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North Carolina survives Appalachian State upset bid as teams combine for most points in FBS game since 2019

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North Carolina survives Appalachian State upset bid as teams combine for most points in FBS game since 2019

North Carolina and Appalachian State started their 2022 seasons with one of the craziest games we’ll see in Week 1. The two teams traded haymakers in a furious back-and-forth over the game’s final minutes before the Tar Heels escaped Boone with a 63-61 victory. 

The 124 combined points are the most scored in an FBS game since UCLA’s 67-63 win at Washington State in 2019, but what made this game particularly unique was how the points were poured on late. Half (62) of the game’s total points came in the fourth quarter, including three touchdowns in the final 22 seconds of regulation. 

The wild finish was foreshadowed by two big swings earlier in the game, with each team building a comfortable lead at various points. Appalachian State went up 21-7 early in the second quarter, but then touted quarterback Drake Maye led three touchdown drives in the final 10 minutes of the first half to give North Carolina its first lead of the game at 28-21. That offensive success for the Tar Heels continued in the third quarter as the lead stretched to 41-21, setting up a series of dramatic and improbable events that unfolded in the game’s final 15 minutes. 

Appalachian State cut the lead to 41-28 on a long and emphatic touchdown drive, then got the ball right back when Maye fumbled on the first play of the ensuing series. The Mountaineers needed just three plays to turn the short field into another touchdown, cutting the lead to 41-35 with more than 10 minutes left to play. The next 3:13 of game time included yet another touchdown for both teams before the first and only punt of the second half gave the ball back to App State with 4:46 left down 49-42. That’s when a 38-yard touchdown run from Camerun Peoples tied the game at 49 with four minutes remaining. 

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North Carolina, as you might expect based on how the game had unfolded to that point, hit yet another splash play with a long touchdown catch-and-run from Maye to D.J. Jones to give the Tar Heels the lead once again at 56-49. 

Then came the most dramatic sequence of the game as Appalachian State scored a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining and elected to go for the 2-point conversion and the lead. However, Chase Brice’s pass sailed high of an open receiver and the failed 2-point try left the Mountaineers down 56-55. 

But the fireworks weren’t over yet. 

Appalachian State’s onside try was returned for a touchdown by North Carolina, which extended the Tar Heels lead to 63-55 but left the door open for Brice to get another crack at a game-tying score. A 47-yard kickoff return by Milan Tucker set Brice up in North Carolina territory. Two long passes later and the Mountaineers were in fact in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 63-61 with nine seconds remaining. 

That’s when heartbreak set in for App State fans, who saw this team get off the mat time and time again. Brice was able to get loose from the pocket on a 2-point try, but was stopped short of the goal line. The first 2-point try was a chance to steal the lead and try to walk it off at home, while the second one was necessary to send the game to overtime. For both attempts to fall short in a game that already included a high level of drama and intensity only adds to the disappointment for a Mountaineers team that outscored its opponent 40-22 in the fourth quarter. 

Beyond the craziness of the game’s final quarter, here are three things to know about the win for North Carolina and what’s next for both teams. 

1. Maye builds his profile as a top ACC QB

Maye completed 24 of 36 passes for 352 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while finishing second on the team in rushing with 76 yards on the ground and another score. In his first two games, the redshirt freshman has 646 yards passing and 9 TDs while completing 72.6% of his passes. The younger brother of former North Carolina basketball player Luke Maye (and son former North Carolina quarterback Mark Maye) is quickly staking his own claim to glory in the hearts and minds of Tar Heel fans, but his performance has exceeded his pedigree. Maye has lived up to the blue-chip projections he had coming out of high school and then some. With star wide receiver Josh Downs missing from Saturday’s win, Maye was challenged to rise to the occasion of leading the offense without its best weapon. That response, especially after facing a 21-7 hole in his first road start, suggests North Carolina is in great hands at quarterback in the post-Sam Howell era. 

2. App State should have no trouble moving on

If the Mountaineers had, say, ULM an easy nonconference game up next, then it would be a valid concern to think this mentally and emotionally exhausting experience would linger and impact their play next week. But the next game for App State is at Texas A&M, which means there’s no time to soak in its sorrows. That tough opponent should allow Shawn Clark’s team to flush this experience and move forward, because the 12th Man and a roster loaded with four- and five-tar talent awaits next week in College Station. 

3. The Tar Heels defense is a liability

The ceiling for North Carolina in 2022 lies with Maye and the offense, and that ceiling is finishing in first place in the ACC Coastal Division with a crack at the ACC Championship Game. However, the floor is determined by the team’s defense, which right now looks like it could be a 6-6 or 7-5 caliber group. This is two straight weeks that an offense from outside the Power Five has moved the ball effectively against a defense that, on paper, has talent but in practice has been worked at the point of attack and beat through the air. It’s a good thing North Carolina can score a lot of points, because it’s looking like it will need to in order to win in 2022. 

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NFL must pay $4.7 billion in damages in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case, jury rules

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NFL must pay $4.7 billion in damages in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case, jury rules

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay nearly $4.8 billion in damages Thursday after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service.

The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million in damages to the commercial class. Since damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could end up being liable for $14.39 billion.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV. The lawsuit claimed the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of Sunday games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.

The NFL said it would appeal the verdict. That appeal would go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then possibly the Supreme Court.

Should the NFL end up paying damages, it could cost each of the 32 teams approximately $449.6 million.

“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the league said in a statement. “We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.

“We will certainly contest this decision as we believe that the class action claims in this case are baseless and without merit.”

The trial lasted three weeks and featured testimony from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

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“Justice was done. The verdict upholds protection for the consumers in our class. It was a great day for consumers,” plaintiffs attorney Bill Carmody said.

During his closing remarks, Carmody showed an April, 2017, NFL memo that showed the league was exploring a world without “Sunday Ticket” in 2017, where cable channels would air Sunday afternoon out-of-market games not shown on Fox or CBS.

The jury of five men and three women deliberated for nearly five hours before reaching its decision.

Judge Philip S. Gutierrez is scheduled to hear post-trial motions on July 31, including the NFL’s request to have him rule in favor of the league because the judge determined the plaintiffs did not prove their case.

Payment of damages, any changes to the “Sunday Ticket” package and/or the ways the NFL carries its Sunday afternoon games would be stayed until all appeals have been concluded.

The league maintained it had the right to sell “Sunday Ticket” under its antitrust exemption for broadcasting. The plaintiffs said that only covers over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.

Other professional sports leagues were also keeping an eye on this case since they also offer out-of-market packages. A major difference though is that MLB, the NBA and the NHL market their packages on multiple distributors and share in the revenue per subscriber instead of receiving an outright rights fee.

DirecTV had “Sunday Ticket” from its inception in 1994 through 2022. The league signed a seven-year deal with Google’s YouTube TV that began with the 2023 season.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2015 by the Mucky Duck sports bar in San Francisco but was dismissed in 2017. Two years later, the 9th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over California and eight other states, reinstated the case. Gutierrez ruled last year the case could proceed as a class action.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris

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US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic team is one of a handful that will supply air conditioners for their athletes at the Paris Games in a move that undercuts organizers’ plans to cut carbon emissions.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said Friday that while the U.S. team appreciates efforts aimed at sustainability, the federation would be supplying AC units for what is typically the largest contingent of athletes at the Summer Games.

“As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA’s performance,” Hirshland said. “In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada and Britain were among the other countries with plans to bring air conditioners to France.

Olympic organizers have touted plans to cool rooms in the Athletes Village, which will house more than 15,000 Olympians and sports officials over the course of the games, using a system of cooling pipes underneath the floors.

The average high in Paris on Aug. 1 is 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). The objective is to keep the rooms between 23-26 degrees (73-79 degrees Fahrenheit). The rooms will also be equipped with fans.

“I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has said about the plans for the Olympics.

According to the International Energy Agency, fewer than 1 in 10 households in Europe has air conditioning, and the numbers in Paris are lower than that. The study said that of the 1.6 billion AC units in use across the globe in 2016, more than half were in China (570 million) and the United States (375 million). The entire European Union had around 100 million.

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The Olympics mark the most important stop on the athletic careers of the 10,500-plus athletes who will descend on Paris, which has led some high-profile countries to undercut environmental efforts for the sake of comfort.

“It’s a high-performance environment,” Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Strath Gordon explained to The Post.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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Panthers outlast Hurricanes in 4th OT in 6th-longest game in NHL history

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Panthers outlast Hurricanes in 4th OT in 6th-longest game in NHL history

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers seemed determined to keep playing. And playing. And playing.

The teams opened their Eastern Conference final playoff series with Florida’s 3-2 victory in four overtimes early Friday, with the game ranking as the sixth-longest game in NHL history.

Matthew Tkachuk’s goal came at the 19:47 mark of the fourth OT to end this one, which marked the 15th four-overtime game in NHL history and the longest game in franchise history for each team.

The longest game in NHL history came on March 24, 1936, when the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in the sixth overtime on Mud Bruneteau’s goal at 116 minutes, 30 seconds of extra play.

Florida’s previous record for longest game was 104:31 in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup final against Colorado. Carolina’s previous record was 114:47 for Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup final.

The only good news for the teams is they had an extended break before this series began. Carolina closed out New Jersey exactly a week earlier, while Florida eliminated Toronto a day later.

But this game ended roughly six hours after Thursday night’s puck drop, and the teams have a Game 2 in less than 48 hours.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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