Bills’ Williams cleared from concussion protocol

September 7, 2016

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Bills safety Aaron Williams was too excited to return to practice for the first time in nearly a month to worry about the potential long-term effects his latest head injury might have on his career."Honestly, it probably does have an effect on the future," Williams said at his locker Tuesday."But am I thinking about that? No. I can't think about that because if I think about it, it's going to happen," he added."I love this game to the bottom of my heart, and would do anything to keep playing."The sixth-year player acknowledged he needs to play smarter to reduce ...

Penn St. to honor Paterno; sparks fury

September 2, 2016

STATE COLLEGE (AP) - Penn State's athletic department on Thursday announced plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first game as coach, a move that sparked backlash on social networks by people critical of Paterno's role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.The university announced plans Thursday to mark the anniversary when the Nittany Lions football team hosts Temple on Sept. 17.Athletic department spokesman Jeff Nelson told The Associated Press that Penn State plans to announce specifics of the commemoration to ticket holders during the week of the game. ...

Steelers drop preseason finale to Panthers

September 2, 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Running back Cameron Artis-Payne made a case for more playing time, rushing for 77 yards on 18 carries, and Graham Gano kicked six field goals as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 18-6 on Thursday night in the final preseason game for both teams. Both teams rested their starters.Artis-Payne, a second-year player from Auburn who is third on the depth chart behind Jonathan Stewart and Fozzy Whittaker, showed a strong burst and toughness. He also caught two passes for 18 yards, making a nifty cutback on one play to elude a defender and pick up a ...

Steelers’ first-round pick Burns eager to make debut

August 31, 2016

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Artie Burns can't wait to make his debut.It has been a long time coming for the Steelers' first-round pick, who was hampered by a nagging quad injury throughout most of training camp, causing him to miss the team's first three preseason games.Burns is healthy and more than ready for his first taste of the NFL during the Steelers' preseason finale Thursday at Carolina."I'm most definitely excited," Burns said. "Everybody's been kind of waiting to see what I can do and I've been waiting to see how I'm going to do out there, so I'm ...

Notre Dame’s Kelly hasn’t decided on QB rotation

August 31, 2016

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Coach Brian Kelly surprised many when he revealed two weeks ago he planned to use both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire at quarterback when No. 10 Notre Dame opens the season at Texas.He hasn't revealed much more than that since then about how he plans to split the playing time.Asked Tuesday if he had decided yet who would take the first snap on Sunday, Kelly said he hadn't "figured that out yet" saying it "may be something that we discuss in the locker room.""It's not really an issue for us right now. It's not something that we've contemplated," he said.For his ...

WVU’s Shell gets last shot at elusive 1,000-yard season

August 31, 2016

MORGANTOWN, WV (AP) Coming out of high school, Rushel Shell arrived at Pittsburgh and was labeled as the next Tony Dorsett.Four years later, Shell gets one last shot at his own name recognition as a senior at West Virginia.Shell is shouldering the Mountaineers' rushing responsibilities following the departure of Big 12 rushing leader Wendell Smallwood, and his quest for an elusive 1,000-yard season starts in Saturday's season opener against Missouri."I want to be that guy like I was in high school," said the 6-foot, 215-pound Shell. "Be the workhorse, getting the ball as many times as ...