Eagles rally, Phillies salvage split, Penn State cruises
The Philadelphia Eagles provided the best entertainment among the region’s four NFL teams Sunday, while the Phillies kept their postseason push on course and Penn State rolled through its final nonconference tuneup.
Philadelphia improved to 2-0 with a 24-20 comeback win at Tennessee. Jalen Hurts threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with nine seconds remaining, completing a 65-yard winning drive. Hurts finished with 264 yards and two touchdown passes, while DeVonta Smith caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a score.
The afternoon was considerably rougher elsewhere in the region. Dallas defeated Washington 37-20 as Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and became the Cowboys’ career leader in that category. The Commanders fell to 0-2 and also lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a dislocated left elbow before halftime.
New Orleans scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-9 deficit and beat Baltimore 24-17. The Ravens fell to 1-1. Pittsburgh also dropped to 1-1 after New England held the Steelers to 235 yards in a 20-3 Patriots victory.
In college football Saturday, No. 14 Penn State completed its nonconference schedule with a 55-13 rout of Buffalo. The Nittany Lions rushed for 304 yards and generated 573 yards of total offense before beginning Big Ten play.
One of the day’s biggest games came at Mississippi, where Ole Miss defeated LSU 32-24. Trinidad Chambliss passed for 363 yards and two touchdowns and added the clinching rushing score. The Rebels climbed to No. 6 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, while Penn State was No. 14. Kentucky also upset Texas A&M 31-21, and Louisville knocked off SMU 41-31.
Closer to home, Gettysburg College bounced back from its last-minute loss at Washington and Lee by defeating Western Connecticut State 34-28 Saturday in Gettysburg. The Bullets scored 17 points in the second quarter and 10 more in the third, improving to 2-1.
The Phillies, meanwhile, finished an important weekend in New York on a positive note. Christopher Sánchez pitched 6 1/3 innings on Sunday as Philadelphia beat the Mets 7-2 to split the four-game series. Sánchez improved to 18-6, while Justin Crawford broke the game open with a three-run triple in the eighth.
Philadelphia is 86-70 and holds the final National League wild-card position, four games ahead of Arizona and one game behind both Chicago and San Diego with six games remaining. The Brewers, Dodgers and Braves have clinched their divisions, while the Cubs, Padres and Phillies occupy the three wild-card spots. Any combination of Phillies wins and Arizona losses totaling three will clinch a playoff spot for Philadelphia. The Phils will have to earn their wins against the teams with the best records in each league, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, as they wrap up the season with six games at Citizens Bank Park.
Elsewhere, on Sunday, Pittsburgh edged Kansas City 4-3, while Baltimore was shut out 3-0 by Milwaukee, and Washington lost 5-3 to St. Louis. The Cubs beat Cincinnati 9-1, and San Diego defeated Miami 7-3, keeping both ahead of Philadelphia in the wild-card standings. The Braves clinched the NL East with a 4-2 victory over Houston.
Friday night brought another full slate of Adams County high school football. Delone Catholic defeated Biglerville 24-14 in an all-county matchup. Gettysburg fell to Northern York 29-21, while Bermudian Springs lost a one-point game at Susquehannock, 17-16. New Oxford dropped a 42-22 decision to William Penn.
The fall scholastic schedule remains busy beyond football, with county teams also in the heart of their soccer, field hockey, volleyball, tennis, and cross-country seasons as September enters its final full week.
Source: Reuters, ESPN, Onward State, MLB, NFL