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Riley Leonard returns from injury to lead Notre Dame to national championship game in CFP win vs Penn State

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Riley Leonard returns from injury to lead Notre Dame to national championship game in CFP win vs Penn State

Notre Dame is going to the first College Football Playoff National Championship game of the expanded format era after a comeback 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. 

Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter kicked the game-winning 41-yard field goal to cap off a back-and-forth battle between the two storied programs. 

Notre Dame’s comeback victory may have never materialized had quarterback Riley Leonard not summoned the fortitude to return to the game after an injury.

“He’s a competitor and competitors find a way to win,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said in a postgame interview on ESPN right after the game. “It’s an honor to be a part of this with him.”

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Penn State Nittany Lions face off at the line of scrimmage against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Penn State Nittany Lions versus Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Leonard had to leave the game in the second quarter, forcing in backup Steve Angeli. At that point, Notre Dame was already behind 10-0. But Angeli helped get the Irish back into it with a field goal drive to give Notre Dame its first points, as the Irish went into halftime down 10-3. 

But Leonard returned to the game in the second half, and led a touchdown drive to tie the game. The two teams then traded score for score in a competitive second half. 

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Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11) celebrates a tackle on Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) in the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

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Leonard had a chance to lead a go-ahead drive with two minutes remaining, but the Penn State defense came up with a big third-down sack to force a Notre Dame punt. 

Then Allar, with a chance to lead a game-winning drive with less and possibly put himself into the conversation for the top quarterback taken in the NFL Draft, came back onto the field for the biggest moment of his career. And in that moment, he threw an interception to give the ball right back to Leonard and the Irish. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates a touch down with teammates in the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Hard Rock Stadium.  (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Leonard then came back on the field and led the final drive that put Jeter in position to seal the deal. 

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“I just trusted in Jesus,” Leonard said in a postgame ESPN interview.

Notre Dame’s storybook run continues after it came up with a historic win against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans just one day after a deadly terrorist attack killed 14 innocent people. 

The Irish will meet the winner of the Cotton Bowl on Friday between Ohio State and Texas. 

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ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with $22M roster for disappointing season

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ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with M roster for disappointing season

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The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may still make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their whopping $22 million roster. 

The legendary ESPN college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they played Florida during Saturday’s prime SEC matchup. After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.

Head coach Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats in a game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)

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“I’m going to say this right here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, $22 million this team [which has been reported] in terms of the NIL for their players,” he said, per Awful Announcing. “I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”

The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale continued about Kentucky near the end of their 12th loss of the season. 

“I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to walk out of here thinking you got a moral victory,” Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought game against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. “Moral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear some of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’ 

“The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here with a win, especially at home. There are no moral victories. Come on. I don’t want to hear that.”

Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate in the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena on Jan. 24, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

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The Wildcats were once the top program in the country under former Coach John Calipari, who left for Arkansas after being unable to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first round upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee. 

Kentucky Jasper Johnson in action vs Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated )

But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now face the No. 9 seed in the upcoming tournament this week. The winner of each conference earns a tournament berth, but the Wildcats know good seeding in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend. 

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The Wildcats will start their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU. 

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Chargers agree to deal with former Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold

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Chargers agree to deal with former Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold

The Chargers bolstered their efforts to protect quarterback Justin Herbert all while diversifying their offense by agreeing to a multiyear deal with veteran fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday, the team announced.

Ingold’s deal with the Chargers reportedly is for two years and $7.5 million.

Ingold will be no stranger to the Chargers’ plans on offense. He played the past four seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Last year he caught eight passes for 52 yards and ran the ball twice in 17 games.

Ingold caught 47 passes for 372 yards and rushed for 34 yards in 20 carries in four seasons with the Dolphins. He also had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.

Before his time in Miami, Ingold played three seasons with the Raiders.

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The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman. They agreed to terms on a one-year deal with edge rusher Khalil Mack on Saturday.

With the free agency negotiation period set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. PDT, the Chargers remain in strong position to be significant players in the free-agent market. They rank among the top-five teams in salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.

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Cowboys star, fiancée end relationship month before wedding: report

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Cowboys star, fiancée end relationship month before wedding: report

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, reportedly broke up with their wedding around the corner.

Prescott and Ramos’ relationship had been “rocky” in the weeks leading up to the breakup and things exploded between the two at their joint bachelor and bachelorette parties, TMZ Sports reported on Saturday.

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos attend the Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta on Oct. 30, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Omar Vega/Getty Images for Farrah Fawcett Foundation)

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Ramos shared pictures of her trip with her friends on Instagram on Friday.

“I truly believe you can get through anything in life as long as you have really great friends. I love these girls so much,” Ramos captioned the collage of snaps.

Prescott was not pictured in any of the 16 photos and videos posted to her social media account.

Sarah Jane Ramos and Dak Prescott pose for a photo before Dak Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation Gala on May 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images for Faith Fight Finish Foundation)

Ramos also posted photos of her bridal shower back on Feb. 23. There were no photos of Prescott in the carousel either.

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“The most intimate and beautiful bridal shower of my dreams,” she added on Instagram. “So grateful for my aunts who hosted it and my girlfriends and family that came to celebrate. I love you all so much and can’t wait to marry the love of my life with all of you by my side.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Prescott’s representative for comment.

Prescott posted a series of photos on his Instagram of Ramos and his family on July 20, 2025. There’s only a September advertisement posted on his account since.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos pose on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts on Feb. 5, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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The NFL star and Ramos announced they were engaged on Oct. 18, 2024. The couple have two children together.

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