Conte's return to Juventus starts with boos and ends 0-0

MILAN (AP) — Antonio Conte’s return to Juventus and into a packed stadium started with jeers for the former Bianconeri hero.

It ended 0-0 between Juventus and Conte’s Napoli, which created the better chances on Saturday in Turin.

A third straight goalless draw for Juventus in Serie A ended a run of three wins for Napoli.

Conte, who also played for Juventus for 13 years, led the Bianconeri to the first three of its nine consecutive Serie A titles before leaving in acrimonious circumstances in 2014.

He has been back to Allianz Stadium as coach of Juve’s fierce rival Inter Milan but on all three occasions there were no fans present because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 55-year-old now coaches another Bianconeri enemy. There were loud boos when the Napoli team was read out, and that seemed to increase when Conte’s name was announced.

Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay was given his first start by Conte and he almost broke the deadline in the 29th minute but Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio did well to parry his effort and smother the Romelu Lukaku follow-up.

Di Gregorio did even better in first half stoppage time with a fantastic fingertip save to keep out a Matteo Politano free kick.

Politano almost scored a sublime goal early in the second half. He surged down the right and cut inside but his finish was just over the bar from the edge of the area.

Juve’s best chance came in the 70th when Teun Koopmeiners curled narrowly over the bar.

United States midfielder Gianluca Busio helped Venezia to its first victory of the season, 2-0 over Genoa, which was shaken by a terrible injury to Ruslan Malinovskyi.

The Genoa midfielder sustained a horrific-looking lower-leg fracture early in the second half when he caught his studs on the turf and his right ankle turned under him.

Players put their heads in their hands after seeing Malinovskyi’s foot facing the wrong way.

Busio won a penalty in the 58th when he was bundled over by Genoa defender Koni De Winter. Joel Pohjanpalo’s spot kick was powerful and precise but was fantastically saved by Pierluigi Gollini.

However, Venezia took the lead five minutes later in somewhat fortunate circumstances. Busio put what was definitely a cross into the box but no one managed to get on the end of it and it bounced off the turf and in off the right post.

It was Busio’s second Serie A goal and his first since a stoppage-time equalizer against Cagliari almost three years ago.

Pohjanpalo all but secured the win five minutes from time when he tapped in John Yeboah’s cross at the far post.

Parma scored two goals in stoppage time at Lecce to snatch a 2-2 draw. Both teams finished with 10 men.

Lecce thought it won but former Lecce winger Pontus Almqvist pulled one back in the third minute of stoppage time and Antoine Hainaut headed in the equalizer three minutes later.

Lecce was leading through a first-half goal from Patrick Dorgu when defender Frédéric Guilbert was shown a straight red card for what appeared to be a slap on Parma forward Matteo Cancellieri shortly after the interval.

However, Cancellieri was sent off 10 minutes later for a poor tackle on Dorgu just outside the area as he was sprinting clear on the counter. Nikola Krstović's resulting free kick was deflected in.

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The referee Marco Guida gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Parma at the Via del Mare Stadium in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

Lecce's Patrick Dorgu scores a goal during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Parma at the Via del Mare Stadium in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

Venezia's Joel Pohjanpalo celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Genoa at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, Italy, Saturday Sept. 21, 2024. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

Venezia's Gianluca Busio celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Genoa at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, Italy, Saturday Sept. 21, 2024. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz, left, and Napoli's Mathias Olivera, right, challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse)

Juventus' SSC 'Nicolo' Savona, right, and Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left, challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' head coach Thiago Motta, ight, and Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte, left, before the Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte, left, gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli in Turin, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — With Florida head coach Billy Napier’s job security grabbing the bulk of the attention on Saturday afternoon, the Gators rose to the occasion against Mississippi State.

Graham Mertz passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Florida over Mississippi State 45-28 on Saturday. The win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Gators against FBS opponents.

“It’s good to win on the road in this league and this can be a challenging place to play,” Napier said. “We have more work to do. We won (Saturday), but we are very much a work in progress. We’re not even close to being who we can be and they know that.”

The Gators had 503 yards of total offense and completed 93 percent of their passes with Mertz 19 of 21 for 201 yards and DJ Lagway completing all seven of his throws for 76 yards.

“I think we’re getting the best of both worlds there. Both guys make our team better,” Napier said. “I think this is the best for our team getting both guys involved.”

The Bulldogs defense surrendered a touchdown on all but three drives. The visitors averaged 6.3 yards per carry with 36 rushes for 226 yards. The Gators were 6 of 9 on third downs.

For the third straight week, the Bulldogs dug themselves a first-half hole. After being outscored 55-6 in the first half against Arizona State and Toledo, MSU was behind 28-7 in the first half before getting a touchdown run from quarterback Blake Shapen to trail 28-14.

MSU closed within 28-21 after Shapen found Jordan Mosley for a 13-yard catch in the third quarter, but a fourth-down stop from the 1-yard line at the beginning of the fourth quarter spelled the end for the Bulldogs.

“We’ve got a choice to make, and the choice is up to each and every one of us,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said. “We’re going to wake up in the morning, the sun’s going to come up, we’re going to have breath in our body and we’re going to be thankful for the opportunity. There will be great relief, great energy and great confidence in how the guys are getting coached. I think our guys will respond.”

Shapen led an offense that had 480 yards — to 503 for Florida — and a season-high 240 yards on the ground. He finished 13 of 21 for 140 yards passing and a touchdown and had 12 carries for 32 yards and a score before leaving the game with an apparent injury in the fourth.

Michael Van Buren came in and was 7 of 13 for 100 yards. Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels led the way with 29 combined carries for 178 yards and two scores.

Florida: Billy Napier has a seat hotter than any other coach in the nation and that likely won’t change after the result on Saturday. With a bye week on the way, the intrigue grows for Florida.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are in the middle of a major rebuild and that continues to be more evident each week. State’s defense was nonresistant against a Gators offense that has struggled to score against the two other Power 4 teams they’ve played this season.

Florida: Hosts Central Florida on Oct. 5

Mississippi State: Travels to Texas on Sept. 28

Florida head coach Billy Napier motions to the field judge Phillip Davenport against Mississippi State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore (18) tries to maintain possession of the ball against Florida during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Mississippi State running back Davon Booth (21) celebrates his touchdown run with teammate Mississippi State tight end Justin Ball (84) against Florida during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Mississippi State tight end Cameron Ball (10) attempts to break a tackle against Florida defensive back Trikweze Bridges (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Florida wide receiver Marcus Burke (88) catches a touchdown pass against Mississippi State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Mississippi State running back Davon Booth (21) runs along the sidelines against Florida during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (1) goes airborne against Mississippi State safety Brylan Lanier (3) and Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen (2) looks to pass against Florida defensive end Kelby Collins (11) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Florida wide receiver Marcus Burke (88) reacts after his touchdown catch against Mississippi State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Florida linebacker Matthew Kade (42) and Florida defensive back DJ Douglas (12) react after a play against Mississippi State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)

Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham (8) scores a touchdown against Mississippi State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/James Pugh)