Bugaluu :: Sports

Old is still gold for Milan as Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot continue to impress

This summer, Milan spent a lot of money to revitalize their midfield by signing two young players – Ardon Jashari and Samuele Ricci. A month into the season, their midfield looks much better now but due to two different signings. Luka Modric, 40 and Adrien Rabiot, 30, are combined 13 years older than Ricci and Jashari but they have made sure that the younger duo will have a hard time starting, at least this season.

There’s nothing new to be written about Modric, who is widely considered as one of the best midfielders ever to grace the game. Milan getting him on a free in the summer was a coup of fascinating proportions and even at 40, the Croatian continues to be ridiculously capable and consistent.

Rabiot has perennially been a divisive figure but no one in football has trusted him more than Massimiliano Allegri. Only two games into his Milan career, the Frenchman seems to be repaying the faith and has turned detractors, who were against his signing, into fans. At his best, Rabiot is extremely complete at the centre of the pitch, as demonstrated against Udinese.

Jashari and Ricci’s time will surely come, but for now at least, it is old guard holding the fort down for Allegri’s side.

Kaulik Mitra | GIFN

​https://onefootball.com/en/news/old-is-still-gold-for-milan-as-luka-modric-and-adrien-rabiot-continue-to-impress-41694244 

If you hated what you watched in week two of the Cowboys 40-37 win over the New York Giants, you probably will want to avoid watching the Cowboys week three matchup against the Chicago Bears. Heading into the game, both the Cowboys and Bears strengths and weaknesses are eerily similar.

Despite struggles from Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears receiving corps is off to a nice start to the 2025 season. Second-year wideout Rome Odunze and veteran D.J. Moore are doing well despite not really lighting up the box score. Both Moore and Odunze rank out well above league average in separation score, and that is a scary sight for a Cowboys defense that is coming off a historically bad day against Russell Wilson, Malik Nabers, and Wan’Dale Robinson. The good news for the Cowboys defense is for all the good the Bears’ wideouts are doing, quarterback Caleb Williams is struggling to connect with his wideouts consistently.

Through two weeks, Williams holds the second longest time to throw, while ranking out right at league average in average depth of target. Along with some struggles to hit the explosives consistently, Williams’ accuracy has also been a struggle on the deep ball, ranking out league average in deep ball accuracy. That could give the Cowboys secondary a chance to get turnovers. As concerned as we are with the Cowboys defense, especially in the passing game, the Bears are currently in a very similar boat with their pass defense.

Before we move on, a bit of fantasy football advice. Make sure you have CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Rome Odunze, and D.J. Moore in your lineups.

Through two weeks, the Cowboys rank 31st and the Bears rank 30th in dropback EPA and 31st (Bears) and 30th (Cowboys) in dropback success rate. If it’s still unclear, both pass defenses are bad, really bad. As big of a day as it should be for Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys will have their hands full slowing down Odunze and Moore.

Thankfully, when you dig into the analytics more, the Cowboys have a massive advantage at the quarterback position heading into this matchup with Dak Prescott ranking out as the 10th best quarterback in adjusted EPA/play, compared to Williams ranking out as the 28th best quarterback by the same metric.

As much as this game feels like it will come down to whatever passing offense can out-duel the other, it will likely come down to whichever pass defense can step up. It has been as bad as it can be for both units through two games, but this would be a great week for a Trevon Diggs, Kaiir Elam, Reddy Stewart, and Donovan Wilson bounce-back game to help lead the Cowboys to their second victory of the 2025 season.

​https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/dallas-cowboys-roster/182027/bears-matchup-wide-receivers-defensive-backs 

When we last checked in with the NL MVP race on September 6, it was too close to tell, with a four-way battle between Pete Crow-Armstrong, Shohei Ohtani, Geraldo Perdomo and Trea Turner and only 0.2 WAR separating them (in bWAR/fWAR average). Two weeks have passed since that point: how do things now stand? As before, I’ve taken the players who appear in the top ten either by bWAR or fWAR, and averaged out their production between the two metrics. That gives us 12 players as before, though we have lost Ketel Marte, whose recent slump has dropped him out of the top ten by fWAR (he currently ranks 13th there). He has been replaced by Kyle Schwarber, who is tenth by fWAR.

With eight games left to play, it now appears to be a two-horse race with Turner having dropped back into the pack, and Crow-Armstrong somehow being half a win less valuable than he was two weeks ago. However, I’ve currently little doubt that it’ll go to Ohtani, and not undeservedly so. He’s on a team who will be going to the playoffs (an increasingly unlikely outcome for the D-backs), and has additional value as a pitcher. Plus he’s blatantly the media darling – to the point where it feels like there’s almost resentment against Schwarber for having had the temerity to overtake Shohei in home-runs.

But right now, it does feel like Perdomo deserves to make the final three, along with Ohtani and, I’d say, probably Trea Turner over Soto (it feels like voters put more stock in fWAR than bWAR generally). That last spot still might change over the final week. A surge from Corbin Carroll would be nice: I’m wondering when the last time was that the same team had two of the top three… Well, never mind: Aaron Judge and Soto fulfilled that for the Yankees last year. Going further back, the 1966 Orioles swept the podium, with Frank Robinson winning, while team-mates Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell finished second and third, respectively.

​https://www.azsnakepit.com/diamondbacks-gamedays/84808/gameday-thread-155-9-20-vs-phillies 

The Syracuse Orange jumped on Clemson from the start as they came away with a 34-21 road win to move to 3-1 on the season. Let’s get to the three takeaways from this game:

Angeli’s status

We’ll start with the dark cloud on today’s victory. Syracuse’s quarterback went down twice in this game. He bounced back in the first half, but started the second half with a knee brace. Then, on a scramble, Angeli went down untouched and exited the game for good. He was seen on crutches and in a boot, so we’ll have to wait and see what the official word is, but it didn’t look good for QB1.

Fran Brown confirmed that Angeli would be out for a while, so we’ll have to see how Rickie Collins runs the offense.

Playing to Win

An aggressive start on offense. An onside kick in the first quarter. Pushing the ball downfield against the tough Clemson front. Even throwing the ball on 3rd downs late in the game (which probably didn’t make sense). Everything Syracuse did today was about putting the pressure on Clemson.

After forcing a Clemson fumble, Syracuse didn’t get conservative, they had Collins throw a back shoulder route to Justus Ross-Simmons for a dagger touchdown.

The Orange probably played a bit too soft to close the first half, so in the final quarter, they kept sending pressure on Cade Klubnik and the approach thwarted the Clemson comeback attempts. As Mike McDaniel said, “to win games, you have to win them, not lose them”, and Syracuse won this one.

Total team effort

Syracuse’s offensive line came out and helped establish the tone on the opening drive. The defense gave up a lot of yards, but they forced two turnovers in the second half and made Clemson work in the second half. I know commenters have been down on Elijah Robinson, but he seemed to dial up the right pressures on Klubnik and having Devin Grant back made a big difference.

To win road games like this you need players to step up and Johntay Cook (6 catches for 113 yards), Yasin Willis (16 carries for 98 yards) and Will Nixon (10 carries for 46 yards and a score) all came through with big performances in the first half.

The Orange get halfway to bowl eligibility and move further along Brown’s path towards bringing the program back to national relevance.

What are your takeaways from today?

​https://www.nunesmagician.com/syracuse-football/98290/syracuse-football-three-takeaways-vs-clemson 

LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 20: Michigan running back Justice Haynes (22) runs the ball during the college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Nebraska Cornhuskers on September 20, 2025 at Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE. (Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Michigan is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play after an exciting victory over Nebraska on the road, 30-27. The win wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions from these players, who are taking home a game ball for their efforts.

Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall

Justice Haynes looked like the most impressive running back in the Big Ten coming into the week, and he did little to change that sentiment with his performance in Lincoln. He showed out with 149 rushing yards, including a 75-yard touchdown near the end of the first half. He provided the spark when the offense badly needed it, while also converting two third downs on a late fourth-quarter drive to kill the clock.

He wasn’t the only running back making an impact, as Jordan Marshall impressed in his own right. While the sophomore has ceded some carries to Haynes this year, he broke free for his first big run of the year in the third quarter — a 54-yard touchdown to give Michigan a 27-17 lead. While he might not be in an even split with Haynes at the moment, he made the most of his opportunities today.

Pass Rush

Coming into the week, Nebraska’s offensive line and quarterback Dylan Raiola hadn’t been tested big a high-caliber defensive front. The Wolverines made the group work, as they were living in Nebraska’s backfield from the very start. Once again, Jaishawn Barham was the most noticeable player in Michigan’s front seven, as he was wreaking havoc from the edge to keep the Cornhusker offense off-schedule.

The defense finished with seven sacks, and it could have even had a few more had Raiola not escaped the grasp of defenders multiple times. Rayshaun Benny and Derrick Moore were the most productive in the stat sheet with 1.5 sacks each, while Barham, Jimmy Rolder, Ernest Hausmann, Enow Etta and Cameron Brandt each got to Raiola as well. This type of productive day for the front seven is an encouraging development.

Cole Sullivan

Sticking with the defense, Michigan got a breakout performance from one of its younger players on Saturday with sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan. He has long been a favorite of the coaching staff, but there were some question coming into the year as to where he’d fit into the rotation. Now that he’s getting a sizable share of the off-ball snaps, he is flying around the field and making the most of his opportunity.

He did a bit of everything in this game. His most impactful play came in the first quarter as he intercepted a tipped pass to help set up Michigan’s first touchdown. Sullivan didn’t stop there, as he also registered a sack and six total tackles. He spent the day making his presence felt against both the run and the pass, and appears to be a big part of the defense going forward. Let’s see how high he can ascend.

Jayden Sanders

Michigan didn’t have Zeke Berry for the second consecutive week, which meant someone relatively inexperienced was going to get the tough task of covering Nebraska’s talented wideouts. On Saturday, it was true freshman Jayden Sanders that got much of the work, and he made a great impression by holding his own in coverage.

Not only was Sanders doing a good job of mirroring Nebraska’s pass-catchers, but he was making some key stops as well. He finished the game with eight total tackles, including multiple occasions near the sticks on third downs. That type of effort and production is a rather encouraging sign for Michigan’s secondary, and Sanders is making a bid for more playing time down the stretch — even once Berry returns.

​https://www.maizenbrew.com/football/92937/michigan-wolverines-football-nebraska-cornhuskers-game-balls-justice-haynes-cole-sullivan-jayden-sanders-jordan-marshall 

Bayern Munich followed up their massive 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Champions League with a resounding 4-1 win over league rivals Hoffenheim. The result does not reflect the performance entirely, as Bayern were continuously fending off charges from the hosts. Despite the sloppy show in the first half, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany did not see it as a major concern.

“I wasn’t surprised [by the difficult first half],” the Belgian coach said (as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia). “We just played a tough game against Chelsea mid-week, with all the hype that surrounded the win, and then we came here to a difficult ground. I already said before the game that Hoffenheim won all their games including pre-season, except Frankfurt. We stayed calm in the difficult moments and in the second half we did what we know we can do.”

Even with the absences of several first-team players, the Bavarians are still a well-oiled machine.

Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @rayyantwt, @enadmo1135, @TommyAdams71 and more.

​https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/bayern-munich-bundesliga/138472/vincent-kompany-unfazed-with-bayern-munichs-iffy-start-against-hoffenheim 

AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 8 Texas Longhorns close a three-game homestand at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with a matchup against the Sam Houston Bearkats on Saturday.

Kick is at 7 p.m. Central on SEC Network+ as redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning tries to bounce back from a poor start to the season, including 10 straight incompletions in last week’s uninspiring 27-10 win over UTEP. The Horns are also dealing with a handful of injuries with junior running back Quintrevion Wisner, redshirt sophomore CJ Baxter, sophomore wide receiver Emmett Mosley, and sophomore defensive tackle Alex January not listed on the depth chart. A handful of other players aren’t dressed during warmups — redshirt sophomore tackle Jaydon Chatman, sophomore cornerback Kobe Black, junior cornerback Warren Roberson, and redshirt freshman safety Xavier Filsaime, although freshman safety Jonah Williams is dressed after battling a hamstring injury since baseball season.

​https://www.burntorangenation.com/texas-longhorns-football/96210/texas-longhorns-sam-houston-bearkats-live-updates-score-injuries 

With Rafael Leao absent, Christian Pulisic is Milan’s early season protagonist

In what is a massive season for him, with a home World Cup coming at the end of it, Christian Pulisic has fully taken over the role of early season protagonist for Milan. Today, he scored twice and set up one more for Youssouf Fofana as Milan beat Udinese 3-0 on the road.

With Rafael Leao out injured and Santi Gimenez woefully out of form, the onus has once again fallen on the American to lead the Rossoneri in attack. And to his credit, he has done it really well to start the season. In the narrative of the chaos that went on at Milan in the summer, that fact that Pulisic contributed to 20 league goals got lost somewhere. This season, he is back at it again.

His performances have meant that when Leao is back, it will most likely be the American and the Portuguese in attack for Milan, a frightening proposition for Serie A defenders. Come the summer, Pulisic will have a country’s hopes to hold up but so far, he has held Milan’s attack around him incredibly well.

Kaulik Mitra | GIFN

​https://onefootball.com/en/news/with-rafael-leao-absent-christian-pulisic-is-milans-early-season-protagonist-41694235