Sports
Giants urging Dart to modify running approach
During the same week in which the New York Giants made major changes, they also advocated to Jaxson Dart that he strongly consider making some of his own.
People both inside and outside the Giants organization spoke with Dart, who remains in the concussion protocol, and urged the rookie quarterback to be more thoughtful and careful with when and how he runs.
Dart is out for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers due to the concussion he suffered last week against the Chicago Bears. He was spotted at practice last week going through stretching exercises, as he attempts to clear the protocol in time for next Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
But whenever Dart returns, those around him believe he will have to modify how he runs.
Dart has a propensity not only for running but also being aggressive in trying to gain extra yardage — often at the expense of his own well-being. It was how he suffered his concussion last week, fumbling on a third-quarter run in the Giants’ 24-20 loss to the Bears.
It marked the fourth time this season, including the preseason, that Dart was evaluated for a concussion.
The Giants have not done Dart any favors, according to the opinion of others around the league. New York has called a high number of designed runs for Dart this season, including five in Sunday’s loss in Chicago.
Since making his first start in Week 4, Dart has been hit 84 times combined between rushing and passing attempts — the second-highest total in the NFL during that stretch.
Dart has been told repeatedly, especially this past week, that missing games hurts his team more than not gaining extra yards and that he can’t help his team if he’s not in the game.
Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney has shown Dart videos of multiple quarterbacks and pointed out the difference between being aggressive and acting in self-preservation.
The Giants went through this with quarterback Daniel Jones, now with the Indianapolis Colts, trying to teach him when to be aggressive and when to be smart, and now they are offering the same types of lessons to Dart.
It is why so many around the NFL admire and applaud the 6-foot-2, 223-pound Dart but also openly wonder about whether his playing style is sustainable. Various people have pointed out this season that if Dart doesn’t make the type of changes that others around him are advocating — and the Giants are showing him videos of — he will continue to put himself and the future of the franchise at risk.
Dart has appeared in nine games (seven starts) this season, completing 62.7% of his passes for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. The former Ole Miss star has emerged as one of the NFL’s best running quarterbacks, rushing for 317 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
He is the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to run for a touchdown in five consecutive games, and his seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the third most in league history for a rookie quarterback since 1950, trailing only Cam Newton in 2011 (14) and Josh Allen in 2018 (8).
When Dart returns to the field, he will be playing under Mike Kafka, whom the Giants named as their interim head coach Monday after firing Brian Daboll.
The Giants (2-8) have won just two of their first 10 games for the third straight year and were 11-33 under Daboll since the start of the 2023 season.
Kafka, who had been the Giants’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, said he will continue calling plays and announced that Jameis Winston had passed Russell Wilson on the depth chart and will be New York’s starting quarterback until Dart clears the protocol and returns.
Daboll went 20-40-1 as the Giants’ head coach with a .336 winning percentage, putting him behind the likes of Ben McAdoo and Ray Perkins.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
Maaz Sadaqat starred with an unbeaten 79 as Pakistan Shaheens defeated India A in their group stage game of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha, on Sunday.
Pakistan chased down 137 with eight wickets in hand to top Group B and qualify for the semifinal of the ongoing tournament.
Pakistan got off to a strong start as openers Maaz Sadaqat and Mohammad Naeem scored freely, putting early pressure on the Indian bowlers.
Sadaqat was in sublime form, finding the boundaries regularly and helping the openers reach 50 runs by the fifth over.
The 56-run partnership was broken in the sixth over when Yash Thakur dismissed Naeem, who scored 14 off 10 balls, including a four and a six.
Sadaqat continued his fine form, registering back-to-back fifties in the tournament and anchoring the innings as Pakistan reached 77-1 in seven overs.
Yasir Khan joined Sadaqat at the crease and began scoring, but India fought back, claiming his wicket after 11 runs off nine balls, which included two boundaries.
Mohammad Faiq then joined Sadaqat as Pakistan passed the 100-run mark in the 10th over, steadily inching closer to their second win of the tournament.
Sadaqat continued to dominate, hitting consecutive boundaries alongside Faiq, as Pakistan raced to 130-2 in 13 overs.
The green shirts chased down the total in the 14th over, with Sadaqat unbeaten on 79 off 47 deliveries with the help of seven fours and four sixes. Faiq finished the game with a six, scoring 16 from 14 balls.
After being asked to bat first, India got off to an aggressive start as opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi attacked the Pakistan bowlers from the very first ball, hitting multiple boundaries.
However, Shahid Aziz provided an early breakthrough, dismissing Priyansh Arya for 10 runs off nine balls, leaving India at 30-1 in 3.2 overs.
Naman Dhir joined Suryavanshi and stabilised the innings, guiding the team past the 50-run mark in the sixth over. The duo maintained an attacking approach, piling on runs and keeping Pakistan under pressure.
Their partnership ended when Saad Masood dismissed Naman for 35 off 20 balls, which included six fours and a six, leaving India at 79-2 in 8.4 overs.
Suryavanshi continued to dominate, looking set for a half-century, but was eventually dismissed by Sufiyan Muqeem for 45 off 28 balls, featuring five fours and three sixes.
India’s skipper, Jitesh Sharma, fell cheaply for five off nine deliveries to Maaz Sadaqat, leaving the side at 101-4 in 12.1 overs.
The momentum shifted decisively in Pakistan’s favour as wickets fell at regular intervals. Saad Masood removed Ashutosh Sharma for a duck, followed by Maaz Sadaqat dismissing Nehal Wadhera for eight, leaving India reeling at 104-6 in 14.1 overs.
Ubaid Shah picked up Ramandeep Singh (11 off nine, including a six), while Harsh Dubey tried to add crucial runs.
However, wickets continued to tumble as Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Yash Thakur (2 off 4), Shahid Aziz claimed Dubey (19 off 15), and Suyash Sharma fell for a duck, completing India’s collapse at 136 in 19 overs.
For Pakistan Shaheens, Shahid Aziz starred with figures of 3/24 in three overs. Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood claimed two wickets each, while Ubaid Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, and Sufiyan Muqeem chipped in with a wicket apiece.
The top five of the College Football Playoff standings were unchanged in the first two rankings releases. Things will be different after Week 12.
Saturday started with what looked like a massive upset of No. 3 Texas A&M. South Carolina led 30-3 at halftime, but then the Aggies woke up. After a 21-point third quarter, A&M didn’t take its first lead until the fourth quarter, when it went up 31-30. To pull off the largest comeback in school history, QB Marcel Reed threw for 439 yards and three touchdowns. The Aggies should keep their spot in the top four.
No. 4 Alabama entered Saturday alongside Texas A&M as the only undefeated teams in conference play. But Oklahoma came to Tuscaloosa, got the win and threw the SEC race into a mess. The Sooners had just 212 yards of offense, their fewest in a win since 2001, but forced three turnovers. OU scored 10 points off turnovers and became the first team to beat Bama in consecutive years since Ole Miss in 2014-15.
At the top of the Big Ten and CFP rankings, Ohio State and Indiana cruised in their respective Week 12 games. The top two teams in the rankings outscored their opponents by a combined 79-17. Both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers will have bye weeks in Week 13 before facing their traditional rivals to end the regular season.
Here are our experts’ top 12 College Football Playoff picks:
Andrea Adelson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Texas Tech 5. Georgia 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Virginia 12. North Texas
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Virginia 12. North Texas
Bill Connelly: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Texas Tech 5. Georgia 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Notre Dame 10. Alabama 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
David Hale: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Ole Miss 7. Oklahoma 8. Miami 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Oregon 12. James Madison
Eli Lederman: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
Max Olson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Ole Miss 7. Oregon 8. Oklahoma 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Alabama 10. Notre Dame 11. Virginia 12. North Texas
Mark Schlabach: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Notre Dame 10. Alabama 11. Virginia 12. North Texas
Jake Trotter: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Notre Dame 10. Alabama 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Notre Dame 10. Alabama 11. Virginia 12. James Madison
Dave Wilson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Oklahoma 9. Notre Dame 10. Alabama 11. Georgia Tech 12. North Texas
World number 10 beat Kenta Nishimoto 21-11, 10-21, 21-15 to end two-year title drought
TOKYO:
Japan’s Kodai Naraoka won his first badminton title in two years after battling past countryman Kenta Nishimoto 21-11, 10-21, 21-15 in the Kumamoto Masters final on Sunday.
Naraoka, the world number 10, claimed his first piece of silverware since the China Open in November 2023 after coming through a tough scrap in western Japan.
He took the first game in little time but world number 13 Nishimoto hit straight back to level the match.
Naraoka eventually prevailed after a third-game slugfest, increasing his chances of qualifying for the season-ending World Tour Finals.
Thailand’s world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn was scheduled to play at the Kumamoto Masters but withdrew before the competition began.
His compatriot Ratchanok Intanon won the women’s singles final, beating Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-16, 22-20.
The win gave the number 3 seed her second title of the year, following her victory at the Indonesia Masters in January.
In mixed doubles, Thailand’s top-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran edged French number 2 seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 21-18, 14-21, 21-18.
South Korean top seeds Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae won the men’s doubles title, coming from behind to beat Japan’s unseeded Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita 20-22, 21-11, 21-16.
In women’s doubles, Malaysian top seeds Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan beat Japanese number 4 seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 22-20, 21-19.
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