Florida Sports Wire

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire The Jaguars’ 28-point playoff game comeback over the Chargers in 2022 still stands as one of their all-time signature wins. Back then, it was seen as Trevor Lawrence’s coming out party as the generational player many expected, and the Jags were ready to reach another level. Unfortunately, Lawrence never reached that level, mainly due to injuries and inconsistencies. In turn, the team took a turn in the opposite direction.  Their last-second 31-28 victory over the Chiefs Monday night may have topped it. And Lawrence once again showed his anticipated potential, and the team is on its way to another level with their 4-1 record. This was one of Lawrence’s finest performances, as he remained poised battling through his share of adversity - his 22nd lost fumble in his career - and never lost his composure and concentration like he has in the past. However, was Lawrence convincing enough to keep pulling the Jaguars out of their state of mediocri...

  LOS ANGELES and PONTE VEDRA BEACH – For the first time since 2008, “The Skins Game,” one of golf’s most celebrated television franchises, will officially return on Black Friday with Prime Video set to exclusively broadcast the special event globally, produced by Pro Shop and Propagate Content in coordination with PGA TOUR Studios. Slated to compete in the relaunched “The Skins Game” are 2025 FedExCup Champion, 2025 Ryder Cup points leader and seven-time DP World Tour champion Tommy Fleetwood, 16-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Thomas, two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and eight-time PGA TOUR winner Keegan Bradley. The foursome —which has combined to win 34 career PGA TOUR events — will compete at the new Panther National in South Florida, the vision of Jack Nicklaus and Thomas in his debut design. Coverage will begin at 9 a.m. ET on Nov. 28 and lead directly into a historic day of live sports for Prime Video, including the third annual Black Friday Football game and a brand-n...

  ORLANDO – (Florida Sports Wire)   Inter&Co Stadium and the United Football League today announced a multi-year partnership that will see the Downtown Orlando venue become the home of the newly unveiled Orlando Storm franchise. “We’re proud to welcome the UFL to Inter&Co Stadium as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering world-class events to our fans and the Central Florida community,” said Jarrod Dillon, Orlando City SC, Orlando Pride and Inter&Co Stadium President of Business Operations. “With over 750,000 visitors last year, Inter&Co Stadium continues to build on its role as a key driver of economic growth in our region, while reinforcing Orlando’s status as one of the best places for sporting events in the nation.” The Orlando Storm will play its home regular season games at Inter&Co Stadium during the 2026 season, which kicks off on March 27. The full 43-game UFL schedule will be announced at a later date. Inter&Co Stadium will join Lynn Fam...

  Florida Sports Wire (Jacksonville) NEW YORK — Fantastic finishes and thrilling comebacks are the norm in the NFL this season, as there have been 24 games to feature a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most-ever through the first five weeks of a season.  Seven teams – Carolina, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Tennessee – accomplished the feat last week, the most in a single week since Week 15, 2022. Last week also featured four teams – Tennessee (18 points), Carolina (17), Denver (14) and Jacksonville (14) – to complete comebacks of at least 14 points and win, tied with Week 13, 2013 for the most 14-point comebacks in a single week in NFL history. Two additional teams – New Orleans (11 points) and Washington (10 points) – completed comebacks of at least 10 points. The six wins by teams after trailing by at least 10 points also ties the most in a single week all-time, with the most recent occurrenc...

NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The IIHF, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), and the global women’s hockey community have come together to reimagine the international calendar, aligning around a shared vision to grow the women’s game and strengthen opportunities for players at every level. As part of this collaboration, the IIHF Women’s World Championship will move to a new November timeslot, in advance of the PWHL season. The revised tournament calendar ensures there will be no clash with the closing stages of the PWHL campaign. It also enables a full World Championship program in Olympic seasons. In addition, a new European Women’s Championship is set to start in April 2027, creating more opportunities for elite international competition, ensuring the development of women players throughout the entire season, and elevating visibility for women’s hockey across Europe. “This was a complex situation to solve and we have reached a landmark moment for women’s hockey,” said IIHF Presid...

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The United Football League (UFL) announced a major step forward in its continued growth, unveiling three new franchises set to debut in the spring of 2026 when the league kicks off its third season.  The new teams will be located in Columbus, Ohio, playing at Historic Crew Stadium, former home of the Columbus Crew of the MLS; Louisville, Kentucky, playing at Lynn Family Stadium, home of the Louisville City FC of the USL and Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL; and Orlando, Florida, playing at Inter&Co Stadium, home of the Orlando City SC of the MLS and Orlando Pride of the NWSL The league also announced updated team names and new venues for two legacy teams; the Arlington Renegades will become the Dallas Renegades when they move to Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas of the MLS, and the Houston Roughnecks will be named the Houston Gamblers when they relocate to Shell Energy Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo FC of the MLS and Houston Dash of the NWSL. “Today mar...

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning announced a variety of exciting special events taking place this Thursday, October 9, as the club kicks off the 2025-26 NHL season, presented by AdventHealth, with a divisional matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Benchmark International Arena. Prior to puck drop at 7 p.m., Bolts fans can enjoy an afternoon packed with the return of the blue carpet walk, electrifying live entertainment, happy hour pre-game specials and more. The afternoon festivities will begin at 3:45 p.m. with the return of the Lightning Blue Carpet Walk as the team will arrive and greet fans on Ford Thunder Alley. Shortly after, Bolts Nation won’t want to miss a FREE pre-game concert on the Ford Thunder Alley stage, featuring local Tampa rock band, Saints of Saturn, from 5-7 p.m. Fans enjoying the festivities can pair the live music with a number of specials during Lightning Happy Hour, also running from 5-7 p.m. and highlighted by $2.50 waters and sodas, $5 beers and seltzers, ...

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire (Photo Courtesy 49ers /  Dylan Goodman The Jaguars’ 3-1 start can mainly be attributed to their defense that has a league-leading 12 turnovers this season. Under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, the Jags’ defense has found new life. Through their first four games, there have been plenty of contributors. Linebacker Devin Lloyd, who is off to a great start, had two picks against the 49ers last Sunday. On offense, though, there is one player who has outshined the others. And it is not Trevor Lawrence, whose game picked up after a slow start in his first three. Travis Etienne. And he is the path to finally fulfill his potential. The 26-year-old tailback is having a banner year as the third-leading rusher in the game with 394 yards and an average of 98.5 per game. His 48-yard touchdown scamper against San Francisco was a key to victory and part of his 124-yard afternoon. Etienne has averaged 6.1 yards on his 65 carries. ...

By Jaxsportsday.com TAMPA - Tampa Bay fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-25, to suffer their first defeat on the season.  Bucs' QB Baker Mayfield completed 22-of-40 passes for 289 yards and two passing touchdowns compared to one interception. With his 289 passing yards, Mayfield surpassed Steve DeBerg (9,439) for the eighth-most passing yards in franchise history. Mayfield’s two passing touchdowns on the day came on a 77-yard completion to WR Emeka Egbuka and a 72-yard completion to RB Bucky Irving, marking the first time in Mayfield’s career that he’s thrown multiple TD passes of 70-or-more yards in a single game. Despite the loss, Tampa Bay remains in first place in the NFC South and has held at least a share of first place in 62 of the last 76 weeks. The loss marks just the second in Tampa Bay’s last eight games against the Eagles, dating back to 2015 season. Tampa Bay's Chase McLaughlin went 3-for-3 on field goal tries on the day, converting from 42, 58, and 65 yards out....

By Mike Bonts, Florida Sports Wire TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Saturday night at Benchmark International Arena. Mitchell Chaffee scored the eventual game-winning goal, coming on the power play at 4:27 of the second period to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead. Chaffee’s goal was his second of the preseason Tampa Bay is now 4-0-0 in the preseason with three games left before the start of the regular season. The last time the Lightning opened the preseason 4-0-0 was the 2013-14 preseason. They have never opened a preseason with a 5-0-0 record. Ozzy Wiesblatt scored the lone Nashville goal. Wiesblatt tipped in a Fedor Svechkov shot into the twine in his first preseason game  Darren Raddysh scored the game-opening goal at 5:34 of the first period, marking his first goal of the preseason…He also picked up an assist on Hagel’s power-play marker...He rated +2 and led Bolts skaters for time on ice (22:20). Raddysh led all Lightning skaters for po...

Photo Courtesy Las Vegas Review-Journal Alex Wright,  Las Vegas Review-Journal LAS VEGAS - Jacob Berry's   walk-off two-run home run to right-center field, and the Jumbo Shrimp defeated Las Vegas 8-7 to win the Triple-A title in front of a sellout crowd at Las Vegas Ballpark. “Sometimes it works — it worked out a lot today — and sometimes it doesn’t,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “It’s just a shame. My heart hurts for the 28 players and the organization and the 10,000 fans that showed up and really were outstanding, especially in the ninth inning.” Las Vegas (85-68), the PCL champion, gave its crowd plenty to cheer for in the ninth. Trailing 6-2, the Aviators got a leadoff single from Daniel Susac and pinch hitter Luke Mann followed with a walk. Denzel Clarke singled to score Susac and a Nick Martini groundout brought home Mann to cut the deficit to 6-4. That brought up Bryan Lavastida who swung at the first pitch he saw and crushed a three-run homer to the pool in righ...

By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire For the first time in three seasons, the Jaguars’ defense has gained respectability. (See the offensive issue down below.) They’ll head into San Francisco late Sunday afternoon allowing 17 points per game, which is the league’s fifth best. Their 292 total yards is the 10 th best overall, 209.3 passing (17 th ) and a paltry 82 rushing (fourth). First=year coordinator Anthony Campanile has the Jags among the league’s elite, and they’ll playing like it. Granted, they’ve faced three losing teams, but the Jags’ defense is looking confident and composed. The unit will get a major test facing the 49ers, who likely will be without tight end George Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy, and they’ll likely be reunited with former teammate Mac Jones, who has done his share to help them to a 3-0 record. Still, the signs point to the defense to have another stellar day. Overcoming the Texans’ jinx last week should have been enough to keep them over the t...

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp evened the ILCS with a 6-4 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Wednesday night.  Tied at two, Jacksonville (1-1) took the lead in the bottom of the third and never looked back. With two outs, Kemp Alderman (1) and Matthew Etzel (1) crushed back-to-back homers giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 4-2 lead. The Jumbo Shrimp added to their advantage in the bottom of the fourth. Jared Serna led off with a single and stole second. Three batters later, Victor Mesa Jr. drove in Serna with a base hit, extending the advantage to 5-2. The RailRiders (1-1) closed the gap in the top of the sixth. With one out, Andre Velazquez singled and Jorbit Vivas (1) clobbered a two-run homer, cutting the deficit to one, 5-4. Jacksonville padded their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Etzel started the frame with a double and stole third. Two batters later, Etzel scored on a wild pitch giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 6-4 lead. Jacksonville and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre co...

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have reduced their training camp roster by 10 today, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced today. Tampa Bay now has 53 players remaining on the team’s roster. The following players have been assigned:  Player/ Assigned to Baldwin, Everett/ Saint John (QMJHL) Czata, Ethan/ Niagara (OHL) Foster, Aiden/ Prince George (WHL) Golicic, Jan/ Gatineau (QMJHL) Heil, Caleb/ Madison (USHL) Mignosa, Marco/ Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) O’Reilly, Sam/ London (OHL) Pitre, Kaden/ Flint (OHL) Spada, Grant/ Guelph (OHL) Additionally, Maddox Labre was released from the training camp roster and will report to Victoriaville (QMJHL).

JACKSONVILLE - Despite Robby Snelling’s eight strike outs, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell 5-4 in 10 innings to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in game one of the International League Championship Series at VyStar Ballpark. Locked in a four to four tie game, Scranton/Wilkes Barre (1-0) started the 10th inning with Andrew Velazquez as a zombie runner at second. In the ensuing at bat, J.C. Escarra whacked an RBI double to score Velazquez, making it 5-4. The Jumbo Shrimp (0-1) scored first in the third inning as Jack Winkler singled on a ground ball to start the frame. In the next at bat, Victor Mesa Jr. smacked an RBI double scoring Winkler.  Two batters later, Joe Mack doubled plating Mesa Jr., giving Jacksonville the early 2-0 lead. The RailRiders responded in the fourth. With one out, Spencer Jones was hit by a pitch then Jose Rojas singled, putting runners at first and second.  One batter later, T.J. Rumfield (1) swatted a three-run home run to take the lead, making...

  ORLANDO – The UCF Athletics community is deeply saddened to announce the passing of offensive line coach Shawn Clark. Coach Clark, 50, passed away Sunday evening at a local hospital unexpectedly, with his wife, Jonelle, by his side. He was admitted on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after experiencing a medical emergency and remained in stable condition before passing away last night. “Shawn was so much more than a coach. He was a remarkable man, husband, and father who cared deeply about his players and staff,” said UCF head coach Scott Frost. “The reaction of our players and coaches to the news this morning is a testament to Shawn’s character and the impact he had on every life that he touched. He was loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jonelle, and children, Giana and Braxton. We are here to support them and will continue to keep them in our hearts and prayers.” A veteran coach with more than two decades of experience, Coach Clark joined UCF in December 2024 following a succ...

CORAL GABLES - Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. has been named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for the second time this season following his dominant performance in the Hurricanes’ 26-7 victory over Florida on Sept. 20 at Hard Rock Stadium. Bain anchored a Miami defense that limited the Gators to just 141 total yards, their fewest in a game since 1999. Florida also failed to reach 10 points for the first time since 2022, scored 10 or fewer in consecutive games for the first time since 1989, and went 0-for-13 on third down, marking its worst third-down performance since 1998. Bain turned in one of the best outings of his career. The Miami native totaled 10 quarterback pressures, seven tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks, earning a stellar 93.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade. Hiss constant presence in the backfield fueled a defensive effort that resulted in three sacks, seven tackles for loss and one interception, while holding Florida to just seven points. Behind Bain an...

TALLAHASSEE – Redshirt freshman wide receiver Micahi Danzy earned ACC Player of the Week honors Monday after his breakout performance Saturday vs. Kent State. Danzy, from Tallahassee, was named ACC Rookie of the Week after recording 176 total yards on just three touches in FSU’s 66-10 win over the Golden Flashes. For the season, Danzy is averaging 33.2 yards on nine touches. On three consecutive drives in the first quarter, Danzy had highlight-worthy plays. Danzy caught a 47-yard pass deep over the middle between two defenders that began an FSU touchdown drive and followed that up with a 65-yard catch-and-run that set up another FSU touchdown. The two catches were the longest of Danzy’s career. The following drive, Danzy scored on a 64-yard run, his third of the season and longest career rush. Danzy became the first player in Florida State history with a 60-yard run and 60-yard reception in the same game. Danzy’s 112 receiving yards were a career high, his first 100-yard receiving gam...

PHOTO BY JAMES BRADY/Florida Sports Wire A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the early games Sunday, Sept. 21, the third week of the 2025 season. With two games remaining in Week 3, eight games were within one score in the fourth quarter and seven games were decided by one score (eight points or fewer), all by teams – Cleveland, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Tampa Bay – that recorded the game-winning score in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. The seven games with a game-winning score in the final three minutes of regulation or in overtime ties for the most such games in a single week since 1970 (most recently: Week 15, 2022). Tampa Bay is the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to record a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarterback in each of its first three games of a season. The Buccaneers are also the third team since 1970 to record a game-winning score in t...

PHOTO BY JIM BRADY/Florida Sports Wire By JEFF MOELLER, Florida Sports Wire   Maybe it was a sign. In the final five minutes, there was a collective sigh at EverBank Stadium Sunday and likely if you were watching at home. In a 10-10 game, Houston had the ball, and they were driving into Jacksonville territory for a potential game-winning score. It had all the making of another game that would slip away from the Jaguars, especially after it happened to them last week in Cincinnati. The season – and any thought of a postseason – was on the brink with a defeat that would leave them at 0-3. And this was Houston, who made Everbank Stadium their own Disneyworld with seven straight victories there. However, the Jags got a reprieve from what can save them this season –their defense. Tyson Campbell forced a fumble and Devin Lloyd recovered, and the Jags had a life again. Trevor Lawrence, who threw a costly interception that led to Houston’s tying score and had a mediocre afternoon despite s...

NORFOLK, V.A. – Jack Winkler reached base twice, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell in the regular season finale to the Norfolk Tides, 4-1, Sunday from Harbor Park. Norfolk opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Reed Trimble singled to begin the inning. Three batters later, Ryan Noda walked. With runners at first and second, Silas Ardoin smacked an RBI single, making it 1-0. Terrin Vavra laced an RBI single, extending the Tides lead to 2-0. Jacksonville responded in the top of the fourth. With one out, Winkler singled and stole second. One batter later, Bennett Hostetler blooped an RBI single, cutting the Shrimp’s deficit in half, 2-1. The Tides extended their lead in the sixth. Noda was hit by a pitch and Ardoin walked to start the frame. Both runners advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt. With two runners in scoring position, Noda scored from third on an RBI groundout from Jud Fabian, making it 3-1. Leading by two in the eighth, Gary Sánchez walked and Noda wa...