The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best linebacker units in college football, even if many of the national analysts don't give them the respect they deserve. On Thursday, Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke were named to the Butkus Award watch list.The Butkus Award is given out to the best linebacker in the country. The Sooners are tied for the most all-time with four but haven't won the award since Teddy Lehman took home the Butkus in 2003. Rocky Calmus won it in 2001. Brian Bosworth is the only two-time recipient of the award, winning it in 1985 and 1986. Lewis and Heinecke are entering their final year with the Sooners after huge seasons for Oklahoma's defense in 2025. Lewis led the Sooners with 76 total tackles. He also had 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass breakups, and 21 total pressures. Heinecke was second on the team with 74 total tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He also had three sacks and four pass breakups. The duo is one of the more dynamic linebacker pairs in the country, making plays against the run, the pass, and putting pressure on the quarterback. Part of what makes the Oklahoma defense so good is what Lewis and Heinecke bring to the table at the second level of the defense. And they'll be a big reason why the Sooners are one of the best defenses in the country in 2026. Heinecke, Lewis Butkus Award Watch List https://t.co/Oek0Nu0Rdnpic.twitter.com/kVlwBPs5Wx Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 13, 2026Contact/Follow us@SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Pair of Sooners named to Butkus Award watch list

The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Green Bay Packers in both teams' NFL preseason opener Thursday, Aug. 13 at Acrisure Stadium. The game will be Mike McCarthy's first as coach of his hometown team. He was hired to replace Mike Tomlin in January.Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not expected to play much, if at all. That will open the door for backups Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar to see extended action.The latter two will be making their NFL debuts. Howard was drafted in 2025 after winning the national championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes but missed the entire preseason because of injury. Allar is a rookie whom the team spent a third-round NFL draft choice on this past spring; he guided Penn State to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in 2024 but struggled through six games before losing the rest of his senior season to injury in 2025.MORE: 5 things to watch in Steelers' preseason opener vs PackersFans will be curious to see whether either can step up as a potential successor to Rodgers, who's announced plans to retire at the end of 2026. Other rookies expected to see their first meaningful action include second-round pick Germie Bernard; third-round picks Gennings Dunker and Daylen Everette; and fourth-round pick Kaden Wetjen. McCarthy said earlier in the week that first-round pick Max Iheanachor was unlikely to see action because of an injury sustained in practice last week.USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Steelers-Packers matchup tonight. All times are Eastern.Steelers vs. Packers live scoreTeamQ1Q2Q3Q4FPackersSteelersSteelers vs. Packers live updatesSteelers vs. Packers time, TV info04:00 PM ET, August 13 2026, Adam BittnerTime: 7 p.m. ETLocation: Acrisure Stadium, PittsburghTV info: KDKA-TV or CBS affiliates locally; NFL Network nationallyStreaming: Steelers.com or NFL+Kickoff is expected shortly after 7 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. Bob Pompeani and Charlie Batch will be on the call. Viewers withing the Steelers TV market can watch the game on the KDKA-TV flagship or local CBS affiliate. National viewers can find it on NFL NetworkThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers vs Packers live updates: TV info, live stream, odds for preseason game

NEWARK, Del., Aug. 14, 2026 — The global Endoscopic Imaging Service Market is expanding as hospitals and specialty-care providers increase spending on imaging procedures, equipment maintenance, interpretation support, and service coverage designed to protect endoscopy capacity. According to Future Market Insights (FMI), the market is projected to grow from USD 1,100.8 million in 2026 to...

NEWARK, Del., Aug. 14, 2026 — The global Endoscopic Imaging Service Market is expanding as hospitals and specialty-care providers increase spending on imaging procedures, equipment maintenance, interpretation support, and service coverage designed to protect endoscopy capacity. According to Future Market Insights (FMI), the market is projected to grow from USD 1,100.8 million in 2026 to...

EXCLUSIVE | Chris Waddle: Ive never known football fanatics like the Marseille fansSpeaking exclusively to Get French Football News, former England star and Olympique de Marseille legend Chris Waddle reminisced about his time in France, the expectations of the club today and whether more English youngsters should try their hand abroad.You know as well as anyone that Marseille is a crazy city and club. Can you describe what your experience there was like and what makes them both so special?Moving to Marseille was a shock to my system.I was quite happy at Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, the club agreed a fee to sell me but it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.At the time I was a little bit nervous. Id heard Marseille was a fanatical football city. I called Glenn Hoddle up at Monaco and he told me what it was like, he said theyre really passionate fans who live for their football.The chairman at the time was a bit direct and wanted to win everything and as much as you go into these things with eyes open I was thinking to myself, whats going to happen here?My first problem was obviously the language. I couldnt speak French and that was a massive problem and also the heat was unbelievable. I was down on my fitness when I arrived too. It had been our pre-season break at Tottenham but Marseille had already been back for two or three weeks so they were ready to go. I signed a week before the first league game, Lyon away. They basically tried to put an entire pre-season through my body in about five days and that was never going to work, but they wanted me to be available for that first game.I probably needed another two or three weeks, to be perfectly honest, to get my fitness up to where I needed it to be, but they brought us on as a sub in that first match and we won 4-0 against Lyon, who were a big rival at the time. I came on at half-time and I enjoyed it but I think it was my enthusiasm and adrenaline that got me through it. I started the next game and I definitely wasnt ready to do that. I wasnt fit enough. I told them that but because Id cost the club a lot of money they wanted me to play.Ive never known football fanatics like the Marseille fans. They live and breathe their club.For me, it was like moving to a fantasy island. It was the experience of my career. I knew Newcastle United growing up as a fan and playing for them, and they had fanatical fans. Tottenham Hotspurs fans were hardcore. Sheffield Wednesday had great support too.Marseille were Marseille. You drove two hours outside of the city and all you saw were Marseille shirts and even when you travelled around the country, up to Lens or Lille or Le Havre, wherever you went, there were thousands and thousands of Marseille fans. They had a huge following all over France.People over here dont realise how big of a club they are, and for me thats why they are so frustrating because theyre always so up and down. Theyre like being in a lift where one minute youre at the top floor and all of a sudden youre heading down to the basement but thats the way its always worked with Marseille.If you look at the history of the club, theyve always been up and down, successful and then not successful at all. I was very fortunate to catch them at the right time and I know we didnt win the Champions League, which was our goal, but we won the title three years in a row, and thats not easy. We did get to the semi-finals of the Champions League only to be knocked out by a handball, which isnt an excuse but we should have beaten Benfica and we should have beaten Red Star Belgrade too the year after when we got a little bit over-confident. We went out to Sparta Prague one year when we went over there to play in a blizzard but we were too complacent.I look back at my time at Marseille as one of the most wonderful times in my life.Last season was yet another one of crisis and implosion for OM. They have a pretty serious coach now but it looks like the actual playing staff is still a bit up in the air with the likes of Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving. What do you think of their chances of challenging Paris Saint-Germain, or at least getting a Champions League place, this season?Marseille are a big club and that means qualifying for the Champions League has to be the goal. Its going to be tough to knock PSG off the top of the league. That is a massive challenge.The way I see it, PSG are only getting stronger. They sell one player and they bring in one thats even better, and theyre all quality players as it is, and theyve got that winning mentality now. Theyve won the Champions League two years in a row. Theyll probably win it for a third time this season, lets be honest. Theyve been the best team in Europe for two years now, not just the best team in France.If Marseille want to overtake PSG theyll have to spend 300 million, 400 million, 500 million or maybe more and they havent got that sort of money, we know that, but if they can finish second, as Lens did last season, they will have done well. Look at Lens though. Theyre going to have to sell their players now, go away and come back again. You arent going to give PSG a run for their money over the long period.I dont think anyone can get near them, not even Marseille, and if it was any other club I think Marseille fans might be a little bit more relaxed over the situation but its PSG. They absolutely hate PSG, and the fans in Paris hate Marseille. That makes it intolerable for Marseille fans to always have to finish behind the one team you never want to finish behind, let alone see them winning trophies. It just adds fuel to the fires of frustration around Marseille as a club.I believe your first OM goal was the cheeky backheel against PSG. Can you describe what the OM-PSG rivalry is like and how it ranks with the English derbies youve experienced, like the North London or Sheffield derbies?Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans hate each other. Newcastle United and Sunderland fans do too. Its the same with Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. The difference is that they live and work together, they go to school together, they drink in the same pubs together.Paris and Marselle are an hour away from each other on a plane. Its two cities and its all about the history, the politics and the rivalry between them both wanting to be the capital of France, and they do not like each other, city-to-city. Its just something that is completely different. Its not a derby on the map as we know it. Its a derby built on pure history and regional hatred.When you went to France it was still pretty rare for English players to go abroad. There seem to be a lot more now. How did you benefit from it and do you think it is something that more young English players should be open to?I think its always good for players to go out there and learn about the world and see other ways of playing the game, but football has changed a lot. When I went to Marseille, it was like Id moved into a different game. Its still a different game between countries today but not like how it was. Its much more accessible now but the Premier League is still quite physical and demanding on the legs compared to what you see abroad in Italy, Spain, France or wherever.What I found in France was that the weather conditions dictated a lot how we played, more than it did in England. There was a strategy to games to take greater care of the ball, especially in the heat. In England, it didnt matter what the weather was like, we were always playing it direct down the channels to get defenders turning, get in behind, and win those corners and throw-ins.When I went to Marseille and we got a throw-in or a corner, the players werent interested. They wanted to keep it in play, although obviously set pieces matter a lot more now even outside of England. It just wasnt a big part of the game in France at the time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience of playing football a different way.My first three months at Marseille were really hard work getting fit, getting used to the language, getting used to the heat, and getting used to the football and a different style of play, but after three months I really enjoyed myself.To see the current generation of English players going abroad can only be a positive. If youre at a club where youre not getting the games you want, and you have a bit of technical quality about you, I think you should look at what else is out there for you, playing abroad.I was brought up as a player who wanted to go out there and create something and entertain people and for me there was nothing better than playing in another league, in another country. I found it easier to play my game abroad than play that way in the UK, Ill tell you that.Chris Waddle was speaking exclusively to Get French Football News courtesy ofSnabbareGFFN | Jeremy Smith

MIAMI (AP) Braxton Ashcraft threw a complete-game three-hitter, Rafael Flores had a pair of three-run homers and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 13-1 on Thursday.Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez also went deep for the Pirates, who snapped a three-game skid. Pittsburghs Jake Mangum went 3 for 4 with three runs scored.Ashcraft (12-5) struck out 10 and walked one in his 85-pitch outing. The right-hander, who was aided by three double plays, faced the minimum until Owen Caissie homered to lead off the ninth.Ashcraft became the first Pirate to throw a nine-inning complete since Mitch Keller against the Los Angeles Angels on May 26, 2024. He also was the first Pirate to complete a game under 100 pitches since Ivan Nova accomplished the feat against Miami on April 29, 2017.The Pirates' Nick Gonzales had a walk and two singles. His two singles increased Gonzales multi-hit games to a major league-leading 48.The Pirates broke through with a two-run fifth off Tyler Phillips (3-6). Mangum hit a leadoff triple and scored on a balk by Phillips. Triolo followed with his second homer of the season. Triolo went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored.A video review confirmed Triolos homer after the Marlins appealed that his drive bounced off and over the wall instead of center fielder Jakob Marsees glove.Pittsburgh added to its lead in the sixth. Reliever Cade Gibson inherited two runners and walked Gonzalez, then hit Mangum with the bases loaded. Triolo followed with a two-run single to make it 5-0.Flores broke it open for the Pirates with a drive off reliever John King in the eighth. Miami position player Javier Sanoja pitched the ninth and allowed Gonzalezs two-run drive and Flores second three-run blast.Phillips gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.Up nextPirates: RHP Bubba Chandler (5-8, 4.26 ERA) will start the opener of a three-game home series against Boston on Friday. The Red Sox will go with LHP Jake Bennett (7-5, 3.17 ERA).Marlins: RHP Sandy Alcantara (13-6, 3.52) gets the start on Friday, when Miami opens a three-game series at Cincinnati. RHP Chase Burns (13-2, 2.61) will start for the Reds.___See APs full MLB coverage here

Updating a previous report, Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson will be the starting quarterback for the preseason game Saturday, Aug. 15. QB Shedeur Sanders is scheduled to start the second preseason game.SOURCE:ESPN - Adam SchefterHuddle Up:There have been some reports that indicated that Watson may be in the lead for the job, but head coach Todd Monken is unlikely to make a decision in the near future. Both Watson and Sanders can be considered No. 2 fantasy quarterbacks.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Browns QB Deshaun Watson to start preseason opener

PSG and FC Barcelona reach agreement on Ferran Torres transferParis Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona are reported to have reached an agreement for the transfer of Ferran Torres (26), according to Lquipe. The reigning double European champions are therefore expected to finalise the Spaniards move shortly for a fee of 50m.Having already agreed to join PSG several days ago, Torres is set to sign a five-year contract, running until 2032. In doing so, he will become the clubs fourth signing of the summer, following Alessandro Longoni (18), Lucas Digne (33) and Maghnes Akliouche (24).Having come through the ranks at Valencia CF, Torres left Spain to join Manchester City in the summer of 2020. Returning to La Liga two years later, he has since played for Barcelona, for whom he has made over 200 appearances in all competitions scoring 65 goals and providing 23 assists and with whom he has won several titles, including three league titles.A Spanish international with 65 caps, Torres made history by scoring the only goal in the last World Cup final, securing a second World Cup title for La Roja.GFFN|Lo Aschi

New Orleans Saints WR Jordyn Tyson left practice with an apparent leg injury and did not return on Thursday, Aug. 13.SOURCE:NFL.comHuddle Up:Tyson projects to be the Saints' WR1 of the future, but he remains behind Chris Olave at this junction. Tyler Shough has not shown the production to make him their WR2 a significant fantasy piece, but Tyson could be an interesting flex play in deeper leagues.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Saints WR Jordyn Tyson leaves practice with injury

In today’s digital world, online entertainment has become a popular way for people to relax and enjoy their free time. Users often look for platforms that are simple to access, easy to understand, visually appealing, and filled with different entertainment choices. B52Club is designed around these expectations, offering a modern online environment with a variety of games and convenient...