USC Falls to Washington State
The USC Trojans have had numerous close calls throughout the young season, all of which they have survived to remain unbeaten and near the top of the AP Polls. That all changed on Friday night, as Luke Faulk threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 18 Washington State to a 30-27 win over the fifth-ranked Trojans. Erik Powell kicked the go-ahead 32-yard field goal with 1:40 left, giving the Cougars the lead and eventually their fifth straight win to begin the season. The Cougars defense was able to shut down Sam Darnold at QB for USC, as he finished with just 164 passing yards and one interception on the night. Although, their defense was unable to stop the run game, as Ronald Jones II ran for 128 yards on 14 carries and found the end zone once. Darnold even had success on the ground, as he ran in for two scores, but that was not enough to avoid the upset. The win for Washington State was the first against a top-5 team for them since 1992 when they beat their rival Washington. Before Friday night, Washington State had lost 15 consecutive home games against ranked opponents, as the victory was also their first against the Trojans since 2002. USC will now play host to Oregon State next week after dropping in the rankings, while Washington State will enjoy a boost up heading in to their matchup with Oregon on the road.
Astros Become Third Team With 100 Wins
The Houston Astros have been the most consistent team throughout the season, and that is including the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers. They have been atop the American League West Division all season long, and on Friday, they reached a milestone for the year. Alex Bregman drove in all three runs to lead Houston over the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, to become the third team this season with 100 victories. Bregman did go deep on the night, helping prevent the Red Sox from clinching the division for a second straight night. Boston had gone 8-1 on their recent road trip, but now sit at 1-4 on the current homestand. The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, keeping their deficit at two games in the division with two games remaining. If they were to finish even atop the division, they would play a one-game tiebreaker on Monday at Yankee Stadium. Ken Giles came in to shut things down for his 34th save for Houston after giving up a double to Hanley Ramirez. The win was the fifth in a row for Houston, who sit one game behind the Indians for the best record in the American League. The Indians hold that tiebreaker after winning the season series against the Astros. Houston will look to continue to play spoiler as a No. 2 seed in the American League with two more games in Boston this weekend.
Thunder Lock Up Westbrook With Largest Contract in NBA History
With the moves that the Oklahoma City Thunder have made as of late to build a team around star Russell Westbrook, it was an easy decision for the triple-double machine to make when it came to the extension offer. The Thunder and Westbrook agreed to a five-year contract extension on Friday that is worth $205 million. The deal will begin in the 2018-19 season, and combined with what he was already scheduled to make, it is the largest guaranteed contract in NBA history. The extension gives Westbrook six more years at $233 million, with a player option for the 2022-23 season. The deal was finalized on Friday after the original plan was to announce it on Sunday at a public team scrimmage at a local high school. Although, reports say Westbrook showed up to practice on Friday ready to make things official. The point guard was already scheduled to make $28 million in 2017-18, and will now make $35.3 million in the first season of his extension, which again will be the 2018-19 campaign. This contract only makes sense on both ends, as the Thunder could not lose the man who averaged a triple-double a season ago, while Westbrook does not want to leave a team that recently added the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. It seems as if everyone in the organization will be thoroughly satisfied heading into what will be a very interesting season.
The USC Trojans have had numerous close calls throughout the young season, all of which they have survived to remain unbeaten and near the top of the AP Polls. That all changed on Friday night, as Luke Faulk threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 18 Washington State to a 30-27 win over the fifth-ranked Trojans. Erik Powell kicked the go-ahead 32-yard field goal with 1:40 left, giving the Cougars the lead and eventually their fifth straight win to begin the season. The Cougars defense was able to shut down Sam Darnold at QB for USC, as he finished with just 164 passing yards and one interception on the night. Although, their defense was unable to stop the run game, as Ronald Jones II ran for 128 yards on 14 carries and found the end zone once. Darnold even had success on the ground, as he ran in for two scores, but that was not enough to avoid the upset. The win for Washington State was the first against a top-5 team for them since 1992 when they beat their rival Washington. Before Friday night, Washington State had lost 15 consecutive home games against ranked opponents, as the victory was also their first against the Trojans since 2002. USC will now play host to Oregon State next week after dropping in the rankings, while Washington State will enjoy a boost up heading in to their matchup with Oregon on the road.
Astros Become Third Team With 100 Wins
The Houston Astros have been the most consistent team throughout the season, and that is including the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers. They have been atop the American League West Division all season long, and on Friday, they reached a milestone for the year. Alex Bregman drove in all three runs to lead Houston over the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, to become the third team this season with 100 victories. Bregman did go deep on the night, helping prevent the Red Sox from clinching the division for a second straight night. Boston had gone 8-1 on their recent road trip, but now sit at 1-4 on the current homestand. The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, keeping their deficit at two games in the division with two games remaining. If they were to finish even atop the division, they would play a one-game tiebreaker on Monday at Yankee Stadium. Ken Giles came in to shut things down for his 34th save for Houston after giving up a double to Hanley Ramirez. The win was the fifth in a row for Houston, who sit one game behind the Indians for the best record in the American League. The Indians hold that tiebreaker after winning the season series against the Astros. Houston will look to continue to play spoiler as a No. 2 seed in the American League with two more games in Boston this weekend.
Thunder Lock Up Westbrook With Largest Contract in NBA History
With the moves that the Oklahoma City Thunder have made as of late to build a team around star Russell Westbrook, it was an easy decision for the triple-double machine to make when it came to the extension offer. The Thunder and Westbrook agreed to a five-year contract extension on Friday that is worth $205 million. The deal will begin in the 2018-19 season, and combined with what he was already scheduled to make, it is the largest guaranteed contract in NBA history. The extension gives Westbrook six more years at $233 million, with a player option for the 2022-23 season. The deal was finalized on Friday after the original plan was to announce it on Sunday at a public team scrimmage at a local high school. Although, reports say Westbrook showed up to practice on Friday ready to make things official. The point guard was already scheduled to make $28 million in 2017-18, and will now make $35.3 million in the first season of his extension, which again will be the 2018-19 campaign. This contract only makes sense on both ends, as the Thunder could not lose the man who averaged a triple-double a season ago, while Westbrook does not want to leave a team that recently added the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. It seems as if everyone in the organization will be thoroughly satisfied heading into what will be a very interesting season.
