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Pitt running back Rodney Hammond’s strange senior season — which began with him being ruled ineligible by the program days before kickoff of the season opener and proceeded with his reinstatement five weeks later — has ended, head coach Pat Narduzzi announced on Monday afternoon. Hammond did not travel with the team for its Week 13 contest at Louisville this past weekend and Narduzzi said it was because Hammond intends to redshirt and preserve his final year of college eligibility. Hammond has appeared in four games this season. If he had played in one more, he would be ineligible for a redshirt year, and his collegiate career would be over. “Rodney would like to redshirt. I’m going to grant his wishes,” Narduzzi said. “Would I like him to play? Yeah. But he’s got to do what he’s got to do, and everybody has got to make a business decision, and I’ll make a business decision, as well, at times.” Narduzzi added that Hammond has not informed the team of whether he intends to stay in Pittsburgh or enter the transfer portal when it officially opens on Dec. 9. “That’s the last thing I’m worried about,” Narduzzi said. “I’m worried about our football team that’s playing right now.” Hammond could have been a useful piece for the Panthers, whose ranks at running back have thinned in recent weeks. Daniel Carter, the team’s third-leading rusher behind quarterback Eli Holstein, is out for the season after suffering a grisly leg injury against Clemson, and there is limited experience elsewhere on the roster. True freshman Juelz Goff and junior Derrick Davis Jr. are the backups to Reid now that Hammond and Carter won’t be able to play this weekend. Hammond was declared ineligible on Aug. 30, roughly 24 hours before the Panthers opened the 2024 season against Kent State at Acrisure Stadium. He was Pitt’s leading rusher during the 2023 campaign and has accounted for just 45 total yards on 14 rushes and receptions during his limited action in 2024. The starting job that Hammond took over last season was claimed by Reid, the Western Carolina transfer who has become Pitt’s best playmaker this year. The 5-foot-9 and 175-pound Reid has rushed for 797 yards and four touchdowns and is currently the Panthers’ leading receiver with 47 catches for 564 yards and four more touchdowns. The transfer portal was a hot topic during Narduzzi’s weekly Monday press conference as he and the team look forward to the regular season finale against Boston College. Pitt won seven games in a row to open the season and climbed to as high as 18th in the AP poll and College Football Playoff rankings before dropping four straight contests in November. With the opening of the transfer portal and national signing day so close to the end of the season, players will have to make quick decisions about their futures. However, Narduzzi is working hard to keep his team focused on Boston College in the meantime. Players will make their decisions about where to play football next year when that time comes, but for now, Pitt has at least one more game to play before the portal begins to siphon pieces from rosters around the country. “That’s going to happen either way. You’re going to have to deal with the portal. Not really worried about it,” Narduzzi said. “I think our guys in here are pretty happy. The ones that aren’t — hey. But we feel pretty good about that.” DL gains one veteran, loses another There weren’t many positives to take away from Pitt’s 37-9 loss at Louisville last Saturday, but it did feature the return of a veteran defensive lineman who was thought to be out for the season. Sixth-year senior Nate Temple saw his first game action of the season after suffering a knee injury in preseason training camp. Temple had been slowly ramping up during practices over the latter half of the season. The reward for working hard to get “way ahead” of his scheduled recovery time, as Narduzzi put it, was 16 snaps on Saturday night and perhaps another year of eligibility. “He’s still rusty and raw, but that will come with time,” Narduzzi said. “It was good to have Nate back. He’s got a motor. He cares. And I love his attitude.” Still, Narduzzi had some bad news to share about one of his senior defensive linemen. Defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, a Pittsburgh native who transferred in from Youngstown State this offseason, hasn’t played since the season opener after suffering what Narduzzi called a “scary” back injury in practice the following week and won’t return this season. Johnson had been using a walker but is now able to move on his own. The program is looking into getting him a medical waiver and more eligibility, but Narduzzi can’t say for sure if that will be possible. “He’s getting better now, thank God. ... He’s back moving around pretty good,” Narduzzi said. “But my heart goes out to Anthony — just another one of those injuries. I don’t think he’s got another year left. We’ll still have to look at that.” While Johnson’s ailment isn’t new, it’s one part of a constantly growing injury report that Pitt has dealt with during the second half of the season.CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic scored in the first half, and the LA Galaxy won their record sixth Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. After striking twice in the first 13 minutes of the final with goals from their star forwards, the Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league’s biggest trophy for the first time since 2014. MLS’ struggled through most of the ensuing decade, even finishing 26th in the 29-team league last year. But the Galaxy turned everything around this season with a high-scoring new lineup that finished second in the Western Conference and then streaked through the playoffs with a whopping 18 goals in five games to win another crown. Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose improbable charge through the playoffs ended one win shy of its first Cup championship. With the league's youngest roster, New York fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win MLS' playoff tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz. Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons. He was the MVP of the 2022 MLS Cup Final for the Galaxy's crosstown rival, Los Angeles FC. The Galaxy won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season long, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the Western Conference final. Puig watched the game in a suit, but his teammates hadn't forgotten him: After his replacement, Gastón Brugman, set up LA's opening goal with a superb pass, Paintsil held up Puig's jersey to their fans during the celebration. Paintsil put the Galaxy ahead in the ninth minute when he ran onto that sublime pass from Brugman and pounded home his 14th MLS goal — including four in the playoffs — in the Ghanaian forward's outstanding first season. Just four minutes later, Joveljic sprinted past four New York defenders and chipped home the 21st goal of his outstanding year as the Galaxy's striker. Nealis got New York on the scoreboard in the 28th minute when he volleyed home a ball that got loose in LA's penalty area after a corner. The Galaxy's usually shaky defense gave up another handful of good chances before reaching halftime with a tenuous lead. The second half was lively, but scoreless. Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, while Gabriel Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus nearly converted chances a few moments later. The ball got loose again in the Galaxy's penalty area in the third minute of extra time, but two Red Bulls couldn't finish. The Galaxy bench rushed onto the field and prematurely celebrated a victory in the seventh minute of injury time, only to be herded back off for another 30 seconds of play. The Galaxy finished 17-0-3 this season at their frequently renamed suburban stadium, where the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the final included several robust cheering sections of traveling Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based club’s breakthrough on MLS’ biggest stage. The Galaxy’s Greg Vanney became the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two clubs. The former Galaxy player also won it all with Toronto in 2017. The club famous for employing global stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández rebuilt itself this season with lesser-known young talents from around the world. The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and the Ghanaian Paintsil out of Belgium, and the duo combined with incumbent Serbian striker Joveljic to form a potent attack that could outscore almost any MLS opponent. But the Galaxy also relied heavily on Puig, their Catalan catalyst and one of MLS’ best players. Puig stayed in last week's game after injuring his knee, and he even delivered the decisive pass to Joveljic for the game’s only goal. ___ AP soccer:Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time

Brutal Attack on Opposition Members and TV Pirveli Crew as Repression IntensifiesChris Cenac Jr., the top center in the Class of 2025 according to the ESPN100, has committed to play for the Houston Cougars. The five-star recruit announced his decision Tuesday via the Bleacher Report's B/R App. Cenac previously said he wouldn't make his decision until the spring, but his stock soared over the summer after his impressive play on the Puma Pro 16 circuit with Dallas-based YGC, vaulting him into the national top-10 rankings. The 6-foot-10 New Orleans native was reportedly choosing between LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee and others before making the decision to join Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson's team. "I just like the coaching staff a lot, I like their plan to develop me and I like coming into a winning program," Cenac told 247Sports. "I'm looking forward to producing and just helping them win more. But the main thing was development and them being able to get me better so I can be ready for that next level." Cenac's rating of .9978 by 247Sports Composite makes him the Cougars' highest-rated commit in the modern era, according to multiple outlets. "They see me as a four who can kind of play all over the court and do everything," Cenac told 247Sports. "I can get rebounds, push the ball, shoot and play all over the floor." With Cenac joining other Houston commits like five-star shooting guard Isaiah Harwell, four-star point guard Kingston Flemings and three-star wing Bryce Jackson, Houston's Class of 2025 is ranked No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports and ESPN. --Field Level Media