By Patrick Holleron and Doyal D’angelo Cronkite News
TEMPE – ASU football has opened a path to the College Football Playoff after last weekend’s 35-31 win over UCF. The Sun Devils enter the final stretch of the season against three Big 12 squads in No. 20 Kansas State, No. 7 BYU, and in-state rival Arizona.
All the optimism surrounding a potential playoff run wouldn’t have been possible based on ASU’s play in most of the first half of the UCF game, but the Sun Devils got timely team contributions that propelled them.
One of the key turning points came at the end of the first half when defensive back Laterrance Welch recorded a pick 6 to give the Sun Devils the lead for the first time. The Devils also got contributions from unsung heroes such as Montana Warren, who returned a blocked punt for a 46-yard touchdown in the first quarter, which was the first since 2017 against UCLA. Continue reading “So there’s a chance? Inside Arizona State’s unexpected road to a College Football Playoff berth”
By Gabrielle Wallace and Amelia Monroe Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly was among the combat veterans and Democrats expressing deep skepticism at Donald Trump’s choice of a defense secretary with no national security experience.
“Typically you expect someone in that role to have implemented or made policy – defense policy,” Kelly, a Navy combat pilot, said Wednesday of the president-elect’s pick, conservative Fox News host Pete Hegseth.
LOS ANGELES – For the first time, Latino and Indigenous populations in California will have their health challenges and needs documented in a way that reflects and serves their communities. Senate Bill 1016, signed into law Sept. 28, aims to disaggregate Latino and Indigenous health data, mandating the state Department of Public Health to specify ethnicity and language.
California’s population is 40% Latino and Indigenous. Both groups have long been overlooked in broad health data categories. By breaking down these marginalized groups’ demographics, including more specific ethnic categories beyond Hispanic and/or Latino, the bill will help address significant health inequities that have remained hidden.
PHOENIX – A team that’s not even in the Top 25 with three weeks remaining in the regular season could play a significant role in how the College Football Playoff 12-team field shakes out.
Enter Arizona State.
The Sun Devils, 7-2 after beating UCF without running back Cam Skattebo, will be one of the most consequential teams in deciding who secures the Big 12 automatic conference bid to the playoff. With two of their remaining three games against top-20 opponents – a road game against No. 16 Kansas State (7-2) Saturday and a home meeting versus No. 6 BYU (9-0) Nov. 23 – everything is on the table for ASU, including a bid to the CFP itself via a Big 12 championship. The Suns Devils close the regular season against Arizona Nov. 30 in Tucson.Continue reading “How ASU could shape complexion of College Football Playoff in final weeks”
TEMPE – When Former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward was formally announced as Arizona State’s new receivers coach in April, many wondered why he chose to come to the Valley. After all, he was fresh off an inaugural season coaching the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas that was less than ideal, compiling a 3-7 record and missing the playoffs.
Following the conclusion of the season, the XFL agreed to a league merger with the UFL. The newly formed league requested Ward to take a pay cut if he wished to remain the Brahmas coach. He ultimately declined and resigned from his position on Dec. 28, 2023.
PHOENIX – When Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić was asked in his postgame press conference if he had a certain swagger heading into a recent win over the Miami Heat, his response was a beautiful twist.
“No, probably the opposite,” Nurkić said. “I was sore, but I feel like the coaches did a great job of putting me in position to have good looks. It’s on me how many I will take. I think they want me to take even more threes and more shots.”
EDS: Clients who used a Cronkite News story slugged Indigenous Voting Obstacles that moved Thursday, Oct. 3, under a PHOENIX dateline are asked to run the following correction. The error occurred in the first and second grafs. A corrected version of the story has been posted here.
PHOENIX – An Oct. 3 Cronkite News story about Indigenous voting obstacles miscast when Native Americans in Arizona gained the right to vote. Indigenous people gained voting rights in the state after a 1948 Arizona Supreme Court ruling.
PHOENIX – Before the final golf pairing teed off on the 18th hole Sunday, a three-way tie for first place set the tone for the final day of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Bernhard Langer, Richard Green and Steven Alker were all vying for the victory at the Phoenix Country Club – but only one walked away as the champion
Langer, recovering from an Achilles injury at 67 years old, rolled in a dramatic 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory over Green and Alker to close out the PGA Tour Champions season.
PHOENIX – In the offseason leading toward the 2024 Major League Baseball season, all eyes were on one man – Shohei Ohtani. One of the biggest free agent names in the history of the sport, Ohtani can pitch and hit with the best of them.
And he didn’t even need to pitch this season following elbow surgery to still come away as a unanimous American League MVP award winner.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Included in the contract is a record amount of deferred money, where he gets paid $2 million in salary over the 10 years, while getting $68 million a year the next 10 years after his Dodgers contract expires. Continue reading “Behind the diamond: How big MLB payrolls affect postseason success”
PEORIA – Whether behind the plate or in the batter’s box, Ethan Salas’ ability and maturity is evident even within a single at-bat.
At just 18 years of age, the San Diego Padres catching prospect already exudes composure and savviness that will make him an asset for any team – and it has been on full display for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.
SCOTTSDALE – Raised in Lapwai, Idaho, and a proud member of the Nez Perce Tribal Nation, Xavier Guillory comes from a family full of Native American athletes, which made the Arizona State wide receiver the ideal person to address about a hundred children from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community at the Fiesta Bowl Legacy Youth Football Clinic in Scottsdale.
Guillory’s grandfather played for the University of Idaho, and his father, who played safety at Eastern Washington University, was a huge influence on his decision to pursue a career in football.
PHOENIX – Arizona is home to over 150,000 people aged 65 and older who live with Alzheimer’s, or 11% of older residents. Specialists are calling for more research to understand the higher prevalence of the disease among Hispanic Americans.
Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that alters the way a person thinks, behaves and remembers. Over time, the disorder slowly inhibits a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks.
PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant grabbed at his left calf as he checked in with 7:39 remaining in a recent neck-and-neck game against the Dallas Mavericks.
AVONDALE – For the final 25 laps Sunday, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney put on a show.
That they are teammates only added to the excitement for the sellout crowd at Phoenix Raceway before Logano held on and secured the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
WASHINGTON – Women have led the governments of nearly a third of the countries on Earth as presidents, prime ministers and chancellors. Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat kept the 235-year-old glass ceiling in the United States unbroken.
“It absolutely will happen,” said Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.
PHOENIX – The Valley is often regarded as a basketball hotbed, home to many of the sport’s greatest talents, but the city’s beloved Phoenix Suns have never hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The Suns, established in 1968, are the oldest NBA franchise seeking its first title.
PHOENIX – After 35 grueling races, the NASCAR season comes down to just one race Sunday, as Phoenix Raceway hosts championship weekend for the fifth consecutive year.
Although 36 cars will be on the track Sunday, only four drivers will be eligible to win the championship:
Joey Logano: Logano is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion from Middletown, Connecticut. Logano won the 2017 and 2022 NASCAR Cup Series titles. He won at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to advance to the championship four.
Ryan Blaney: Blaney is the defending Cup Series champion. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dave Blaney and hails from Hartford Township, Ohio. Blaney advanced to the championship four following last weekend’s victory at Martinsville Speedway.
Tyler Reddick: Reddick is making his first career championship four driving for 23XI Racing. His car is co-owned by fellow driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick advanced to the championship four following his victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He hails from Corning, California.
William Byron: Byron is making his second consecutive championship four appearance. Last season, Bryon finished third in the championship race. He advanced to the championship four based on points. Byron will look to capture his first career NASCAR Cup Series title Sunday. He comes from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Although only four drivers who are competing can win the championship, that does not mean that only four cars will be found on the track. All 36 drivers will be competing whether they can win the championship or not. The reason this is allowed is so that points standings spots 5-36 can be finalized and each driver and team can get their end-of-season bonus depending on where they finish.
For the four drivers who are championship-eligible, their path to win is very simple. Finish ahead of the other three eligible drivers and you win the title. For example, Blaney could finish in 11th place, but as long as he finishes ahead of Logano, Reddick and Byron, he wins the championship.
The other 32 competitors who are not racing for a title normally let those four pass them to duke it out. Last year, Ross Chastain ended up winning the race but was not eligible for the title, the first time that has happened since the current playoff structure was introduced in 2014.
Another item to consider this weekend is teammates. In NASCAR, each team has a select number of drivers and the drivers within the team consider themselves teammates. This weekend, two of the four drivers eligible to win the championship are teammates as Logano and Blaney both drive for Team Penske.
Having teammates race one another is not a rare occurrence in the championship race. Over the last 10 championship races, seven of those have had teammates fighting one another to win the championship.
While some see racing your teammate for the championship as a negative, Blaney and Logano don’t.
“Being able to lock in early means there’s more resources to where we can try to get the 12 (car) equally as prepared as the 22,” Logano said.
Blaney added that “I don’t think there’s any challenges. I feel like that’s made up from the outside. It has just doubled the effort of giving two opportunities to bring a championship to Team Penske.”
Coming into this weekend, no clear favorite separates himself. As it sits, most betting markets have defending champion Blaney as the favorite at anywhere from +175 to +250.
When asked about the competition this weekend, the drivers were fairly diplomatic.
“I can cheat the questions on this one because I have a teammate and we kind of got the same stuff, so I would say Joey because hopefully it makes my stuff good, too,” Blaney said.
Byron believes it’s “going to come down to execution and being there at the right time. This race is freeing because it is all about the finish.”
Sunday broadcast coverage can be found on NBC and Peacock starting at 1 p.m. MST and radio coverage on Sirius XM channel 90 and mrn.com.
Ryan Blaney talks to the media before attempting to defend his NASCAR Cup Series title. Blaney could become the first Cup champion to win two in a row since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. (Photo by Natalie Lopez/Cronkite News)Although 36 cars will be on the track Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, only four drivers will be eligible to win the championship. (Graphic by Cooper Burns/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Just like that, a season filled with ups and downs came to a sudden end for Phoenix Rising FC, first when the team failed to defend its USL title Sunday, followed by Thursday’s announcement that it was parting ways with interim head coach Diego Gomez.
Gomez and the Rising went their separate ways after the club suffered a 2-1 loss to New Mexico United in the first round of the USL playoffs on the road, abruptly ending Phoenix’s bid for a repeat championship..
“Diego stepped into a challenging role this season, and we’re incredibly grateful for his leadership and dedication to Phoenix Rising,” Rising president Bobby Dulle said. “He brought stability to the team during a critical time, and his impact has been significant both on and off the field. After careful consideration, we believe the best path forward is to look externally for a head coach who can lead us into the next phase of success for this club. We have immense respect for Diego and appreciate all he’s done for Phoenix Rising.” Continue reading “Phoenix Rising FC eyes new coach, healthy roster after disappointing end to 2024 season”
PHOENIX – Before leading programs in Orlando and Tempe, Gus Malzahn and Kenny Dillingham worked together as head coach and offensive coordinator at Auburn University. On Saturday, the duo will face off as head coaches in a student-versus-teacher matchup for the first time as Malzahn’s UCF Knights come to the Valley.
Proteges coaching against former bosses can sometimes produce hostile comments before the game and tense battles on the field (see the Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud). While the final form of the on-field matchup remains a mystery, the two coaches clearly have nothing but respect for one another.
TEMPE – The Arizona Cardinals have had a peculiar season up to the halfway mark. In Week 4, Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury made their return to the Southwest and embarrassed the Cardinals 42-14 on their home turf. It was not a pretty scene and a microcosm of the team’s ailments up to that point.
The offense was efficient in the pass game but mostly failed to generate significant yardage. The defense was getting run all over to the tune of 216 yards and four touchdowns, allowing a score on every drive.
