Florida Sports Wire

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - It began with all the signs of bad afternoon. The national anthem could not be heard over the public address system, but the crowd began to sing the lyrics. A scoreboard sign trying to get the fans to chant “defense” was spelled “defence” – a British spelling maybe foretelling more Jags’ games across the pond. However, it was soon corrected. Then we had the thunderstorm delay – rumored to be the first in Jags’ history – that only yielded some rain sprinkles. It appeared the Jags would have a long day in the season and home opener. However, it resulted in one of the better Jags’ games in recent years as well as one of their better season openers in a 26-10 rout of Carolina. This was an afternoon when the Jags were effective and efficient with the fanfare. They didn’t need Travis Hunter to make any highlight plays on both sides of the ball. A new optimistic feeling has emerged under new head coach Liam Coen after an insecure feel...

JACKSONVILLE – Thanks to a strong start from Robby Snelling and clutch hitting, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp defeated the Memphis Redbirds, 5-2, Tuesday night at VyStar Ballpark. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Jacksonville (82-57, 35-29) took the lead. With two outs on the board, Griffin Conine double on a sharp line drive. The following at bat, Joe Mack (16) cracked a two-run shot, giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 2-1 lead. The Jumbo Shrimp added an insurance run in the fifth. Matthew Etzel and Nathan Martorella started the inning with back-to-back singles. With runners at the corners, Etzel scored on a sacrifice fly from Johnny Olmstead, making it 3-1. Jacksonville padded their lead in the sixth. Jared Serna began the inning with a walk. He stole second, advancing to third on a fielder’s choice. With a runner at third, Mack popped a sacrifice fly, extending the Shrimp’s lead. With the bases empty, Kemp Alderman singled and advanced to second on a pass ball. One batter later, ...

  By Mike Bonts, Jacksonville SportsDay JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Florida Sports Wire)— The Carolina Panthers’ own mistakes on offense hurt them in a 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL regular season opener. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw his 70th career touchdown pass on a six-yard completion to tight end Hunter Long. Lawrence also recorded 19 completions. Carolina QB Bryce Young threw an interception and fumbled in the first half, turnovers that led to 10 Jaguars points. Carolina trailed 10-3 prior to the 76-minute delay because of lightning in the Jacksonville area. Following the weather delay, Travis Etienne Jr. popped a 71-yard run. Three runs later, the Jaguars were in the end zone with a 17-3 lead. Etienne Jr. registered 143 rushing yards. Brian Thomas Jr. also ran for a six-yard score for Jacksonville. The only points for the visitors were on a 48-yard field goal by rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, until Young hit Chuba Hubbard for a touchdown pass i...

JACKSONVILLE -  Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp left-hander Robby Snelling has been named the International League Pitcher of the Month for the month of August, Minor League Baseball announced Thursday. Snelling is the first Jumbo Shrimp player to earn a monthly honor during the 2025 campaign. After starting the season with Double-A Pensacola, Snelling was promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville on July 10 and made three starts that month. During the month of August, the lefty made five starts, totaling 30.0 innings.  He allowed just five runs (three earned) posting a 0.90 ERA and a 3-1 record. Among those five starts, he had two scoreless outings and struck out 38 against just nine walks. Opponents hit just .189 against Snelling. A native of Reno, N.V, the 21-year-old pitcher is in his first full season with the Marlins organization. He was selected in the first round (39th overall) by the San Diego Padres.  During his first professional season, he spent time with Low-A Lake Elsinor...

  JACKSONVILLE – IRONMAN, the global leader in long-distance triathlon, announced today the addition of a new full-distance IRONMAN® triathlon in northeastern Florida to the global circuit. The inaugural edition of the IRONMAN Jacksonville triathlon is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, with a swim, bike, and run course that will take athletes through downtown Jacksonville passing into Duval and Nassau Counties. Located in northeastern Florida, Jacksonville offers a unique blend of warm Florida weather and welcoming southern culture that makes it the perfect venue for a new early season IRONMAN event in North America. General registration for the new event opens on Sept. 22, 2025, at www.ironman.com/races/im-jacksonville. “Jacksonville’s southern charm, welcoming community, and beautiful weather offer the perfect location to bring a new IRONMAN event early in the year,” said Todd Fitzgerald, Regional Director for IRONMAN. “As one of the largest cities by land area ...

  TALLAHASSEE – The No. 14 Florida State football team defeated East Texas A&M 77-3 on Saturday afternoon at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles (2-0) scored a touchdown on their first 10 drives, a first in program history. Florida State scored 77 points for the first time since defeating Delaware State 77-6 in 2017. FSU also tied the program record for its largest margin of victory at 74 points and tied the school record for touchdowns scored in a game with 11.  The Seminoles' 416 yards of offense in the first half is the highest first-half total by any team nationally this season. Florida State ended the game with 729 total yards, its most since totaling 771 against Clemson in 2000. Wide receiver Duce Robinson set single-game career-highs with five receptions, 173 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. His 160 receiving yards in the first quarter broke an FSU record. Running back Gavin Sawchuk found the end zone three times in the first half, totaling 88 yards of offense...

  MIAMI GARDENS. – Playing on a short week after an emotional victory, the Miami Hurricanes returned to Hard Rock Stadium and delivered just the performance they needed. The fifth-ranked Canes were ruthlessly efficient on offense, stingy on defense and controlled the game from start to finish, defeating Bethune-Cookman 45-3 before a crowd of 60,617. Miami improved to 2-0, while BCU fell to 0-2. The Canes racked up 543 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per play and scoring on all five of their red zone trips. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 22 of 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first 15 passes, setting a school record for consecutive completions in a single game; Vinny Testaverde held the previous mark, completing 14 straight passes against Oklahoma in 1986. Both scoring strikes were to wide receiver CJ Daniels, who hauled in five passes for 73 yards. Fellow wideout Malachi Toney paced Miami with six receptions for 80 yards. Running back Mark Fletcher rushed...