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An immigrant from Sudan struggled with English when she moved to Northern Virginia. Until she entered a Fairfax Co. community college

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

Samar Eltalib Bashir remembers one of her first bus rides in the United States. She had recently arrived in Northern Virginia from her native Sudan and needed to go from her apartment to the grocery store.But the 18-year-old spoke no English.When she climbed onto the bus, she tried to ask the driver if she was on the correct route. But Samar froze, struggling to recall the words she had practiced the night before. When she noticed two passengers mocking her inability to communicate, she quickly took a seat. It was the wrong route, and she got lost.This was not the American arrival that Samar anticipated. At 17, she was submitted by a relative for the Green Card Lottery. Formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa, the program was established to encourage immigration from underrepresented countries. Sudanese citizens have few pathways to immigrate to America. So, when Samar was selected, her father encouraged her.“He believed I could do big things,” Samar recently told me.The bus ...

Without Harbaugh, McCarthy and No. 3 Michigan win third straight against No. 2 Ohio State, 30-24

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — With Jim Harbaugh nowhere in sight, J.J. McCarthy and No. 3 Michigan stared down No. 2 Ohio State and ran the school’s win streak against the Buckeyes to three games with a 30-24 victory on Saturday in maybe the most consequential game in the history of the storied rivalry.Michigan’s Rod Moore intercepted Kyle McCord’s wobbly pass intended for All-American Marvin Harrison Jr. at the Wolverines 21-yard line with 25 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration.McCarthy took a knee, Michigan fans poured over the brick walls of The Big House and onto the field, and the Wolverines (12-0, 9-0) were off to their third straight Big Ten title game. Michigan is a victory away from a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.Ohio State coach Ryan Day fell to 1-3 against the Wolverines as the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1) once again lost the most important game on their schedule.McCarthy went 16 for 20 for 148 yards and a touchdown. If this was the third-year player’s...

Bean returns from injury to help Kansas beat Cincinnati 49-16, snapping two-game skid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jason Bean returned from injury and threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for two more, helping Kansas snap a two-game losing streak with a 49-16 victory at Cincinnati. Bean who was injured two weeks ago in a loss to Texas Tech and missed last week’s loss to Kansas State, passed for 250 yards and rushed for 90. He had touchdown runs of 43 and 50 yards to seal the game in the fourth quarter. “It felt good to get back out there with the boys,” Bean said. “Last week was tough just sitting on the sideline watching. I wanted to come out and make a statement this week.”Devin Neal rushed for 106 yards and two TDs for the Jayhawks (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) who had their first winning season since 2008. “I’m very proud of our guys and their perseverance after losing two (straight) and get a road win to cap the season,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. “It’s a testament to how far this program’s come in a very short two and a half years.” Kansas will learn its next destinati...

Audric Estimé scores 4 TDs, No. 17 Notre Dame routs Stanford 56-23

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Audric Estimé ran for a career-high 238 yards to go with four touchdowns, and No. 17 Notre Dame overcame three first-half turnovers and beat Stanford 56-23 on Saturday.Estimé, the first Notre Dame back to have 200 or more yards on the ground since Dexter Williams in 2018, had scoring runs of 39, 6, 5 and 25 yards in his fifth game this season of 100 yards or more.The 225-pound junior broke the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 18. Allen Pinkett had the mark previously with 17 in 1984. Estimé also moved up six spots to No. 11 on Notre Dame’s all-time list with 2,321 rushing yards.He’ll have at least one more game in a Notre Dame uniform before deciding whether to return for another year in college or head for the NFL.“What a tough, physical, special football player,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “Obviously he’ll have a decision to make after the season on what he’s going to do. He is a special talent that has given Notre Dame ever...

Milton runs for 156 yards and 2 TDs, No. 1 Georgia holds off Georgia Tech 31-23

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Kendall Milton ran for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns and No. 1 Georgia held off Georgia Tech 31-23 on Saturday night to cap its third consecutive undefeated regular season with its sixth straight victory in the state rivalry.Georgia (12-0, No. 1 College Football Playoff) extended its school-record winning streak to 29 games. The Bulldogs have won 19 of the last 22 against Georgia Tech (6-6), but this was more competitive than most recent battles for the Governor’s Cup Trophy.Quarterback Haynes King had two touchdown runs and Jamal Haynes also ran for a score. Eric Singleton Jr. had four catches for 96 yards as the Yellow Jackets gained 363 yards, including 205 on the ground. King’s 5-yard scoring run with 3:46 remaining cut Georgia’s lead to 31-23. Georgia recovered an onside kick and relied on its running game, led by Milton and Daijun Edwards, to run out the clock. Milton’s rushing total set a season high for a Georgia running ba...

NC State jumps to big lead on rival North Carolina and cruises to 39-20 win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Brennan Armstrong threw three touchdown passes while North Carolina State’s defense dominated North Carolina’s Drake Maye-led offense on the way to a 39-20 rivalry win on Saturday night.Kevin “KC” Concepcion had two scoring catches in the latest strong performance for the Wolfpack’s freshman receiver, part of an efficient offense that kept control of the ball while leaving Maye and the Tar Heels’ high-powered attack on the sideline much of the night.Then again, N.C. State (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) was in just as much control on the defensive end en route to a fifth straight win.Maye is a high NFL draft prospect who has been among the nation’s passing and total-offense leaders, while UNC’s Omarion Hampton entered the game tied for the national rushing lead. Yet the Tar Heels (8-4, 4-4) started with little push to match N.C. State’s aggressive “Senior Night” edge, with Maye not completing a pass until early in t...

Iowa State relies on big plays, fourth-down stop for snowy 42-35 win over No. 19 K-State

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Abu Sama III ran through the snow for 276 yards and three touchdowns, Rocco Becht threw for 230 yards and three more scores, and Iowa State held No. 19 Kansas State on fourth down with less than a minute left for a 42-35 victory on Saturday night.The shortest of the Cyclones’ six touchdowns was a tying 33-yard pass from Becht to Jayden Higgins in the fourth quarter, and the longest was a go-ahead 82-yard pass to Jaylin Noel that gave Iowa State (7-5, 6-3 Big 12) the lead with 8:04 to go.In between, Sama had TD runs of 60, 71 and 77 yards while finishing with the third-best rushing performance in school history. And the fleet-footed Noel had another 79-yard TD catch to finish with three grabs for 160 yards and two scores.Kansas State (8-4, 6-3) had a chance to tie the game, twice converting on fourth down while marching inside the Iowa State 20. But on yet another fourth down, Will Howard’s pass to the corner of the end zone with 59 seconds to go fe...

Cincinnati rallies past Union 1-0, will face Crew in Eastern Conference Final

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie defender Yerson Mosquera scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Roman Celentano had four saves and FC Cincinnati set up an all-Ohio Eastern Conference Final with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.Cincinnati (21-5-9) will host the Columbus Crew on Saturday for the right to play in the MLS Cup Final. The Crew beat Orlando City 2-0 in the other semifinal to end a league-record, 16-match winless streak on the road in the playoffs, dating back to 2002.The victory avenges Cincinnati’s 1-0 road loss to Philadelphia (15-10-10) in last season’s semifinal round.The 22-year-old Mosquera’s first postseason goal came with assists from defender Ian Murphy and Álvaro Barreal. Mosquera scored two goals and had one assist during the regular season. Celentano, a rookie last season, saved three shots in the second half for the Supporters’ Shield winners and overall top seed. He has two career shutouts in two ...

Brown sparks South Florida over Charlotte 48-14; Bulls eligible for bowl game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Byrum Brown threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score to help South Florida become eligible for a bowl game by closing out the regular season with a 48-14 victory over Charlotte on Saturday night.Charlotte (3-9, 2-6 American Athletic Conference) grabbed a 7-0 lead on the opening possession of the game when Joachim Bangda’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive. South Florida (6-6, 4-3) pulled even on Brown’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Sean Atkins. The tying score came one play after the 49ers failed to convert on fourth-and-1 at their own 10-yard line. South Florida regained the lead on a trick play when Atkins threw a 62-yard scoring strike to Kelley Joiner midway through the second quarter. The Bulls took a 21-7 advantage into halftime on Brown’s 4-yard touchdown toss to Joiner with 52 seconds left.Brown connected with Jaden Alexis for a 60-yard touchdown and the Bulls took a three-score lead just two plays into the third ...

Errson makes 25 saves, stops all 4 shootout attempts in Flyers’ 1-0 win over Islanders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:41:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Samuel Errson made 25 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped four more attempts in a shootout, Tyson Foerster scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker and the Philadelphia Flyers outlasted the New York Islanders 1-0 on Saturday night.Errson had his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL. He stopped Bo Horvat, Oliver Wahlstrom, Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri in the shootout to help the Flyers snap a two-game skid.Ilya Sorokin made 40 saves for the Islanders for this second shutout of the season.In the shootout, Foerster skated in with speed and fired a shot past Sorokin on the glove side.“Usually after practice I mess around with (Carter Hart) and I do that move quite a bit,” Foerster said. “I was going with that move no matter what.”The Islanders had a scoring chance early on in the 3-on-3 when Simon Holmstrom was left alone in the slot, but the winger fired a wrist shot wide of the net. The Flyers best chance came after a chaotic sequence that ...