with Williams, but some minor injuries have bothered Dellavedova. J.R. Smith hasn’t been fully healthy since the season opened. So Williams and Richard Jefferson (25 minutes a game) have

played more than the Cavs expected. The coaches have been talking about more court time for Jared Cunningham, who can play point guard. His strength is defense. He also is very athletic and draws fouls when driving to the rim. The season is young, and the schedule is not jammed up as it will be later, so the heavier workload for Williams and Jefferson is not a factor right now. But the

Cavs also want to be careful with their veterans. Blatt has done a good job of keeping James and Love under 35 minutes a game most nights. James is at 35.3 minutes for the season, Love at 33.9. That was one of his goals for the season, although an exact minute total was never set. Now, he has to be careful with Williams and Jefferson.

November Savings!

About Cameron Wright

BOB LEVERONE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cameron Wright shows promise and probably will play with the Canton Charge.

the Panthers. His specialty is defense, and that’s why the Cavs signed him to their D-League team. Joe Harris also will play in some Canton games this season. The Charge also have former Duke star Quinn Cook and Michael (son of John) Stockton as their point guards. Second-rounder Sir’Dominic Pointer is there. The Cavs like a player named JuVonte Reddic. He played at Virginia Commonwealth and then in Italy last season. The 6-9 Reddic averaged 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds as a senior for VCU.

2015 ATS 2.0 SEDAN

379/mo.*

$0 Down

39 mo. Lease with Lease Loyalty OR BUY FOR

C3197727-01

he former Benedictine star is expected to play for the D-League Canton Charge this season. Wright worked out with several of the Cavaliers this summer. The coaches liked him, especially his attitude. Wr i g h t m a d e t h e 1 2 - m a n opening day roster. Only 10 dress per game. He was not active for the opener. So it will be a battle for him to make his mark with the Charge. The 6-5 Wright played for Jamie Dixon at Pitt. The Cavs are very big fans of Dixon and his disciplined program. Wright averaged 9.3 points and shot .462 from the ﬁeld for

No. 1 assistant last season. But he was hired to be head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. That would have made Blatt the top assistant heading into this season. And he’d have been the Warriors’ interim coach while Kerr recovers. Now, that job belongs to former Cavalier Luke Walton. He was playing for the Cavs in 2012-13. This is only Walton’s second season as an NBA coach ... and he has the Warriors off to a 10-0 start heading into a late Saturday game against Brooklyn.

32,250

399/mo.*

$0 Down

39 mo. Lease without Lease Loyalty OR BUY FOR

33,000

2801 Carnegie • Cleveland • 216.535.1822 www.CentralCadillac.com

*All leases are balance of 10,000 miles per year with approved credit and .25 cents per mile overage cost. Due at signing includes down payment and first month lease payment only. Taxes, fees, and plates extra. Expires 12/2/15.

B4*

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE

SOUTHEAST

ATLANTIC

CENTRAL

Pct

L10

NORTHWEST SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

He’s still the man in fourth quarter Str Home Away

.800

–

7-2

L-1

5-0

3-2

.667

1½

6-3

W-2

4-1

2-2

5-2

Indiana

.600

6-4

W-3

4-2

2-2

5-2

6-2

Detroit

.556

2½

5-4

L-3

2-1

3-3

2-1

Milwaukee

.500

5-5

W-1

3-3

2-2

5-4 4-3

Toronto

.700

–

7-3

W-2

3-1

4-2

Boston

.500

4-4

W-1

3-3

1-1

4-3

New York

.400

4-6

L-2

1-4

3-2

3-5

Brooklyn

.111

5½

1-8

L-1

0-3

1-5

0-4

Philadelphia

.000

0-9

L-10

0-5

0-7 6-2

Atlanta

.727

–

8-2

L-1

4-2

4-1

Miami

.667

6-3

W-3

5-1

1-2

2-3

Washington

.500

2½

4-4

W-1

2-2

3-3

Orlando

.455

4-6

L-1

3-2

2-4

Charlotte

.444

4-5

L-1

2-1

2-4

Str Home Away

Conf

Pct

L10

San Antonio

.778

–

7-2

W-4

3-0

4-2

Dallas

.600

1½

5-4

W-3

3-2

6-2

Memphis

.400

3½

4-6

W-1

2-2

2-4

2-5

2-1

Houston

.400

3½

4-5

L-3

2-4

2-2

3-4

New Orleans

.111

1-8

L-2

1-3

0-5

1-4 3-1

Oklahoma City 6

.667

–

6-3

W-3

4-1

2-2

Denver

.500

1½

4-5

L-1

3-2

2-3

4-5

Utah

.444

4-5

L-3

1-1

3-4

2-1

Minnesota

.444

4-5

L-3

0-4

4-1

2-2

Portland

.400

2½

4-6

L-4

2-3

4-5

Golden State

0 1.000

–

10-0

W-10

5-0

9-0

L.A. Clippers

.600

6-4

W-1

5-1

1-3

5-4

Phoenix

.556

4½

5-4

W-2

4-2

1-2

5-3

Sacramento

.300

3-7

W-2

3-5

0-2

1-7

L.A. Lakers

.111

8½

1-8

L-4

0-3

1-5

0-5

Saturday Milwaukee 108, Cleveland 105, 2OT L.A. Clippers 101, Detroit 96 Washington 108, Orlando 99 Dallas 110, Houston 98 San Antonio 92, Philadelphia 83 Phoenix 105, Denver 81 Brooklyn at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. Today New Orleans at New York, 12 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. Portland at Charlotte, 5 p.m. Utah at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Boston at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. Toronto at Sacramento, 9 p.m. Detroit at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. Monday Dallas at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Joe Vardon jvardon@cleveland.com

Conf

Cleveland

MORRY GASH / ASSOCIATED PRESS

LeBron James tries to drive past Giannis Antetokounmpo in the ﬁrst half Saturday. James scored a season high 37 points.

Milwaukee — LeBron James’ personal strings of 30-plus-point games and dominant fourth-quarter play are still going. The Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak, though, is over. It only took two overtimes, a mess of turnovers and poor foul shooting, and an apparently inadvertent whistle from an official to end it. James scored a season-best 37 points but also committed a season-worst seven turnovers in Cleveland’s 108-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in double overtime. The Cavs committed 21 turnovers as a group that led to 26 points for the Bucks. Cleveland scored 16 off of turnovers. From the foul line, the Cavs shot 17-of27 (63 percent); James made just 6-of-12 from the free throw line. Those were the bugaboos that ruined an otherwise stellar effort from James, who scored 21 points after the third quarter and finished with 12 rebounds and ﬁve assists. “The only time it’s safe is when he’s on the bench, because we don’t have to guard him,” Milwau-

Indiana at Chicago, 8 p.m. Oklahoma City at Memphis, 8 p.m. Boston at Houston, 8 p.m. Portland at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Friday Cleveland 90, New York 84 Indiana 107, Minnesota 103 Orlando 102, Utah 93 Toronto 100, New Orleans 81 Boston 106, Atlanta 93 Chicago 102, Charlotte 97 Memphis 101, Portland 100 Oklahoma City 102, Philadelphia 85 Dallas 90, L.A. Lakers 82 Denver 107, Houston 98 Sacramento 111, Brooklyn 109

Clippers 101, Pistons 96: Blake Grifﬁn scored 34 points, including a crucial jumper with 17 seconds left, and host Los Angeles rallied to beat Detroit, ending a two-game skid. Jamal Crawford added a season-high 37 points, making all 10 of his free throws, and DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who were without injured starters Chris Paul and J.J. Redick. The Pistons have dropped nine in a row to the Clippers.

Overtime sessions: James continued his tear, scoring six of the team’s eight points in overtime. He missed a potential gamewinning 3-pointer at the buzzer and the game went into double overtime. In the second overtime, Kris Middleton deflected Jefferson’s baseline in-bounds pass and the Bucks came away with the ball. It was a crucial turnover with the Cavaliers down four with 1:25 left. Cleveland got the stop, but

Suns 105, Nuggets 81

Spurs 92, 76ers 83

Wizards 108, Magic 99

Clippers 101, Pistons 96

Mavericks 110, Rockets 98

FG FT REB DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Gallinari 23:55 2-12 3-3 2-4 2 4 8 Faried 14:15 1-3 0-0 4-7 0 1 2 Hickson 17:33 0-2 0-0 0-4 0 1 0 Mudiay 24:22 6-18 0-0 0-5 1 0 13 Harris 26:16 3-9 1-1 0-1 0 2 7 Barton 36:35 8-16 0-0 1-12 4 1 19 Nelson 25:51 2-11 2-2 0-0 1 2 6 Jokic 18:17 2-3 0-0 2-6 0 3 4 Foye 22:42 4-13 0-0 0-0 3 2 8 Arthur 8:26 1-3 0-0 0-1 0 2 2 Papanikolaou 19:58 4-7 1-2 0-1 1 2 9 Miller 1:50 1-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 3 Totals 240:00 34-98 7-8 9-42 13 20 81 Percentages: FG .347, FT .875. 3-Point Goals: 6-35, .171 (Barton 3-6, Miller 1-1, Gallinari 1-5, Mudiay 1-7, Papanikolaou 0-2, Foye 0-4, Harris 0-5, Nelson 0-5). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 13 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Arthur, Barton, Foye, Gallinari, Harris, Mudiay). Turnovers: 10 (Mudiay 3, Faried 2, Harris 2, Barton, Hickson, Nelson). Steals: 8 (Jokic 3, Barton 2, Faried, Harris, Papanikolaou). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT REB PHOENIX Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Tucker 24:02 2-5 0-0 0-6 4 1 4 Leuer 18:49 2-6 2-2 0-5 2 2 7 TChandler 24:58 5-6 1-1 2-8 1 1 11 Bledsoe 29:55 11-16 5-5 0-7 4 0 30 Knight 22:20 4-12 1-1 0-1 0 2 10 Goodwin 28:48 4-7 3-5 1-5 2 1 12 Warren 17:00 3-7 2-2 4-7 0 2 8 Len 16:15 0-3 4-4 0-4 0 3 4 Teletovic 29:11 3-10 2-2 2-9 3 0 11 Booker 14:57 2-8 0-0 0-2 0 0 6 Weems 8:20 0-1 0-2 0-1 3 0 0 Jefferson 5:25 1-3 0-2 1-2 0 1 2 Totals 240:00 37-84 20-26 10-57 19 13 105 Percentages: FG .440, FT .769. 3-Point Goals: 11-24, .458 (Bledsoe 3-4, Teletovic 3-7, Booker 2-3, Goodwin 1-2, Leuer 1-2, Knight 1-3, Warren 0-1, Tucker 0-2). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 20 (19 PTS). Blocked Shots: 1 (T.Chandler). Turnovers: 20 (Bledsoe 3, Goodwin 3, Knight 3, Booker 2, Len 2, Teletovic 2, T.Chandler, Leuer, Tucker, Warren, Weems). Steals: 4 (Bledsoe 2, Knight, Warren). Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 4:21 second.

FG FT REB PHILA. Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Grant 25:06 4-7 2-2 0-4 0 5 12 Noel 31:28 2-8 2-4 0-3 2 3 6 Okafor 39:01 9-17 3-3 3-12 2 3 21 McConnell 25:47 4-6 0-0 0-5 1 2 8 Stauskas 18:12 0-6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Thompson 29:40 3-8 0-0 1-3 1 0 8 Wood 13:16 2-5 0-0 0-4 0 3 5 Canaan 26:32 2-11 0-0 1-5 3 1 6 Sampson 15:21 3-7 2-2 1-2 0 3 9 Pressey 15:36 4-7 0-0 0-3 6 1 8 Totals 239:59 33-82 9-11 6-41 15 21 83 Percentages: FG .402, FT .818. 3-Point Goals: 8-22, .364 (Grant 2-3, Canaan 2-6, Thompson 2-6, Sampson 1-2, Wood 1-2, Stauskas 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 15 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Okafor 2, Grant). Turnovers: 15 (McConnell 3, Noel 3, Okafor 2, Stauskas 2, Thompson 2, Canaan, Grant, Sampson). Steals: 7 (McConnell 2, Noel 2, Grant, Pressey, Wood). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT REB S.ANTONIO Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Anderson 31:09 4-9 0-0 0-7 3 1 10 Aldridge 34:23 5-13 7-8 7-19 2 2 17 Duncan 27:26 7-12 1-3 1-4 2 2 15 Parker 25:04 5-10 6-6 1-2 3 0 16 Green 28:22 1-9 0-0 0-5 2 1 3 Butler 16:13 1-4 0-0 0-2 0 0 3 Mills 21:23 2-11 0-0 0-1 1 0 5 Diaw 16:17 0-4 2-2 1-4 3 0 2 West 17:14 4-8 2-2 1-4 5 3 10 McCallum 13:18 4-5 0-0 0-3 0 0 8 Simmons 8:31 0-0 2-2 1-2 2 0 2 Bonner 0:20 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 Marjanovic 0:20 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Totals 240:00 33-85 21-25 12-54 23 9 92 Percentages: FG .388, FT .840. 3-Point Goals: 5-16, .313 (Anderson 2-2, Butler 1-4, Green 1-4, Mills 1-6). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 14 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 8 (Duncan 5, Aldridge, Anderson, West). Turnovers: 13 (Parker 4, Aldridge 2, West 2, Anderson, Diaw, Duncan, McCallum, Mills). Steals: 10 (Anderson 3, Mills 3, Diaw, Duncan, Parker, Simmons). Technical Fouls: None.

FG FT REB ORLANDO Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Harris 35:34 5-11 0-0 2-5 0 2 10 Frye 16:18 2-4 0-0 0-3 2 3 5 Vucevic 35:44 8-18 3-4 2-13 2 4 19 Payton 38:13 5-15 7-8 1-5 5 3 17 Fournier 36:38 7-17 3-3 0-6 6 1 18 Hezonja 17:11 3-6 0-0 0-2 1 2 8 Gordon 31:42 4-10 4-6 1-7 2 4 12 Napier 16:24 3-5 0-0 0-0 1 1 6 Dedmon 12:16 1-1 2-3 0-4 0 2 4 Totals 240:00 38-87 19-24 6-45 19 22 99 Percentages: FG .437, FT .792. 3-Point Goals: 4-18, .222 (Hezonja 2-4, Frye 1-3, Fournier 1-6, Harris 0-1, Napier 0-1, Payton 0-1, Gordon 0-2). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 12 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Dedmon, Vucevic). Turnovers: 12 (Napier 4, Payton 4, Harris 2, Hezonja, Vucevic). Steals: 7 (Gordon 3, Dedmon, Fournier, Napier, Payton). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT REB WASHINGTON Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Porter 36:09 4-13 0-0 0-10 4 3 9 Humphries 29:44 9-14 0-0 1-5 0 2 23 Gortat 27:49 4-9 5-7 5-10 1 3 13 Wall 34:31 5-14 4-6 0-3 11 2 15 Temple 31:10 5-10 5-6 0-3 2 2 18 Dudley 19:55 1-2 2-2 0-5 1 1 5 Nene 20:11 4-8 1-2 1-6 3 3 9 Neal 16:50 3-5 0-0 0-2 2 3 7 Sessions 13:55 2-5 1-3 0-4 5 1 5 Oubre Jr 9:46 2-3 0-0 0-1 0 3 4 Totals 240:00 39-83 18-26 7-49 29 23 108 Percentages: FG .470, FT .692. 3-Point Goals: 12-29, .414 (Humphries 5-8, Temple 3-6, Dudley 1-2, Neal 1-2, Porter 1-5, Wall 1-5, Oubre Jr. 0-1). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 11 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Humphries 2, Gortat, Nene, Porter, Wall). Turnovers: 11 (Wall 4, Sessions 3, Nene, Humphries, Neal, Porter). Steals: 6 (Porter 4, Temple, Wall). Technical Fouls: None.

FG FT REB DETROIT Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Morris 38:24 2-10 2-2 2-2 2 2 6 Ilyasova 29:29 5-8 7-9 1-2 0 4 20 Drummond 33:49 6-13 6-14 4-19 2 3 18 Jackson 34:21 7-15 4-5 1-6 5 1 20 Caldwell-Pope 36:45 4-10 2-3 1-3 2 4 10 SJohnson 20:52 4-8 0-0 1-4 1 4 9 Tolliver 18:27 1-3 2-2 0-4 1 2 5 Blake 13:43 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 2 2 Baynes 14:11 3-5 0-0 1-2 0 1 6 Totals 240:01 33-74 23-35 11-42 15 23 96 Percentages: FG .446, FT .657. 3-Point Goals: 7-27, .259 (Ilyasova 3-4, Jackson 2-6, Tolliver 1-3, S.Johnson 1-4, Blake 0-1, Caldwell-Pope 0-4, Morris 0-5). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 15 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Drummond, Ilyasova). Turnovers: 15 (Jackson 4, Blake 2, Drummond 2, Ilyasova 2, S.Johnson 2, Morris 2, Baynes). Steals: 8 (Blake 2, Caldwell-Pope, Drummond, Jackson, S.Johnson, Morris, Tolliver). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT REB L.A. CLIPPERS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Pierce 30:16 1-6 0-0 1-3 3 1 3 Griffin 41:56 14-25 6-10 4-8 9 4 34 Jordan 38:23 5-7 0-0 3-16 2 6 10 Rivers 41:45 4-7 2-4 1-3 1 3 13 Crawford 40:31 12-27 10-10 1-6 8 4 37 WJohnson 13:01 0-2 0-0 0-2 0 1 0 Smith 12:53 1-3 2-2 0-1 0 1 4 Prigioni 10:51 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Stephenson 1:42 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Mbah a Moute 8:42 0-1 0-0 1-3 0 3 0 Totals 240:00 37-79 20-26 11-42 23 23 101 Percentages: FG .468, FT .769. 3-Point Goals: 7-19, .368 (Rivers 3-6, Crawford 3-7, Pierce 1-2, W.Johnson 0-1, Prigioni 0-1, Smith 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 14 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Crawford, Griffin, Jordan, Smith). Turnovers: 13 (Crawford 3, Griffin 2, Rivers 2, Smith 2, Jordan, Pierce, Prigioni, Stephenson). Steals: 6 (Griffin 2, W.Johnson 2, Jordan, Prigioni). Technical Fouls: Coach Rivers, 4:03 first.

Denver 13 15 26 27– 81 Phoenix 27 33 28 17–105 A–16,722 (18,055). T–2:07. Ofﬁcials–Bill Kennedy, Nick Buchert, Leon Wood.

Philadelphia 12 27 21 23–83 San Antonio 20 23 33 16–92 A–18,418 (18,797). T–2:07. Ofﬁcials–Ed Malloy, Brian Forte, Scott Twardoski.

FG FT REB DALLAS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Anderson 12:24 1-5 0-0 1-2 0 0 3 Villanueva 25:25 8-16 0-0 2-5 1 4 19 Pachulia 30:01 4-6 2-6 2-8 3 1 10 Williams 34:35 3-8 3-3 0-2 5 4 11 Felton 33:46 8-16 6-6 1-6 1 3 23 Powell 26:09 5-8 3-4 1-9 3 0 13 Harris 29:18 7-11 1-1 0-4 2 4 15 Barea 21:45 3-8 1-1 0-3 8 2 7 Jenkins 12:17 2-8 0-0 1-2 0 0 5 Evans 14:20 2-4 0-0 1-5 1 3 4 Totals 240:00 43-90 16-21 9-46 24 21 110 Percentages: FG .478, FT .762. 3-Point Goals: 8-28, .286 (Villanueva 3-7, Williams 2-4, Anderson 1-4, Felton 1-4, Jenkins 1-4, Barea 0-2, Harris 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 11 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Villanueva 3, Powell 2, Barea, Evans). Turnovers: 11 (Anderson 2, Barea 2, Felton 2, Villanueva 2, Jenkins, Powell, Williams). Steals: 6 (Barea 2, Williams 2, Harris, Pachulia). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT REB HOUSTON Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Ariza 24:37 1-8 1-2 1-6 2 5 4 Jones 41:39 10-15 2-4 0-6 1 4 23 Capela 23:05 2-3 3-6 4-10 1 1 7 Lawson 30:22 3-8 0-0 1-3 5 1 7 Harden 41:40 5-21 14-14 3-7 10 4 25 Thornton 18:04 1-9 0-0 0-5 0 0 2 Brewer 23:12 2-7 2-2 1-2 1 2 6 Terry 26:18 6-10 2-2 0-0 1 5 19 Harrell 11:03 2-3 1-2 2-4 1 1 5 Totals 240:00 32-84 25-32 12-43 22 23 98 Percentages: FG .381, FT .781. 3-Point Goals: 9-34, .265 (Terry 5-9, Jones 1-3, Lawson 1-4, Harden 1-6, Ariza 1-7, Brewer 0-1, Thornton 0-4). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 14 (20 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Jones 3, Harden, Harrell). Turnovers: 12 (Harden 6, Jones 2, Lawson 2, Ariza, Terry). Steals: 9 (Ariza 3, Harden 2, Capela, Harrell, Jones, Lawson). Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 2:20 second. Flagrant Fouls: Terry, 2:32 third; Harden, 6:44 fourth.

Orlando 27 29 20 23– 99 Washington 29 21 29 29–108 A–18,311 (20,308). T–2:11. Ofﬁcials–John Goble, Tony Brown, Haywoode Workman.

Detroit 28 32 20 16– 96 L.A. Clippers 25 26 30 20–101 A–19,060 (19,060). T–2:27. Ofﬁcials–Jason Phillips, Kane Fitzgerald, Dedric Taylor.

Dallas 32 25 25 28–110 Houston 20 14 33 31– 98 A–18,231 (18,023). T–2:19. Ofﬁcials–Mike Callahan, Brent Barnaky, David Guthrie.

Around the association: Gerald Green returned to practice with Miami, though what exactly caused his extended absence from the team remains a closely guarded secret. Green expressed remorse for the incident but did not offer any new details on what happened at his apartment building Nov. 4. “This whole situation, to me, was an incident that I’m ashamed of,” Green said. “I’m just trying to get over this situation. I can’t apologize enough to the residents that live in my building, my fans who support me and deﬁnitely my family and deﬁnitely this organization that’s had my back. It’s a situation I’m not proud of, but I’m ready to move forward.” Green has missed Miami’s past six games. He was suspended for the last two for what the Heat described only as conduct detrimental to the team.

Curry, GOL Harden, HOU Durant, OKC James, CLE Grifﬁn, LAC Lillard, POR Westbrook, OKC George, IND Davis, NOR Anthony, NYK Beal, WAS Bledsoe, PHX

FG Percentage Jordan, LAC Howard, HOU Valanciunas, TOR Whiteside, MIA Ezeli, GOL Plumlee, POR Faried, DEN Kanter, OKC Monroe, MIL Grifﬁn, LAC

Rebounds Drummond, DET Jordan, LAC Love, CLE Gobert, UTA Whiteside, MIA Chandler, PHX Towns, MIN Pachulia, DAL Valanciunas, TOR Faried, DEN

Assists Westbrook, OKC Rondo, SAC Wall, WAS Paul, LAC Smith, NOR McConnell, PHL Lillard, POR Jack, Bro

G 10 9 8 9 9 10 9 10 7 10 6 8

FG 109 74 77 92 92 89 85 78 58 80 52 64

FT 63 89 50 43 48 40 41 64 47 50 16 40

PTS 333 259 225 233 232 253 227 243 168 230 136 179

AVG 33.3 28.8 28.1 25.9 25.8 25.3 25.2 24.3 24.0 23.0 22.7 22.4

FG 35 42 58 58 38 39 55 49 66 92

FGA 49 66 93 94 64 66 94 86 118 165

PCT .714 .636 .624 .617 .594 .591 .585 .570 .559 .558

G OFF DEF 8 57 97 9 24 89 9 32 75 7 26 57 9 25 80 8 24 60 9 22 71 9 29 63 10 30 72 9 33 57

TOT 154 113 107 83 105 84 93 92 102 90

AVG 19.3 12.6 11.9 11.9 11.7 10.5 10.3 10.2 10.2 10.0

G 9 10 7 7 9 9 10 8

AST 98 91 57 56 71 69 74 57

AVG 10.9 9.1 8.1 8.0 7.9 7.7 7.4 7.1

CAVALIERS

Cleveland 23 21 17 27 8 9—105 Milwaukee 23 27 20 18 8 12—108 A_18,717 (18,717). T_2:55. Ofﬁcials_Marc Davis, Matt Boland, Karl Lane.

Cleveland (8-2) came back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deﬁcit to get in position to steal the win. Richard Jefferson scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth. After a James basket pulled the Cavs to within two in regulation, J.R. Smith got a clean steal by stripping Michael Carter-Williams to set the Cavaliers up with the ﬁnal shot with 21.9 seconds left. Out of a timeout, James caught the ball and drove hard off a screen and he coasted in for an uncontested two-handed dunk to tie the game with 16.5 second on the clock. Jarryd Bayless, who had the hot hand all night, was given the ball

Spurs 92, 76ers 83: LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 19 rebounds to help host San Antonio beat Philadelphia. The loss was the 76ers’ 10th straight to open their season and 20th overall dating back to last season.

Scoring

MORRY GASH / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, left, and the Cavs’ Richard Jefferson chase a loose ball Saturday during the Bucks’ 108-105 win in double overtime.

FG FT REB CLEVELAND Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS James 45:03 13-27 6-12 4-12 5 3 37 Love 44:00 8-18 4-6 2-14 2 2 24 Mozgov 15:37 1-5 6-6 2-4 0 3 8 Williams 29:22 2-8 0-0 2-5 4 3 4 Smith 50:30 4-14 0-0 2-9 2 3 10 Jefferson 39:04 5-10 1-3 1-3 0 4 14 Dellavedova 28:38 0-3 0-0 0-2 7 2 0 Thompson 25:30 3-4 0-0 0-4 0 3 6 Varejao 5:09 1-2 0-0 1-1 1 0 2 Jones 3:44 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Cunningham 3:23 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Totals 290:00 37-91 17-27 14-54 21 24 105 Percentages: FG .407, FT .630. 3-Point Goals: 14-38, .368 (James 5-11, Love 4-9, Jefferson 3-6, Smith 2-8, Dellavedova 0-1, Williams 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 21 (26 PTS). Blocked Shots: 8 (James 3, Mozgov 3, Smith 2). Turnovers: 20 (James 7, Dellavedova 4, Smith 3, Williams 3, Love 2, Jefferson). Steals: 6 (Dellavedova 2, James, Jefferson, Love, Smith). Technical Fouls: Jefferson, 4:36 fourth. FG FT REB MILWAUKEE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Antetokounmpo44:31 6-18 4-5 4-11 1 6 16 Parker 30:01 5-10 2-2 0-3 1 2 12 Monroe 43:28 8-17 0-0 6-17 3 3 16 Carter-Williams40:02 6-12 5-6 1-5 4 1 17 Middleton 41:48 4-13 2-2 0-4 1 4 11 O’Bryant 4:41 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Henson 21:17 3-5 0-2 4-6 1 3 6 Bayless 38:48 7-16 0-0 0-2 5 3 17 Plumlee 1:34 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Vasquez 23:50 4-8 3-5 0-3 4 2 13 Totals 290:0043-102 16-22 15-51 20 25 108 Percentages: FG .422, FT .727. 3-Point Goals: 6-16, .375 (Bayless 3-7, Vasquez 2-5, Middleton 1-2, Antetokounmpo 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 13 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 9 (Antetokounmpo 3, Henson 3, CarterWilliams 2, Monroe). Turnovers: 12 (Carter-Williams 3, Antetokounmpo 2, Monroe 2, Bayless, Henson, Middleton, Parker, Vasquez). Steals: 6 (Middleton 3, Carter-Williams 2, Henson). Technical Fouls: Middleton, 4:36 fourth.

James drove the length up the court and missed a ﬂoater. Carter-Williams gathered the rebound and James fouled him to send him to the line. He would sink both to give the Bucks a six-point lead with a minute on the clock. On the ensuing possession James threw a low pass to Smith and he fumbled it out of bounds, compiling the multiple issues they had down the stretch. They still had a chance, however. Smith drained a 3 to pull the Cavaliers within three with 27 seconds remaining. All the Cavaliers needed to do was get a stop and secure the rebound. Bayless missed a tough driving layup, but Greg Monroe outfought James for the offensive board to seal the victory for the Bucks. With Carter-Williams returning

Wizards 108, Magic 99: Kris Humphries scored 23 points, Garrett Temple matched his career high with 18 points and host Washington beat Orlando to end a three-game losing streak. Humphries made a career-high ﬁve 3-pointers, including one with 4:45 remaining as part of an 8-0 Wizards run for a 94-90 lead.

THROUGH FRIDAY

kee coach Jason Kidd said before the game. James spent the week putting together brilliant fourth quarters. He scored 11 against the Bucks – Cleveland trailed 82-71 with 6:33 left – including the Cavs’ final six. His game-tying bucket was a dunk after a drive down the lane with 16.5 seconds to go. In Tuesday’s win over the Jazz, James posted 17 of his 31 in the fourth quarter, and Friday in New York 12 of his 31 came in the final frame. He now has nine games of at least 30 points at Madison Square Garden, tying him with Kobe Bryant for first all-time in that category among visiting players. James was nearly as good in the first overtime Saturday as he was in the fourth quarter, delivering a three-pointer and quick layup off a drive to tie the game twice with less than 90 seconds left. He also swatted Jerryd Bayless’ runner away to preserve the tie. The Cavs appeared to have numbers after James’ block with 7.4 seconds left, but an official’s apparent inadvertent whistle forced the game to stop. James missed what would’ve been a game-winning jumper out of the timeout.

Bucks 108, Cavs 105 (2OT)

Jump shots

NBA leaders

Sunday, November 15, 2015

LeBron James

Chicago

WESTERN CONFERENCE

from B1

at the top of the key. The stage was his with Matthew Dellavedova checking him. Bayless dribbled as the clock wound down and made his move by driving and stopping on the dime for a pull-up jumper. It was a clean look, but it clanked off the iron, sending the game to overtime.

from a foot injury, it was the ﬁrst time this season the Bucks were able to play the starting ﬁve they envisioned. Kevin Love registered his 300th career double double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. He’s the 11th active player to reach that feat. Smith entered the game shooting 30 percent from the field. He didn’t help his cause much as he went 4-of-14 for 10 points. Bayless and Carter-Williams had 17 points apiece. Monroe had 16 points and 17 boards. On deck: Cleveland will get a couple of days of rest before traveling to Michigan to clash with the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

*B5

College basketball roundup

No. 2 UK is letter-perfect vs. NJIT Staff and wire reports

NHL roundup

Blue Jackets finally get first home win From wire reports William Karlsson scored his first two goals of the season and Columbus beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 in a chippy game Saturday night for the Blue Jackets’ first home win this season. Boone Jenner had a goal and two assists, Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist and Brandon Saad also scored for the Blue Jackets. Columbus entered with a six-game home losing streak — tied for worst in franchise history — and as the last club this season without a home victory. Jack Johnson had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves. Anthony Duclair had a goal and an assist and Oliver-Ekman Larsson also scored for Arizona. Having squandered a two-goal lead, Jenner made it 3-2 late in the second period. Karlsson gave Columbus another two-goal edge midway through the third. Bursting inside the Arizona zone, Cam Atkinson took a low, hard shot. Karlsson collected the rebound and calmly put the puck past Smith.

Blackhawks 4, Blues 2: Patrick Kane scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period to extend his points streak to 12 games and lead Chicago over host St. Louis. Stars 3, Wild 2, OT: John Klingberg scored at 3:18 of overtime, and host Dallas beat Minnesota. Klingberg got a cross-ice pass from Tyler Seguin and beat De-

van Dubnyk for his fourth of the season. The Stars had all six shots on goal in overtime. Maple Leafs 4, Canucks 2: James Reimer made 43 saves and host Toronto beat Vancouver. James van Riemsdyk, PierreAlexandre Parenteau, Shawn Matthias and Joffrey Lupul scored for Toronto. Devils 4, Penguins 0: Cory Schneider made 21 stops for his ﬁrst shutout of the season and Mike Cammalleri had a goal and two assists, leading host New Jersey over Pittsburgh. Sharks 2, Sabres 1, OT: Patrick Marleau scored by converting a rebound 2:59 into overtime and San Jose Sharks beat host Buffalo. Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a goal and assist, goalie Martin Jones stopped 30 shots and San Jose won for just the second time in 16 visits to Buffalo. Ryan O’Reilly scored for Buffalo. Panthers 5, Lightning 4, SO: Brandon Pirri scored the lone shootout goal and had a penalty shot goal as Florida beat host Tampa Bay. The Panthers also got goals in regulation from Jussi Jokinen, Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad. Rangers 2, Senators 1: Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle scored the shootout winner as New York defeated host Ottawa. Chris Kreider scored the lone goal in regulation for the Rangers, who have won eight in a row.

AHL | Monsters 5, Griffins 1

Anderson scores a pair, Lake Erie sweeps Griffs Staff reports

The Lake Erie Monsters completed a two-game sweep of the Grand Rapids Grifﬁns with a 5-1 victory in an American Hockey League game Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters improved to 8-3-0-2. Grand Rapids is 2-8-0-1. On Friday, the two teams battled to a shootout, with the Monsters winning, 3-2. The Monsters scored three goals in the ﬁrst period. Winger Sonny Milano got it started with his third goal of the season at the 5:05 mark, then Josh Anderson scored his second of the season

at 11:49. Ryan Craig made it 3-0 at 18:08 of the ﬁrst with his third goal of the season. Anderson scored his second of the night at 6:14 of the second, then Daniel Zaar scored with one second left in the period. Grand Rapids finally got on the board at 3:08 of the third on a goal by Colin Campbell. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 37 of 38 shots to improve to 3-1-2. Griffins goalie Tom McCollum had 25 saves. Grand Rapids out-shot the Monsters, 38-30. The Monsters were 0-for-2 on the power play, and stopped the Grifﬁns on all four power plays.

No. 5 Duke 113, Bryant 75: Grayson Allen had a career-high 28 points, Matt Jones scored all of his career-best 19 in the ﬁrst half, and the host Blue Devils routed Bryant (0-1) in the 2K Classic. Freshman Brandon Ingram had 21 points to help Duke earn its second lopsided win in as many nights. No. 24 Butler 144, Citadel 71: Kellen Dunham scored 24 points and the host Bulldogs broke four school records in a trouncing of The Citadel. The 144 points shattered the previous record of 115 in a regulation win over DePauw in 1965. Penn State 62, VMI 50: Shep Garner scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half and the host Nittany Lions beat the Keydets in the season opener for both teams. JAMES CRISP / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio 85, FGCU 75: Jaaron Sim- Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe goes around the defense of NJIT’s Emmanuel Tselentakis in the ﬁrst mons scored 20 points–13 from half Saturday night in Lexington, Kentucky. the free-throw line – and the host the Northern Illinois Showcase. . 89: Andy Bosley scored 27 points JCU 60, Albion 52: Katlyn SpaBobcats beat Florida Gulf Coast. and grabbed seven rebounds as har (Lake Catholic) scored 17 Toledo 96, W. Va. Tech 65: JCU 91, Transylvania 75: David the Storm (1-1) defeated Missouri points and the host Blue Streaks Jaelan Sanford opened the season Linane led the Blue Streaks with S&T (0-2) in Ashland. won their season opener. with 22 points on crisp shooting 22 points in their season-opening as the Rockets defeated the NAIA victory, in St. Mary’s City, Mary- Notre Dame College 86, Califor- Obelrin 75, Olivet 44: Lindsey nia (Pa). 69: Tyree Gaiter (Cleve- Bernhardt scored 15 points, Tyler land. Golden Bears. land Heights) and Will Vorhees Parlor had 12 rebounds, and the Bowling Green 79, New Or- Brooklyn 92, CWRU 79: Jimmy each scored 26 points as the Fal- host Yeowomen won their season leans 61: Rasheed Worrell and Holman scored 19 points, but the cons won their season opener in opener. Wesley Alceqaire scored 15 and host Spartans (1-1) lost the cham- West Liberty, West Virginia. 14 points, respectively, and the pionship game to Brooklyn (2-0) California University (Pa.) 76, Falcons opened their centennial in the championship game of the Notre Dame College 67: Marseason with a romp over the Pri- Stephanie Tubbs-Jones Memorial tha Nagbe (Lakewood) scored 26 Tournament. vateers. No. 21 George Washington points but the Falcons lost their 85, Grambling State 58: Caira season opener at West Liberty, Cal State Northridge 72, Wright Oberlin 91, Kalamazoo 81: Na- Washington scored 20 of her West Virginia. State 67: Micheal Warren scored than Cohen led the Yeomen with 23 points in the first half for 21 points and the Matadors (1-1) 21 points in a road victory. host George Washington. Yosha Lake Erie 82, Salem Internaclosed the game with a 15-4 run Watson led Grambling with 21 tional 57: Shelby Carpenter’s 16 to rally past the Raiders (1-1) at Lake Erie 100, Missouri S&T points. points led the host Storm.

Women

College basketball

Flashes, Zips get opening-night victories Elton Alexander ealexander@plaind.com It was a grind, but Kent State got it done, 79-70, over Youngstown State. In the second game of the doubleheader, Cleveland State delivered its pressure defense as advertised, but the Akron Zips still had too much firepower and earned a 65-53 victory. A late stretch of defense and timely free throw shooting from junior guard Kellen Thomas helped Kent open the season with a victory in the first game of the Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader Saturday evening in the M.A.C. Center. Thomas, who made 5 of 7 at the line in the final two minutes, led

four Kent players in double figures with a career-high 18 points. He was followed by Xavier Pollard with 15, Chris Ortiz with 12 and a team-high 16 rebounds and Jimmy Hall with 10. “It’s good for us to have gotten tested like this,’’ KSU head coach Rob Senderoff said. YSU was paced by center Bobby Hain, with 20. Twice in the second half the Penguins cut a doubledigit Kent lead down to one possession, the last time at 70-67 with 2:22 to play. But the Penguins could not get over the hump. “ To o m a n y s e l f - i n f l i c t e d wounds to win this game,’’ YSU coach Jerry Slocum said. “Especially disappointed with the way we played the last [two] minutes.”

The Golden Flashes took a 4033 lead at the half, using a superior size advantage inside for 25 rebounds, 11 on the offensive glass, that led to multiple second and third shots for Kent. The Penguins, however, had forced 11 turnovers at the break, which helped them get some easy baskets, and beneﬁted from KSU’s tepid 2-for-6 shooting at the line to keep the game from getting out of hand. With 6:09 to play, just after Ortiz gave KSU a 65-55 lead, a fourth foul on Hall sent him to the bench, triggering an 8-0 run by YSU that included back-toback 3-pointers and led to a Kent timeout. Kent pushed its lead back up to

To those curious about the feeling, let me just say: it’s not pretty. In my experience, the ﬁrst and third beers were simply unpleasant, but the second and fourth were downright miserable. Would-be racers, take note: forget about the drinking. Practice your running. All my protestations aside, I would gladly do it again. I confess, too, that such a pointless, needlessly difficult activity appeals strongly to my inner nut. After taking on so many calories, I felt compelled the next day to run more miles than I would have other otherwise. Ultimately, on that metric, I think I came out on top.

THnd

I-71 TO BAGLEY RD. 1 MILE WEST

1,000s OF GUNS TO BUY, SELL, TRADE UNDER 21 WITH PARENT ONLY – ADM. $6

9-5 SAT., 9-4 SUNDAY•330-539-4247

2015 CTS 2.0 SEDAN

429/mo.*

$0 Down

39 mo. Lease with Cadillac Loyalty OR BUY FOR

C3197740-01

My tolerance is zero and my running isn’t half of what it used to be. Still, somehow, I managed to fare well at the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Hops Cleveland Beer Mile. Despite my total lack of preparation, experience, or drive to do anything more than ﬁnish, I didn’t just survive the chugging of four beers and running of four quarters on Nov. 7. I completed the task more quickly than expected. I also managed to have a great time. Never mind the beer or how poorly such a huge volume of it agreed with my stomach. Long

ber. All I did to prepare was pick my poison. Required by the rules to use a beer with an alcohol content of at least 5 percent, I only went to the trouble of ﬁnding a brand that met that minimum requirement exactly: Labatt Blue. Although beer of any kind — indeed, any liquid — quickly became the last thing I wanted, my Labatt went down (and stayed down) just about as well as I could have hoped. Drinking added perhaps a minute to my mile, but my finish time of 7:56 was still good enough to win my heat. Serious racers, meanwhile, won the race (but lost the contents of their stomachs) with times close to six minutes.

THst

CUYAHOGA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS BEREA

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Beer mile is pointless, nauseating and a great time before anyone had taken a sip, I found the vibe around the Cleveland Velodrome to be as chummy as could be. The whole thing, frankly, was a hoot, from the crazy costumes to the vigorous cheering every single runner received. I cannot and will not, however, attempt to frame the beer mile as legitimate exercise. Yes, ﬁtness is involved, and to win, you have to be in great shape, but you won’t catch me portraying the slamming of four beers as a healthy activity. The only reason it even found a place in “Stretching Out” is because a growing portion of the running world seems to be taking the event seriously. Don’t include me in that num-

GUN SHOW AUGUST 29 november 21 &&30 22

Year End Courtesy Car Savings!

Stretching out

Zachary Lewis zlewis@plaind.com

70-63, but YSU made it a one-possession game. Pollard hit a pair of free throws and with 58.3 seconds to play, Kellen Thomas got a steal, layup and free throw to put Kent up 75-67. In the second game the Zips had several 20-point leads, and after the ﬁrst 10 minutes never led by less than 11 all night. Leading the way were Antino Jackson with 12 points and Reggie McAdams with 10. Andre Yates paced CSU with 10 points.

C3198376-01 3178875-01

JAY LAPRETE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Blue Jackets’ William Karlsson, center, celebrates one of his two goals against Arizona on Saturday in Columbus.

Skal Labissiere scored 26 points, Isaiah Briscoe had a double double and No. 2 Kentucky ran away from NJIT 87-57 on Saturday night for its second win in as many nights. Seeking a strong tuneup with Tuesday night’s showdown looming against defending national champion and fifth-ranked Duke, the Wildcats (2-0) succeeded behind a dominant effort by their 6-foot-11 freshman. Labissiere made 10-of-12 from the field and all six free throws to nearly triple his scoring from the previous night against Albany. After missing the opener with a bruised knee, Isaiah Briscoe, another freshman, debuted with a team-high 12 rebounds along with 11 points. Derek Willis added 11 points and Marcus Lee had 10 as Kentucky won the first meeting between the schools.

35,000

479/mo.*

$0 Down

39 mo. Lease without Cadillac Loyalty OR BUY FOR

37,000

2801 Carnegie • Cleveland • 216.535.1822 www.CentralCadillac.com

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL No. 5 Euclid 49, No. 4 Westerville Central 24

Panthers score 35 straight in a rout Ryan Isley Special to the Plain Dealer

M a n s f i e l d — The fifthseeded Euclid football team scored 35 straight points and came away with a 49-24 win over fourth-seeded Westerville Central in a Division I, Region 1 playoff game Saturday night at Arlin Field. With the Panthers trailing 18-14 in the second quarter, Euclid took the lead on a 43yard run by De’Quan Pruitt just a minute later and then added another score when quarterback Craig Robinson pulled down a pass attempt as the pressure was gaining on him and ran for a 34-yard touchdown in the half’s final minute. “I saw space,” Robinson said. “All of my coaches have told me that when in doubt to run the ball. They believe in me more than I believe in myself.” Euclid came out in the second half and dominated, scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter. Chris Collins scored the first two touchdowns as he took it in from two yards out and then from five yards out. The running clock was instituted after Anthony Johnson returned an interception 32 yards for a score. The Panthers had been the more physical team in the first half, but two turnovers cut short Euclid drives and kept the Warhawks in the game. “I told them I was very angry because we were the more physical team, we needed to keep our pace,” Euclid coach Jeff Rotsky said. Early on, it looked like things may not go Euclid’s way. After driving the ball into Westerville Central territory on the game’s first possession, Robinson was intercepted by Bryson Gilmore, who returned it for a touchdown for the first score. Euclid answered on the next possession with a 64-yard pass from Robinson to David Wright, giving the Panthers a 7-6 lead. Collins then took a handoff and went 45 yards for a 14-6 Euclid lead with 11:41 left in the second quarter. Westerville Central’s Benny Snell went for 170 yards in a span of three carries over two possessions, including two touchdowns, to give the Warhawks an 18-14 lead. Euclid had 537 total yards of offense. Collins rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries, while Robinson ran for 105 yards on 10 carries and completed seven passes for 132 yards. Ryan Isley is a freelancer from Akron

JOHN KUNTZ / CLEVELAND.COM

Stow linebacker Isaiah Gray intercepts a pass intended for Solon receiver Anthony Zavarella in the second quarter of Stow’s 24-15 Division I second-round win.

No. 2 Stow 24, No. 7 Solon 15

Gobble sparks Stow with 2 TDs in 2nd half Matt Goul mgoul@cleveland.com After a ﬁrst half with little offense, Stow kicked it into gear Saturday night at InfoCision Stadium’s Summa Field at the University of Akron. Senior running back Jayson Gobble, held to about 60 yards rushing in the ﬁrst half, later found his creases to feed the Bulldogs’ 2415 win vs. Solon in a Division I, Region 1 second-round game. Second-seeded Stow (12-0) ad-

ST. ED from B1

A 25-yard run by Alex Mathews and a pass interference penalty helped the Cardinals move in the final minute of the first half. Mathews scored from 22 yards on a screen pass with 13 seconds left to give the Cardinals momentum at the break. Me n t o r ’s C a l To m m a s o n e kicked a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the Eagles’ lead to 13-10 “In the fourth quarter we were right there. We didn’t take advantage of opportunities, especially

vances to face No. 3 Lewis Center Olentangy on Saturday at a site to be determined. Olentangy was a 24-21 winner vs. No. 6 Toledo Whitmer No. 7 Solon (9-3) almost rode its defense to the next round. The Comets led 6-3 at halftime, aided by a Stow kick return being called back and junior safety Jake McCurry’s interception of Kyle Vantrease on the Bulldogs’ opening drive. “Sometimes I thought they had 13, 14 guys out on the ﬁeld,”

Stow coach Mark Nori said. “It just looked like they were everywhere. Their safeties did a heck of a job of sitting back on us, and then coming up and making plays when they needed to.” Then Nori’s defense began to do the same. Monte Board intercepted Solon quarterback Johnny Mooney on the third play of the third quarter, setting up Gobble for a 30-yard touchdown run minutes later. Gobble ran to right of his line – the lesser-experienced side,

left tackle Michael Miranda said – and spun past a defender to sprint for the go-ahead score. Gobble finished with 157 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. In a twist, the running back – who entered with 1,852 yards and 31 touchdowns – ended the game with a sack on Mooney. “I didn’t think I got that sack,” Gobble said. “I dove at his leg with a shoestring tackle. It’s my one defensive stat.” Stow intercepted Mooney twice, the first setting up a 24-yard field

goal with two seconds left in the half. Saturday’s game marked just the third time all season a team kept the Bulldogs to fewer than 30 points. Hudson, which held them to 17, had the best performance. This one sent the Bulldogs into the locker room with a quiet demeanor, Nori and Gobble said. “In all honesty, we were kind of down,” Gobble said. “Nobody was really hyped up at halftime, but right when we came out on the ﬁeld we got ﬁred up.”

in that third quarter,” Cardinals coach Steve Trivisonno said. “We had a chance to take the lead.” After Tommasone’s ﬁeld goal, the Cardinals punted twice, lost a fumble and turned the ball over on downs. They were limited to 258 yards of offense. Two pass interference penalties aided their two scoring drives. Mathews had 22 carries for 129 yards, and Tadas Tatarunas was 12-of-27 passing for 120 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Keefe was 11-of-15 for 142 yards and touchdown passes to Michael Carbon and Gonzalez. The win was the 100th of Lombardo’s coaching career.

CHUCK CROW / THE PLAIN DEALER

Mentor defenders bring down St. Ed running back Cole Gest (20) during the second quarter of the Eagles’ 34-10 win Saturday in Parma.

Game balls Here is a look at some of the top high school football performers from Friday’s OHSAA secondround playoff games. New in the playoffs: There will be one Game Balls contest each Friday and Saturday. Vote for your favorite performers at cleveland.com/hssports. Voting is open until Thursday at noon. Friday’s nominees:

C3196819-02

Dom Davis, St. Vincent-St. Mary: Threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more in No. 2 STVM’s 42-0 win over No. 6 West Geauga in a Division III, Region 7 semifinal. Davis completed 13 of 22 passes for 173 yards and rushed for a teamhigh 130 yards on nine carries. Marcus Drish, Glenville: Ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead No. 4 Glen-

ville over No. 1 Midview, 27-14, in Division II, Region 4. The senior quarterback rushed 14 times for 51 yards. He completed 3 of 10 passes for 77 yards. Mario Monastero, Mayfield: Led No. 3 Mayfield to 23-21 comeback victory over No. 7 Warren Harding in Division II, Region 3. Monastero converted two gutsy fourth-down plays. Monastero threw a 9-yard touchdown pass on one play and made a 31-yard completion on another to give the Wildcats a chance for the win. He also rushed for a touchdown. Roman Moreno, Hudson: Rushed for three touchdowns in No. 5 Hudson’s 35-14 win over No. 8 Nordonia in Region 3. Moreno had 12 carries for 87 yards.

Brian Schoeffler, Benedictine: Threw two touchdown passes in No. 1 Benedictine’s 3110 win over No. 5 Bay in Division III, Region 8. Schoeffler became Bengals’ career leader in touchdown passes with 52. Todd Sibley, Archbishop Hoban: Scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead No. 1 Archbishop Hoban to a 21-14 win over No. 5 Louisville in Region 7. The junior running back was a workhorse as he carried the ball 39 times for 248 yards Austin Williams, Mogadore: Rushed for a touchdown and helped No. 2 Mogadore’s defense shut out No. 3 Norwalk St. Paul, 28-0, in Division VII, Region 23. It was Mogadore’s first win over St. Paul since 1996.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Crestwood 40, Holy Name 26

Red Devils hold on for win after building big early lead Michael Fitzpatrick Special to The Plain Dealer

Crestwood jumped out to a big lead early and then had to hold on at the end as the Red Devils knocked off Holy Name, 40-26, Friday night in a Division IV, Region 11 OHSAA regional semiﬁnal at Boliantz Stadium. Junior running back Logan Thut rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and senior A.J. Foulkes rushed for 101 yards and three scores to lead the way for No. 3-seeded Crestwood, which improved to 10-2 and will play the winner of WoodbridgeYoungstown Urusuline. Crestwood built leads of 20-0 in the second quarter and 33-14 with 4:07 left in the third quarter. But No. 7-seed Holy Name wouldn’t go away as it closed to within 33-26 in the fourth quarter, when it scored after recovering an onside kick. The Green Wave got the ball back at its own 22 with just 3:54 left in the contest when Crestwood turned the ball over on downs, sending the Holy Name sidelines into a frenzy smelling the comeback and upset. That frenzy was dampened immediately as Holy Name sophomore quarterback Joe Carter was

Kirtland 27, Brookfield 17

GUS CHAN / THE PLAIN DEALER

Crestwood wide receiver Logan Thut runs the ball in for a touchdown in the ﬁrst half against Holy Name on Saturday.

intercepted on the very next play by Crestwood’s Ryan Erway. That set up Foulkes’ 4-yard TD run for a Red Devils 40-26 lead. “The key for us was hanging in there,” Red Devils coach Pete Thompson said. “Quite frankly, they’ve been in that situation of winning close games in the fourth quarter,” he said of Holy Name. “Certainly after they scored and got the onside kick, our kids could have folded. We have not been in close games.” Crestwood contained Holy Name running back Shakif Seymour. He had with 46 yards on 19 carries but did score four touchdowns. Seymour attributed his team’s slow start to to coming out flat. “It was just really slow for us. I don’t think we were mentally focused. In the second half, we fought really hard. If we had played like that in the first half, it would have been a totally different football game,” Seymour said. Running a patient and methodical no-huddle offense, the Red Devils racked up 309 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. Holy Name managed just 49 yards of total offense. Seymor, who rushed for 309 yards and six touchdowns in Holy Name’s opening playoff win over Perry, was held to just 6 yards

rushing in the first half on eight carries. He scored Holy Name’s only touchdown of the half on a 3-yard run to close Crestview’s lead to 20-7 with 6:26 left in the second quarter. But Crestview answered with a long drive that chewed up just over six minutes on the game clock and was capped off by Tuft’s 3-yard touchdown run giving Crestwood a 26-7 lead at the half. Thut rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, including a 46-yard scoring run, that gave Crestwood a 14-0 early in the second quarter. Crestwood quarterback Jordan Fabry finished the first half 5-of-5 passing for 95 yards and a touchdown and finished the game with 138 yards. Getting off to the big lead early was huge, said Thompson. “Certainly it was. They have a nice young quarterback, but I don’t know if he’s been in a position where he has to throw a lot to win them a game,” Thompson said of Holy Name’s Carter, who finished the game 18 of 33 for 185 yards. His favorite targert was Ben Revay, who caught 10 passes for 112 yards. “As we talked in the locker room who would have thought it, except for these guys right here,” he said

Cuyahoga Heights 21, Smithville 20

Hornets Drummond gains redemption with TD grab do what they do every fall Zachary Dzurick Special to The Plain Dealer

In Kirtland, it’s not November, it’s Winvember. No. 1 Kirtland continued to dominate November playoff football as the Hornets seek to reach their fifth straight state title game. The dream remains alive with a 27-17 win over No. 5 Brookfield in a Division VI, Region 19 second-round game. Kirtland (11-1) earned a rematch with CVC Valley Division rival Cuyahoga Heights for the Regional Final on Saturday. The 2011 and 2013 state champions beat Cuyahoga Heights 28-26 in week 9. “Cuyahoga Heights is a well -coached team and it is always great to see CVC teams make it this far,” Kirtland head coach Tiger Laverde said. Kirtland held the Brookfield offense to 22 yards on the ground but Brookfield threw for 276 yards. Kirtland rushed for 213 yards as team. Kirtland quarterback Owen Lewis completed 6-of-8 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown. “Brookfield was a very physical team that had a great offense,” Lewis said. “They were very physical but we pounded it out and played four quarters to pull it out.” In the fourth quarter, Kirtland led 20-10. The Hornets drove inside the 10 but appeared to bog down. The Hornets had to use two timeouts and had a penalty but Kirtland converted a tough fourth down. Senior Joey Bates then scored a 7-yard touchdown to push the lead to 27-10. “It was probably the most important touchdown of the year,” Lewis said. “We needed to go up two scores.” Brookfield answered with a one-play drive as Necastro threw a 64-yard touchdown to Kasey Tingler. After a Kirtland punt, Brookfield drove back into Kirtland territory and faced a fourth and four at the 36-yard line with 2:36 left. The Kirtland defense tackled Necastro just short of the first down. Brookfield head coach Randy Clark thought there was an inadvertent whistle and his team was upset. Helmets were thrown and a coach threw a flag back at an official. In all, five penalties were called and two players were ejected. The penalties moved the ball all the way to the 10-yard line where the Hornets took four knees. Kirtland led at the half 13-3 but the Brookfield offense came alive in the second half.

Sam Robinson Special to The Plain Dealer

After a slow first half, Dylan D r u m m o n d ’s r e - e m e r g e n c e helped ignite Cuyahoga Heights football to its biggest win this decade. The sophomore wide receiver’s 5-yard touchdown reception from Brett Lowther tied Smithville in overtime, and Mark Shafer’s ensuing extra point gave the No. 6-seeded Redskins a 21-20 victory against No. 7 Smithville in an OHSAA Division VI, Region 19 second-round matchup Saturday night at Highland High School. Drummond helped create his game-winning opportunity by blocking a Smithville extra point after the Smithies (8-4) scored first in the extra period. “We just went with a normal block right, and I fired out as hard as I could, laid out and got my hand on it,” said Drummond, who caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. “I knew I needed to come up big because I’d let my team down earlier, so I was motivated to come up and make a block and a touchdown.” Like most of Saturday’s offensive threats did in a scoreless first half, Drummond struggled early, but his sliding TD grab on a well-thrown slant route more than compensated for it. Cuyahoga Heights (10-2) advances to its first regional final since 2009. The Redskins will face Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division rival Kirtland (11-

KYLE LANZER / SPECIAL TO THE PLAIN DEALER

Cuyahoga Heights receiver Dylan Drummond almost makes a catch in the end zone during Saturday night’s Division VI playoff game against Smithville at Highland High school. Cuyahoga Heights won, 21-20. 1) — the region’s top seed which beat Brookfield in the second

round three weeks after edging Cuyahoga Heights, 28-26 — next

Saturday at a to-be-determined site.

Ironically, both Cuyahoga Heights losses — Kirtland and Berkshire — featured missed extra points. The Redskins now book a rematch with the Hornets on the strength of having two go their way. “We set a goal for two playoff wins and to get there. That’s all we were going to do tonight was win,” said Lowther, who completed 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards while rushing 12 times for 76 yards. Smithville held a 14-7 lead with 3 minutes and 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Lowther guided the Redskins on a lengthy march for the tying score. The junior quarterback indirectly punctuated the drive when he fumbled on a dive for the goal line on a fourth-andgoal inside of a minute to play, only to see offensive tackle Jon Teter fall on the ball and knot the game at 14. The Smithies broke a halftime tie in the third quarter and forced four turnovers, but they didn’t score on any of them, keeping the Redskins in the game. “[Smithville] had a great ﬁrst half, and we didn’t convert very well offensively,” Cuyahoga Heights coach Al Martin said. “We kept putting them in bad positions with some turnovers, but I thought they hung in there.” Redskins junior Trey Combs, who caught four passes for 58 yards, tied the game at 7 in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard touchdown catch.

Division IV, Region 11 | No. 5 Ursuline 27, No. 1 Woodridge 20

Fighting Irish hold off resilient Woodridge Bryant Kizer Special to The Plain Dealer

Woodridge’s undefeated season came to an end Saturday as Youngstown Ursuline beat the Bulldogs, 27-20, to advance to the Division IV, Region 11 ﬁnal. The Fighting Irish will play No. 3 Crestwood next Saturday at a site to be announced today. Woodridge (11-1), which had never trailed this season, fell behind 27-6 in the third quarter but the Bulldogs fought back and made the game interesting. Senior wide receiver Joe Novak helped bring the Bulldogs back with two touchdowns. Novak ﬁrst outjumped a Fighting Irish defender for a 30-yard touchdown reception. Sharif Howard’s extra point cut the Irish lead to 27-13 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. After the Bulldogs got the ball back on a fumble, Novak scored on a 72-yard reception to pull the Bulldogs to within 27-20 with 4:53 left. The Fighting Irish then got a few first downs to run out the clock. The Fighting Irish (7-5) opened

with a 16-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Mason Lydic. The extra point was muffed and the game was tied, 6-6, at the half. The Fighting Irish put up 21 points in the third quarter. Dakota Hobbs returned the secondhalf kickoff for an 82-yard touchdown. Johnson found the end zone again on a 5-yard run and Deion Edwards ran 60 yards for a touchdown. “We made a lot of mistakes,” Bulldogs head coach Jeff Decker said. “My hat’s off to (Ursuline). We tackled big backs like them, but these guys did not go down. We had a fabulous year.”

JOSHUA GUNTER | CLEVELAND.COM

Woodridge’s Joe Novak is surrounded by Youngstown Ursuline defenders during the ﬁrst half of the Bulldogs’ 27-20 loss Saturday in Hudson. the scoring in the ﬁrst quarter as Kimauni Johnson scored on a 28yard touchdown run. The extra

point was blocked. The Bulldogs count on King Alfred Sanders to carry the load,

but the Fighting Irish defense kept him in check. Robbie Taylor got the Bulldogs on the board

Star of the game: Dakota Hobbs returned the second-half kickoff for an 82-yard touchdown that gave the Fighting Irish momentum. “This is my ﬁrst kickoff return for a touchdown this season. I had one last year,” said the junior.

Turning point: King Alfred Sanders had only 70 yards on 14 carries. Sanders came into the contest with 1,134 yards on 190 carries and 23 touchdowns.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Division I boys soccer state final | St. Ignatius 4, Hilliard Davidson 0

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Division III state girls volleyball

St. Ignatius defends its state crown Gilmour wins ﬁrst

state championship

Tim Bielik tbielik@cleveland.com Fairborn, Ohio — Gilmour

BARBARA J. PERENIC/THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

St. Ignatius’ Hayden Parente, second from left, celebrates a goal while teammates Alex Gotsky and Riley Houde (11) trail during the second half of St. Ignatius’ 4-0 win over Hilliard Davidson in the Division I state championship game Saturday.

Robert Rozboril rrozboril@cleveland.com

Columbus — The St. Ignatius

soccer team repeated as Division I state champions with a 4-0 win over Hilliard Davidson at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday. St. Ignatius controlled the game in the first half, outshooting Davidson, 12-1. St. Ignatius had five shots on goal in the first half while Davidson had none. Junior Stephen Milhoan, a Xavier-commit, scored St. Ignatius’ first goal of the game in the 30th minute on a feed from senior Hayden Parente. “I give Hayden the credit,” Milhoan said. “He gave me a perfect ball and I just happened to slip in behind and tap it home.” The Wildcats finish the season undefeated at 22-0-1 and the title is the seventh in program history. S t . Ig n a t i u s c o a c h M i k e McLaughlin said Milhoan’s goal

was a significant turning point in how both teams played the rest of the way. “We knew if we could get the first goal, they were going to have to come at us,” McLaughlin said. “As long as it was tied, they were sitting back and keeping it compact and making it difficult for us to get through and the moment we scored that obviously changed the game.” In the 60th minute, Parente sailed a shot from just outside the box over the outstretched arms of Davidson goalkeeper David Hoyle and just under the crossbar into the back of the net. Davidson (18-2-3) had a couple of scoring opportunities in the 49th minute but couldn’t capitalize. With 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Davidson senior Robert LeFevre took a shot from in close but junior goaltender Lodge Dils was there to make one

of his two saves. “They were really dangerous in the second half,” McLaughlin said. “When they attacked, they had us on our heels. Their speed on the right wing from LeFevre was really dangerous and [Ryan] Lang in the middle really was a handful. He won a lot of 50/50 balls that made it difﬁcult for us to sort out.” Lang had both of Davidson’s shots on goal in the second half. St. Ignatius junior Riley Houde and senior Lawrence Karpeh, a Pitt-commit, scored the champs’ third and fourth goals in the 74th and 75th minutes, respectively, to put the match well out of reach. Senior John Duldner said he felt the task of defending a state title was harder than winning it a year ago. “After winning the ﬁrst one and being ranked No. 1 in the state, you have an X on your back,” Duldner said. “Everyone’s aiming

for you and for us to make it back here and defend it is massive. Truthfully, I was nervous until the very end of the game, even when we were four goals up, because anything can happen.” While being the No. 2-ranked team in the country, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, and top-rated program in the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division I state poll brought added pressure, McLaughlin feels his program dealt with even more in 2005 and 2010 when St. Ignatius was the No. 1 in the country and the state while going on to win championships both years. Davidson, which is ranked 10 th by the OSSCA, had not been shut out prior to Saturday’s game. Davidson coach Dan Hoover feels his team has established a winning culture and feels the future is bright for his program.

needed five sets to win its first state championship as it defeated previously unbeaten St. Henry, 3-2, in the Division III state championship match Saturday. The Lancers (26-3) won their ﬁrst state title in set scores of 1325, 25-20, 25-22, 25-15, 15-7 at the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University. After losing the fourth set as a result of a 10-1 run, Gilmour jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the ﬁnal game and never trailed. “I didn’t have to tell them much [after the fourth set],” Gilmour coach Danny Coughlin said. “They knew what was on the line. They know we sputtered in set four.” Gilmour had been the runnerup in its previous five championship matches before winning Saturday. “It’s an unreal feeling,” Gilmour senior Alexa Turk said. “We’re used to having that feeling on the other side of the net. Seeing them look that way, feel that way, we know what that feels like. We know that feeling. It’s just cool to experience the opposite of that. It’s still unreal. It hasn’t hit us yet.” Turk helped lead Gilmour’s offense with 15 kills and three service aces. She also had eight digs and two block assists, helping the Lancers record 9.5 total team blocks. Ella Grbac led her team with

seven block assists. She also had 12 digs. “It was kind of easy to see where they were going to hit across our line,” Grbac said. “So I just lined up with the outside or the right-side blocker. They really helped me to get there, just press over and just work as a pair to get our hands over for the block.” Turk helped rally Gilmour in the second set, recording six of her match-high 15 kills in the set. She also added an ace to help her team even the match at one set each. Gilmour led by 14 points in that set. “Personally, I wasn’t expecting to come out like that,” Turk said. “Usually after a huge loss like the first set, it takes awhile to come back to bring the energy up. But I think the kills and just the engagement, the talking really helped the entire team.” The Lancers had a tournamentrecord 12 aces but committed 19 service errors compared with only six by St. Henry (28-1). Megan Brzozowski had 40 of her team’s 47 assists, and Katie Forsythe led her team with 18 digs. Gilmour got out to an 8-1 lead in the third set but had it cut down to as few as two before it closed out the set. After the first three sets combined to have one tie, the fourth set had six ties and four lead changes. Gilmour had cut St. Henry’s lead to 15-14 before the Redskins forced a fifth set with a 10-1 run.

Division II boys soccer state final | Toledo St. Francis DeSales 1, Bay 0

DeSales again edges Bay to take state title

Robert Rozboril rrozboril@cleveland.com

C o l u m b u s — The Bay boys soccer team suffered its second straight 1-0 loss to Toledo St. Francis DeSales in the Division II state championship at Mapfre Stadium on Saturday. The Stallions broke through in the 37th minute when sophomore Hector Gomez scored an unassisted goal that proved to be the game-winner. Both teams were aggressive from the start, creating several good scoring opportunities but failing to capitalize. As time wore on in the second half, it seemed ever-more likely BARBARA J. PERENIC / COLUMBUS DISPATCH this year’s state final would end up much like last year’s when Zayne Cook, left, of DeSales and Scott Durham of Bay compete DeSales also defeated Bay, 1-0. for a ball during the Division II state championship. The difference was that this year is the lone score came in the first ets a safe distance from scoring of the year.” half rather than overtime. range for the most part during Among those teams, Dough“I think the second half was the final two minutes. This sea- erty referred to are DeSales and the difference,” said DeSales son marks the Rockets’ fourth Lake Catholic. Lake Catholic beat Bay, 5-0, on coach Dominic Romanelli. “We consecutive state tournament switched some things around and appearance. The team has not Sept. 17 and the Rockets ended played a 4-5-1 and just owned the won a title since 1993, however. up beating the Cougars, 3-2, in midfield.” “As it wrapped up, I told the the state semifinals. Bay also lost to DeSales by Bay got off a shot on goal with boys they grew up a lot this year,” less than five minutes to play said Bay coach Bobby Dougherty. three goals (4-1) on Aug. 29, but DeSales goalie JP Baughman “We didn’t come away with the which shows how far the team made a diving save to prevent a big trophy but with the matu- has come. DeSales was ranked second in tying goal. Rockets senior Logan rity of this team and the growth Schmidt took a shot with about they’ve shown, I’m just so proud the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coachtwo minutes remaining but it of them. They truly peaked at the es Association state poll for Diright time. They went after teams vision II, behind top-rated Lake sailed high. The Stallions kept the Rock- that destroyed us in the early part Catholic. Bay was ranked sixth.

Romanelli, who has been friends with Dougherty for years having played with him on club teams, said he was not surprised to see Bay playing so much better than it did early in the season. “I called it. I said ‘He’s gonna beat Lake Catholic’ ” Romanelli said. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. We don’t care about the regular season. Do you think I care that we beat him, 4-1, in the regular season? Absolutely not. I told my guys that this is not the same Bay team they saw before and you’re not three goals better than they are.” Senior goalie Matt Korte was of 5-of-6 on save opportunities for the Rockets and started against DeSales in the state ﬁnal a year ago as well. “I think the rivalry has been brewing for awhile,” Korte said. “Every time our team gets to the state final, it’s against them, it seems.” In addition to losing to DeSales the past two seasons, Bay also lost to the Stallions in the 2009 state championship game. “It just hurts,” Korte said. “We were so close. I felt like we had some good chances, even toward the end but it just wasn’t in the cards for us this year. We never gave up though.” Korte said he will be in the stands cheering if the Rockets can pull off a third straight trip to the state ﬁnals next year.

TIM BIELIK \ CLEVELAND.COM

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin players raise the Division II state championship trophy after defeating Plain City Jonathan Alder.

She had ﬁve kills and only one attack error in the second set to help her team even the match at one set each. “Ambre’s so dynamic, she’s able to go pin to pin and there’s not a whole lot of middles that can actually swing the way that she does,” NDCL coach Tom Ray said. “For another team to match up with her, they have to have an athletic, very fast middle as well.” The Lions had 12 team blocks. Their strength defensively at the net had an impact on how Jonathan Alder (28-1) tried to attack them. In addition to Pierce’s seven block assists, Stephanie Hetki had ﬁve, and Emily Suppel and Erica Kostelac each had four. Kostelac also tied for the team lead with 11 kills. “It definitely helped,” Hetki said. “It started to force the other team to alter the way they were playing.” Just as it had in its semifinal

win against Lexington on Thursday, NDCL spun its rotation 180 degrees following a set loss. The adjustment helped the Lions regain control of the match. NDCL improved its attack percentage in each set, finishing with a .333 percentage and just five errors in the final set. Defensively, in addition to the blocks, the Lions held the Pioneers to a .014 attack percentage for the match. “In practice, we focus a lot on back row with our coaches actually playing against us,” NDCL senior libero Samantha Cooney said. “So we get that speed hitting at us. We have Ambre and Erica hitting at us. We’re just ready for whatever other teams have to offer.” Cooney led NDCL with 17 digs, and Kostelac added 11. Emily Weigand had a match-high 37 assists as well as an ace, two block assists and two kills. Senior Emily Suppel had kills on the final two points to win the Lions’ second state championship.

young outﬁelders in the minors. Chris Antonetti traded prospects before the Ubaldo Jimenez deal. Could he do it again?

It doesn’t mean the big-market team is going to the World Series every year, but it’s going to have a lot more chances to get there.

Hey, Hoynsie: If you have a wellrun big-market team and a wellrun small-market team, who is going to win more? — Robbie Jay Hey, Robbie: The well-run smallmarket team can have a good run, a la the Tampa Bay Rays. But the well-run, big-market team is going to make the postseason more consistently because it has more money and resources at its disposal.

Hey, Hoynsie: Biggest decision from front office this off-season? — Woodrow, Twinsburg Hey, Woodrow: They have to come up with a starting outfield. With Michael Brantley apparently going to miss all or part of April following surgery on his right shoulder, they don’t have a starting outfielder on the roster. That’s frightening. — Hoynsie

NDCL from B1

Hey, Hoynsie | Your Indians questions answered Got a question about the Indians? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heyhoynsie or Tweet him at @hoynsie, and Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes will choose at least one to answer each week.

Hey, Hoynsie: Well, since Colby Rasmus reupped with Houston and became the first free agent to accept a qualifying offer, what options do the Indians have on getting a center fielder? It sure looks like we will trade one of our starting pitchers for a right-handed hitting center ﬁelder. Do you

agree? — Jay Smith, Lakewood Hey, Jay: The Indians definitely need a center fielder, maybe a one-year stopgap guy. Abraham Almonte did a good job after being acquired from San Diego in July, but he’s probably more of a fourth outfielder. The Indians might also need Almonte to play left field if Michael Brantley isn’t ready to open the season because of his shoulder surgery. I’d be surprised, however, if the Indians traded one of their starters for a center fielder. It could come to that, but I don’t think the organization is ready to do that.

Here’s what they could do. I think they’ll wait until the big names are gone from the free agent market and try to sign someone such as Austin Jackson, Drew Stubbs, Rajai Davis or perhaps Denard Span if his market is limited because of his hip surgery. If not, the Indians could go with one of their prospects in center field such as Tyler Naquin or James Ramsey and try to sign a corner outﬁelder such as Nori Aoki, David DeJesus, Domonic Brown or Chris Denorﬁa. Whichever course they take, they have some serious work ahead of

them. Hey, Hoynsie: If they want an impact bat, aren’t going go big for a free agent and won’t trade pitching … prospects? Zimmer or Frazier on the block? — Chad Young Hey, Chad: It’s clear the Indians have to do something. If you can’t play in the free-agent market, you have to make a trade. If you won’t trade your pitching, an area of strength, you have to look for another area of strength in the organization. Right now, they have a lot of

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Shaw’s Spin

More of Bud Shaw’s Spin online Follow Bud’s blog at cleveland.com/budshaw or email him at bshaw@cleveland.com

Spinoffs

3 Tim Couch was the most recent Browns quarterback to win in Pittsburgh. But, hey, it only seems like 12 years ago. Couch threw for a modest 208 yards while the Browns handed off 33 times to William Green. Is that a recipe the Browns could follow today? Another aspect of that Browns win could be repeated if Ben Roethlisberger misses the game as expected. Star running back Le’Veon Bell is already done for the season. That 33-13 win in 2003 came with Tommy Maddox starting at quarterback for the Steelers, whose leading rusher was none other than Amos Zereoue (38 yards). Feeling confident? Didn’t think so. 3 Pittsburgh’s win last week over Oakland was Mike Tomlin’s 50th home win as the Steelers’ coach. He is 50-19. To put that in perspective, here’s how the Browns stack up since 1999: Nothing. Nothing to see here. Move along. 3 OK, here’s the list, in chronological order: Chris Palmer (2), Butch Davis (12), Romeo Crennel (14), Eric Mangini (6), Pat Shurmur (7), Rob Chudzinski (3), Mike Pettine (5). Total: (Ahem) 49. 3 I know the Terry Robiskie Era seemed like high times but it actually produced no home wins. 3 Cleveland Central Catholic grad Monte Gaddis finally got his meeting with Browns GM Ray Farmer after standing outside the Browns’ Berea complex wearing a sign: “Starving for my first shot, why not?” Gaddis told reporters he has “confidence in myself that I know I can make this team and maybe change things around.” Gaddis is a confident young man. He would probably say the same if the Browns were 7-2 instead of 2-7. But saying he could contribute to the team now probably isn’t as believable it sounds. At least in the cleveland.com comment section. Then again, what is?

DAVID I. ANDERSEN | THE PLAIN DEALER

Tim Couch was the Browns’ starting quarterback the last time the Browns beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. On Oct. 5, 2003, Couch completed 20 of 25 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in Cleveland’s 33-13 win. 3 Farmer told the former University of Maryland walk-on and Towson transfer to send in his game tapes. Farmer even gave him his email address. It was a nice gesture. Gaddis said he was also told by Farmer that there were better ways to get his message across. And when the guy saying that was suspended four games for texting the sidelines during games, you have good reason to believe he has insight into that particular topic. 3 Dolphins defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh apologized to his mother for cursing on TV. OK. But how about for all those times he kicked her when she was

carrying him? 3 Steelers quarterback Landry Jones, who has played well enough in relief, says he is trying not to overthink the challenge of matching that effort as a starter. Antonio Brown’s 17 catches for 284 yards last week would seem to un-complicate the matter. 3 So not being the tallest guy hinders Johnny Manziel in the pocket? Next on Breaking News Central, the headline “Most Earthquake Damage Caused by Shaking.” 3 Pointing out that Josh McCown is the No. 1-ranked quarterback on third downs, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says, “I think it would be prudent for us to pre-

pare for him.” Prudent, maybe. Necessary? Given the condition of his ribs, only until the ﬁrst sack. Why do you get the idea that if Butch Davis were still coach, he’d be describing McCown’s ribs as a “teeny-tiny fracture?” 3 Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett was heard on camera reminding the police he’s the Ohio State quarterback during an OVI trafﬁc stop. It didn’t work. But I still feel compelled to say, don’t get any ideas, “You Said It” contributors. 3 Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch gave $500 to a McDonald’s employee to buy some shoes. And, I’m guessing, to stop talk-

ing to him. 3 Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant threw a locker room tantrum, accusing a reporter of using a racial slur and disrupting other locker room interviews in progress by ranting about media coverage in general. Bryant could be heard yelling at Cowboys PR man Rich Dalrymple, “How about you ﬁx this, Rich?” You know what they say about Rich Dalrymple? He doesn’t make nearly enough money. 3 Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy’s full Twitter bio change this week: “Innocent until proven guilty-lack of knowledge & information is just ignorance-the unjust/prejudicial treatment of

different categories of people is discrimination.” A judge found Hardy guilty. The domestic violence charges were dismissed on appeal after his girlfriend refused to cooperate. Hardy and Nicole Holder, his ex, reportedly reached a civil settlement. But other than that, guilt-free. 3 The Jets-Bills “Color Rush” game Thursday featured each team in its third alternate uniform. That meant solid green for the Jets, solid red for the Bills. Red-green color-blind viewers found it difﬁcult to follow. As did anyone who appreciates good football and smart playcalling.

Bud: I realize that this is the 21st century and everybody who has a computer receives tons of spam in their inboxes. But an email I received today truly takes the cake. I got an email from Santa Claus. — Tim, Canton A: That’s nothing. I’ve received emails from “Santa Claus,” “Easter

Bunny” and “Browns Franchise Quarterback.”

Bud: Were you concerned at halftime of the Browns-Bengals game when both head coaches stated they were determined to keep Johnny in the pocket in the second half? — Gene, Beachwood A: I was more concerned that my job kept me in front of the TV in the second half.

Bud: No w t h at t h e B r o wn s are over halfway through the season can we finally say that Bowe really doesn’t know football? — Gary Hyde, Willoughby Hills A: “You Said It” winners occasionally make a move on the depth chart.

You said it

Bud: Any truth to the rumor that Mike Pettine has a tattoo of his wife wearing a Johnny Manziel uniform like Rex Ryan has of his wife in a Mark Sanchez uni? — Eddie Vidmar A: More appropriate to the 2015 season would be if Pettine had a tattoo of Josh McCown getting tattooed.

Bud: Seriously, Red and Green PJs for Thursday Night “FOOTBALL”! My wife and I started singing Christmas carols ... Is the NFL going “Nutcrackers”? — Rob Noz, Euclid A: If so, all I want for Christmas is to go color blind before the next Thursday’s game.

Bud: Will the Cavs finish this season with fewer losses than the Browns? —Tim, Twinsburg A: On first read, I found your premise ridiculous. On second read, 69-13 could well be a winner.

Indians

Despite injury woes, Brantley named Man of the Year

Paul Hoynes phoynes@cleveland.com

Michael Brantley’s successful 2015 season was accompanied by the steady drumbeat of injury. The most painful beat arrived Monday when he underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder that could cost Brantley at least part of the first month of the 2016 season. The Indians open the year against Boston at Progressive Field on April 4. A more soothing beat was struck Thursday when Cleveland’s chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America elected Brantley as the Bob Feller Man of the Year award winner. Mike Aviles received the Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy award. Brantley followed his breakout season of 2014 with another strong year in 2015. It could have been just as good, if not better, but Brantley dealt with injuries from spring training through the end of the season. It started with a back injury that lingered for much of the season. Brantley seemed to ﬁnd his stride after the All-Star break, but he ran into shoulder problems. He needed time off for a sore left shoulder in August. On Sept. 22, he injured his right shoulder diving for a ball against the Twins at Target Field. He appeared in just two of the Tribe’s last 12 games because of the injury.

CHUCK CROW / THE PLAIN DEALER

Michael Brantley was voted Bob Feller Man of the Year after hitting .310 with a league-leading 45 doubles. An MRI on Brantley’s right shoulder revealed a tear in the labrum. He received a cortisone shot and felt better at the end of the season. The Tribe’s training staff suggested Brantley go through a “return to hit program’ just to make sure the shoulder was sound so he could go into the offseason with peace of mind. When Brantley started to swing

the bat, the pain in his shoulder persisted and surgery followed. “I’m glad we caught it when we did,” said Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations. “This way we should have Michael for the bulk of the season.” Brantley, despite his injuries, hit .310 (164-for-529) with 15 homers and 84 RBI in 137 games. He ﬁnished fourth in the

AL in batting average and ﬁrst in doubles with 45. He hit .324 with runners in scoring position and .303 after the sixth inning. In the age of free-swinging batters, Brantley’s plate discipline was so good that he had more walks (60) than strikeouts (51) for the ﬁrst time in his career. He proved to be the hardest batter in the AL to strikeout, averaging one

strikeout for every 11.7 plate appearances. Brantley and Toronto’s Jose Bautista, among AL players with 596 or more plate appearances, were the only players with more walks than strikeouts in 2015. Bautista had 110 walks and 106 strikeouts. Brantley posted a .379 on base percentage, just below his .385 from 2014 when he walked

52 times and struck out 56 times. As for dealing with injuries, Brantley said late in the season, “It’s something where the more you play, the more years you have, you learn to start dealing with stuff.” Manager Terry Francona appreciated what Brantley did to keep himself in the lineup. “From the minute he got hurt, he was in the training room trying to find a way to make himself available,” said Francona in late September. “He was willing himself [to play]. That’s probably why we feel the way we do, among other things, about him. He didn’t have to do this. He feels responsible. It makes you glad he’s in our uniform.” After the All-Star break, Brantley hit .335 (75-for-221) with 33 runs, 21 doubles, 10 homers and 38 RBI. Brantley’s hot second half coincided with a roster shakeup as the slumping Indians traded veterans David Murphy, Brandon Moss, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and Marc Rzepczynski to get a look at some younger players on the roster. It looked like the Indians were in for two months of extended spring training, but they started winning. They went 39-34 after the All-Star break and stayed in contention for the last wild card spot until Oct. 1. Brantley, Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco received votes for Man of the Year.

*B10

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

The Record Newswatch

TENNIS

Sharapova beats Pliskova

Maria Sharapova won to put Russia level with the defending champion Czech Republic at 1-1 in the Fed Cup ﬁnal Saturday in Prague. Sharapova defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-4, after twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova overcame a slow start to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

GOLF

Park leads by 3 strokes

Inbee Park made two late birdies and shot 5-under 67 to open a three-stroke lead in the LPGA Tour’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City. Sei Young Kim, also from South Korea, was second after a 70. … Derek Fathauer played bogey-free on his way to another 6-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico. He was at 16-under 197 and led by one shot over Jason Bohn. … Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead into the ﬁnal round of the BMW Masters in Shanghai. … Juli Inkster beat Laura Davies 67-71 to help the United States top the World team 26-22 in the Legends Tour’s ISPS Handa Cup in Sarasota, Florida.

AUTO RACING

Busch wins Xﬁnity again

Kyle Busch dominated again at Phoenix International Raceway, leading 190 of 200 laps in his record eighth NASCAR Xﬁnity Series victory at the track. … Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will start on the front row for today’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

BASEBALL

Phillies trade for Hellickson

The Diamondbacks traded right-hander Jeremy Hellickson to the Phillies for right-handed pitching prospect Sam McWilliams. Hellickson, 28, went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts in 2015.

COLLEGES

N.C. State loses Henderson

North Carolina State has lost junior basketball guard Terry Henderson for at least six to eight weeks with a right ankle injury. … Syracuse University unveiled statues of former football greats Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little.

TRACK AND FIELD

Hockey

Rodolfo E. Cazaubon David Hearn

National Hockey League EASTERN CONFERENCE

LPGA

Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA Montreal 13 3 2 28 63 39 Ottawa 8 5 4 20 51 53 Tampa Bay 8 8 3 19 46 48 Boston 8 7 1 17 52 49 Detroit 8 8 1 17 37 42 Buffalo 8 8 1 17 40 46 Florida 7 7 3 17 48 45 Toronto 5 8 4 14 38 50 Metropolitan Division W L OT Pts GF GA N.Y. Rangers 13 2 2 28 53 29 Washington 11 4 1 23 50 37 New Jersey 10 6 1 21 44 40 N.Y. Islanders 9 6 3 21 49 42 Pittsburgh 10 7 0 20 36 37 Philadelphia 6 8 3 15 33 50 Carolina 6 9 2 14 34 49 Columbus 6 12 0 12 45 62 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Dallas 14 4 0 28 65 47 Minnesota 10 3 3 23 48 43 Nashville 10 3 3 23 50 38 St. Louis 11 5 1 23 47 41 Chicago 9 7 1 19 45 43 Winnipeg 8 8 2 18 48 59 Colorado 7 9 1 15 49 45 Paciﬁc Division W L OT Pts GF GA Los Angeles 10 6 0 20 39 33 Arizona 9 7 1 19 48 49 Vancouver 7 6 5 19 52 46 San Jose 9 8 0 18 45 43 Anaheim 5 8 4 14 29 45 Calgary 6 11 1 13 44 68 Edmonton 6 11 0 12 44 54 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Saturday N.Y. Rangers 2, Ottawa 1, SO Florida 5, Tampa Bay 4, SO Boston 3, Detroit 1 San Jose 2, Buffalo 1, OT Toronto 4, Vancouver 2 Colorado 6, Montreal 1 New Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 0 Philadelphia 3, Carolina 2, OT Columbus 5, Arizona 2 Nashville 7, Winnipeg 0 Chicago 4, St. Louis 2 Dallas 3, Minnesota 2, OT Edmonton at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. Today Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Calgary at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Monday Arizona at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Carolina, 7 p.m. Vancouver at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Winnipeg at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Friday Columbus 2, Pittsburgh 1 Calgary 3, Washington 2, OT San Jose 3, Detroit 2 N.Y. Islanders 4, Anaheim 1

American Hockey League

Saturday Lake Erie 5, Grand Rapids 1 Toronto 9, St. John’s 8, OT Bridgeport 5, Hershey 0 Syracuse 2, Utica 1 Springfield 4, Binghamton 3 Albany 2, Lehigh Valley 1, OT Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3, Rochester 1 Milwaukee 3, Charlotte 1 Rockford 4, Iowa 3 Stockton 5, Texas 3 Ontario at Bakersfield, 10 p.m. San Jose at San Diego, 10:05 p.m. Today Portland at Providence, 3:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Hartford, 4 p.m. Rochester at Hershey, 5 p.m. Texas at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Albany at Springfield, 5 p.m.

Monsters 5, Grifﬁns 1

Bach expects Russian reform

1 p.m. PGA Tour: OHL Classic, ﬁnal round, Golf Channel

Grand Rapids 0 0 1-1 Lake Erie 3 2 0-5 1st Period-1, Lake Erie, Milano 3 (Bodnarchuk, Sifers), 5:05. 2, Lake Erie, Anderson 2 (Tynan, Craig), 11:49. 3, Lake Erie, Craig 3 (Broadhurst, Chaput), 18:08. Penalties-Miele Gr (high-sticking), 5:59; Ramage Le (roughing), 9:28; Tangradi Gr (checking to the head), 15:56. 2nd Period-4, Lake Erie, Anderson 3 (Tynan), 6:14. 5, Lake Erie, Zaar 3 (Paliotta), 19:59. Penalties-Paliotta Le (roughing), 6:46; Sifers Le (interference), 12:53. 3rd Period-6, Grand Rapids, Campbell 3 (Miele, Cleary), 3:08. Penalties-Aubry Gr (roughing, fighting), 2:16; Falk Le (roughing, fighting), 2:16; Callahan Gr (instigating, fighting, misconduct - instigating), 5:10; Vogelhuber Le (elbowing, fighting), 5:10; Gallant Le (interference, misconduct), 11:30. Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 7-14-1738. Lake Erie 15-9-6-30. Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0-4; Lake Erie 0-2. Goalies-Grand Rapids, McCollum 0-6-0 (30 shots-25 saves). Lake Erie, Korpisalo 3-1-2 (38 shots-37 saves). A-10,245. Referees-Peter MacDougall (57). Linesmen-Ray King (55), Zach Roberts (15).

4 p.m. LPGA Tour: Loreno Ochoa Invitational, ﬁanl round, Golf Channel

Golf

HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

PGA

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he’s conﬁdent Russia will enact anti-doping reforms in time to have its international ban from track and ﬁeld lifted in time for next year’s Olympics. Earlier, the head of the Russian athletics federation said he could go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the ban.

On the air AUTO RACING

10:30 a.m. Formula One: Brazilian Grand Prix, NBCSN 2:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, The Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, NBC Ch. 3

GOLF

Noon Ohio Division IV state championship, Jackson Center vs. New Philadelphia Tuscarawas Central Catholic (tape), STO

2 p.m. Ohio Division III state championship, Gilmour vs. St. Henry (tape), STO

4 p.m. Ohio Division II state championship, Notre DameCathedral Latin vs. Plain City Jonathan Alder (tape), STO

9 p.m. Ohio Division I state championship, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame vs. Dublin Coffman (tape), STO

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Noon Mount St. Mary’s at Ohio State, ESPNU

1 p.m. Wake Forest at Bucknell, CBSSN

1:30 p.m. Wagner at Seton Hall, FS1

3 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe at Minnesota, BTN

4 p.m. Fairﬁeld at North Carolina, ESPNU

5 p.m. Coppin State at Iowa, BTN

6 p.m. South Alabama at NC State, ESPNU

8 p.m. Siena at Wisconsin, ESPNU

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

1 p.m. Big Ten championship, BTN

MEN’S COLLEGE WRESTLING

7 p.m. Oklahoma State at Iowa, BTN

NFL

1 p.m. Browns at Pittsburgh, CBS Ch. 19; AM/850, FM/98.5

4 p.m. Minnesota at Oakland, FOX Ch. 8

4:25 p.m. New England at N.Y. Giants, CBS Ch. 19

8:30 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, NBC Ch. 3

NHL

7 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, NHLN

SOCCER

2:30 p.m. UEFA European Qualiﬁer Playoffs, Game 2, Norway at Hungary, ESPN

Calendar Today Mon Pitt 440-824-3434 1:00 WOIO

Tue

Cavaliers

Det 7:30 FSO

Wed

Thu

Browns

800-820-2287

Mil 8, FSO TNT

Monsters

216-420-0000 Next: at Iowa, Friday, 8:00 Post 330-467-4101 6:00

Northfield

Post 6:00

OHL Classic at Mayakoba At El Camaleon Golf Club Playa del Carmen, Mexico Purse: $6.2 million Yardage: 6,987; Par: 71 Third Round a-amateur Derek Fathauer 65-66-66–197 Jason Bohn 70-63-65–198 Russell Knox 70-65-65–200 Justin Leonard 65-68-67–200 Harold Varner III 70-62-68–200 Graeme McDowell 67-63-70–200 Johnson Wagner 67-67-67–201 Freddie Jacobson 70-69-63–202 Scott Brown 67-67-68–202 Spencer Levin 68-66-68–202 Shawn Stefani 65-68-69–202 Brice Garnett 67-66-69–202 Patrick Rodgers 67-66-69–202 a-Jon Rahm 69-68-66–203 Zac Blair 68-67-68–203 Jason Kokrak 68-67-68–203 Will Wilcox 69-66-68–203 D.J. Trahan 66-71-67–204 Colt Knost 67-68-69–204 Tyrone Van Aswegen 70-69-65–204 Michael Thompson 66-68-70–204 Dawie van der Walt 66-74-64–204 Si Woo Kim 68-64-72–204 Tim Clark 69-69-67–205 Hunter Stewart 68-69-68–205 Rory Sabbatini 70-68-67–205 Henrik Norlander 68-68-69–205 Camilo Villegas 67-68-70–205 James Driscoll 70-68-68–206 Cameron Beckman 67-71-68–206 Roberto Castro 70-68-68–206 Keegan Bradley 67-71-68–206 Boo Weekley 67-70-69–206 Peter Malnati 68-71-67–206 Jim Herman 69-67-70–206 Kevin Streelman 69-67-70–206 Jon Curran 68-71-67–206 Bronson Burgoon 71-68-67–206 Smylie Kaufman 68-72-66–206 Brian Harman 70-68-69–207 Ryan Blaum 73-65-69–207 Charles Howell III 66-71-70–207 Patton Kizzire 66-71-70–207 Jason Dufner 71-66-70–207 Blake Adams 68-69-70–207 Wes Roach 70-67-70–207 Matt Kuchar 72-67-68–207 D.H. Lee 69-68-70–207 Sam Saunders 68-71-68–207 Seung-Yul Noh 70-70-67–207 Shane Bertsch 69-71-67–207 Brendon de Jonge 69-69-70–208 Aaron Baddeley 65-73-70–208 Whee Kim 69-68-71–208 Michael Kim 70-68-70–208 Ricky Barnes 70-69-69–208 Jerry Kelly 68-69-71–208 Tim Wilkinson 69-70-69–208 Mark Wilson 67-72-69–208 Martin Laird 70-70-68–208 Derek Ernst 68-72-68–208 Erik Compton 67-71-71–209 Will MacKenzie 67-70-72–209 Hudson Swafford 68-72-69–209 Sung Kang 71-69-69–209 Jeff Overton 69-69-72–210 Andres Gonzales 71-66-73–210 Mark Hubbard 70-69-71–210 Chez Reavie 71-69-70–210 Robert Allenby 69-71-70–210 Brett Stegmaier 69-71-70–210 John Merrick 69-71-70–210 Jason Gore 68-71-72–211 Tom Hoge 70-70-71–211 Kelly Kraft 73-67-71–211 Steve Marino 72-68-72–212

69-71-72–212 68-70-75–213

Lorena Ochoa Invitational At Club de Golf Mexico Mexico City Purse: $1 million Yardage: 6,774; Par 72 Third Round a-denotes amateur Inbee Park 68-71-67–206 Sei Young Kim 73-66-70–209 Carlota Ciganda 72-69-69–210 So Yeon Ryu 71-70-69–210 Sakura Yokomine 72-70-69–211 Cristie Kerr 74-69-69–212 Pernilla Lindberg 71-70-71–212 Christina Kim 73-66-73–212 Jaye Marie Green 71-70-72–213 Suzann Pettersen 69-71-73–213 Minjee Lee 69-69-75–213 Jennifer Song 72-73-69–214 Caroline Masson 73-71-70–214 Chella Choi 73-71-71–215 Mariajo Uribe 71-73-71–215 Lizette Salas 73-70-72–215 Pornanong Phatlum 72-71-72–215 Angela Stanford 69-70-76–215 Karine Icher 75-70-72–217 Gerina Piller 73-70-74–217 Sydnee Michaels 71-77-70–218 a-Gaby Lopez 71-74-73–218 Hee Young Park 73-71-74–218 Brittany Lang 74-72-73–219 Brittany Lincicome 72-73-74–219 Austin Ernst 73-76-71–220 Lexi Thompson 73-74-73–220 Alena Sharp 76-73-72–221 Julieta Granada 75-74-73–222 Na Yeon Choi 78-70-74–222 Margarita Ramos 75-73-74–222 Jane Park 73-73-76–222 Azahara Munoz 71-75-77–223 Candy Hannemann 81-75-70–226 Alejandra Llaneza 79-76-73–228 Q Baek 80-74-78–232

67-68-66–201 65-71-66–202 64-71-67–202 66-66-70–202 69-70-64–203 68-71-65–204 71-69-64–204 66-71-67–204 67-69-68–204 68-68-68–204 71-71-63–205 70-70-65–205 67-72-67–206 68-71-67–206 65-73-68–206 68-70-69–207 69-73-66–208 70-69-69–208 69-69-70–208 70-71-68–209 69-71-69–209 70-69-70–209 71-66-72–209 71-69-70–210 72-67-71–210 71-71-69–211 72-69-70–211 72-68-71–211 70-71-71–212 74-71-67–212 72-74-67–213 71-70-74–215 72-75-68–215 72-70-75–217 70-75-74–219 76-71-75–222

Horse racing Northﬁeld Park entries

Post time: 6 p.m. 1st Race, Purse $4,200 NW7500LT Trot 1. Blue Jacket Luke, TyLoy 3-2 2. Rose Run Pancho, JaThmpsn 6-1 3. Mov Daniel, JDWengerd 20-1 4. Zoomzoom Eve, AMerrimn 15-1 5. Roll The Press, JoGWengerd 15-1 6. Northmedo Delilah, KuSugg 8-5 7. Busy Corners Rose, JaMerriman 20-1 8. Offcentered Taxman, WyIrvine 12-1 2nd Race, Purse $4,600 FMNW300PS Pace 1. Always Caroline, KuSugg 9-1 2. Uptown Romance, WyIrvine 20-1 3. Blind Spot Hanover, KeKashJr 9-5 4. Black Lace, JaThmpsn 7-1 5. Nirvana Gear, AMerrimn 8-5 6. Glam World, JaMerriman 9-1 7. Panopsis, KyLadd 20-1 8. Charlottes Star, JDWengerd 15-1 3rd Race, Purse $6,000 NW400PSCD Trot 1. Saint Simeon, RonWrennJr 2-1 2. Hard Rock Trixie, JaMerriman 25-1 3. Neely Dunn Super, JDWengerd 25-1 4. Calling A Victory, JaThmpsn 5-2 5. Red Rocks, RoMiller 25-1 6. Carbon Footprint, FrHarris 25-1 7. Lady Rev, SaSchillaci 6-1 8. Zorgwijk Heavenly, LaFerrari 10-1 9. Victory Candy Man, AMerrimn 4-1 4th Race, Purse $3,200 NW200PSCD Pace 1. Lima Thunder, AMerrimn 3-2 2. Gallows Pole, JDWengerd 7-1 3. Waylon Hanover, DoIrvineJr 5-2 4. Rella On Attack, JaThmpsn 20-1 5. Dapper Baron Two, JaMerriman 20-1 6. Can’t Slay Me, WyIrvine 20-1 7. Melvin’s Dream, RonWrennJr 6-1 8. Kholton’s Rei, SaSchillaci 15-1 9. Here Comes Whitey, ShButler 20-1 5th Race, Purse $3,200 NW200PSCD Trot 1. Rompaway Elvis, JaMerriman 1-1 2. Alady For Sure, KuSugg 7-1 3. Bookem, KeKoch 8-1 4. Im, FrHarris 12-1 5. Windestructable, JnAMiller 20-1 6. Neely Spring, JDWengerd 7-2 7. Paciﬁc Wave K, LaFerrari 20-1 8. Jay Jay Redsky, RoMiller 20-1 9. Northmedo Esther, DoIrvineJr 20-1 6th Race, Purse $4,600 NW300PSCD Pace 1. Ml Gambler, AMerrimn 5-1 2. Idontthankyoucan, RonWrennJr 4-5 3. Artgentina, SaSchillaci 6-1 4. Iron N Steel, RoMiller 9-1 5. Major Speed, KeKashJr 20-1 6. The Classic Z Tam, WyIrvine 20-1 7. Tax Free, DoIrvineJr 10-1 8. Jojo In The Sky, FrHarris 20-1 9. Ray’s Western, JaMerriman 20-1 7th Race, Purse $6,000 FMNW400PS Pace 1. Mamajons Bluegrass, WyIrvine 10-1 2. Polly Flower, RonWrennJr 5-2 3. Edita Hanover, JaMerriman 2-1 4. Lotsa Juice, KeKashJr 15-1 5. M A Duty, DoIrvineJr 15-1 6. Strawberrys On Top, KuSugg 9-1 7. Donna Party, AMerrimn 3-1 8. Addys Secret, JDWengerd 12-1 8th Race, Purse $7,000 NW500PSCD Pace 1. Always N The Money, PeWrenn 2-1 2. Our Mclovin, KuSugg 9-2 3. Bourbans Best, SaSchillaci 7-1 4. Snuff Box, KeKashJr 25-1 5. Billy The Colt, AMerrimn 7-2 6. Change Your Luck, JDWengerd 25-1 7. Hoorei For Flash, JaMerriman 25-1 8. Bergerac, WiPopio 7-1 9. Somuchcooleronline, RonWrennJr 7-1 9th Race, Purse $6,000 NW400PSCD Trot 1. Hello Carlo, KeKoch 5-1 2. Fountainbleau Volo, AMerrimn 7-2 3. Haste, DoIrvineJr 3-1 4. Forturne James, LaFerrari 20-1 5. Action-Ear-To-Ear, WyIrvine 20-1 6. Margarita Man, KuSugg 5-1 7. Bethann, RonWrennJr 10-1 8. Say It Best, JDWengerd 7-1 9. Nino Marino, RoMiller 10-1 10th Race, Purse $3,200 NW200PSCD Pace 1. Sky Lauxmont, FrHarris 5-1 2. American Pilot, JaMerriman 12-1 3. Only Way I Know, RonWrennJr 3-1 4. Lloyd Arnold, AMerrimn 2-1 5. Catch That Angel, SaSchillaci 12-1 6. Traumatized, RoMiller 12-1 7. Jaworski, WyIrvine 25-1 8. Dannys Atthedance, JaThmpsn 10-1 9. Franco Natura N, JDWengerd 12-1 11th Race, Purse $7,000 NW500PSCD Pace 1. Untold Legend, JDWengerd 3-1 2. Strange Hanover, RonWrennJr 9-5 3. Q Zilla, RoMiller 15-1 4. Hop Zip, JaMerriman 12-1 5. Verbalize, JaThmpsn 9-2 6. All Powerful, SaSchillaci 20-1 7. Independent Spirit, DoIrvineJr 10-1 8. Orse Power, KeKashJr 6-1 12th Race, Purse $4,600 NW300PSCD Trot

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Today in Sports history: In 2014, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon rushes for 408 yards to break the single-game major college football rushing record before sitting out the ﬁnal quarter in a 59-24 rout over Nebraska. Gordon, who broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s record, sets the mark on a 26-yard touchdown on the ﬁnal play of the third quarter.

1. Ballykeel Mike, RonWrennJr 9-2 2. Toes, RoMiller 25-1 3. Cautious Optimism, WyIrvine 8-1 4. St Elian’s Fire, LaWhitaker 8-1 5. Sam’s Proﬁle, JDWengerd 6-1 6. Mr Apollo, JaThmpsn 12-1 7. Wild Nordic, FrHarris 25-1 8. Really Realy Sweet, AMerrimn 9-2 9. Louie The Fourth, JaMerriman 2-1 13th Race, Purse $6,000 NW400PSCD Pace 1. Liberal, RonWrennJr 6-5 2. Follow Through, KeKashJr 25-1 3. Blackhawk Lookout, JaMerriman 15-1 4. Winter Cruise, AMerrimn 3-1 5. Jude Hall, JaThmpsn 5-1 6. Lislea Pat, WyIrvine 25-1 7. Bryndan’s Toy, FrHarris 25-1 8. Fixthedeﬁcit, JDWengerd 25-1 9. Fierce Desire, RoMiller 6-1 14th Race, Purse $3,200 FMNW200PS Pace 1. Yankee’s Renita, AMerrimn 7-2 2. Miss Ariel, RonWrennJr 3-1 3. Southern Care, DoLCollins 20-1 4. E R Sister, FrHarris 5-2 5. A Million Thanks, LaFerrari 7-1 6. Lock Up’s Galley, WyIrvine 20-1 7. Cajon Jubilee, JaThmpsn 20-1 8. Stylish Dapper, JaMerriman 7-1 9. B Quite Marvelous, JDWengerd 20-1 15th Race, Purse $4,600 NW300PSCD Pace 1. Reckless Ric, KeKashJr 3-1 2. Raiders Boy, JDWengerd 9-1 3. Forever Good, JaMerriman 25-1 4. Hemingway, RonWrennJr 5-2 5. Playmaker, RoMiller 25-1 6. Boxcar, JaThmpsn 25-1 7. Carrino, AMerrimn 5-1 8. Lyons Meandragon, BrIrvine 3-1 9. Likeavirgin, DoIrvineJr 25-1

Tennis Fed Cup

BMW Masters

At Lake Malaren Golf Club (Masters Course) Shanghai Purse: $7 million Yardage: 7,594; Par: 72 Third Round Thongchai Jaidee An Byeong Hun Sergio Garcia Lucas Bjerregaard Kristoffer Broberg Henrik Stenson Patrick Reed Ross Fisher Paul Casey Ian Poulter Thomas Pieters Marcus Fraser Justin Rose Matthew Fitzpatrick Victor Dubuisson Francesco Molinari Scott Hend Julien Quesne Martin Kaymer Louis Oosthuizen David Howell Chris Wood Peter Uihlein Also Bernd Wiesberger Soren Kjeldsen Branden Grace Danny Willett Tommy Fleetwood Danny Lee Andy Sullivan Kiradech Aphibarnrat Emiliano Grillo John Daly Marc Warren Shane Lowry Jamie Donaldson

WORLD GROUP Final Czech Republic 1, Russia 0 At O2 Arena Prague Surface: Hard-Indoor Singles Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. Maria Sharapova, Russia, def. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-4.

Auto racing NASCAR Sprint Cup

Race for Heroes 500 Lineup At Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Ariz. Race today Lap length: 1 miles (Car number in parentheses) 1. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 143.158 mph. 2. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 142.88. 3. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 142.58. 4. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 142.501. 5. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 142.292. 6. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 142.287. 7. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota, 142.219. 8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 142.068. 9. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 142.062. 10. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 141.833. 11. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 141.409. 12. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 141.409. 13. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 141.665. 14. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 141.649. 15. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 141.393. 16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 141.343. 17. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 141.282. 18. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 141.271. 19. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 140.944. 20. (16) Greg Bifﬂe, Ford, 140.691. 21. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 140.378. 22. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 140.28. 23. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 140.252. 24. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 139.735. 25. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 139.492. 26. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 139.459. 27. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 139.265. 28. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 139.114. 29. (55) David Ragan, Toyota, 138.91. 30. (83) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 138.9. 31. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 138.739. 32. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 138.212. 33. (26) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 138.164. 34. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 137.878. 35. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 137.868. 36. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 137.799. 37. (23) Jeb Burton, Toyota, Owner Points. 38. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, Owner Points. 39. (32) Joey Gase, Ford, Owner Points. 40. (34) Brett Mofﬁtt, Ford, Owner Points. 41. (98) Ryan Preece, Ford, Owner Points. 42. (33) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Owner Points. 43. (62) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Owner Points.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders Through Sunday 1. Jeff Gordon 2. Kyle Busch 3. Kevin Harvick 4. Martin Truex Jr. 5. Carl Edwards 6. Brad Keselowski 7. Kurt Busch 8. Joey Logano

NASCAR Xﬁnity

4,082 4,080 4,079 4,076 4,069 4,057 4,048 4,013

DAV 200 Results At Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Ariz. Lap length: 1 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200 laps, 0 points, $67,011. 2. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200, 0, $43,740. 3. (3) Erik Jones, Toyota, 200, 0, $43,997. 4. (5) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 200, 40, $40,608. 5. (8) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, 39, $35,344. 6. (11) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, 38, $32,557. 7. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, 37, $32,297. 8. (10) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 200, 36, $32,312. 9. (17) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, 36, $29,844. 10. (16) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, 0, $24,330. 11. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, 33, $29,278. 12. (6) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199, 32, $29,127. 13. (7) Chris Buescher, Ford, 199, 31, $28,950. 14. (2) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 199, 0, $24,090. 15. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 199, 0, $23,103. 16. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, 28, $28,592. 17. (18) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 199, 27, $28,380. 18. (19) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 197, 26, $28,219. 19. (14) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 197, 25, $28,308. 20. (26) Blake Koch, Toyota, 196, 24, $28,497. 21. (28) David Starr, Toyota, 196, 23, $27,885. 22. (35) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 195, 22, $27,770. 23. (20) Ryan Reed, Ford, 194, 21, $27,634. 24. (33) Anthony Kumpen, Chevrolet, 194, 20, $27,523. 25. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194, 19, $27,611. 26. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 192, 18, $27,427. 27. (31) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 191, 0, $27,391. 28. (36) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 191, 16, $27,320. 29. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, engine, 188, 15, $27,245. 30. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 186, 14, $27,510. 31. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 184, 13, $27,154. 32. (38) Korbin Forrister, Chevrolet, 174, 0, $27,119. 33. (29) Ross Kenseth, Toyota, 149, 11, $21,079. 34. (24) Dylan Kwasniewski, Chevrolet, accident, 56, 10, $27,042. 35. (23) Mike Bliss, Toyota, suspension, 35, 9, $26,995. 36. (37) T.J. Bell, Toyota, brakes, 19, 0, $18,791. 37. (27) B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, ignition, 19, 0, $17,791.

38. (40) Ruben Pardo, Toyota, engine, 15, 0, $22,791. 39. (30) Carl Long, Dodge, engine, 9, 5, $15,791. 40. (25) Jeff Green, Toyota, rear gear, 3, 4, $14,791. Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 113.583 mph. Time of Race: 1 hour, 45 minutes, 39 seconds. Top 10 in Points: 1. C.Buescher, 1,157; 2. C.Elliott, 1,139; 3. T.Dillon, 1,135; 4. R.Smith, 1,133; 5. E.Sadler, 1,044; 6. D.Suarez, 1,040; 7. D.Wallace Jr., 1,037; 8. B.Scott, 992; 9. B.Gaughan, 991; 10. R.Reed, 875.

Formula 1

Brazilian Grand Prix Lineup After Saturday qualifying; race today At Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) Sao Paulo, Brazil Lap length: 2.677 miles Third Session 1. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Mercedes, 1:11.282. 2. Lewis Hamilton, England, Mercedes, 1:11.360. 3. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:11.804. 4. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 1:12.144. 5. Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Force India, 1:12.265. 6. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Red Bull, 1:12.322. 7. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Williams, 1:12.085. 8. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Williams, 1:12.415. 9. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Toro Rosso, 1:12.739. Eliminated after second session 10. Carlos Sainz Jr., Spain, Toro Rosso, 1:13.045. 11. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Force India, 1:13.147. 12. Marcus Ericsson, Sweden, Sauber, 1:13.233. 13. Felipe Nasr, Brazil, Sauber, 1:12.989. 14. Romain Grosjean, France, Lotus, 1:13.913. Eliminated after ﬁrst session 15. Pastor Maldonado, Venezuela, Lotus, 1:13.385. 16. Jenson Button, England, McLaren, 1:13.425. 17. Alexander Rossi, United States, Marussia, 1:16.151. 18. Will Stevens, England, Marussia, 1:16.283. 19. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Red Bull, 1:12.417. 20. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren, DNF.

Soccer Major League Soccer playoffs

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Eastern Conference New York vs. Columbus Leg 1 – Sunday, Nov. 22: New York at Columbus, 5 p.m. Leg 2 – Sunday, Nov. 29: Columbus at New York, 7:30 p.m. Western Conference FC Dallas vs. Portland Leg 1 – Sunday, Nov. 22: FC Dallas at Portland, 5 or 7:30 p.m. Leg 2 – Sunday, Nov. 29: Portland at FC Dallas, 5 or 7:30 p.m. MLS CUP Sunday, Dec. 6: TBD, 4 p.m.

Latest line NFL Favorite Points (O/U) Underdog WEEK 10 GREEN BAY 10½ (49) Detroit TAMPA BAY 1 (44) Dallas Carolina 4 (44) TENNESSEE ST. LOUIS 7 (42.5) Chicago New Orleans 1 (50) WASHINGTON PHILADELPHIA 6 (49) Miami PITTSBURGH 6 (41.5) Cleveland BALTIMORE 5 (48) Jacksonville OAKLAND 3 (44) Minnesota DENVER 4½ (41.5) Kansas City New England 7 (54.5) NY GIANTS SEATTLE 3 (44) Arizona MONDAY CINCINNATI 11 (47.5) Houston Bye Week: Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego, San Francisco. NBA Favorite Points (O/U) Underdog a-New Orleans OFF (OFF) NEW YORK Memphis 2½ (197.5) MINNESOTA CHARLOTTE 4½ (204) Portland ATLANTA 6 (192.5) Utah OKLA CITY 6 (209.5) Boston Toronto 2 (203.5) SACRAMENTO Detroit 3½ (200) LA LAKERS a-New Orleans Forward A. Davis is doubtful. College Basketball Favorite Points Underdog MINNESOTA 10 UL-Monroe CLEMSON 17½ Tex San Antonio NC STATE 15 South Alabama UC DAVIS 1½ Portland CAL IRVINE 14 Loyola Marymount UCLA 9½ Cal Poly SLO CS Northridge No Line South Dakota N. ILLINOIS No Line Wright St Denver No Line Lipscomb SANTA CLARA No Line Wisc Milwaukee Nevada 7½ Montana St HAWAII 6 Coastal Carolina VALPARAISO 7½ Iona ILLINOIS 5½ North Dakota St NORTH CAROLINA23½ Fairﬁeld ST. JOSEPH’S 14½ Niagara WISCONSIN 14 Siena EVANSVILLE 19 SE Missouri St Ohio St 14½ Mount St. Mary’s BUCKNELL 1 Wake Forest NHL Favorite Goals (O/U) Underdog NY RANGERS 1-1½ (5.5) Toronto CHICAGO ½-1 (5.5) Calgary Home Team in CAPS

Transactions BASEBALL National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Traded RHP Jeremy Hellickson to Philadelphia for RHP Sam McWilliams. FOOTBALL National Football League DALLAS COWBOYS — Signed LB Keith Smith from the practice squad. OAKLAND RAIDERS — Waived WR Marcus Thigpen. Activated S Nate Allen from short-term injured reserve. Re-signed S Tevin McDonald to the practice squad. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Placed WR Ricardo Lockette on injured reserve. Activated WR Paul Richardson from the PUP list. HOCKEY American Hockey League LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS — Recalled D Joe Faust from Adirondack (ECHL). SAN DIEGO GULLS — Recalled F Matt Berry from Utah (ECHL). COLLEGE RIDER — Announced softball coach Patricia Carroll and the university have mutually agreed to part ways.

College basketball Men’s scores

EAST Boston College 75, St. Francis Brooklyn 49 East Stroudsburg 85, LeMoyne 62 Felician 57, Bloomsburg 54 Hobart 42, Rochester 20 La Salle 78, Towson 76 Penn St. 62, VMI 50 Philadelphia 80, Franklin Pierce 75, OT Providence 76, Harvard 64 Radford 82, Georgetown 80, 2OT Rowan 78, Washington (Md.) 64 St. Rose 92, Bloomﬁeld 79 Stony Brook 103, Merchant Marine 32 UMass 85, Howard 79 William Paterson 100, Mount Union 78 SOUTH Alabama St. 85, Virginia Tech 82 Appalachian St. 76, Jacksonville 68 Barton 86, SC-Aiken 77 Bellarmine 84, Northwood (Mich.) 67 Coker 84, Erskine 61 Covenant 73, Emory & Henry 68 Cumberlands 74, Union (Ky.) 61 Davidson 90, UCF 85 Duke 113, Bryant 75 E. Texas Baptist 58, Rhodes 55 ETSU 107, Averett 59 Freed-Hardeman 91, Martin Methodist 82 Grambling St. 85, Mid-Atlantic Christian 26

Kentucky 87, NJIT 57 King (Tenn.) 93, Tusculum 82 Lander 72, Carson-Newman 65 Liberty 90, Baptist Bible (Pa.) 52 Limestone 86, Mars Hill 82 Memphis 67, Southern Miss. 49 Morehouse 66, Fayetteville St. 59 Mount Olive 80, Young Harris 66 South Carolina 84, Norfolk St. 69 Spalding 85, Berea 82 Tennessee Tech 110, Piedmont 72 UNC Greensboro 86, Greensboro 69 Union (Tenn.) 82, Spring Hill 67 W. Kentucky 97, Campbellsville 77 Winthrop 102, Hampton 95 MIDWEST Beloit 77, Milwaukee Engineering 74, OT Bemidji St. 86, Crown (Minn.) 48 Benedictine (Kan.) 72, Park 69 Bethel (Minn.) 94, Martin Luther 71 Bowling Green 79, New Orleans 61 Butler 144, The Citadel 71 CS Northridge 72, Wright St. 67 Colorado St. 84, N. Iowa 78 Columbia (Mo.) 80, Olivet Nazarene 70 Concordia (Mich.) 65, Siena Heights 52 Concordia (Moor.) 92, Minn.-Morris 65 Concordia (Wis.) 98, Wis.-River Falls 91 Davenport 83, Indiana Tech 63 DePaul 69, W. Michigan 63 Iowa Wesleyan 96, Robert MorrisChicago 89 Kent St. 79, Youngstown St. 70 Loyola of Chicago 84, Eureka 51 Madonna 73, Lawrence Tech 70, OT Minn.-Crookston 74, Wis.-Stout 51 N. Illinois 72, South Dakota 65 Nebraska 97, MVSU 51 Oberlin 91, Kalamazoo 81 Ohio 85, Florida Gulf Coast 75 St. Thomas (Minn.) 76, Wis.-Eau Claire 62 Toledo 96, WVU Tech 65 Winona St. 92, Wis. Lutheran 62 Wis.-Parkside 81, St. Xavier 56 Wis.-Stevens Pt. 69, Wis.-Superior 61 SOUTHWEST SMU 85, Sam Houston St. 50 Texas-Arlington 77, Fordham 72 Tulsa 98, Cent. Arkansas 81 UALR 76, Central Baptist 57 UTEP 96, Loyola NO 47 FAR WEST Long Beach St. 91, BYU-Hawaii 57 Milwaukee 71, Lipscomb 65 Montana St. 90, Hawaii-Hilo 85 Oregon St. 74, NW Christian 52 UC Riverside 100, William Jessup 68 Utah Valley 89, Great Falls 60 TOURNAMENT Asbury Classic Second Round Brescia 89, St. Catharine 86 Washington Adventist 71, Asbury 67 Carthage Classic Championship Adrian 69, Carthage 59 GLIAC/GLVC Challenge First Round Grand Valley St. 76, Quincy 67 Kentucky Wesleyan 82, Wayne (Mich.) 51 Tifﬁn 88, Alderson-Broaddus 84, OT

Women’s scores

EAST Buffalo 55, LIU Brooklyn 38 Castleton 63, Salem St. 48 George Washington 85, Grambling St. 58 Manhattan 85, Fairleigh Dickinson 78 Queens (NY) 65, Philadelphia 58 Rider 78, Towson 72 Rowan 68, Susquehanna 59, OT Utica 72, Potsdam 46 West Virginia 77, Delaware St. 34 SOUTH Arkansas St. 77, Tennessee Tech 55 Austin Peay 74, Christian Brothers 55 Catawba 86, Barton 78 Clayton St. 83, Lynn 72 Elon 67, Lenoir-Rhyne 29 Emory & Henry 71, Sewanee 64 Florida A&M 66, Florida Memorial 62 Indiana-Southeast 80, Berea 60 Jackson St. 100, Mobile 57 Loyola NO 84, Southern NO 62 Martin Methodist 54, Freed-Hardeman 53 Maryland 102, Mass.-Lowell 53 Methodist 61, St. Andrews 48 Morehead St. 121, Kentucky Christian 91 Pikeville 107, WVU Tech 54 SC State 90, Morris 39 Stetson 107, Trinity Baptist 30 Wheeling Jesuit 78, St. Augustine’s 48 MIDWEST Arizona 62, Toledo 59 Augsburg 63, St. Scholastica 62 Augustana (SD) 82, Nebraska-Kearney 63 Baker 59, St. Mary (Kan.) 37 Bemidji St. 110, Crown (Minn.) 44 Carthage 55, Nebraska Wesleyan 45 Cincinnati 93, St. Francis (Pa.) 86 Concordia (Moor.) 69, Minn.-Morris 58 Davenport 94, Indiana Tech 83 DePauw 68, Adrian 42 Indiana-Northwest 67, Viterbo 44 Lawrence Tech 93, Madonna 73 Michigan 90, Binghamton 62 Michigan Tech 72, Minn. Duluth 43 Mount Mary 71, Emmaus 69, OT Nebraska 96, Ark.-Pine Bluff 46 Nebraska-Omaha 75, UCF 60 Northwestern (Minn.) 53, Carleton 48 Pittsburg St. 62, Mary 49 Saint Louis 67, SE Missouri 52 Siena Heights 57, Concordia (Mich.) 42 Simpson (Iowa) 77, Lakeland 58 Sioux Falls 76, NW Missouri St. 54 St. Cloud St. 81, Northland 46 St. Francis (Ind.) 88, Indiana-East 65 St. Thomas (Minn.) 62, St. Norbert 60 UT Martin 84, North Dakota 58 Washburn 88, Minot St. 78 Winona St. 90, St. Mary’s (Minn.) 68 Wis.-River Falls 73, Hamline 55 Wis.-Stevens Pt. 92, Finlandia 45 Wisconsin 79, Louisiana Tech 65 Xavier 65, Evansville 57 SOUTHWEST Abilene Christian 96, Wayland Baptist 71 East Carolina 82, Texas A&M-CC 46 Oral Roberts 89, Evangel 46 Texas 90, UTSA 53, 2OT Texas Rio Grande Valley 66, Cal Poly 58 FAR WEST Colorado 92, Loyola Marymount 81 Portland 73, Willamette 54 Regis 64, Oklahoma Christian 58 Sacramento St. 95, Utah St. 86 UNLV 79, S. Utah 44 Utah Valley 91, Bethesda 64 Washington 100, Santa Clara 55 TOURNAMENT Pops Duncan Classic Second Round Findlay 80, Kentucky Wesleyan 54 Trevecca Nazarene 83, Ferris St. 58 SMSU Classic Second Round Fort Hays St. 71, SW Minnesota St. 34 Missouri Western 89, Upper Iowa 80 Tusculum Tournament Second Round Mars Hill 73, Lees-McRae 58 Tusculum 73, King (Tenn.) 70, OT Union College Classic Second Round Milligan 84, Midway 55 Union (Ky.) 69, Alice Lloyd 49 Wayne State Classic Second Round Lindenwood (Mo.) 77, Northern St. (SD) 60 Wayne (Neb.) 80, William Jewell 49

High schools Football playoff results

Division I Cin. Colerain 42, Cin. St. Xavier 14 Cin. Elder 41, Hilliard Darby 13 Euclid 49, Westerville Cent. 24 Hilliard Davidson 17, Cols. Upper Arlington 10 Huber Hts. Wayne 52, Springboro 21 St. Edward 34, Mentor 10 Lewis Center Olentangy 24, Tol. Whitmer 21 Stow-Munroe Falls 24, Solon 15 Division IV Bellevue 28, Spring. Kenton Ridge 21 Clarksville Clinton-Massie 40, Cin. Indian Hill 34 Cols. Hartley 42, Ottawa-Glandorf 14 Johnstown-Monroe 42, St. Clairsville 38 Mantua Crestwood 40, Holy Name 26 Middletown Fenwick 19, Kettering Alter 9 Steubenville 46, Salem 7 Youngs. Ursuline 27, Woodridge 20 Division VI Cols. Grandview Hts. 14, Lucasville Valley 6 Cuyahoga Hts. 21, Smithville 20, OT Deﬁance Tinora 28, N. Robinson Col. Crawford 23 Fredericktown 29, Bainbridge Paint Valley 28 Kirtland 27, Brookﬁeld 17 Maria Stein Marion Local 34, W. LibertySalem 0 Mechanicsburg 42, Delphos Jefferson 12 Van Buren 29, Delta 28

Football summaries Crestwood 40, Holy Name 26 Holy Name 0 7 7 12-26 Crestwood 7 19 7 7-40 C -Foulkes 1 run (Leanza kick) C -Thut 46 run (Leanza kick) C -Hart 13 pass from Fabry (kick failed) HN- Seymor 3 run (Wallace kick) C -Thut 3 run (run failed)

HN-Seymor 5 run (Wallace kick) C - Foulkes 3 run (Leanza kick) HN - Seymor 3 run (Wallace kick) HN- Seymour 3 run (Kick failed) C - Foulkes 7 run (Leanza kick)

Cuyahoga Heights 21, Smithville 20

Smithville 0 0 7 7 6-20 Cuyahoga Heights 0 0 0 14 7-21 S-Tipple 1 run (Schaffter kick) C-Combs 25 pass from Lawther (Shafer kick) S-Newlan 10 run (Schaffter kick) C-Teter fumble recovery (Shafer kick) S-Newlan 3 run (kick failed) C-Drummond 5 pass from Lawther (Shafer kick)

Euclid 49, Westerville Central 24

Euclid 7 21 21 0-49 Westerville Central 6 12 0 6-24 WC Gilmore 74 yard interception return (kick failed) E Wright 64 yard pass from Robinson (Augustine kick) E Collins 45 yard run (Augustine kick) WC Snell 4 yard run (pass failed) WC Snell 75 yard run (pass failed) E Pruitt 43 yard run (Augustine kick) E Robinson 34 yard run (Augustine kick) E Collins 2 yard run (Augustine kick) E Collins 5 yard run (Augustine kick) E Johnson 32 yard interception return (Hughes kick) WC Snell 8 yard run (pass failed)

Kirtland 27, Brookﬁeld 17

Brookﬁeld 3 0 7 7-17 Kirtland 7 6 7 7-27 K - Lewis 1 Run (Clucas kick) L - Tingler FG K - Clucas 32 FG K - Clucas 25 FG B - Bailey 51 pass from Necastro (Tingler kick) K - Allchin 30 pass from Lewis (Clucas kick) K - Bates 7 run (Clucas kick) K - Tingler 64 pass from Necastro (Tingler kick)

St. Edward 34, Mentor 10

Mentor 0 7 3 0-10 St. Edward 13 0 0 21-34 SE - Gest 25 run (kick failed) SE - Carbon 43 pass from Keefe (Budyka kick) M - Mathews 22 pass from Tatarunas (Tommasone kick) M - Tommasone 24 ﬁeld goal SE - Gest 29 run (Budyka kick) SE - Keefe 2 run (Budyka kick) SE - Gonzalez 46 pass from Keefe (Budyka kick)

Stow-Munroe Falls 24, Solon 15

Solon 6 0 3 6-15 Stow-Munroe Falls 0 3 14 7-24 So - Tim Harmody 6 pass from Johnny Mooney (pass failed) St - Garrett Rigby 24 FG St - Jayson Gobble 29 run (Rigby kick) So - David Sebuke 42 FG St - Terrian Wray 98 kick return (Rigby kick) So - Gil Barksdale 2 pass from Mooney (pass failed) St - Gobble 1 run (Rigby kick)

Youngstown Ursuline 27, Woodridge 20

Youngstown Ursuline 6 0 21 0-27 Woodridge 0 6 0 14-20 Y-Johnson 28 run (kick failed) W-Taylor 16 pass from Lydic (kick failed) Y-Hobbs 82 kick return (Quattro kick) Y-Johnson 5 run (Quattro kick) Y-Edwards 60 run (Quattro kick) W-Novak 30 pass from Lydic (Howard kick) W-Novak 72 pass from Lydic (Howard kick)

Football pairings

DIVISION I REGIONAL SEMIFINALS All games Saturday at 7 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 1 1 St. Edward (11-1) vs. 5 Euclid (10-2) 2 Stow (12-0) vs. 3 Lewis Center Olentangy (11-1) REGION 2 1 Cincinnati Colerain (11-1) vs. vs. 5 Cincinnati Elder (9-3) 2 Hilliard Davidson (11-1) vs. 3 Huber Heights Wayne (12-0) DIVISION II REGIONAL FINALS All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 3 5 Hudson (10-2) vs. 3 Mayﬁeld (11-1) REGION 4 4 Glenville (11-1) vs. 2 Perrysburg (12-0) REGION 5 1 Massillon Perry (10-2) vs. 3 Worthington Kilbourne (11-1) REGION 6 1 Cincinnati La Salle (10-2) vs. 2 Kings Mills Kings (11-1) DIVISION III REGIONAL FINALS All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 7 1 Archbishop Hoban (11-1) vs. 2 St. Vincent-St. Mary (11-1) REGION 8 1 Benedictine (12-0) vs. 2 Toledo Central Catholic (10-2) REGION 9 4 Jackson (11-1) vs. 3 Zanesville (11-1) REGION 10 1 Wapakoneta (12-0) vs. 3 TrotwoodMadison (9-3) DIVISION IV REGIONAL FINALS All games Saturday at 7 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 11 5 Youngstown Ursuline (7-5) vs. 3 Crestwood (10-2) REGION 12 1 Columbus Hartley (8-3) vs. 7 Bellevue (10-2) REGION 13 1 Steubenville (11-0) vs. 2 JohnstownMonroe (12-0) REGION 14 1 Middletown Fenwick (12-0) vs. 3 Clinton-Massie (11-1) DIVISION V REGIONAL FINALS All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 15 1 Columbiana (10-2) vs. 3 Canton Central Catholic (9-3) REGION 16 1 Milan Edison (11-1) vs. 6 Chippewa (10-2) REGION 17 1 Wheelersburg (12-0) vs. 2 Chillicothe Zane Trace (12-0) REGION 18 1 Brookville (12-0) vs. 3 Coldwater (12-0) DIVISION VI REGIONAL FINALS All games Saturday at 7 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 19 1 Kirtland (11-1) vs. 6 Cuyahoga Heights (10-2) REGION 20 5 Van Buren (9-3) vs. 2 Deﬁance Tinora (10-1) REGION 21 8 Fredericktown (10-2) vs. 3 Grandview Heights (11-1) REGION 22 1 Marion Local (11-1) vs. 2 Mechanicsburg (12-0) DIVISION VII REGIONAL FINALS All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. Sites to be announced REGION 23 1 Warren JFK (11-1) vs. 2 Mogadore (11-1) REGION 24 1 McComb (11-1) vs. 3 Lucas (10-1) REGION 25 1 Danville (12-0) vs. 2 Caldwell (11-1) REGION 26 1 Minster (10-2) vs. 3 Fort Recovery (10-2)

Boys Soccer St. Ignatius 4, Hilliard Davidson 0 Columbus St. Francis DeSales 1, Bay 0 Summit Country Day 9, South Range 0

Girls Volleyball

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin d. Jonathan Alder, 14-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16. Gilmour d. St. Henry, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-25, 15-7. Jackson Center 3, Tuscarawas Central Catholic 0 Mount Notre Dame 3, Dublin Coffman 0

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

* * SECTION

J | 8 pages

cleveland.com/osu

Ohio State 28, Illinois 3

An imperfect 10

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Buckeyes defensive linemen Joey Bosa, left, and Tommy Schutt tackle Illinois running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn for a loss during Ohio State’s 28-3 win Saturday in Champaign, Ill.

Analysis

Barrett struggles while defense, Elliott carry Buckeyes to 10-0

Champaign, Ill. — A signature moment in football should make memories that last. When Braxton Miller spun past the Virginia Tech tackler on Labor Day, it was a moment that will whirl on into eternity as long as balance and speed Bill and cutting are topics of discussion. Livingston It was almost the only time this Ohio State season seemed like 2014. It has been anything but that, in fact. Ohio State has had no 50-point offensive explosions this season, after six in 2014. A disappointing quarterback derby, after last year’s balance of excellence with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, became one of inconsistency, if not exactly of weakness. Even Ezekiel Elliott, while never deviating from the 100-yard path, has not been the 200-yards per game sensation of the turn of the year.

Bill Landis | blandis@cleveland.com

Barrett’s daring dash is a ﬂashback to 2014

see MILLER | J5

A dominating defense

As good as the Buckeyes’ defense was in last season’s run to the national title, this year’s squad is proving to be even better.

Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott leaps for a ﬁrst down and some of the 181 yards rushing he had in Saturday’s 28-3 win at Illinois. Elliott now stands third on the Buckeyes’ all-time rushing list.

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME

126.8 2014: 141.3

253 169

128 80 Va. Tech

Hawaii

195

176

110

N. Illinois

104

W. Mich

Indiana

Maryland

Penn St.

Rutgers

Champaign, Ill. — Where would the Ohio State football team be without Ezekiel Elliott? ¶ Seriously, ask yourself that question while you digest the No. 3 Buckeyes’ 28-3 win over Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Elliott finished with 27 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. ¶ He passed Tim Spencer for No. 3 on Ohio State’s all-time rushing list in the process. Elliott now trails only Eddie George and Archie Griffin. He’s been Ohio State’s model of consistency all year, and was really the only good thing on a day in which J.T. Barrett took his job back as the starting quarterback. see OSU | J5 The Buckeyes held only one opponent to less than 50 rushing yards last season.

Minn.

Illinois

TOTAL YARDS PER GAME

POINTS PER GAME

2014: 342.4

2014: 22.3

298.4 13.8

Passing game: With key games looming, Buckeyes will need to test defenses through air, too. J2 | History book: Elliott in elite company. J3 Up next for OSU: Vs. Michigan State | 3:30 p.m. Saturday | Columbus | TV: WEWS, Channel 5 | Big Ten: Michigan outlasts Indiana in 2OT. J6

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

OHIO STATE 28, ILLINOIS 3 Analysis

Legs alone won’t be enough

J.T. Barrett will need to put ‘weenie arm’ allusions to rest against No. 13 Michigan State

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett ﬁghts past the tackle of Fighting Illini linebacker T.J. Neal (52) to score a second-quarter touchdown Saturday. Barrett carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards.

Doug Lesmerises dlesmerises@cleveland.com C h a m p a i g n , I l l . — The

running quarterback will have to throw. That means you, weenie arm. Back before he was arrested on a drunken-driving charge, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett made news this season for his exasperation with those doubting his deepthrowing abilities. “I was like, ‘Man, I got a weenie arm?’” was Barrett’s headline quote from that discussion on Oct. 28. Last season on Nov. 8, 2014, that wasn’t a weenie arm. That was 300 passing yards and three touchdowns at Michigan State in the win that changed the Buckeyes and made the rest of that championship season possible. Barrett, in those Oct. 28 thoughts, also remembered his 43-yard pass to Devin Smith against the Spartans a year ago. “Third and 23,” Barrett said. That’s who Ohio State needs next week. 3 After Saturday’s 28-3 win over Illinois moved No. 3 Ohio State to 10-0 and provided a record-breaking 30th consecutive conference win and ... 3 Against a banged up Michigan State secondary starting three freshmen and ... 3 With a line that can’t keep defenses out of the backﬁeld ... ... that’s the quarterback Ohio

State needs. Barrett regained the starting job from Cardale Jones in large part because of his abilities running the read-option, with his own legs offering an alternative to Ezekiel Elliott left, right and up the middle. But against Michigan State and that front seven, you cannot just run to win. Against Michigan and a top 10 run defense a week later, you cannot just run to win. Michigan State knows it, Michigan knows it and Urban Meyer knows it. “That’s our strength, that’s where we’re most consistent,” Meyer said of a run game averaging 245 yards per game, which entering Saturday ranked 12th in the nation, “but we also know, to win the big one, you need to be balanced. And we’re not quite there yet.” Meyer was focused on the pass protection Saturday, and rightly so. He went straight to that point in the postgame news conference, and that message permeated through the locker room. “We have to establish a passing game,” Elliott said after his 27-carry, 181-yard rushing game. “Once we do that, we’ll be hard to defend. But today, we had some trouble pass protecting. “It was just hard for us to get the pass game going because we had a lot of pressure in the backﬁeld.” If Barrett gets time, and that’s an if that Michigan State defensive lineman Shilique Calhoun could

Buckeyes wide receiver Michael Thomas hauls in a ﬁrst-quarter touchdown catch against Illinois’ Eaton Spence. charge through, then Barrett must be on target and on time. In the wind tunnel that can be Memorial Stadium, Ohio State’s five previous games in Champaign saw the OSU starting quarterbacks, on average, complete 8 of 16 passes for 80 yards. Barrett’s 15-of-23 effort for 150 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, stacks up pretty well in that context. But remember that Barrett has started just twice this season, and his 15 comple-

tions were a season high, as were the 23 attempts. Saturday, he’ll let the arm go in a way he hasn’t so far in 2015. Last season, he threw it 36 times to beat Cincinnati and 35 times to beat Indiana and 31 to beat Rutgers. That’s what may be required in the next two games, and the weenie arm must be ready. “We have to be better,” Barrett said when asked if the pass game shown Saturday was good enough to beat the Spartans.

Not just the pass protection, but the passing. “I can do a better job, too, helping those guys out,” Barrett said. “They’re not going to be perfect every time. I can help out by moving in the pocket and getting the ball out quicker. I’m not going to blame it all on them.” Barrett found tight end Nick Vannett for a couple nice plays in the middle of the field, and Jalin Marshall caught four passes for 38 yards. The best throw was a beautiful 24yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas in the first quarter, and the game of six catches and 76 yards for Ohio State’s best receiver should serve as a reminder that the Buckeyes can’t throw to him too much. “We like those type of environments and we like it when it’s on us to make a play to help this team,” Thomas said of the OSU pass catchers. Thomas has two 100-yard games this season, seven catches for 107 yards against Maryland and five catches for 103 yards against Rutgers in Barrett’s first start. Those were the first 100-yard games of his career. He’s a physical 6-foot-3 target with crisp routes and excellent hands. He’ll win most, if not all, of his one-one-one matchups, like he did on that touchdown. Michigan State’s defensive scheme may give him more chances at plays like that, and the Buckeyes need to force the ball his way.

“I can’t have any excuses. I have to make a play,” Thomas said. “I want to be great and I want to catch everything and I want to make my quarterback believe in me.” That’s a good place for the Buckeyes to start as they ensure they believe in the pass game. Through 10 games, Ohio State hasn’t faced a team in the top 25. If they keep winning, for the next ﬁve games they’ll face only ranked teams. The whole season has built to this. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio wasn’t afraid to admit that after the No. 13 Spartans beat Maryland on Saturday. “All year long we sort of pointed to this game,” Dantonio told reporters in East Lansing, “a lot of people pointed to this game, so we got to a point where it’s like a playoff situation.” The Buckeyes weren’t as ready to go there after their win. Barrett thought the Buckeyes were getting closer to playing their best, but he made the point they still have time. “You don’t have to be your best now, you don’t have to be your best when there’s two games left in the season,” Barrett said. “You want to be at your best at the end of the year.” He has a point. But here’s another point. After 10 games against blah opponents, Ohio State’s playoffs start against the Spartans. The Buckeyes need their best now, on defense, when running the ball and when passing.

J.T. Barrett

QB apologizes in a carefully worded post-game response

Doug Lesmerises dlesmerises@cleveland.com

Champaign, Ill. — After his return from a one-game suspension for a drunken-driving arrest, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett’s statement at a postgame podium Saturday was similar to the

words he spoke in a courtroom on Tuesday. The redshirt sophomore on Tuesday entered a guilty plea to a drunken-driving charge from Oct. 31. Video of his arrest was released on Thursday. Urban Meyer suspended Barrett for one game against Minnesota

last week. Barrett returned as the starter as No. 3 Ohio State beat Illinois 28-3. Asked if he thought he could have been suspended for more than one game, Barrett said, “I don’t know how to answer that.” He did obviously have his thoughts ready when asked what he wanted to say in general about the

arrest. This was his ﬁrst meeting with his reporters since his arrest. “What I have to say about that,” Barrett said, “is I am truly sorry for my actions. I know that the main thing about it is I wasn’t thinking really about my position here at Ohio State. I faced the consequences and that’s going to

be a long-term thing I’m going to deal with. “I’m moving forward. Like I said, I extremely apologize to Buckeye Nation. I never want to hurt Ohio State [with] what it’s done for me as a person and also as a player. It was just a selﬁsh act and that’s it.” Barrett’s legal consequences in-

clude a three-day alcohol education program, a $400 ﬁne and the loss of his license for six months. In the video released by police, Barrett, 20, said he had been drinking whisky on the night of his arrest and that he felt he was a three on a scale of zero to 10 in how impaired he was as a driver.

SCENE AND HEARD SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND CLEVELAND.COM Samuel has disappointed. He is good, but he was supposed to be an absolute, electric, home run hitting type. So far, he hits singles and doubles. Climate Disrupter, Cleveland.com commenter

Tick tock it’s MSU on the clock! I bet Urban has a few tricks up his sleeve. Win the turnover battle and good things will follow. Later Buckeye fans. Bernardbuckeye, Cleveland.com commenter

#Buckeyes didn’t earn style points today but did earn W to go 10-0. Now real season begins with Sparty, TSUN & hopefully B1G title game. @exiledclevelndr, on Twitter

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

OHIO STATE 28, ILLINOIS 3 Ezekiel Elliott

A running back for the ages He is now third all-time at OSU in yards gained, behind only Griffin and George

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Ezekiel Elliott, second from left, celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown Saturday in Champaign, Illinois. Elliottt’s 36 career rushing touchdowns tie him for No. 5 on OSU’s all-time list.

Ari Wasserman awasserman@cleveland.com

Champaign, Ill. — The long

and dramatic touchdown runs, the broken tackles, the championships and the celebrations. That’s what you’ll remember about Ezekiel Elliott when he’s gone. The statistical milestones, though. Those always seem to come on the boring plays. It was only after a modest 2-yard run in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s 28-3 win over Illinois when Ezekiel Elliott put his name next to two Buckeyes legends. That measly 2-yard run moved him up to No. 3 on Ohio State’s all-time rushing list behind only former Heisman Trophy winners Archie Grifﬁn and Eddie George. The game was wrapped up by the time it happened, so Urban Meyer was able to consider what Elliott accomplished. “Wow,” Meyer said. “That’s pretty [incredible] because I grew up in that era with Archie and Eddie. Someone told me that on the sideline, even to say that takes your breath away because I grew up watching those guys.” In the modern day of high-ﬂying offenses and 50-point games, it’s hard to remember the past. But think back to what made Griffin and George so great. Their combination of powerful running and athleticism, yes, but it was more than that. How about how they both were the backbone of very good teams, how, no matter what, they both made 100-yard games feel routine. Meyer remembers those games. He watched them. Maybe he didn’t realize he was watching them again, in a new era and in a new form, until Saturday. He’s not watching, though. He’s coaching. “I know if I had any choice in tailbacks in the country, I got mine,” Meyer said. “I think I speak on behalf of our team on that one. He’s a tough one.” Elliott’s season was supposed to be like this, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

After what he did to Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff last year — leading the Buckeyes to a national title with nearly 700 yards in three postseason games — everyone knew he was good. But Elliott has been really the only consistent thing on an otherwise underwhelming offense, especially when considering how much talent the Buckeyes returned on that side of the ball. The quarterback controversy that didn’t die until November, the loss of some very important receivers, some pesky injuries and pass protection issues have caused the Buckeyes to look like they did against Illinois. How did that look? Dominant on defense, and just good enough on offense to win a game. Nothing special. Nothing close to the standard of averaging 50 points per game, which seemed very reasonable at the beginning of the season. If you’re Ohio State, you have to be thankful for Elliott. Because no matter how out of whack things looked — and they did vs. the Illini at times — Ohio State can always turn around and hand the ball off to its running back. Against Illinois, he ﬁnished with 27 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. “We’re certainly not in this situation without Zeke,” Meyer said. “There have been some issues — you know, back and forth with quarterback, then we had other issues — he’s the one constant.” Elliott’s most impressive game this season was when he rushed for 274 yards at Indiana in October to help the Buckeyes escape with a close win. That’s what he did every game in the postseason last year. This season hasn’t been that explosive, but it’s been impressively consistent. Let’s take a look at a few things he’s done statistically: 3 The 181 yards he put up against Illinois was his 20th career 100-plus-yard game of his career, second all-time in Ohio State history behind George. 3 Elliott has rushed for 100 yards in 15 consecutive games, the lon-

Buckeyes offensive line

Pass protection proving to be nagging problem Bill Landis blandis@cleveland.com

BRADLEY LEEB / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ezekiel Elliott is making his mark as one of the all-time greats at OSU. His 3,555 rushing yards are third best in school history. gest streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. 3 He has 16 rushing touchdowns on the season and 36 in his career, which ties him for ﬁfth all-time on Ohio State’s list with Tim Spencer and Harold “Champ” Henson. 3 Oh, and where he is on the Buckeyes all-time list. He passed Spencer on Saturday. Here’s the yardage totals: Griffin (5,589), George (3,768) and Elliott (3,555). “Zeke, he’s something else, ain’t he?” said quarterback J.T. Barrett, who returned after serving a one-game suspension last week. “A positive run play is four yards, so when he’s popping out six, eight, nine yards on first and second down, that’s what you love in a running back.” Ohio State hopes to figure it out offensively, particularly with the pass. Because if it struggles through the air from here on out, it may be hard to envision the Buckeyes staying unbeaten with the next two games against Michigan State and Michigan.

The Buckeyes have a workhorse who can get them out of jams. He carried the ball seven times during a crucial 11-play drive in the third quarter to help the Buckeyes extend their lead to 21-3. “We went tempo, too, and our coaching staff felt like we were starting to wear them down and the body blows were starting to take hold,” Meyer said. “He gets stronger as the game goes on. I want to say the majority of the games this year, teams did a good job of taking him away then he just get stronger as the day goes.” So put him in the conversation with Grifﬁn and George. Maybe the Heisman Trophy is the only thing truly separating him from becoming a legend. But he does have a national title under his belt. Whatever. Semantics. “It’s just a blessing,” Elliott said. “It’s just something you can dream of. The great running backs here at Ohio State, I’m just glad I can continue that.”

Columbus — Billy Price pulled to his right, looking to get to his spot and seal off that side while J.T. Barrett dropped back for a pass in the third quarter of Ohio State’s game against Illinois. Illinois defensive end Carroll Phillips got to the spot quicker. He drove Price back into Barrett as the quarterback was coming forward with his throwing motion. The contact knocked Barrett out of sync, and the ball came out the wrong way and was picked off. “I went to pull, he came faster than what I was ready for,” Price said. When you think about an offensive line struggling in pass protection, you think about it allowing an alarming number of sacks. That’s not necessarily Ohio State’s problem, because it has a mobile quarterback like Barrett who can make something up when a play breaks down. Instead, Ohio State’s problem right now is that it’s becoming one-dimensional, because when the Buckeyes try to pass, Barrett doesn’t have time. He’s hit, he’s hurried, the ball comes out too quick or not at all, and Ohio State’s offense is thrown out of rhythm. That’s not a new development. It’s been an issue all season that the Buckeyes have gotten away with. “We have to be more balanced as we get ready, we know what’s coming down the road next week, you have to be more balanced than we were, and that starts right now with pass protection,” coach Urban Meyer said. On Saturday, Ohio State ran the ball on 30 of its 43 secondhalf plays.

Meyer said the Buckeyes will drill pass protection this week harder than all season. A concern of Meyer’s is that maybe they haven’t drilled it enough. Perhaps a change is coming. Meyer didn’t address it Saturday, but right tackle Chase Farris struggled again in pass protection. Farris has talked about this before, saying earlier in the year he was playing more anticipatory than reactionary. Pass blocking is a collective effort, but Farris, a fifth-year senior and first-year starter, struggled again Saturday when put on an island. “I think sometimes he psyches himself out,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “There’s times in practice when he looks great. I think there’s some times he punches, he tries to knock them out, and that’s just not the essence of pass protection. You have to strike with your hands and give ground.” Ohio State’s other options would be sophomore Jamarco Jones, who’s the sixth linemen in any scenario, or true freshman Isaiah Prince, who’s been in the two-deep all season and has already burned his redshirt. Jones played at right tackle on Ohio State’s last offensive possession with the game in hand. Farris played right guard. Starting either Jones or Prince, who would be making their ﬁrst starts, next week against Michigan State would be a gamble. “Michigan State has some really good pass rushers, so we’re going to have to be on our Agame for that,” Decker said. But something has to change, because Ohio State can’t make another title run just running the ball on every down.

SCENE AND HEARD SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND CLEVELAND.COM Not sure why the Buckeyes always seem to play better in the 2nd half ... as if they need the 1st half to warm up #OSUvsILL @shoeflypieohio, on Twitter

“Pass protection. We want to take some shots. We have some skill guys who are giving up pressure too much. We’re doing a good job in the run game.” Urban Meyer, OSU coach, on areas of concern

“We walked out of here giving up three points. The best play is when we had a turnover and we stopped them immediately. That’s a sign of great defense.” Meyer, on the defense

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

OHIO STATE 28, ILLINOIS 3 Ohio State Insider

Inspired defense carries team

Buckeyes hold opponent below 300 yards of total offense for the third time this season

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Illinois’ Ryan Frain tries to run after a botched ﬁeld-goal try and loses the ball with Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee (43) and defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) in pursuit Saturday.

Bill Landis blandis@cleveland.com

Buckeyes Illini

Ohio State

(10-0, 6-0 Big Ten)

Champaign, Ill. — Maybe it

was the 1985 Chicago Bears or the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. Maybe it was both of them and every other great NFL defense. Something struck a nerve with Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa. Bosa was watching a special on the NFL Network recently about the NFL’s greatest defenses. He was inspired coming into Saturday’s game against Illinois. “Defense wins championships,” Bosa said Saturday. Can Ohio State’s? Saturday was another great defensive performance from the Buckeyes, who came into the day ranked 13th in total defense (ﬁfth against the pass, 33rd against the run). All of those numbers should improve after holding Illinois to 261 total yards, 20 on the ground. It marked the third time this season that Ohio State has held an opponent under 300 yards of total offense. In this age of college football, that’s hard to do no matter who you’re playing. Ohio State has allowed 34 total points in its past four games (8.5 points per game). You won’t find some way to pump up Ohio State’s opponents here. The Buckeyes have only played two teams ranked in the top 30 in total offense this year, and that’s important to note. But that doesn’t mean the defense hasn’t been the most consistent part of the team this year. Well, that and Ezekiel Elliott. “I would say our defense and obviously running the ball,” coach Urban Meyer said when asked what the calling card of this team is right now. “That’s what wins championships.” Has Ohio State’s offense been lights out all the time? No. Of course not. No defense is. Is it the best defense in the country? It was 19 th in total defense last year and won the

75 total plays

7 0

7 3

7 0

TOTAL YARDS

OSU

PASSING YARDS

OSU UI Return yards: 1 First downs: 23 Fumbles-lost: 2-1 Sacked-yards: 1-6 Penalties-yards: 7-40 PASSING J.T. Barrett Totals

C-A-I Yds TD Avg 15-23-1 150 1 6.5 15-23-1 150 1 6.5

RUSHING Ezekiel Elliott J.T. Barrett Curtis Samuel Bri’onte Dunn Cardale Jones Totals

Att 27 16 4 2 1 50

Yds Avg TD 181 6.7 2 74 4.6 1 18 4.5 0 10 5.0 0 0 0.0 0 283 5.7 3

Lg 17 18 8 9 0 18

RECEIVING Rec Michael Thomas 6 Jalin Marshall 4 Nick Vannett 3 Curtis Samuel 1 Marcus Baugh 1 Braxton Miller 2 Totals 17

Yds Avg TD 76 12.7 1 38 9.5 0 31 10.3 0 11 11.0 0 5 5.0 0 -4 -2.0 0 157 9.2 1

Lg 24 23 18 11 5 0 24

157

47 25 passes rushes Return yards: 90 First downs: 15 Fumbles-lost: 2-2 Sacked-yards: 3-22 Penalties-yards: 2-10

283

TIME OF POSSESSION

OSU

PASSING Wes Lunt Totals

33:04 26:56

Game by quarters

Tackles-assists: McMiIllan 6-8, Perry 5-4, Bosa 4-3, Lee 4-3, Bell 2-5, Powell 5-1, Lewis 1-1, Williams 1-1, Conley 1-1, Campbell 0-2, Webb 1-0, Baker 1-0, Fada 1-0, Schutt 1-0, Apple 1-0, Vannett 1-0, Hubbard 0-1, Hooker 0-1, Hale 0-1. Sacks-yards: Schutt 1-9, Lewis 1-11, McMillan 0.5-1, Bosa 0.5-1 Missed FG: Nuernberger 1 (24)

national championship. Last year was the offense’s turn to carry the Buckeyes all the way. But the offense has been inconsistent, and there are still things to work out as Ohio State gets set for the two biggest games of the year: Michigan

The Buckeyes took their first drive inside the 1, nearly scoring on a J.T. Barrett keeper, but missed a field goal. They finished the job on their next drive when Barrett found Michael Thomas for 24 yards.

Helped by a 25-yard pass from Wes Lunt to Josh Ferguson, Illinois drove 42 yards for a field goal to make the score 7-3, but a late OSU drive capped by a Barrett TD run put the Buckeyes up 14-3 at half.

Scoring OSU — Thomas 24 pass from Barrett (Nuernberger kick), 3:43

Scoring IU — FG Zalewski 46, 10:12 OSU — Barrett 6 run (Nuernberger kick), 0:50

There are still things to work out as Ohio State gets set for the two biggest games of the year.

The Big Ten announced that the Ohio State-Michigan State game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. in Ohio Stadium on Saturday. It will be televised on WEWS Channel 5.

total plays

241

RUSHING YARDS

OSU

(5-5, 2-4 Big Ten)

440

261

25 50 passes rushes

Michigan State kickoff set for 3:30

Illinois

28 3

The Illini drove 63 yards on their first drive but fumbled the ball away on a botched field goal, and the Buckeyes responded with a 75-yard drive that Ezekiel Elliott capped by going over from the 1, putting OSU up 21-3.

The only scoring in the quarter was a second Elliott TD run, on a one-play drive set up by a fumbled punt by IU’s V’Angelo Bentley at the Buckeyes’ 10. Elliott put the game away with his run on the next snap.

Scoring OSU — Elliott 1 run (Nuernberger kick), 6:57

Scoring OSU — Elliott 10 run (Nuernberger kick), 9:47

State and Michigan. The defense likes where it’s at. “It motivated me a little bit, seeing these teams. I’m not saying we’re struggling on offense, but they had defenses that just carry them,” Bosa said of the NFL Network special. “I’d love to do

C-A-I Yds TD Avg 23-47-0 241 1 5.1 23-47-0 241 1 5.1

RUSHING Att Josh Ferguson 12 Desmond Cain 1 Cameron Tucker 2 Ke’Shawn Vaughn 6 Ryan Frain 1 Wes Lunt 3 Totals 25

Yds Avg TD Lg 49 4.1 0 27 5 5.0 0 5 -1 -0.5 0 2 -4 -0.7 0 2 -7 -7.0 0 0 -22 -7.3 0 0 20 0.8 0 27

RECEIVING Rec Desmond Cain 10 Malik Turner 5 Geronimo Allison 1 Josh Ferguson 5 Nathan Echard 1 Tim Clary 1 Totals 23

Yds Avg TD 102 10.2 0 61 12.2 0 38 38.0 0 26 5.2 0 7 7.0 0 7 7.0 0 241 10.5 0

Lg 37 22 38 25 7 7 38

Tackles-assists: Fejedelem 2-13. Monheim 4-8, Phillips 2-9, Neal 1-10, Ward 1-6, Barton 4-2, Crawford 1-5, Bentley 4-1, Finney 1-4, Bain 0-5, Clements 0-4, Spence 1-2, Smoot 1-2, Watson 1-1, Little 1-0, Nelson 0-1, Doxy 0-1. Sacks-yards: Smoot 1-6 Missed FG: Zalewski 1 (50) Attendance: 51,515

that for this team.” Here are more notes, quotes and nuggets from Ohio State’s win: 3 Elliott moved into third place on Ohio State’s all-time rushing list with 3,565 yards, passing Tim Spencer on Saturday. Eddie

Before the season, the game looked like one of the best matchups of the year in college football, but Michigan State’s last-second loss to Nebraska has taken some of the luster off the game. Still, the winner will control its destiny as far as winning the Big Ten East and advancing to the Big Ten Championship. Michigan State (9-1) bounced back from the Nebraska loss to top Maryland, 24-7, Saturday. — Ari Wasserman

George (3,768 yards) is next in sight. Elliott also had his 20th career 100-yard game, which is tied for the second-most all-time with George. Archie Griffin has the most with 34. And with two rushing touchdowns Saturday, Elliott is now tied for fifth all-time at Ohio State with 36. “I know that if I had any choice at tailback in the country, I got mine,” Meyer said. “I think I speak on behalf of the team. He’s a tough guy.” 3 Bosa leads the Big Ten with 12.5 tackles for loss in conference play. 3 Ohio State has won 23 games in a row, which is the longest active streak in the nation. The Buckeyes also set an FBS record with their 30th consecutive Big Ten win. That’s the longest conference winning streak in FBS history. 3 Punter Cameron Johnston had four punts downed inside the 20-yard line Saturday, giving him 20 for the season and 78 for his career. The Ray Guy Award semiﬁnalist is now tied with A.J. Trapasso for most career punts downed inside the 20 at Ohio State.

OHIO STATE RESULTS AND SCHEDULE SEPT. 7 at Va. Tech W 42-24

SEPT. 12 Hawaii W 38-0

SEPT. 19 N. Illinois W 20-13

SEPT. 26 W. Mich. W 38-12

OCT. 3 at Indiana W 34-27

OCT. 10 Maryland W 49-28

OCT. 17 Penn State W 38-10

OCT. 24 at Rutgers W 49-7

NOV. 7 Minnesota W 28-14

NOV. 14 at Illinois W 28-3

SATURDAY Mich. St. 3:30 WEWS Ch. 5

NOV. 28 at Mich. Noon TV TBA

DEC. 5 B10 Game 8 p.m. WJW Ch. 8

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Mount Union 36, John Carroll 3

No. 1 Purple Raiders batter Blue Streaks Branson Wright bwright@plaind.com Mount Union took less than two minutes at the start of the second half to erase any doubt. The Purple Raiders scored on their ﬁrst three possessions of the third quarter on the way to a 36-3 rout of John Carroll on Saturday afternoon at Don Shula Stadium. The victory extended the Purple Raiders’ regular season winning streak since 2005 to 103 games, and extended John Carroll’s winless streak against Mount Union to 26. But more important for No. 1 Mount Union (10-0), the victory means an automatic bid in the Division III postseason that starts next Saturday. Mount Union is expected to host the playoff opener. No. 14 John Carroll (8-2) is forced to wait for the 6 p.m. Sunday NCAA III selection show for one of six automatic bids for the 32-team playoffs. The Purple Raiders did not have to wait to turn the game around after taking a 10-3 halftime lead. Mount Union took only ﬁve plays to score on its first possession in the second half. The Raiders took a little longer on their following possession (10 plays for 73 yards) that quarterback Taurice Scott capped

with a 4-yard TD strike. A fumble recovery on the kickoff followed by another drive and score extended Mount Union’s lead to 29-3 late in the third. “They had a big score on the opening drive of the second half, and things spiraled from there,” said John Carroll coach Tom Arth. “That’s not a team that you want to play from too far behind. When it turns into that, it becomes a long way to go.” That early drive by the Raiders got them back into offensive rhythm. “We took it upon ourselves to come out [like we did in the second half ] because we had some good drives in the first half, but we ended up slowing ourselves down,” Scott said. “Scoring on that first drive in the second half gave us all the confidence we needed for the rest of the game.” Mount Union also dominated defensively in routine fashion. The Raiders, the No. 1 defense in Div. III, held the Blue Streaks to 168 total yards. The Raiders allow only an average 132.8 yards per game. “We had a hard time on offense getting things going,” Arth said. “We hurt ourselves early in the game with penalties. That’s a great defense.”

MAC roundup

Hundley has 3 TDs, Zips beat RedHawks MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Ohio State wide receiver Curtis Samuel hurdles an Illinois defender for extra yardage during the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes’ 28-3 win Saturday.

OSU from J1

Ohio State (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) only gave the ball to Elliott nine times in the first half. That changed in the third quarter, when Elliott carried 14 times on 23 total plays. His 1-yard touchdown run put Ohio State up, 21-3, midway through the third quarter. The Buckeyes finished with 439 yards of total offense, and Elliott was responsible for a large chunk of it. That’s because Barrett wasn’t exactly sharp in his return from suspension. He missed last week’s game against Minnesota after getting arrested

for drunken driving over the b y e w e e k . B a r r e tt f i n i s h e d 15-for-23 for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception Saturday. He also ran 16 times for 74 yards, a touchdown and lost a fumble. But he didn’t look like the quar terback who had Ohio State’s offense clicking three weeks ago against Rutgers. Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas had six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State’s defense held Illinois to 261 yards. The Illini rushed for 382 yards last week against Purdue, but had just 20 on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ defensive line got some pressure on Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt. Joey Bosa, Tommy Schutt, Raekwon

McMillan and Tyquan Lewis all had sacks, and the Buckeyes had four quarterback hurries. McMillan had a team-high 14 tackles. The handful of times Illinois had a chance to score a touchdown, Lunt missed throws, including an open Dionte Taylor in the end zone on a potential touchdown that would’ve cut Ohio State’s lead to 14-10 in the third quarter. When it was over: Illinois punt returner V’Angelo Bentley muffed a punt that was r e c o v e r e d b y O h i o S t a t e ’s Bri’Onte Dunn at the Illinois 10-yard line. Elliott scored on the next play to put the Buckeyes up, 28-3, with 9:47 left in the game.

MILLER

from J1

Late in the second quarter of the Buckeyes’ workmanlike 28-3 victory over Illinois Saturday afternoon, coach Urban Meyer went to sort of a wayback machine, as far as setting up a move that made at least a surprising mark on the game. This one won’ t be written large with last year’s lightning strokes, because Illinois is Illinois, a second-tier team in a top-heavy conference. But it was indicative of the possibilities Ohio State’s athletic ability can not only entertain but fulfill. The Buckeyes went for it on fourth down-and-11 at the Illinois 38, while leading only 7-3, in the last minute and change of the first half. They were going into a wind that always makes passing here a tactic that involves a high degree of sheer luck. Failure would have left a relatively short field for the Illini, who have a good quarterback in Wes Lunt. Moreover, Illinois’ defense was having its way with the Buckeyes’ offensive line, pressuring Barrett, who threw a grounder while being grabbed and an interception that would have been a touchdown had he not been hit in the act of releasing the ball. “You want to challenge your offensive line. You always think you can pick that up,” said Meyer. This is a such a novel theory of down-and-distance conversion that it was obvious Meyer, although I asked him directly about the fourth-and-11, was talking about a fourth-and-1 at midfield. Either that, or the

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett fights to get near the goal line while Illinois defensive lineman Jihad Ward defends in the second quarter. Barrett rushed for 74 yards on 16 carries, and was 15-of-23 passing for 150 yards. fourth-and-6, which turned into the fourth-and-11 after a false start penalty. The Buckeyes converted the fourth-and-11 anyway. Barre tt ’s line gave him a clean pocket, uncluttered by the debris of the pass rush. His added running dimension made the difference when the field opened up to his left. He ripped off a 16-yard scramble past the first down markers out of bounds. Barrett finished a snappy, seven-play, 60-yard, 55-second drive with a 6-yard run behind Elliott’s booming block. Ohio State still let Illinois hang around, going three-andout with the second half kickoff and then, after pushing the lead

to 21-3, turning back the Illini on downs at the Buckeyes’ 13, when the home team’s hurryup offense self-destructed on a 3-yard loss. Clearly, both fans and media members were spoiled by the big-game ﬂourishes last season. Not only did an unexpected and almost unprecedented underdog aura surround the Buckeyes after Jones, the third-string quarterback in August practices, took over for the postseason, but the biggest games also seemed to turn into an endless loop of spectacular plays. In the national championship game, a Jones pass was rolling down the shoulder pads of the Oregon defender near the sideline when a falling Ja-

More kicking struggles: After Ohio State had a touchdown reviewed and called back in the first quarter, Sean Nuernberger missed a 24-yard field goal. Nuernberger was handling field goals for the first time this year in place of Jack Willoughby. Ohio State is now 7-for-12 this year on field goals, and Urban Meyer might have to make another decision this week about his kicking game. What it means: This is your Ohio State team heading into next Saturday’s game against Michigan State. Maybe that has lost some luster because Michigan State isn’t unbeaten, but its the first real team the Buckeyes will see this year.

lin Marshall plucked it like a duck. Marshall is one of the three playmakers Meyer named as constants this season. In the national semifinal, on a trick play, a wide receiver pass on a double reverse, Evan Spencer threw a touchdown pass in the final ticks of the first half clock against Alabama. Michael Thomas not only caught it while tightly covered, but got one foot inbounds as he landed on the last inch of undefended turf. Thomas is the second playmaker on whom Me yer depends. Thomas caught a 24ya r d t o uc hdo w n pa s s fr om Barrett on Saturday for the Buckeyes’ first score against Illinois. Also in the Alabama game, Ohio State had averaged less than 1-½ yards on its previous 17 plays, but then Elliott burst through the line, broke an arm tackle, and Spencer made the crack back block that freed Elliott for 85 yards and a touchdown. It also fractured college football’s view of Southeastern Conference supremacy over “Slohio.” Elliott is Meyer’s third playmaker. In the biggest regular season game in 2014, it was thirdand-23 at Michigan State, with snow ﬂuttering in the arc lights, when Barrett’s 43-yard perfect pass came down over Devin Smith’s shoulder and into his hands, like the delivery of an early Christmas present. Michigan State plays at Ohio State this weekend. Michigan will be next, up there. It is Barrett’s team now. It wasn’t a signature move Saturday, but it wasn’t a forgery either. They all know how it is done.

Associated Press

Standings

Conor Hundley ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns and Akron beat Miami 37-28 on Saturday in Oxford. Hundley had two scoring runs from 9-yards out and a 4-yard touchdown run while Thomas Woodson threw for 221 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Lane, for Akron (5-5, 3-3 Mid-American). Billy Bahl had 206 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Miami (2-9, 1-6). Hundley ran for his third touchdown a minute into the second half to give the Zips a 34-7 lead. Bahl threw two touchdown passes, and Marshall Taylor intercepted a Woodson pass and returned it 31 yards for a score to pull the Red Hawks to 34-28 with eight minutes left. Robert Stein kicked a 50-yard ﬁeld goal with 2:45 remaining for the Zips.

Conf. W-L Bowling Green 6-0 Ohio 3-3 Buffalo 3-3 Akron 3-3 Kent St. 2-4 UMass 1-5 Miami 1-6

EAST

WEST Toledo N. Illinois W. Michigan C. Michigan Ball State E. Michigan

Conf. 5-1 5-1 5-1 4-2 2-4 0-7

Overall W-L 8-2 6-4 5-5 5-5 3-7 2-8 2-9 Overall 8-1 7-3 6-4 5-5 3-7 1-10

UMass 28, Eastern Michigan 17: Running back Jamal Wilson ran for two touchdowns and RB Marquis Young scored one as the Minutemen beat the Eagles in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Locals

Terriers say no to Yeomen, rally from 18-point deficit to win From staff reports Hiram’s Nic Paolo threw a 98yard touchdown pass to Nate Eaton with 2:20 left in the game to cap a comeback from an 18-point, thirdquarter deficit as the Terriers beat host Oberlin, 24-21, on Saturday. Oberlin (3-7, 3-6 North Coast Athletic Conference) went ahead, 21-3, with 5:08 left in the third quarter when defensive end Kenny Williams recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Hiram ((4-6, 4-5) got back in the game just before the end of the quarter when Paolo threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Eaton to make it 21-10. Paolo ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 8:30 left in the game to cut the Terriers’ deficit to six. A 2-point conversion attempt failed. Eaton finished with seven catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Oberlin quarterback Lucas Poggiali completed 20 of 39 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. The Yeomen ended their season with three straight losses while the Terriers won their final three. Baldwin Wallace 44, Heidelberg 31: Isaac Reed III ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and Robbie Plagens (Rocky River) passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns as the Yellow Jackets (7-3, 7-2 Ohio Athletic Conference) ended their season with a win over the Student Princes (5-5, 5-4) in Berea. Mike Waggoner (Stow) caught both of Plagens’ touchdown passes and finished the game with eight catches for 152 yards. Tommy Fuller (Lakewood) had five catches for 90 yards and Tyler Wolf made six re-

ceptions for 65 yards. Strong safety Theodore Washington led BW with 12 tackles while linebacker Sam Groff had two of the Yellow Jackets’ ﬁve sacks.

Carnegie Mellon 52, Case Western Reserve 42: The Tartans (7-3, 6-2 Presidents’ Athletic Conference) rushed for 329 yards and ﬁnished with 627 yards of total offense while beating the Spartans (7-3, 6-2) in Pittsburgh in both teams’ last game of the season. Case quarterback Rob Cuda completed 21 of 47 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and two more touchdowns. Bryan Erb caught eight passes for 117 yards and one touchdown and Ethan Albers made seven catches for 109 yards.

Notre Dame College 60, West Virginia Wesleyan 20: Malik Grove passed for four touchdowns and ran for two as the Falcons (5-6, 5-5 Mountain East Conference) ended their season with a rout of the Bobcats (2-8, 2-8) in South Euclid. NDC running back DJ Greene (Willoughby South) carried the ball 28 times for 162 yards and one touchdown.

Michigan Tech 63, Lake Erie 23: The Huskies (7-3, 7-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) piled up 601 yards of offense and crushed the Storm (2-9, 2-8) in Painesville. Lake Erie quarterback John Banyasz was 19-of-27 passing for 145 yards and two touchdown passes to Shane Van Fieteren, who finished with 10 catches for 94 yards. Lake Erie ended its season with three straight losses.

J6*

Big Ten Conf. W-L 6-0 5-1 5-1 4-2 1-6 0-6 0-6

Div. W-L 4-0 4-0 3-1 3-1 1-4 0-4 0-5

All W-L 10-0 9-1 8-2 7-3 3-7 2-8 4-6

WEST DIVISION Conf. W-L Iowa 6-0 Wisconsin 5-1 N’western 4-2 Nebraska 3-4 Illinois 2-4 Minnesota 1-5 Purdue 1-5

Div. W-L 4-0 3-1 3-1 1-4 2-2 1-3 1-4

All W-L 10-0 8-2 8-2 5-6 5-5 4-6 2-8

Ohio State Mich. State Michigan Penn State Rutgers Maryland Indiana

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Michigan receiver Jehu Chesson had 10 receptions for 207 yards and four touchdowns in a double-overtime win at Indiana.

No. 14 Michigan 48, Indiana 41 [2 OT]

Standings EAST DIVISION

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

NEBRASKA 31 RUTGERS 14

Cornhuskers keep bowl hopes alive

Tight end Cethan Carter rambled 32 yards for a touchdown on his first career carry and caught one of three touchdown passes by Tommy Armstrong as Nebraska kept its bowl hopes alive Saturday. Jordan Westerkamp and Alonzo Moore also caught touchdown passes and Drew Brown kicked a 44-yard ﬁeld goal as the visiting Cornhuskers (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) won their second straight and put themselves in position for a .500 regular season. Rutgers (3-7, 1-6) lost its fourth straight game, putting coach Kyle Flood’s future in jeopardy after a turbulent season.

NORTHWESTERN 21 PURDUE 14

Wildcats win another close one

Justin Jackson ran for 116 yards and a late touchdown, and Warren Long added two rushing TDs to lead No. 24 Northwestern. With a school record for wins and a spot in a prestigious bowl in reach, host Northwestern (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) pulled out another close game. Jackson plowed in from the 2 with 4:37 remaining to cap a 58-yard drive. The Wildcats converted four third downs, including the TD, on the possession, and quarterback Clayton Thorson broke off back-to-back 16-yard runs to put the ball on the 5. Jackson’s TD lifted Northwestern to its third straight win. Purdue (2-8, 1-5) dropped its second straight and remained winless against ranked teams since 2011.

MICHIGAN STATE 24 MARYLAND 7

Cook hurt but Spartans coast

Even with Michigan State’s star quarterback out of the game, Maryland never mounted much of a challenge. Connor Cook left at halftime with an apparent shoulder problem, but the 14thranked Spartans shut down the Terrapins. The turnover-prone Terps have lost seven in a row. The Spartans (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) have been dealing with injuries all season, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary. Cook got hurt in the ﬁrst quarter, and although he came back in the game for a bit, backup Tyler O’Connor played the second half. Visiting Maryland (2-8, 0-6) couldn’t take advantage of Cook’s absence. They turned the ball over ﬁve times. Cook was only 6 of 20 for 77 yards with an interception.

IOWA 40 MINNESOTA 35

Hawkeyes hold on to stay undefeated

LeShun Daniels rushed for a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns and No. 8 Iowa started 10-0 for the ﬁrst time in school history. C.J. Beathard threw for 213 yards and ran for two touchdowns for the Hawkeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP). Gophers running back Shannon Brooks threw a 42-yard TD pass to Drew Wolitarsky and ran one in from 3 yards out in the ﬁnal 5:32. But Daniels scored from 51 yards out with 2:01 left, and Minnesota’s onside kick with 1:16 to go squirted out of bounds.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DARRON CUMMINGS | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Indiana’s Mitchell Paige is hit by Michigan’s Delano Hill (44) as Paige tries to make a catch during double overtime Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana. The pass was incomplete, and Michigan defeated Indiana 48-41 in double overtime.

Wolverines pull out nerve-racking win Rudock tosses six TD passes in comeback Michael Marot Associated Press Bloomington, Ind. — Michi-

gan quarterback Jake Rudock kept taking advantage of his opportunities Saturday. Six times he threw for touchdowns. Twice he saved the Wolverines’ conference title hopes. And when he finally saw Michigan’s usually stout defense make a goal-line stand in the second overtime, a relieved Rudock finally got to celebrate by singing with his teammates to the people who made the trip to Bloomington. The fifth-year senior threw one TD pass with two seconds left in regulation and two more on backto-back plays in overtime, then watched excitedly as Indiana’s Mitchell Paige bobbled a pass on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line to help No. 15 Michigan barely fend off Indiana 48-41 in double overtime. “If Jake doesn’t play the way he does, we don’t have a chance,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “All

Michigan’s Jake Rudock celebrates after Michigan defeated Indiana, 48-41, in double overtime Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana. those attributes — talk about his accuracy, talk about his arm strength, talk about his durability, his toughness, he’s intelligent — but I still go back to that one, he is just unﬂappable. It does not matter what the situation is.” The Wolverines (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten, No. 14 CFP) still have a chance in the East Division after winning their third straight — none more nerve-racking than this one. Rudock was brilliant at critical moments. He threw a dart between two

Indiana defenders with two seconds left in regulation for a 5-yard TD pass to Jehu Chesson that set up the tying extra point and silenced a frenzied Indiana crowd that was anticipating its first victory against Michigan since 1987. After Jordan Howard made it 41-34 with a fourth-down plunge in the first overtime, Rudock needed just two plays to tie the score at 41 with a 21-yard TD pass to Jake Butt. On the next play, he gave Michigan the lead for good with an easy 25-yard

TD pass to the wide-open Amara Darboh. All Michigan needed then was a stop, and when Paige bobbled the pass, safety Delano Hill knocked it away. “He made a good play,” said Paige, who scored on a 51-yard punt return in the third quarter to become the first Indiana player since 1990 with two punt returns for touchdowns in one season. “I had the ball, ran a decent route, [Nate Sudfeld] put it right on me. I’ve just got to make the play.” For the Wolverines, it was a record day. Rudock finished 33 of 46 with 440 yards and six scores, breaking the previous school record of four. He also kept drives alive with his feet, running seven times for 64 yards. Chesson finished with a careerbest 10 catches for 207 yards and four scores, tying Derrick Alexander’s single-game TD receptions record set in 1992. Darboh wound up with eight catches for 109 yards, and Butt finished with seven for 82 yards. Harbaugh wasn’t pleased with his defense, which came into the weekend allowing the fewest points per game in the nation and third-fewest yards rushing per game. It didn’t play like it. Howard ran 35 times for 238

yards and two scores, caught a 7-yard TD pass and became the 11th player in school history to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season. Sudfeld wound up 20 of 34 for 220 yards with one TD in his home ﬁnale, and Simmie Cobbs Jr. caught four passes for 86 yards. It still wasn’t enough for Indiana (4-6, 0-6), which has lost six straight, four of those to Top 15 teams, and 20 consecutive games in this lopsided series. “Again we played well but not good enough,” Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson said. Almost good enough, again. Howard gave the Hoosiers a 3427 lead when he dragged Michigan defenders into the end zone on 24-yard scoring run, then powered in for a 2-point conversion with 2:52 left in regulation. That was too much time for Rudock, whose 41-yard pass to Chesson got Michigan to the Indiana 2 with 1:11 left. On fourth-and-goal, Rudock found Chesson in the end zone to force overtime. And then, in overtime, Rudock won it. “It’s like that Clint Eastwood movie, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,’” Harbaugh said. “There was some of all it today. Our guys found a way to win, and it’s as good a win as you’ll ever have.”

Scoreboard East

Albright 38, Lebanon Valley 13 Amherst 17, Williams 7 Assumption 17, New Haven 14 Becker 41, Anna Maria 7 Bethany (WV) 35, St. Vincent 27 Bloomsburg 17, Seton Hill 14 Bowdoin 35, Colby 13 Bridgewater (Mass.) 64, Mass. Maritime 42 Buffalo St. 35, Brockport 28 California (Pa.) 56, Lock Haven 24 Carnegie-Mellon 52, Case Reserve 42 Castleton 31, Norwich 13 Clemson 37, Syracuse 27 Colgate 49, Lehigh 42 College of NJ 20, Rowan 0 Cornell 3, Columbia 0 Cortland St. 11, Ithaca 8 Curry 26, MIT 24 Dartmouth 34, Brown 18 Delaware Valley 20, Widener 3 East Stroudsburg 49, Gannon 37 Elon 27, Maine 22 Endicott 33, Coast Guard 5 Fitchburg St. 30, Plymouth St. 7 Fordham 38, Georgetown 31 Framingham St. 55, Worcester St. 14 Gettysburg 21, Franklin & Marshall 7 Hamilton 14, Bates 0 Hartwick 45, Utica 39 Hobart 42, Rochester 20 Holy Cross 23, Bucknell 7 Husson 20, Mount Ida 7 Indiana (Pa.) 62, Cheyney 0 James Madison 24, Delaware 21 Kean 28, Montclair St. 21 Kutztown 45, Clarion 17 LIU Post 34, Bentley 20 Lycoming 38, Misericordia 14 Maine Maritime 17, Nichols 8 Millersville 31, Edinboro 21 Monmouth (NJ) 21, Presbyterian 16 Morrisville St. 44, Alfred St. 12 Muhlenberg 28, Moravian 14 NY Maritime 34, Gallaudet 0 Navy 55, SMU 14 Nebraska 31, Rutgers 14 New Hampshire 24, Albany (NY) 14 Penn 35, Harvard 25 RPI 23, Union (NY) 10 S. Connecticut 17, American International 7 Sacred Heart 28, Bryant 19 Shepherd 52, Urbana 20 Shippensburg 69, Mercyhurst 20

Slippery Rock 61, West Chester 12 St. Anselm 39, Pace 30 St. Francis (Pa.) 21, Robert Morris 0 St. John Fisher 23, Alfred 9 St. Lawrence 21, Merchant Marine 14 Stevenson 48, FDU-Florham 25 Stonehill 17, Merrimack 14 Stony Brook 19, Rhode Island 7 Susquehanna 24, Juniata 17 Thiel 28, Grove City 23 Trinity (Conn.) 17, Wesleyan (Conn.) 13 Tufts 31, Middlebury 28 Tulane 34, Army 31 Ursinus 28, Dickinson 20 Villanova 21, Richmond 20 W. New England 28, Salve Regina 21 WPI 19, Springﬁeld 17 Wagner 28, CCSU 7 Washington & Jefferson 45, Waynesburg 23 Wesley 63, William Paterson 0 West Liberty 42, W. Virginia St. 36 West Virginia 38, Texas 20 Wilkes 24, King’s (Pa.) 17 Yale 35, Princeton 28

South

Alabama 31, Mississippi St. 6 Alderson-Broaddus 48, Kentucky Wesleyan 29 Arkansas 31, LSU 14 Arkansas St. 59, Louisiana-Monroe 21 Bridgewater (Va.) 45, Catholic 13 Carson-Newman 65, Tusculum 32 Catawba 28, Lenoir-Rhyne 14 Cent. Arkansas 34, Nicholls St. 31 Centre 30, Berry 23 Charleston Southern 31, Liberty 24 Chattanooga 31, The Citadel 23 Christopher Newport 51, S. Virginia 7 Coastal Carolina 45, Kennesaw St. 13 Delta St. 37, Mississippi College 29 E. Illinois 23, UT Martin 21 E. Kentucky 41, Murray St. 34, 2OT Faulkner 51, Union (Ky.) 30 Florida 24, South Carolina 14 Florida St. 34, NC State 17 Gardner-Webb 28, ETSU 3 Georgetown (Ky.) 22, Pikeville 0 Georgia 20, Auburn 13 Georgia Southern 45, Troy 10 Guilford 41, Emory & Henry 30 Hampton 42, Savannah St. 3 Hendrix 19, Sewanee 0 Huntingdon 44, Averett 13 Jacksonville 20, Campbell 14 Jacksonville St. 56, SE Missouri 28

Johns Hopkins 49, McDaniel 24 Kentucky Christian 39, Blueﬁeld South 36 Lindsey Wilson 55, Cumberland (Tenn.) 27 Louisville 38, Virginia 31 Mars Hill 27, Brevard 7 Marshall 52, FIU 0 Maryville (Tenn.) 52, Greensboro 3 Mercer 27, Furman 20, OT Methodist 47, LaGrange 12 Middle Tennessee 24, FAU 17 Miles 20, Albany St. (Ga.) 7 Millsaps 31, Rhodes 21 Missouri S&T 42, Quincy 35 Morgan St. 21, Florida A&M 7 NC A&T 27, Delaware St. 6 NC Central 41, Howard 6 NC Wesleyan 42, Ferrum 33 Newberry 26, Wingate 0 North Alabama 52, West Alabama 14 North Carolina 59, Miami 21 Old Dominion 31, UTEP 21 Pittsburgh 31, Duke 13 Point (Ga.) 49, Concordia (Ala.) 7 Prairie View 38, Alabama St. 13 Randolph-Macon 14, Hampden-Sydney 9 Reinhardt 70, Bethel (Tenn.) 36 SC State 17, Norfolk St. 10 Salisbury 28, Frostburg St. 27 Samford 37, Wofford 27 San Diego 35, Davidson 10 South Florida 44, Temple 23 Southern U. 46, Alabama A&M 7 Stetson 60, Ave Maria 21 Tennessee 24, North Texas 0 Tennessee Tech 42, Austin Peay 24 UNC-Pembroke 31, Limestone 14 UTSA 30, Charlotte 27, OT Valdosta St. 39, Florida Tech 21 Vanderbilt 21, Kentucky 17 Washington & Lee 34, Shenandoah 21 Webber 27, Warner 24 West Georgia 35, Shorter 9 William & Mary 31, Towson 17 Winston-Salem 17, Bowie St. 14

Midwest

Adrian 38, Trine 24 Akron 37, Miami (Ohio) 28 Albion 42, Aurora 14 Augsburg 49, Bethel (Minn.) 42 Augustana (Ill.) 42, Millikin 10 Augustana (SD) 76, Concordia (St.P.) 21 Avila 13, Cent. Methodist 10 Baker 38, Evangel 35 Baldwin-Wallace 44, Heidelberg 31

Bemidji St. 41, Northern St. (SD) 24 Bethany (Kan.) 48, McPherson 21 Bluffton 35, Deﬁance 14 Butler 20, Drake 13 Capital 28, Marietta 21, OT Cent. Oklahoma 49, Pittsburg St. 31 Coe 52, Buena Vista 14 Concordia (Neb.) 48, Briar Cliff 0 Dakota Wesleyan 48, Dordt 21 Dayton 28, Marist 21 Denison 30, Kenyon 17 Dubuque 38, Central 16 Emporia St. 52, Nebraska-Kearney 34 Ferris St. 38, Walsh 7 Findlay 45, N. Michigan 42 Fort Hays St. 28, Cent. Missouri 14 Fort Lewis 47, Chadron St. 34 Franklin 53, Hanover 13 Graceland (Iowa) 58, Culver-Stockton 14 Grand Valley St. 24, Saginaw Valley St. 17 Grand View 26, William Penn 14 Hamline 19, Carleton 7 Hastings 49, Nebraska Wesleyan 13 Hillsdale 31, Wayne (Mich.) 24, OT Hiram 24, Oberlin 21 Illinois St. 42, S. Illinois 21 Indianapolis 47, St. Joseph’s (Ind.) 24 Iowa 40, Minnesota 35 Kalamazoo 39, Hope 31 Kansas Wesleyan 48, St. Mary (Kan.) 20 Lakeland 46, Benedictine (Ill.) 22 Lamar 28, Incarnate Word 21 Lindenwood (Ill.) 34, Concordia (Mich.) 31 Mac Murray 79, Maranatha Baptist 7 Manchester 35, Anderson (Ind.) 17 Marian (Ind.) 45, Siena Heights 17 McKendree 31, Truman St. 3 Michigan 48, Indiana 41, 2OT Michigan St. 24, Maryland 7 Michigan Tech 63, Lake Erie 23 Mid-Am Nazarene 16, Missouri Valley 13 Minn. Duluth 36, Minot St. 10 Minn. St.-Mankato 42, Wayne (Neb.) 14 Minn. St.-Moorhead 59, Minn.-Crookston 21 Missouri 20, BYU 16 Missouri Western 63, Missouri Southern 21 Morehead St. 36, Valparaiso 29 Morningside 55, Doane 7 Mount St. Joseph 59, Finlandia 7 Mount Union 36, John Carroll 3 Muskingum 49, Wilmington (Ohio) 35 N. Dakota St. 27, Youngstown St. 24 N. Iowa 41, Missouri St. 0 North Central (Ill.) 56, Elmhurst 21

North Dakota 45, N. Colorado 14 North Park 27, Illinois Wesleyan 24 Northeastern St. 17, Lindenwood (Mo.) 14 Northwestern 21, Purdue 14 Northwestern (Iowa) 55, Midland 6 Northwestern (Minn.) 75, Gustavus 73 Northwood (Mich.) 28, Malone 21 Notre Dame 28, Wake Forest 7 Notre Dame Coll. 60, WV Wesleyan 20 Ohio Dominican 22, Tifﬁn 7 Ohio Northern 42, Otterbein 10 Ohio St. 28, Illinois 3 Ohio Wesleyan 59, Wooster 28 Oklahoma St. 35, Iowa St. 31 Olivet 47, Alma 29 Ottawa, Kan. 40, Friends 17 Peru St. 19, Benedictine (Kan.) 17 Rockford 26, Concordia (Ill.) 7 Rose-Hulman 64, Earlham 13 S. Dakota St. 30, South Dakota 23 S. Dakota Tech 35, William Jewell 14 SW Baptist 62, Lincoln (Mo.) 19 SW Minnesota St. 33, Winona St. 28 Simpson (Iowa) 42, Luther 28 Sioux Falls 69, Upper Iowa 20 St. Ambrose 27, Robert Morris-Chicago 7 St. Cloud St. 42, Mary 7 St. Francis (Ill.) 40, Olivet Nazarene 0 St. Francis (Ind.) 64, Missouri Baptist 6 St. John’s (Minn.) 49, St. Olaf 7 Sterling 52, Southwestern (Kan.) 0 Tabor 26, Bethel (Kan.) 17 Taylor 34, Trinity (Ill.) 28 UMass 28, E. Michigan 17 W. Illinois 37, Indiana St. 30, OT W. New Mexico 59, Black Hills St. 21 Wabash 45, DePauw 17 Wartburg 49, Loras 34 Washington (Mo.) 37, Chicago 23 Wheaton (Ill.) 17, Carthage 3 Wis. Lutheran 23, Concordia (Wis.) 20, OT Wis.-Oshkosh 38, Wis.-Eau Claire 0 Wis.-Platteville 52, Wis.-LaCrosse 7 Wis.-Stevens Pt. 44, Wis.-River Falls 0 Wis.-Whitewater 63, Wis.-Stout 14 Wittenberg 63, Allegheny 0

Southwest

Abilene Christian 21, SE Louisiana 17 Alcorn St. 65, Texas Southern 13 Arkansas Tech 27, Harding 24 Georgia St. 41, Texas St. 19 Grambling St. 49, Ark.-Pine Bluff 31 Hardin-Simmons 82, Louisiana College 21 Henderson St. 21, Ouachita 17

Houston 35, Memphis 34 Mary Hardin-Baylor 67, E. Texas Baptist 20 Midwestern St. 37, Texas A&M Commerce 33 NW Missouri St. 49, Washburn 13 S. Arkansas 49, Ark.-Monticello 29 S. Nazarene 33, Oklahoma Baptist 32, OT SE Oklahoma 37, East Central 27 SW Assemblies of God 48, Bacone 26 SW Oklahoma 31, NW Oklahoma St. 17 Sam Houston St. 59, Northwestern St. 21 Southern Miss. 65, Rice 10 Stephen F. Austin 55, Houston Baptist 20 Sul Ross St. 35, Howard Payne 23 TCU 23, Kansas 17 Texas A&M 41, W. Carolina 17 Texas Lutheran 58, Southwestern (Texas) 3 Texas Tech 59, Kansas St. 44 Trinity (Texas) 10, Austin 7 W. Texas A&M 51, Texas A&M-Kingsville 45 Wayland Baptist 51, Lyon 30

Far West

Air Force 35, Utah St. 28 Angelo St. 63, E. New Mexico 20 Appalachian St. 47, Idaho 20 Arizona St. 27, Washington 17 CSU-Pueblo 33, NM Highlands 7 Cal Poly 55, UC Davis 38 Cent. Washington 34, Dixie St. 28 Chapman 63, Whittier 15 Claremont-Mudd 20, Pomona-Pitzer 17 Coll. of Idaho 35, Carroll (Mont.) 21 Colorado Mesa 31, Western St. (Col.) 28 Colorado Mines 52, Adams St. 28 Colorado St. 49, UNLV 35 George Fox 21, Willamette 14 Humboldt St. 29, W. Oregon 13 La Verne 38, Cal Lutheran 21 Linfield 38, Pacific Lutheran 10 Montana 57, E. Washington 16 Montana St. 44, Idaho St. 20 Montana Tech 24, W. Montana 17 N. Arizona 49, Sacramento St. 35 Nevada 37, San Jose St. 34, OT Oregon 38, Stanford 36 Portland St. 24, S. Utah 23 Puget Sound 38, Pacific (Ore.) 20 Redlands 41, Occidental 14 Rocky Mountain 38, Montana St.-Northern 20 S. Oregon 48, E. Oregon 37 Whitworth 47, Lewis & Clark 19

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Top 25

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

*J7

Navy QB Keenan Reynolds ran for four TDs to break the NCAA record for career rushing TDs in a 55-14 win over SMU. He has 81 rushing TDs.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 35, Iowa State 31

FBS Playoff

Comeback Cowboys stay undefeated

How they fared

Top 25

No. 1 Clemson (10-0) beat Syracuse 37-27. Next: vs. Wake Forest, Saturday. No. 2 Alabama (9-1) beat No. 17 Mississppi State 31-6. Next: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday. No. 3 Ohio State (10-0) beat Illinois 28-3. Next: vs. No. 13 Michigan State, Saturday. No. 4 Notre Dame (9-1) beat Wake Forest 28-7. Next: at Boston College, Saturday. No. 5 Iowa (10-0) beat Minnesota 40-35. Next: vs. Purdue, Saturday. No. 6 Baylor (8-0) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma. Next: at No. 8 Oklahoma State, Saturday. No. 7 Stanford (8-2) lost to Oregon 38-36. Next: vs. California, Saturday. No. 8 Oklahoma State (10-0) beat Iowa State 3531. Next: vs. No. 6 Baylor, Saturday. No. 9 LSU (7-2) lost to Arkansas 31-14. Next: at Mississippi, Saturday. No. 10 Utah (8-1) at Arizona. Next: vs. No. 19 UCLA, Saturday. No. 11 Florida (9-1) beat South Carolina 24-14. Next: vs. FAU, Saturday. No. 12 Oklahoma (8-1) at No. 6 Baylor. Next: vs. No. 15 TCU, Saturday. No. 13 Michigan State (9-1) beat Maryland 24-7. Next: at No. 3 Ohio State, Saturday.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN HAYWORTH | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oklahoma State defensive tackle Eric Davis, left, and defensive end Jordan Brailford tackle Iowa State quarterback Joel Lanning in the second half Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa. Lanning ran for 130 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Associated Press Ames, Iowa — Oklahoma State

got the victory it needed, just not the style points. Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Carr with 3:06 left Saturday, giving Oklahoma State a 35-31 victory over Iowa State and keeping the unbeaten Cowboys in playoff contention. Oklahoma State (10-0, 7-0 Big 12, No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings) trailed 24-7 and 31-21 before rallying for a victory that might not look impressive but was still critical in jockeying for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. It was the ﬁfth time in as many road games this season that the Cowboys pulled it out after trailing in the second half. “I’m sure TV loves us,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “It’s a good win by the team. As we all know, coming up here and playing is never really easy.” Walsh drew the Cowboys to 3128 with a 16-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and OSU drove 84 yards in 11 plays for the winning score after forcing a punt. Starter Mason Rudolph got Oklahoma State to the Iowa State

Oklahoma State running back Jeff Carr scores the game-winning touchdown with 3:06 left. Iowa State defensive back Qujuan Floyd can’t stop him from crossing the goal line. Carr, a 5-7 freshman, caught a 7-yard pass from backup quarterback J.W. Walsh to keep the Cowboys undefeated at 10-0. It was the Cowboys’ ﬁfth come-from-behind road victory this season. 7 and Walsh, usually the team’s running quarterback, took it from there. He hit Carr with a swing pass on the left side and two blocks sprung the freshman to the end zone.

“You don’t win without having some maturity and a relentless football team,” Walsh said, “and we’ve been able to attain those things very well. There was not a doubt in anyone’s mind. You

could see it in everybody’s eyes.” Quarterback Joel Lanning had helped keep Iowa State (3-7, 2-5) ahead for most of the game, running for two touchdowns and passing for another. He and the

Cyclones had two chances after Carr’s score, but gave up the ball on downs and then turned it over with an interception after getting it back. The two teams met in a setting similar to 2011, when an unheralded Iowa State team ended No. 2 Oklahoma State’s BCS championship hopes with a victory in two overtimes. On a pleasant, late autumn day, the Cowboys survived in this one, though for the longest time, things were looking grim for Gundy’s team, mostly because of Lanning. The sophomore from nearby Ankeny consistently ran for nice gains on read options and scrambles and did just enough with his passing to keep the Cyclones moving. He carried 14 times for 130 yards and scored on runs of 24 and 21 yards. The 21-yarder, on which he ran untouched to the end zone after faking a handoff, gave Iowa State a 31-21 lead late in the third quarter and fueled hopes of another upset. It just wasn’t quite enough. One reason was that Oklahoma State controlled the ball with long, time-consuming scoring drives in the second half.

No. 14 Michigan (8-2) beat Indiana 48-41 (2OT). Next: at Penn State, Saturday. No. 15 TCU (9-1) beat Kansas 23-17. Next: at No. 12 Oklahoma, Saturday. No. 16 Florida State (8-2) beat N.C. State 34-17. Next: vs. Chattanooga, Saturday. No. 17 Mississippi State (73) lost to No. 2 Alabama 31-6. Next: at Arkansas, Saturday. No. 18 Northwestern (8-2) beat Purdue 21-14. Next: at No. 25 Wisconsin, Saturday. No. 19 UCLA (7-2) vs. Washington State. Next: at No. 10 Utah, Thursday. No. 20 Navy (8-1) beat SMU 55-14. Next: at Tulsa, Saturday. No. 21 Memphis (8-2) lost to No. 24 Houston 35-34. Next: at No. 22 Temple, Saturday. No. 22 Temple (8-2) lost to South Florida 44-23. Next: vs. No. 21 Memphis, Saturday. No. 23 North Carolina (9-1) beat Miami 59-21. Next: at Virginia Tech, Saturday. No. 24 Houston (10-0) beat No. 21 Memphis 35-34. Next: at UConn, Saturday. No. 25 Wisconsin (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. No. 18 Northwestern, Saturday.

No. 4 Notre Dame 28, Wake Forest 7

Oregon 38, No. 7 Stanford 36

Ducks’ defense comes up big late in upset win Adams’ 98-yard run highlights Irish win Josh Dubow Associated Press

Stanford, Calif. — Vernon

Adams threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns and Oregon used its quick-strike offense and a late stop on a 2-point conversion attempt to spoil No. 7 Stanford’s playoff hopes with a 38-36 victory Saturday night. In a game dominated by offenses that combined for more than 900 yards, it was a defensive stop on the 2-point attempt with 10 seconds left that sealed the win for Oregon (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) and kept the Ducks’ hopes for a conference title alive. After Kevin Hogan lost two fumbles on snaps in the fourth quarter, Stanford (8-2, 7-1, No. 7 CFP) tied it on Hogan’s 4-yard TD pass to Greg Taboada with 10 seconds left. Needing a 2-point conversion to tie it, the Cardinal sent Christian McCaffrey out wide and Ho-

gan tried to find tight end Austin Hooper over the middle. But the Ducks stopped the play and held on for the win. Royce Freeman ran for 105 yards and a score and Charles Nelson scored on a 75-yard run on one of the Ducks’ three TDs of more than 45 yards. While Stanford is still in control of the division race, the Cardinal had higher goals of making the College Football Playoff if they could win out. But a suspect defense and two costly botched snaps by Hogan helped do them in. Hogan lost one fumble near midfield midway through the fourth quarter with the Cardinal down five. After Oregon kicked a field goal to make it 38-30, Stanford drove inside the 20 before Hogan lost another snap with 2:06 to play. With help from a questionable pass-interference call in the end zone on the final drive, Stanford

had a chance to tie it but missed on the 2-point attempt. Hogan threw for 304 yards and two TDs and ran for another score. McCaffrey set a Stanford record with his eighth straight 100-yard rushing game, running for 147 yards and a TD. With Adams healthy after being slowed early this season by a broken right index ﬁnger, the Ducks showed off the high-powered offense they’ve been accustomed to in recent years. They gained 436 yards on 48 plays, averaging 9.1 yards per play for the most allowed by Stanford this century. Trailing 23-21 at the half, the Ducks took control in the third quarter. They took the opening kick and easily drove down to score on Freeman’s 19-yard run. A key sequence came when the Ducks stopped Hogan for 1 yard on a third-and-3. Coach David Shaw opted to go for a 43-yard

field goal, but Conrad Ukropina missed wide right. The teams then traded threeand-outs before Oregon struck with another big play when Adams found Taj Grifﬁn open down the sideline for a 49-yard TD catch that made it 35-23 late in the third quarter. Hogan’s two TD passes to Taboada helped Stanford nearly overcome the deﬁcit but the Cardinal fell short. The contrast in styles between grind-it-out Stanford and fastbreak Oregon was stark as Stanford took a 23-21 halftime lead. The Cardinal got TD runs from Hogan and McCaffrey and powered their way to 276 yards on 43 plays in 21:32 of possession. The Ducks relied on the big plays with Nelson scoring on a 75yard run and Adams hitting Darren Carrington on a 47-yard pass in the final minute to gain 268 yards on 23 plays in 8:28.

Associated Press S o u t h B e n d, I n d. — Josh

Adams scored on a 98-yard run, the longest scoring play from scrimmage in Notre Dame history, and defensive end Andrew Trumbetti scored on a 28-yard interception as the Fighting Irish beat Wake Forest 28-7 Saturday despite struggling offensively. Adams started and ran for 141 yards with Notre Dame’s leading rusher C.J. Prosise sidelined while recovering from a concussion. Adams, who was fourth on the Irish depth chart in the preseason, posted his second straight 100-yard game and third of the season. DeShone Kizer added touchdown runs of 12 and ﬁve yards for the Irish (9-1), ranked fourth

in the College Football Playoff rankings. Quarterback John Wolford scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter for Wake Forest (3-7), but the Demon Deacons squandered three other red-zone opportunities. The Irish were held to less than 400 yards of total offense for the ﬁrst time this season as Wake Forest outgained Notre Dame 340 yards to 282. Kizer was 13-of-19 for 111 yards. Will Fuller, who was averaging 100 yards a game receiving, was limited to three catches for 37 yards. Wolford was 19-of-30 for 219 yards with one interception for the Demon Deacons. Tyler Bell rushed for 90 yards on 23 carries.

Photograph by Marvin Fong The Plain Dealer

7:02 left, 3rd quarter 2nd-and-goal from UI 1 Result: Touchdown

Ezekiel Elliott leaps over the pile into the end zone for a thirdquarter touchdown that effectively put Ohio Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory on ice. With the Buckeyes leading 14-3 and Illinois able to muster very little threat, Elliott capped a 12-play drive in which he carried the ball seven times with the 1-yard plunge. Elliott added a second score with a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter and finished with 181 yards on 27 carries.

Over the top and sealed

Ezekiel Elliott

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

* MN Sunday, November 15, 2015 CLEVELAND.COM/OSU

Ohio State 28, Illinois 3

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

SECTION S* | 6 pages

cleveland.com/browns

Second-half struggles | The Browns have been outscored 55-3 after intermission in the last three games Oct. 25

Rams 10, Browns 3 | Start of 3Q

Browns at Rams

Points after the break CLE

6 plays, 54 yards, 3:15

CLE

Travis Coons, 44-yard field goal

OPP

Rams 10, Browns 6 | 3Q | 11:45 St. Louis misses field goal

8 plays, 63 yards, 3:13 CLE

5 plays, 22 yards, 4:23

STL

After four CLE penalties, drive ends in a punt

STL touchdown

4 plays, 88 yards, 1:55

STL

Rams 17, Browns 6 | 3Q | 2:14 4 plays, 27 yards, 2:25

CLE

CLE punts to start the 4th quarter STL

3 plays, 5 yards, 1:32 | STL forced to punt 2 plays, 30 yards, 1:00

CLE STL touchdown

CLE fumble

7 plays, 56 yards, 4:06

STL

Rams 24, Browns 6 | 4Q | 8:11 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:54

CLE

CLE fumble STL

4 plays, 6 yards, 1:51 | STL forced to punt CLE

6 plays, 22 yards, 2:16

CLE turns the ball over on downs

2 plays, -2 yards, 1:10 | STL takes a knee twice to end the game | STL 24, CLE 6 Final

Nov. 1

STL

Browns 20, Cardinals 10 | Start of 3Q

Browns vs. Cardinals

3 plays, -2 yards, 1:10 | CLE forced to punt on 4th-and-12

CLE ARZ touchdown

4 plays, 71 yards, 2:04

ARZ

Browns 20, Cardinals 17 | 3Q | 11:46 4 plays, 10 yards, 2:21 | CLE punts on fourth-and-5, ARZ returns for 38 yards

CLE ARZ touchdown

4 plays, 48 yards, 1:50

ARZ

Cardinals 24, Browns 20 | 3Q | 7:35 CLE

6 plays, 13 yards, 3:20 | CLE punts on fourth-and-11 after Josh McCown is sacked on third down ARZ QB Carson Palmer is intercepted by Tashaun Gipson CLE

4 plays, 15 yards, 2:01

ARZ

3 plays, 8 yards, 1:03 | CLE punts on fourth-and-2 ARZ fumbles on third down, recovered by CLE

McCown throws an interception on first play of fourth quarter (second play of drive) CLE ARZ touchdown

3 plays, 16 yards, 0:51

ARZ

2 plays, 1 yard, 0:28

12 plays, 80 yards, 5:20

ARZ

Cardinals 31, Browns 20 | 4Q | 9:32 CLE ARZ 35-yard field goal

6 plays, 43 yards, 1:59

McCown fumbles on first-and-10, recovered by ARZ

12 plays, 80 yards, 5:20

ARZ

Cardinals 34, Browns 20 | 4Q | 2:16 7 plays, 13 yards, 1:11 | CLE turns ball over on downs

CLE ARZ

Nov. 5

2 plays, -2 yards, 1:05 | ARZ takes a knee twice to end the game | ARZ 34, CLE 20 Final

Bengals 14, Browns 10 | Start of 3Q

Browns at Bengals

6 plays, 32 yards, 3:45

CIN punts on fourth-and-7 CLE

CIN

3 plays, 9 yards, 2:13 | CLE punts on fourth-and-1 CIN 28-yard field goal

9 plays, 39 yards, 4:57

CIN

Bengals 17, Browns 10 | 3Q | 4:05 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:08 | CLE punts on fourth-and-4

CLE

CIN ends 3Q at second-and-6 | Scores TD to start the fourth

8 plays, 91 yards, 4:31

CIN

Bengals 24, Browns 10 | 4Q | 13:26 CLE

3 plays, -13 yards, 1:48 | CLE punts on fourth-and-23 after Johnny Manziel is sacked twice 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:55

CIN touchdown

CIN

Bengals 31, Browns 10 | 4Q | 7:43 CLE

3 plays, 0 yards, 0:33 | CLE punts on 4th and 10

CIN punt on 4th-and-3 is blocked, recovered by CLE

6 plays, 29 yards, 3:43 CLE

CIN

9 plays, 25 yards, 2:43

2 plays, -2 yards, 0:44 | CIN takes a knee twice to end the game | CIN 34, CLE 10 Final

Half the battle

CLE turns ball over on downs CIN

On Oct. 25, the Browns kicked a ďŹ eld goal against the Rams early in the third quarter. That cut a St. Louis lead to 10-6, but from there, the Browns went on to lose 24-6. They have not scored a single point in the second half of a game since. With no room for error left in the season, Cleveland must put two halves together to stand a chance of taking out the Steelers today. Browns vs. Steelers | 1 p.m. today | Heinz Field | WOIO Ch. 19

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

BROWNS EXTRA Staff picks | Steelers favored by 5 1/2 Writer (record) Prediction Mary Kay Cabot (3-6) Steelers 24, Browns 20: Johnny Manziel actually has more starting experience than Landry Jones, but Steelers still have a running game. Tom Reed (5-4) Steelers 21, Browns 10: The Browns haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 2003. It only seems longer. Bud Shaw (2-7) Browns 23, Steelers 20: Like the Browns, I believe the only way out of this prediction tailspin is to keep doing the same thing. Dan Labbe (5-4) Steelers 27, Browns 16: Even banged up, the Steelers are too much for the Browns.. Bill Livingston (8-1) Steelers 17, Browns 13: Whether Big Ben plays or not, whether Manziel plays or McCown, it’s an “L” for a team headed nowhere. Terry Pluto (7-2) Steelers 20, Browns 10: It’s just a very gloomy time for Browns fans. Browns vs. Steelers: 5 things to watch in today’s game and picks for this week’s NFL games, page S5. Online: For continuing Browns coverage, photo galleries and more go to cleveland.com/browns.

Browns numerical roster

No. Player 2 Manziel, Johnny 6 Coons, Travis 7 Davis, Austin 8 Lee, Andy 11 Benjamin, Travis 13 McCown, Josh 15 Moore, Marlon 16 Hawkins, Andrew 18 Gabriel, Taylor 21 Gilbert, Justin 22 Williams, Tramon 23 Haden, Joe 24 Bademosi, Johnson 26 Desir, Pierre 28 Winston, Glenn 29 Johnson Jr., Duke 30 Campbell, Ibraheim 31 Whitner, Donte 33 Poyer, Jordan 34 Crowell, Isaiah 35 Jones, Don 36 Williams, K’Waun 39 Gipson, Tashaun 42 Johnson, Malcolm 43 Gaines, Charles 44 Orchard, Nate 47 Hughlett, Charley 51 Mingo, Barkevious 53 Robertson, Craig 55 Mack, Alex 56 Dansby, Karlos 58 Kirksey, Christian 59 Carder, Tank 64 Miller, Darrian 67 Pasztor, Austin 71 Shelton, Danny 72 Schwartz, Mitchell 73 Thomas, Joe 74 Erving, Cameron 75 Bitonio, Joel 77 Greco, John 80 Bowe, Dwayne 81 Dray, Jim 82 Barnidge, Gary 83 Hartline, Brian 88 Bibbs, E.J. 92 Bryant, Desmond 93 Hughes III, John 94 Starks, Randy 95 Bryant, Armonty 96 Cooper, Xavier 98 Meder, Jamie 99 Kruger, Paul

Pos. QB K QB P WR QB WR WR WR DB DB DB DB DB RB RB DB DB DB RB DB DB DB FB DB LB LS LB LB OL LB LB LB OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL WR TE TE WR TE DL DL DL LB DL DL LB

Ht. Wt. 6-0 210 6-1 200 6-2 221 6-1 185 5-10 175 6-4 218 6-0 190 5-7 180 5-8 167 6-0 202 6-0 192 5-11 195 6-0 200 6-2 206 6-2 220 5-9 210 5-11 208 5-10 208 6-0 191 5-11 225 5-11 195 5-9 183 5-11 205 6-1 231 5-10 180 6-4 255 6-4 248 6-4 240 6-1 234 6-4 311 6-3 251 6-2 235 6-2 235 6-5 307 6-7 308 6-2 339 6-5 320 6-6 312 6-5 313 6-4 305 6-4 318 6-2 222 6-5 255 6-6 250 6-2 200 6-2 258 6-6 310 6-2 320 6-4 305 6-4 265 6-4 300 6-3 308 6-4 270

Age. Exp. 22 2 23 1 26 4 33 12 25 4 36 13 28 6 29 5 24 2 24 2 32 9 26 6 25 4 25 2 26 2 22 R 23 R 30 10 24 3 22 2 25 3 24 2 25 4 23 R 23 R 22 R 25 1 25 3 27 4 29 7 34 12 23 2 26 4 22 R 24 3 22 R 26 4 30 9 23 R 24 2 30 8 31 9 28 6 30 8 28 7 24 R 29 7 26 4 31 12 25 3 23 R 24 1 29 7

College Texas A&M Washington Southern Mississippi Pittsburgh Miami (Fla.) Sam Houston State Fresno State Toledo Abilene Christian Oklahoma State Louisiana Tech Florida Stanford Lindenwood Northwood Miami Northwestern Ohio State Oregon State Alabama State Arkansas State Pittsburgh Wyoming Mississippi St. Louisville Utah Central Florida LSU North Texas California Auburn Iowa Texas Christian Kentucky Virginia Washington California Wisconsin Florida St. Nevada Toledo LSU Stanford Louisville Ohio State Iowa State Harvard Cincinnati Maryland East Central (OK) Uni. Washington St. Ashland Utah

Roster as of 11/13 on ClevelandBrowns.com. Depth chart on back page.

JOHN KUNTZ / CLEVELAND.COM

Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap chases Johnny Manziel out of the pocket during Cincinnati’s 31-10 win Nov. 5.

Browns not about to conﬁne Manziel Mary Kay Cabot mcabot@cleveland.com Pi t t s bu r g h — Did the Bengals provide the Steelers with the book on Johnny Manziel to help their AFC North rival for today’s game against the Browns in Pittsburgh? Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo doesn’t think so. He says defending Manziel — who is expected to start today in place of banged-up Josh McCown — isn’t as simple as keeping him in the pocket and watching him fizzle like he did in the second half of last Thursday’s 31-10 loss to the Bengals. “I’m not sure that it was a whole containment thing,’’ DeFilippo said Thursday. “I think it was a

little more of a self-inflicted thing.” DeFilippo cited a series of second-half woes that prevented Manziel from being the fleet-footed playmaker he was in the first half, during which he engineered a 92yard drive that ended with a touchdown 19 seconds before halftime to trim the Bengals’ lead to 14-10. Manziel’s first drive of the third quarter began with the ball at the 12. A false start and a 4-yard loss on a run that doomed the drive. As the half wore on, Taylor Gabriel dropped two passes and Manziel was sacked on back-to-back plays to kill another possession. He completed 4 of 15 attempts for 40 yards in the second half. “Looking back at the game and I’ve watched it a bunch, the Cincinnati Bengals are a heck of

a football team,’’ said DeFilippo. “We missed some throws and Johnny got outside the pocket some in the second half. There were some plays we did not make. Some plays we dropped. Some plays we missed.” DeFilippo has no plans to rein in Johnny Football. Manziel will oppose another young quarterback today in Landry Jones, who is ﬁlling in for injured Ben Roethlisberger. Landry has started one game this season, a 23-13 loss to Kansas City. Manziel will try to snap the Browns’ 11-game losing streak in Pittsburgh, dating back to 2003 when Manziel was 10. “I’ve said this all along: I don’t want to take Johnny’s athleticism away from him,’’ said DeFilippo. “But at the same time, if there’s a

play to be had in the pocket, we need to make it. If not, we need to use his natural, God-given ability to make a play outside the pocket, whether that be running with the football or throwing on the run.’’ DeFilippo said he will do his best to help the 6-foot Manziel operate more efﬁciently without having to roll out as much. “We can do a little better job by moving the pocket a little bit more,’’ said DeFilippo. “There are other quarterbacks in this league his size that are having some success. It’s a team effort. I need to do a better job. We need to play better around him. As time goes along and he gets more comfortable, he’ll play better.’’

see MANZIEL | S4

Crowquill | A cartoon by Ted Crow

Steelers numerical roster

No. Player 2 Vick, Mike 3 Jones, Landry 4 Berry, Jordan 7 Roethlisberger, Ben 9 Boswell, Chris 10 Bryant, Martavis 11 Wheaton, Markus 13 Jones, Jacoby 14 Coates, Sammie 20 Allen, Will 21 Golden, Robert 22 Gay, William 23 Mitchell, Mike 24 Grant, Doran 25 Boykin, Brandon 29 Thomas, Shamarko 30 Todman, Jordan 31 Cockrell, Ross 34 Williams, DeAngelo 41 Blake, Antwon 44 Pead, Isaiah 45 Nix, Roosevelt 46 Johnson, Will 48 Dupree, Bud 50 Shazier, Ryan 51 Spence, Sean 55 Moats, Arthur 56 Chickillo, Anthony 57 Garvin, Terence 60 Warren, Greg 62 McCullers, Daniel 64 Legursky, Doug 66 DeCastro, David 72 Wallace, Cody 73 Foster, Ramon 74 Hubbard, Chris 77 Gilbert, Marcus 78 Villanueva, Alejandro 79 Stingily, Byron 81 James, Jesse 83 Miller, Heath 84 Brown, Antonio 88 Heyward-Bey, Darrius 89 Spaeth, Matt 90 McLendon, Steve 91 Tuitt, Stephon 92 Harrison, James 93 Thomas, Cam 94 Timmons, Lawrence 95 Jones, Jarvis 96 Walton, L.T. 97 Heyward, Cameron 98 Williams, Vince

Pos. QB QB P QB K WR WR WR WR S S CB S CB CB S RB CB RB CB RB FB FB LB LB LB LB LB LB LS DT C/G G C/G G C/G OT OT T TE TE WR WR TE DT DE LB DE LB LB DE DE LB

Ht. Wt. 6-0 210 6-4 225 6-5 195 6-5 240 6-2 185 6-4 211 5-11 189 6-4 215 6-1 212 6-1 202 5-11 202 5-10 187 6-1 221 5-10 200 5-10 182 5-9 205 5-9 203 6-0 191 5-9 207 5-9 198 5-10 197 5-11 248 6-2 240 6-4 269 6-1 230 5-11 231 6-0 246 6-3 267 6-2 222 6-3 252 6-7 352 6-1 323 6-5 316 6-4 296 6-5 328 6-4 295 6-6 330 6-9 320 6-5 318 6-7 261 6-5 256 5-10 181 6-2 210 6-7 262 6-3 310 6-6 303 6-0 242 6-4 335 6-1 234 6-3 248 6-5 305 6-5 295 6-1 233

Age. Exp. 35 15 26 3 24 1 33 12 24 1 23 2 24 3 31 9 22 R 33 12 25 4 30 9 28 7 22 R 25 4 24 3 25 4 24 2 32 10 25 4 25 4 23 1 25 4 22 R 23 2 25 4 27 6 22 R 24 3 34 11 23 2 29 7 25 4 30 6 29 7 24 2 27 5 27 1 27 5 21 R 33 11 27 6 28 7 31 9 29 6 22 2 37 13 28 6 29 9 26 3 23 R 26 5 25 3

College Virginia Tech Oklahoma Eastern Kentucky Miami (Ohio) Rice Clemson Oregon State Lane Auburn Ohio State Arizona Louisville Ohio Ohio State Georgia Syracuse Connecticut Duke Memphis Texas-El Paso Cincinnati Kent State West Virginia Kentucky Ohio State Miami James Madison Miami (Fla.) West Virginia North Carolina Tennessee Marshall Stanford Texas A&M Tennessee UAB Florida Army Louisville Penn State Virginia Central Michigan Maryland Minnesota Troy Notre Dame Kent State North Carolina Florida State Georgia Central Michigan Ohio State Florida State

About this image: Crowquill is an occasional sports cartoon by Plain Dealer artist Ted Crow, offering light-hearted commentary on varying topics. More installments of Crowquill can be found at cleveland.com/crow-quill. Contact the artist at tcrow@plaind.com.

Roster as of 11/13 on Steelers.com. Depth chart on back page.

Hey, Mary Kay | Your Browns questions answered

Stadium safety

NFL heightens security in wake of Paris attacks

Associated Press

New York — The NFL says it

will increase security inside and outside its stadiums for today’s games, two days after the Paris terrorist attacks. Spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday that there will be more security and law enforcement personnel at the venues and in parking lots, along with other added security measures. A league statement says it has

been told by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI “that there are no known threats against NFL stadiums.” The league says it has been in contact with home teams to reinforce standard procedures, which include the use of metal detectors and a requirement that all bags brought into stadiums be clear. The league also says a moment of silence will be held before all games this weekend to honor the victims.

G ot a question about the Browns? Submit your question at cleveland.com/heymarykay, and Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot will pick at least one to answer each week. Hey, Mary Kay: Do any of the Browns beat writers ﬁnd the silence from the owner’s box befuddling? — Bob Lockwood, Salisbury, Maryland Hey, Bob: I have no problem with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam remaining in the background right now and watching how the season unfolds. There’s really nothing he can say at this point. If he’s pondering changes, he’s not going to admit that, and if he’s not, there’s no need to reiterate that at this point. Haslam talks

at strategic points throughout the year, including once during training camp, and I like that approach. Talking after every game like Jerry Jones does is too much. I think it undermines the coach and often sends mixed messages. We’ll hear from Haslam soon after the season ends, I’m sure. Hey, Mary Kay: Do you think the Browns should ofﬁcially nickname next weekend as bye-bye week? — John Reddy, Parma Heights Hey, John: I don’t think Jimmy Haslam has any plans to make changes at the bye week. If he does decide to ﬁre anyone, I believe it will be after the season. If the coaches can demonstrate that they didn’t have enough tal-

ent to win with, perhaps they will be spared. It does seem as though General Manager Ray Farmer will be on the hot seat, but even that is uncertain at this point. If Farmer can argue that the coaches aren’t playing some of his guys, maybe Haslam will give him another chance. No one really knows for sure what Haslam is thinking right now, which is just the way he wants it. Hey, Mary Kay: What’s taking so long on the Johnny Manziel investigation? —Ben Jones, Macon, Georgia Hey, Ben: Because these cases involving allegations of domestic violence are so sensitive and controversial, I’m sure the NFL is

being extremely thorough in its investigation. I don’t think the league would be taking its time just because the Browns need Manziel to be starting right now. I think they’re researching the case thoroughly and talking to all of the parties involved. It might be more complicated than just a violation of the personal conduct policy. If Manziel is in the league’s substance abuse program, which is kept conﬁdential until a player is suspended, he may have violated that. In light of the Ray Rice incident last year, the NFL is very careful and thorough in these matters to make sure they get the discipline — or lack thereof — right the ﬁrst time around. — Mary Kay

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

BROWNS EXTRA

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN KUNTZ / CLEVELAND..COM

Browns rookie DB Charles Gaines is making his season debut today after being sidelined with an injured hamstring. It’s a debut made possible because Gaines learned from his mistakes.

No life-lesson pains, no Browns DB Gaines Tom Reed treed@cleveland.com

Browns rookie Charles Gaines learned many valuable lessons about life walking among the dead. In the back room of a Miami funeral home, the charismatic cornerback who says he’s fast enough to “run with animals” realized he could not outrun trouble on the streets of his hometown. It was here a teenage Gaines and other high school teammates — the ones coaches feared were straying off course — came for what’s been dubbed “The Walk” or “The Reality Check.” They witnessed the remains of kids their age, sometimes classmates and friends, victims of gun- and drugrelated violence in their Liberty City neighborhoods. The images are graphic. The bodies not yet prepared for public viewing. Richardson Funeral Home director Dwight Jackson, who’s also an assistant football coach, takes players behind the curtain as a way of teaching them the consequences of bad decisions and wasted opportunities. “It’s a wakeup call,” said Gaines, 23. “Coach Dwight would show us people that we knew, sometimes close friends who we grew up with and played little league with. It makes you think, ‘Dang, this could be me if I stayed on that same path.’ “It was a reality check. It don’t get no deeper than that.” The Browns’ sixth-round pick did not reach adulthood without a few missteps. Most notably, the University of Louisville football program suspended him twice during a turbulent redshirt freshman season. With the guidance of parents, coaches and teammates, Gaines has made it to the NFL. He’s expected to debut today in Pittsburgh against the Steelers after spending the season’s first half on short-term injured reserve (hamstring). Browns coaches like his versatility, speed, conﬁdence and swagger. It’s hard to imagine a more daunting first opponent given the Steelers’ explosive squadron of receivers led by fellow Miami native Antonio Brown. But the fasttalking Gaines relishes the challenge even as he knows he’ll be an inviting target for either Ben Roethlisberger or Landry Jones. The notorious trash talker doesn’t plan to alter his game or approach. Gaines is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds of Liberty City attitude. “That is what I do as far as competing,” he said. “You are going to lose some and you are going to win some, but the main thing is going out there and competing. We have a great opponent in Antonio Brown. He is from where I am from so it will be blessing just to get the opportunity to face him and learn from what he does and how I can get better.”

Browns 2015 sixth-round draft pick Charles Gaines runs back an interception during the Browns’ preseason game against Tampa Bay in August. There was a time, not long ago, when some close to Gaines wondered if this opportunity would go begging.

‘The Mongoose’ Miami Central High assistant coach Alexander Snipes offers players earning Division I scholarships a piece of advice before they depart for school: “Whatever happens, don’t come back.” No matter how difficult the transition from prep to college becomes, Snipes said, he wants kids to work through hard times. Visiting family and friends is ﬁne. Don’t leave college and come home to the hardscrabble neighborhoods, however, and expect to return at a later time. He’s seen the results and they are rarely productive. “When they come home, they are not surrounded by a lot of positive things going on,” Snipes said. “It doesn’t take much to go down the wrong path here.” Snipes never doubted Gaines’ athletic ability or desire to succeed. Nicknamed “The Mongoose” for his quickness and tenacity,

he helped lead Central High to a 2010 state title as a receiver, defensive back and kick returner. The Rockets were loaded with talent, including Falcons running back DeVonta Freeman and Bills guard John Miller. Gaines emerged as a leader on a team, which according to Snipes, sent 29 kids to Division I programs. The state title game was in Orlando and played on a Saturday night. Determined to do anything to win a championship, Gaines roused his sleepy teammates at 6:30 a.m., for a walkthough. “CJ [Gaines] knocked on my door thinking it was one his teammates,” Snipes recalled. “I look out the window and he’s got the entire team in the hotel parking lot for a practice 13 hours before kickoff. I knew right then we were going to win.” Gaines said teammates watched out for one another, keeping each other focused and accountable. He credits Freeman for helping him resist temptations outside the athletic environs. Sports offered them an avenue to a better life, Snipes said, but it was one not without peril. Freeman told the Tallahassee

Democrat last year of a house party he attended with friends that erupted with gunﬁre. People from rival housing projects lined up against walls and shot at each other. He raced past bodies lying on the ﬂoor and made it outside. “An older guy had an AK-47 and I’m by the car on my knees,” Freeman said. “He came, and I thought he was fixing to shoot me. But he just looked at me for a long time and then kept walking.” Gaines made it out of Central High, earning a scholarship to Louisville, but he would be back two years later, his college and football future uncertain.

Suspended reality In fall 2012, as Louisville gathered momentum toward an 11-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory, a suspended Gaines sat in the company of his mentor. Dwight Jackson had been coaching him on one team or another since Gaines was 11 years old at the Liberty City Optimist Club. He’s provided opportunity and counsel to many kids, including Freeman and Browns running back Duke Johnson. Gaines was one of his ﬁrst play-

ers to work in Jackson’s funeral home to make some extra money. He carried flowers, escorted grieving families to their vehicles and helped clean the parlors. Until players turn 17 or 18, Jackson doesn’t permit them access to rooms where he performs the grim preparations. Jackson requires consent from the victim’s families and player’s parents to show athletes the remains of youngsters whose last mistakes proved fatal. “We call it ‘The Reality Check,’ ” Jackson said. “This is not a TV program, not a TV series, not some kind of melodrama. This is the result of what happens when you don’t take advantage of your opportunities in life.” Gaines met with Jackson for seven hours after being suspended by Louisville coach Charlie Strong for the second time. The first involved an altercation with an assistant coach and merited a one-game ban. The second suspension for violating teams rules carried an indefinite term and involved four players who missed the final five games. Reasons for the punishment were never publicized and Gaines refused to discuss them on Wednesday. “Coach Strong made the right decisions at the right time,” he said. “He sent me back home, but he never gave up on me. ... He wanted us to learn from our mistakes. It got me thinking what could be taken away.” Gaines spent his time back home at the high school, training and staying out of trouble. Jackson is a close friend of the family and raves about the role Gaines’ parents, Tonjay and Charles Sr., have played in his development. They asked Jackson to speak with their son following the second suspension. “I sat him down and we had a heart-to-heart talk for hours,” Jackson said. “We talked about life and what he wanted out it. Did he want to be a man with a dollar in his pocket or a man willing to work for a million dollars? He had to go back to school and make amends.” Gaines defied Snipes’ odds: He came back to Miami and returned to school again with a new outlook — and position.

‘Grandma’s house’ Louisville defensive backs coach Terrell Buckley has a favorite memory of Gaines, one that encompasses his athletic ability and personality. The cornerback broke up a pass on a deep throw against Clemson last season before the receiver landed on him. Lying beneath his opponent, Gaines waved his arms furiously to signify an incomplete pass. “He’s a high-energy player and a comedian,” Buckley said. “He brings excitement and color to every practice and game.”

Gaines went from insubordinate to indispensable during his time at Louisville. He morphed from a slot receiver to an NFL cornerback, who intercepted five passes and scored three touchdowns during his redshirt sophomore year that saw the Cardinals go 12-1. Buckley said Gaines possesses the speed to run with wideouts and the quickness to stop and start with shifty slot receivers. Browns defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil likes the flexibility Gaines affords them. He also appreciates the intangibles the defensive back offers. “He’s [a] competitive guy,” O’Neil said. “You like his attitude. He just brings something. He’s charismatic. He’s not scared to talk a little trash and put himself out there.” It goes back to his formative days at Central High, where trash talking not only was tolerated in practice but encouraged as a way to harden a player for what he’d hear from opponents and fans on game nights. Buckley understands how Gaines’ energy and unfiltered opinions might have grated on coaches early in his college career. But the Cardinals’ assistant said he backs up the talk with a strong work ethic that enabled him to become a team captain and college graduate before leaving Louisville. Gaines told reporters prior to last season the need to provide for his family, which includes two daughters, drives him. “I run for my mom to have a big house ... for my kids to have a big house,” he said. “People like ‘How’s camp going? Yeah it’s hard’ but I don’t really look at it like that. I look at camp like it’s a big house. This catch is a big house. This interception to the crib — that’s a grandma’s house.” Gaines continues to learn from his mistakes. Despite a good preseason, which included an interception against the Buccaneers, he drew the wrath of Browns coaches for gaining weight. He responded by shedding roughly 20 pounds in a month and earned praise from O’Neil for his fitness heading into today’s game. How the sixth-round pick plays at the NFL level is anyone’s guess. Buckley predicts Gaines will thrive in the Browns’ scheme. The defensive back percolated confidence speaking to reporters Thursday. “Once I found out I wasn’t playing last week [against the Bengals], I got a whole week ahead of some of the guys,” he said in terms of breaking down Pittsburgh videotape. I think I am going to play a great role in this week’s game.” The Steelers supply a big challenge. His life has been full of them. Do you want to be the person with a dollar in your pocket or the one working toward a million? We all have choices to make.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

BROWNS EXTRA

MANZIEL from S2

Manziel, who will have starting receivers Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins back from concussions, defended his ability to function from behind center. “I made a couple of throws from the pocket,’’ said Manziel. “There’s a time and a place for me to get out. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, me getting out of the pocket and running around. I don’t think anybody wants to take that away from me, but there are times where I could definitely stay in there a little longer and that’s just a fact of the way I play. I have to continue to try and adapt.” Manziel, who’s making his fifth NFL start and third of the season, admitted that he reverts to his scrambling ways when the heat is on. “That’s the way I’ve played a lot of my life, so I’m sure that when things do tend to break down, that’s what I kind of fall back on to,’’ he said. “At the same time, you can take that with the check-downs and continue to move the ball and take a little bit here and give a little bit there. I think that’s the name of the game and what I’m searching for and what I’m trying to do.” DeFilippo said Manziel, who missed open receivers throughout the Bengals game, is a work in progress. In his young career, he’s attempted 118 passes and completed 61 (51.7 percent). “You keep working with him,’’ said DeFilippo. “You keep being positive because he is still a very young quarterback. You show him what he missed. He sees it, and Johnny has done a fairly good job of being not a repeat offender in terms of not making the same mistakes twice. “ You’re going to have some of those growing pains. I’ve been there in the past with a guy (Raiders quarterback Derek Carr) last year that is having a lot of success right now. He did the same type of stuff early on as a young player. You just have to keep grinding with him.” Coach Mike Pettine criticized Manziel after the Bengals game for trying to hit the home run too much, and DeFilippo agreed. “Later on in the game as we were struggling a little bit, any quarterback, whether you’re a first-year, second-year or seventh-year player, you do naturally start to press a little bit and you try to make a play. I think we got caught up in a little bit of that.” The Bengals also foiled Manziel with plenty of cover-2 defense, where the safeties play deep to take away the long pass. “With the success they had, teams will mix it in there probably,’’ said Manziel. “They just try to eliminate us from really taking huge chunk shots down the field and it all comes back to the saying, ‘take what the defense gives you’, and we have to better about that. I’ll put a lot of that on me. Check the ball down, move on and, like I said, take it down the field. It doesn’t have to be huge plays.” Manziel also admitted he struggles to see over taller defensive ends such as Cincinnati’s 6-7 Michael Johnson and 6-6 Carlos Dunlap, which is why he often seeks greener pastures. (Pittsburgh ends Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt are 6-5 and 6-6, respectively.) Pettine doesn’t see Manziel’s size as a dealbreaker. “There are other quarterbacks of his stature that have been successful in this league,’’ said Pettine. “I see part of it as a positive. He’s going to have to understand where to move in the pocket to create some throwing lanes. When you study a Drew Brees you can see that he’s not a scrambler but he has great sense in the pocket as far as where to move in relation to who he’s throwing to and where the potential throwing lane would be. “Russell Wilson’s similar in that aspect as well. Any quarterback that’s in that position has to learn it. Sometimes the only way to learn it is live reps and get the sense of the game.’’ The Steelers, who are tied for seventh in the NFL with 22 sacks and eighth with 20.2 points allowed, will bring an array of blitzes to try to confuse Manziel and young backs Malcolm Johnson and Duke Johnson. They’ll also try to exploit rookie Cam Erving, who’s making his first NFL start at left guard in place of Joel Bitonio (ankle). The Steelers are also 12th against the run, meaning Manziel might not have much of a running game to rely on. “The Steelers pose a huge, huge challenge for us,’’ DeFilippo said.”

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN KUNTZ / CLEVELAND.COM

Tashaun Gipson and Tramon Williams take down Jets receiver Chris Owusu in the season opener. The Browns gave up 179 receiving yards in the loss.

Pass fail: Unit’s slide is indefensible Tom Reed treed@cleveland.com Ben Roethlisberger threw one incompletion after another to the delight and shock of the FirstEnergy Stadium crowd a season ago. The Steelers quarterback, an honorary Browns owner with an 18-2 record against them, could not decode a Cleveland defense he’d mastered for years. The stunning 31-10 victory provided a crowning moment for coach Mike Pettine and a defense he built to combat the NFL’s top quarterbacks. Roethlisberger finished 21-of42 for 228 yards with a touchdown and interception. His 64.4 quarterback rating was a season low and it added another pelt to the collection for a Browns’ secondary that was as good as any against the pass in 2014. A year later, as the teams meet for the first time since that rare Browns’ rout, Roethlisberger is expected to miss today’s game with a sprained foot. He’s listed as questionable — a designation which also describes the state of the Browns’ pass defense. A season after winning seven games, no facet of the team’s play has dipped more dramatically. A unit that led the NFL in opponent passer rating (74.1) currently ranks 24th at 98.4. It’s a big reason why the Browns sit 2-7 heading into Heinz Field to face a terrific Steelers’ receiving corps. “It’s just that we haven’t found our groove,” Pro Bowl safety Tashaun Gipson said. “We’ve got guys playing out of character at times, myself included. Not pointing fingers at anybody, but our playmakers got to make plays. Our stars got to be stars. At the end of the day, we haven’t been consistent enough.” Poor play, key injuries, sketchy depth, few leads and the inability to create turnovers have contributed to the sharp decline. Although many focus on the Browns’ woeful run defense, the

fense has been good. They rank 29th overall (401.6 yards against) and 26th in scoring (27.4 points against). There’s no question, however, the shortcomings in the pass game have doomed the unit. 3 They have just five interceptions a year after notching 21. 3 They have surrendered 18 passing TDs through nine games after yielding just 22 all of last season. 3 They have allowed nine pass plays of 40-plus yards. Only the Saints have given up more with 11. It wasn’t long ago Browns’ defensive backs crowed about being one of the league’s top three secondaries. The unit has been muzzled thanks to one rough outing after another. “We know who we’ve got back there,” Gipson said. “It just comes down to making plays and being who we are and not getting out of frame, and we’ve been getting out of frame and not being who we are on the back end.” Here’s a closer look at several contributing factors to a lost season against the pass:

Joe Haden, here tackling Arizona’s Jermaine Gresham, has struggled with injuries and spotty play this season. fact remains it was just as bad a year ago when the club ﬁnished ninth overall in average points allowed (21.1). A scheme developed by Pettine and coordinated by Jim O’Neil is dependent on strong play against the pass. It was the same way in 2013 when the duo was in Buffalo and the Bills ranked fourth against the pass, second in interceptions and sacks. One of the few criticisms of Pettine’s defense in Buffalo was how little it focused on stopping

the run. A Buffalo linebacker told reporters privately the coaching staff viewed rushing yards as “paper cuts.” Though it’s never been expressed here in those terms, Pettine has conceded the Browns were willing, at times, to give up yards on the ground to slow potent passing attacks. Using their top pick on nose tackle Danny Shelton also is evidence the Browns were serious about trying to correct the ground-game woes. But little about the Browns’ de-

Lack of continuity The Browns’ top ﬁve defensive backs — Joe Haden, Tramon Williams, Gipson, Donte Whitner and K’Waun Williams — have played together in just four games. The unit rarely has looked as cohesive or organized as a year ago. Among the returning members, only nickel back K’Waun Williams is playing to his 2014 level. Absence of shutdown corner There’s no overstating the problems of Haden, a two-time Pro Bowler. He’s missed four games due to injury and has been uncharacteristically ineffective in the other contests. Pettine’s scheme relies on a dominant corner who can play press coverage, and the Browns have lacked that quality most of the season. The biggest concern is

Haden’s health. He’s suffered two concussions and won’t play again today in Pittsburgh.

Quality of depth A year ago, the Browns overcame the struggles of ﬁrst-round pick Justin Gilbert. Not this season. The corner’s inability to make an impact is creating a serious hole in the secondary with Haden’s absence and the loss of Buster Skrine in free agency. Pierre Desir has supplied some decent reps, but he’s been exposed in crucial moments in losses to the Broncos and Rams. Don’t be surprised if rookie Charles Gaines, who missed the ﬁrst nine games on short-term injured reserve, receives meaningful looks down the stretch. The team’s top three safeties, Gipson, Whitner and Poyer, have been sidelined for a combined six games. It’s times like these the Browns miss veteran super sub Jim Leonhard, who retired at the end of last season.

That losing feeling The Browns have trailed so often this season they can’t turn opponents into one-dimensional offenses. The club has held double-digit advantages in just two games [Titans, Cardinals] and taken a lead to the fourth quarter only once [Titans]. “If you don’t have leads late in games and teams are forced [to pass], that’s when a lot of the sacks and fumbles and interceptions come,” Pettine said. Seven of the Browns’ 15 sacks occurred in one game, a 28-14 win over the Titans. They have two interceptions in the past seven weeks. Six months ago, Whitner proclaimed the Browns’ secondary one of the league’s three best because: “Men lie, women lie, stats don’t.” Nine games into the season, the stats tell the ugly truth about the Browns’ pass defense.

1. WR Antonio Brown vs. CB Pierre Desir: Brown is coming off a Steelers victory over the Raiders in which he set career highs and single-game franchise records with 17 catches, 284 receiving yards and 306 yards from scrimmage. Those numbers would be daunting enough with Joe Haden covering him Sunday, but he’s still out with his concussion, and second-year cornerback Pierre Desir will start in his place. “He’s a Pro Bowler,’’ Desir said of Brown. “He had a 300-plus game last week, so he’s going to get his plays. You really can’t frustrated. Especially as a defensive back, you’ve got to be able to move on to the next play.’’ Against Haden the past two meetings, Brown averaged 117 yards on six catches. In his eight games against the Browns, he’s averaged 91 yards but has caught only four TD passes. “Every year, I know I’m going to get [Haden’s] best shot,’’ said Brown. “He’s always highly competitive. It’s a great matchup, and it’s always a tough time of year when you play against him.” Said safety Tashaun Gipson, who’s questionable with an illness: “Oh man, he’s quick. He’s fast. He’s not the biggest guy at all, but he plays big, and you’ve got to respect that. He plays like a Dez Bryant size. He can run all the routes. He’s just everything you want in a receiver, man, and I respect his game. I truly respect his game, man. Coming in, you would like to have your Joe Haden on a guy like him, but we’re definitely going to shuffle some stuff around and make sure we keep him off his game.’’ Desir has picked Haden’s brains on Brown and taken notes. “[Brown’s] good with and without the ball,’’ said Desir. “A lot of times where you might think he’s covered up, he’s able to scramble and make plays. He’s also great with the run after the catch. I’ve just got to go out there and stick to the defense. Don’t try to play outside myself.’’ Desir says Brown won’t suffer with Landry Jones under center. In Jones’ lone start this year, a 23-13 loss to Kansas City, Brown caught six passes for 124 yards with a long gain of 41. “They’re still going to be able to find ways to get him the ball, and he’s going to do what he does best,’’ said Desir. Brown has already eclipsed 1,000 yards this season, becoming the first Steeler to reach the milestone in the first nine games of the season, and leads the NFL with 69 catches.“Hopefully, he’s a little worn out, a little dehydrated from last week,’’ Pettine kidded.

2. RB DeAngelo Williams vs. Browns’ 32nd-ranked run defense: When Steelers star Le’ Veon Bell went down for the season with a knee injury, it might’ve seemed like a break for the Browns. Not so. Backup DeAngelo Williams, signed as a free agent in the offseason, rushed for 170 yards last week and tacked on another 55 yards receiving for a career-high 225 yards from scrimmage. “I’m not surprised,’’ said Browns linebacker Craig Robertson. “He’s been playing well all season. He’s played well for the majority of his career. ’’ According to pennlive.com, the 2006 ﬁrst-round pick of the Panthers is on pace to become the first NFL back over 30 to rush for 1,000 since Ricky Williams in 2009 at 32. In his three appearances as the featured back this season, Williams is averaging 124.67 yards per game. Williams was held out of practice Wednesday with swelling in his foot but participated fully Thursday and Friday. The Browns will try to contain Williams (5.3-yard average) despite the fact they’re thin in the defensive backﬁeld. Donte Whitner and Haden are out with concussions, and three other safeties are questionable: Gipson, Jordan Poyer (shoulder) and rookie Ibraheim Campbell (hamstring).

PA Home Away

AFC

NFC

Div

Cincinnati

0 01.000 229 142 4-0-0

4-0-0

7-0-0

1-0-0

3-0-0

Pittsburgh

4 0 .556 206 182 3-2-0

2-2-0

2-4-0

3-0-0

0-2-0

Baltimore

6 0 .250 190 214 1-2-0

1-4-0

2-4-0

0-2-0

1-2-0

Cleveland

7 0 .222 177 247 1-3-0

1-4-0

2-5-0

0-2-0

New England 8

0 01.000 276 143 5-0-0

3-0-0

6-0-0

Buffalo

4 0 .556 231 207 2-3-0

3-1-0

5-3-0

N.Y. Jets

4 0 .556 217 184 3-2-0

2-2-0

Miami

5 0 .375 171 206 1-2-0

2-3-0

Indianapolis

5 0 .444 200 227 2-3-0

Houston

5 0 .375 174 205 2-2-0

Jacksonville

Tennessee

NATIONAL CONFERENCE W L T Pct PF

PA Home Away

NFC

AFC

Div

4 0 .556 247 226 3-1-0

2-3-0

4-4-0

1-0-0

2-2-0

4 0 .500 193 164 2-1-0

2-3-0

3-4-0

1-0-0

2-2-0

Washington

5 0 .375 158 195 3-1-0

0-4-0

3-2-0

0-3-0

1-1-0

Dallas

6 0 .250 160 204 1-4-0

1-2-0

2-5-0

0-1-0

2-2-0

2-0-0

3-0-0

Carolina

0 01.000 228 165 5-0-0

3-0-0

5-0-0

3-0-0

2-0-0

0-1-0

3-1-0

Atlanta

3 0 .667 229 190 3-1-0

3-2-0

4-3-0

2-0-0

0-2-0

4-3-0

1-1-0

1-2-0

New Orleans 4

5 0 .444 241 268 3-2-0

1-3-0

3-4-0

1-1-0

1-2-0

2-5-0

1-0-0

0-4-0

Tampa Bay

5 0 .375 181 231 1-3-0

2-2-0

2-3-0

1-2-0

2-1-0

2-2-0

4-3-0

0-2-0

3-0-0

Minnesota

2 0 .750 168 140 4-0-0

2-2-0

4-1-0

2-1-0

3-0-0

1-3-0

2-3-0

1-2-0

2-1-0

Green Bay

2 0 .750 203 167 4-0-0

2-2-0

4-1-0

2-1-0

1-0-0

6 0 .250 170 235 2-2-0

0-4-0

2-4-0

0-2-0

Chicago

5 0 .375 162 221 1-3-0

2-2-0

0-5-0

3-0-0

0-3-0

6 0 .250 159 187 0-4-0

2-2-0

0-5-0

2-1-0

0-2-0

Detroit

7 0 .125 149 245 1-3-0

0-4-0

1-4-0

0-3-0

1-2-0

Arizona

2 0 .750 263 153 3-1-0

3-1-0

4-1-0

2-1-0

1-1-0

St. Louis

4 0 .500 153 146 3-1-0

1-3-0

3-3-0

1-1-0

3-0-0

Seattle

4 0 .500 167 140 2-1-0

2-3-0

4-3-0

0-1-0

1-1-0

San Francisco 3

6 0 .333 126 223 3-2-0

0-4-0

2-5-0

1-1-0

0-3-0

Denver

1 0 .875 192 139 3-0-0

4-1-0

3-0-0

2-0-0

4 0 .500 213 211 2-2-0

2-2-0

4-3-0

0-1-0

1-1-0

Kansas City

5 0 .375 195 182 2-2-0

1-3-0

2-2-0

1-3-0

0-1-0

San Diego

7 0 .222 210 249 2-3-0

0-4-0

1-4-0

1-3-0

0-1-0

SOUTH

EAST

Philadelphia 4

Oakland

N.Y. Giants

NORTH

W L T Pct PF

WEST

Mary Kay Cabot mcabot@cleveland.com

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

EAST

Stopping Brown without Haden

BROWNS EXTRA

SOUTH

5 things to watch

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

WEST

Sunday, November 15, 2015

NFL predictions | Week 10

Browns can make an impact Matt Erickson | Special to The Plain Dealer I’ve said it before, and it continues to play out that the NFL is the most parity-riddled league in sports. The difference between the elite teams and the really bad teams is so narrow that a couple plays here, and an injury there, can be all that stands between the Colts beating the unbeaten Broncos, or the Bears going on the road to beat the Chargers, or the one-win Titans winning in New Orleans. After this week, it’s possible that more than onethird of the league’s teams could have records at or within a game either side of .500. There are seven teams with only one or two wins, and most of them? They’re not good, but they’re not all that bad, either. So what does that mean this week? Well, it probably doesn’t mean the one-win team (Detroit) is going to beat one of the best (Green Bay). But it does mean watch out for the Cowboys and Jags, and it means a few others like the Bears, Dolphins and, yes, even the Browns, can make things interesting in Week 10.

DON WRIGHT / ASSOCIATED PRESS

DeAngelo Williams is now the main man in the Steelers’ backﬁeld, facing a crucial test against the Browns that will impact the AFC playoff hunt.

Browns (2-7) at Steelers (5-4) | Line: PIT by 5 | 1 p.m. | WOIO Ch. 19 Big Ben is down again, and that should give Browns fans a glimmer of hope. With Roethlisberger likely out until after the Steelers return from their Week 11 bye with a sprained foot, Landry Jones will take over. If the Browns can get a crazy pass rush going to keep pressure on Jones, Cleveland may rock. But DeAngelo Williams, who will be the workhorse for Pittsburgh the rest of the way with Le’Veon Bell out for the season, is going to get carries in bunches, and while they may limp into their off week, the Steelers are at least likely to limp in on a win.

THE PICK

Lions (1-7) at Packers (6-2) | Line: GB by 11.5 | 1 p.m. Is it time to hit the panic button in Green Bay? There’s certainly some freaking out going on in Wisconsin with the Pack on a two-game skid after a 6-0 start to the season. Defensively, the Packers have fallen apart the last three games, giving up nearly 1,500 yards of total offense.

THE PICK

Cowboys (2-6) at Buccaneers (3-5) | Line: TB by 1.5 | 1 p.m. It’s easy for a lot of fans to hate the Cowboys. (And they certainly don’t help themselves with some of their personnel decisions.) But you almost have to feel sorry for them. Without Tony Romo at the helm, the Cowboys have lost six straight — their worst stretch in 26 seasons. This should be their final week without Romo, though.

THE PICK

Panthers (8-0) at Titans (2-6) | Line: CAR by 5 | 1 p.m. Mike Mularkey took over as the Titans’ interim coach — and look what happened! Winning! But Titans fans shouldn’t get too excited, because the 8-0 Panthers are in town, and they’ve quietly become one of the best teams in the NFL. Titans QB Marcus Mariota had his best game since Week 1 in last week’s upset of the Saints, and he’ll need to be perfect again.

THE PICK

Bears (3-5) at Rams (4-4) | Line: STL by 7 | 1 p.m. Just when we think the Bears are dead in the water, they go and do something like last week and upset the Chargers on the road, in prime time, no less. A combination of things needs to happen for them to make it two in a row, and Vegas thinks it’s an even taller order against St. Louis than San Diego.

THE PICK

Saints (4-5) at Redskins (3-5) | Line: NO by 1 | 1 p.m. The Saints aren’t going to win the NFC South — not with the Panthers cruising around all undefeated and stuff. But they botched a golden opportunity to get above .500 last week and stay in the thick of things in the wild card race by losing to the one-win Titans at home. Drew Brees has been slinging the ball the last two weeks with 10 TD passes.

THE PICK

Dolphins (3-5) at Eagles (4-4) | Line: PHI by 6 | 1 p.m. If the Eagles continue to get out to slow starts, a problem that has plagued them all year, they could be in trouble. The Dolphins have fallen back to mediocrity now that the newness of their bye-week coaching change has worn off. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to stay right there with the Eagles in this one.

THE PICK

Jaguars (2-6) at Ravens (2-6) | Line: BAL by 5.5 | 1 p.m. Vegas thinks this one should be relatively easy for the Ravens. They’re coming off their bye, and the Jaguars are, well, the Jaguars. But the Ravens’ pass defense is one of the softest in the league right now, and Jacksonville has Allen Hurns, who has slipped a little under the radar with TD catches in six straight. If it looks like a trap and smells like a trap ...

THE PICK

Vikings (6-2) at Raiders (4-4) | Line: OAK by 3 | 4:05 p.m. The Vikings are tied with the Packers atop the NFC North all of a sudden thanks to Green Bay’s back-to-back stumbles. The Raiders laid a big-time egg at Pittsburgh last week, giving up nearly 600 yards of offense — a franchise worst. Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion against the Rams and might be out.

THE PICK

Chiefs (3-5) at Broncos (7-1) | Line: DEN by 6 | 4:25 p.m. It seemed too perfect for Peyton Manning to get the all-time wins record against his former team in Indy last week. But this week, he should get a pair of records. He’s only a couple yards short of Brett Favre’s all time passing record. And taking Favre’s wins mark? That should come pretty easily this week, as well, despite the Chiefs being rested off their bye.

THE PICK

Patriots (8-0) at Giants (5-4) | Line: NE by 7.5 | 4:25 p.m. Stop us if you’ve seen this movie before: Giants vs. the undefeated Patriots, with the Patriots as big favorites. Guess what always seems to happen? The Giants have won three straight against the Pats, making them truly a New England kryptonite. With Dion Lewis gone for the season, RB LeGarrette Blount is certain to see more touches.

THE PICK

Sunday Night Football | Cardinals (6-2) at Seahawks (4-4) | Line: SEA by 3 | 8:30 p.m. | WKYC Ch. 3 It’s mission: critical time for the Seahawks tonight. A loss to the Cardinals would put them three back in the NFC West and would make a return trip to the postseason a major uphill climb. The Cards have one of the league’s best offenses. The Seahawks still have one of the league’s best defenses.

THE PICK

Monday Night Football | Texans (3-5) at Bengals (8-0) | Line: CIN by 10.5 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN There are trolling naysayers who don’t want to believe it, but the Bengals are behind only the almighty Patriots in the 2015 NFL elite. They’ll stay on track for that without much trouble against a really bad Texans team. It’s a Texans team coming off a bye, but the Bengals had a Thursday game and extra rest of their own.

THE PICK

Steelers

23-20

Packers

34-17

Cowboys

26-20

Panthers

27-17

Bears

24-20

Saints

31-27

Eagles

26-23

Jaguars

26-23

Raiders

29-17

Broncos

23-16

Patriots

37-20

Cardinals

27-24

Bengals

41-10

Bye weeks: Falcons (6-3), Colts (4-5), Chargers (2-7), 49ers (3-6) Last week: 6-7 straight up; 5-8 against the spread; 6-7 over/under. Season: 81-51 (.614) straight up, 64-65-3 (.496) against the spread, 77-54-1 (.588) over/under.

League leaders

PASSING Drew Brees, Saints 345.4 ypg 238/342, 2,763 yds, 18 TD RUSHING Todd Gurley, Rams 110.7 ypg 118 att, 664 yds, 4 TD RECEIVING Julio Jones, Falcons 114.3 ypg 80 rec, 1,029 yds, 6 TD

3. Cam vs. Cam: Browns No. 19 overall pick Cam Erving will make his first NFL start today at left guard in place of Joel Bitonio (ankle), where he’ll see plenty of defensive end Cam Heyward. The Steelers, tied for seventh in the NFL with 22 sacks, probably will go after Erving. Heyward owns three of those sacks. Heyward, who usually lines up on the left side but moves around, has at least a half-sack in five straight games vs. the Browns. “Heyward’s a really good player, but if you’re starting your first NFL game, there’s not going to be a day off with any team you play,” Browns right guard John Greco said. “Some are a little more challenging than others, and this week, Pittsburgh’s defense is really good. They do so much, and they’re so active. They’re not just vanilla. They’re always moving and changing things.” Erving, who played left tackle at Florida State, has worked all over the Browns line as a rookie, with the fewest reps at left guard. “This week is just about finding a level of comfort and getting communication down with Joe [Thomas] and Alex [Mack],’’ said Erving. “Those guys will always be on point. I just have to go in and do my job. That’s all I’m worried about.”

4. Jones vs. Browns’ 29thranked defense: Third-year pro Jones (6-4, 225) will make his second career start today vs. the Browns’ banged up defense. If his second start goes anything like his ﬁrst, the Browns can win. In a 23-13 loss to the Chiefs on Oct. 25, Jones completed 16-of-29 attempts for 209 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for a 60.8 rating. “I know we didn’t win the game, and the quarterback’s No. 1 job is to win, but Landry went into a hostile environment with a brandnew left tackle against a pretty formidable defense that was very good against the run,’’ said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “They were really one of the best groups we’ve seen. I thought he moved the football. He threw a touchdown. He probably had another one dropped. He did a lot of good things. The last snap was a sackfumble. We can’t have that. But he had us in a position until late to win the game.” It probably hasn’t been lost on Jones that the Browns’ defense is third in the NFL in allowing nine passes of 40 or more yards. “He’s a big quarterback,’’ said Gipson. “He’s not your most mobile quarterback, but he’s got a big arm. He can make the big throws, and that’s what this offense predicates itself on. Especially with Le’Veon Bell down, they’re going to look to take some shots downﬁeld. With Martavis [Bryant] and [Antonio] Brown, their wide receiving corps is probably the best group of receivers we’ve faced.’’ The Browns are 23rd in the NFL with only 15 sacks this season, so Jones should have time to throw. “You can’t overthink things,’’ said Jones, who came in off the bench and led the Steelers to a come-from-behind 25-13 victory over the Cardinals in week six.

5. Isaiah Crowell vs. the Steelers’ 12th-ranked run defense: The Browns made Crowell their bellcow last game against the Bengals, and he responded with 42 yards on nine carries for a 4.7yard average in the ﬁrst half. But the Browns ran the ball only once in the second half, in part because they fell behind in the 31-10 loss and in part because Johnny Manziel chose to throw on three run-pass options. “I was surprised we got away from the run, but if that’s what the coaches felt was the best thing to do, then it was,’’ Crowell said. He was also grateful they recommitted to him. “They have the faith in me to do it, and I plan on making the most of it,’’ he said.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Sunday, November 15, 2015

BROWNS EXTRA Steelers depth chart

Browns depth chart

OFFENSE

84 Antonio Brown 11 Markus Wheaton 14 Sammie Coates

11 Travis Benjamin 83 Brian Hartline 80 Dwayne Bowe

83 Heath Miller 89 Matt Spaeth 81 Jesse James

73 Joe Thomas 67 Austin Pasztor

LT LG C RG RT WR

78 A. Villanueva 68 Byron Stingily

LT LG C RG RT TE

73 Ramon Foster 74 Chris Hubbard 72 Cody Wallace 64 Doug Legursky 66 David DeCastro 77 Marcus Gilbert

74 Cameron Erving 55 Alex Mack 77 John Greco 72 Mitchell Schwartz 64 Darian Miller 82 Gary Barnidge 81 Jim Dray 88 E.J. Bibbs

10 Martavis Bryant 88 D. Heyward-Bey 13 Jacoby Jones

16 Andrew Hawkins 18 Taylor Gabriel 15 Marlon Moore

3 Landry Jones 7 B. Roethlisberger 2 Mike Vick

2 Johnny Manziel 7 Austin Davis 13 Josh McCown

34 D.Williams 30 Jordan Todman 44 Isaiah Pead

46 Will Johnson 45 Roosevelt Nix

34 Isaiah Crowell 29 Duke Johnson 41 Glenn Winston

42 Malcolm Johnson

DEFENSE

DE NT DE LB

97 C. Heyward 96 L.T. Walton

50 Ryan Shazier 51 Sean Spence 57 Terence Garvin

LB LB CB

94 Lawrence Thomas 98 Vince Williams

90 Steve McLendon 62 D. McCullers-Sanders 91 Stephon Tuitt 93 Cam Thomas 55 Arthur Moats 48 Bud Dupree 56 Anthony Chickillo

92 James Harrison 95 Jarvis Jones 41 Antwon Blake 31 Ross Cockrell 24 Doran Grant

FS SS CB

23 Mike Mitchell 29 S. Thomas 20 Will Allen 21 Robert Golden 22 William Gay 25 Brandon Boykin

DEFENSE

DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB

92 Desmond Bryant 93 John Hughes 71 Danny Shelton 98 Jamie Meder 94 Randy Starks 96 Xavier Cooper 95 Armonty Bryant 51 Barkevious Mingo 53 Craig Robertson 58 Chris Kirksey 56 Karlos Dansby 59 Tank Carder 99 Paul Kruger 48 Nate Orchard 36 K’Waun Williams 26 Pierre Desir 21 Justin Gilbert

39 Tashaun Gipson 35 Don Jones 33 Jordan Poyer

SS CB

30 I. Campbell 31 Donte Whitner 22 Tramon Williams 43 Charles Gaines 24 J. Bademosi

SPECIAL TEAMS

P K KR PR

4 Jordan Berry 6 Chris Boswell 13 Jacoby Jones 84 Antonio Brown 13 Jacoby Jones

SPECIAL TEAMS

P K KR PR

Schedule

Sept. 10 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 1 Oct. 12 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 29 Dec. 6 Dec. 13 Dec. 20 Dec. 27 Jan. 3

at Patriots L, 28-21 vs. 49ers W,43-18 at Rams W, 12-6 at Ravens L, 23-20 (OT) at Chargers W, 24-20 vs. Cardinals W, 25-13 at Chiefs L, 23-13 vs. Bengals L, 16-10 vs. Raiders W, 38-35 vs. Browns 1 p.m. at Seattle 4:25 p.m. vs. Colts 8:30 p.m. at Bengals 1 p.m. vs. Broncos 4:25 p.m. at Ravens 8:30 p.m. at Browns 1 p.m

Leaders

PASSING Roethlisberger 119/178/6, 1508 yds, 7 TD Jones

28/47/2, 456 yds, 3 TD

8 Andy Lee 6 Travis Coons 21 Justin Gilbert 15 Marlon Moore 11 Travis Benjamin 22 Tramon Williams 18 Taylor Gabriel

Schedule Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 5 Nov. 15 Nov. 30 Dec. 6 Dec. 13 Dec. 20 Dec. 27 Jan. 3

at Jets L, 31-10 vs. Titans W, 28-14 vs. Raiders L, 27-20 at Chargers L, 30-27 at Ravens W, 33-30(OT) vs. Broncos L, 26-23(OT) at Rams L, 24-6 vs. Cardinals L, 34-20 at Bengals L, 31-10 at Steelers 1 p.m. vs. Ravens 8:30 p.m. vs. Bengals 1 p.m. vs. 49ers 1 p.m. at Seahawks 4:05 p.m. at Chiefs 1 p.m. vs. Steelers 1 p.m.

Leaders

RUSHING Le’Veon Bell 113 att, 556 yds, 3 TD

PASSING McCown 165/254/4, 1,897 yds, 11 TD

D. Williams 90 att, 480 yds, 5 TD

Manziel

43/83/1, 561 yds, 4 TD

RECEIVING A. Brown 69 rec, 1,002 yds, 3 TD

RUSHING Crowell

101 att, 333 yds, 1 TD

Miller

30 rec, 305 yds, 1 TD

Johnson

59 att, 179 yds, 0 TD

Bryant

16 rec, 262 yds, 4 TD

Wheaton

14 rec, 255 yds, 1 TD

RECEIVING Benjamin 41 rec, 623 yds, 4 TD

TACKLES Timmons

41 solo, 22 asst.

Blake

48 solo, 10 asst.

TACKLES Dansby

43 solo, 30 asst.

MItchell

34 solo, 9 asst.

Whitner

36 solo, 19 asst.

KICKING Boswell

11/12 FG, 9/9 PAT

KICKING Coons

15/15 FG, 14/15 PAT

Barnidge 42 rec, 602 yds, 6 TD

Stats: cbssports.com