Thorne throws for career-high 5TDs and Auburn dismantles UL Monroe 48-14

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Thorne throws for career-high 5TDs and Auburn dismantles UL Monroe 48-14

2024-11-17 06:42 Last Updated At：06:50

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Cam Coleman caught three of Payton Thorne’s career-best five passing touchdowns, and Auburn defeated Louisiana-Monroe 48-14 on Saturday.

Coleman, a freshman and former 5-star recruit, set his season-highs in receptions (eight) and yardage (100). He became the first Auburn player to have three receiving touchdowns in a single game since 2018.

Thorne, who was questionable throughout the week due to a shoulder injury he suffered two weeks ago in a loss to Vanderbilt, threw for 286 yards. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had 104 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Jarquez Hunter added 102 rushing yards.

“I thought it was a pretty dominant performance, with just a small lapse at the beginning of the third quarter by both sides,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. “I was really proud of our kids and our effort. Hopefully, we gained some confidence heading into these last two huge football games that we have.”

The Warhawks were led on offense by Ahmad Hardy, who had 60 rushing yards. Backup quarterback General Booty threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Bibbs on Louisiana-Monroe’s final play of the game.

The Auburn (4-6, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) defense held Louisiana-Monroe (5-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) to 218 yards of offense in the victory.

“Our kids continued to fight,” Louisiana-Monroe head coach Bryant Vincent said. “They continued to battle, and I thought a lot of guys stepped up and made a lot of plays for us. My biggest concern coming out of this game was having enough bodies left to finish our last two conference games.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Louisiana-Monroe: Vincent won five of his first six games with the Warhawks, but they are now in the midst of a four-game losing skid. The ULM offense, which entered Saturday ranked No. 112 nationally in yards per play, continues to struggle moving the ball.

Auburn: While it’s been a disappointing second season for the Tigers under Freeze, the Tigers were able to take care of business without much trouble Saturday. The increased usage of Coleman could be a boost to an inconsistent offense in its final two games against Texas A&M and Alabama.

COLEMAN’S CATCH OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE

Coleman’s third touchdown, which came in the third quarter, was his most memorable. The freshman caught the ball one-handed — behind his head — while getting his elbow down in the end zone for the score.

“I was a little nervous, because I didn’t feel myself getting a foot down,” Coleman said. “But I felt my elbow hit first. Then they started replaying it on the scoreboard, and I was like, ‘Oh, snap... No.’ But then they called it a touchdown, and it was such a good feeling.”

FLAG-FREE

Auburn did not commit a single penalty in the game. According to Auburn’s communications staff, this is the first time the Tigers have finished a game without a penalty since at least 1996.

“I can’t remember ever being a part of a team that had zero penalties,” Freeze said. “I like it that way. I’m thankful that we executed at that level today. That’s certainly not normal.”

UP NEXT

Louisiana-Monroe: At Arkansas State next Saturday afternoon.

Auburn: Hosts No. 15 Texas A&M next Saturday night.

US Open runner-up Fritz back in another big final and faces Sinner again for ATP Finals crown

2024-11-17 06:46 Last Updated At：06:50

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Taylor Fritz is starting to make reaching big finals a habit. He feels like he belongs among the very best players in tennis, too.

The American followed his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Saturday to play for the trophy at the ATP Finals.

“I have believed that I belong, that I’m one of the best players," Fritz said. "It’s not results-based. It’s more I can feel how I’m playing. This week is huge.”

In Sunday's final, Fritz will will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the U.S. Open final. Sinner also beat Fritz in straight sets in the group stage this week.

Sinner advanced with a rapid 6-1, 6-2 win over Casper Ruud.

Fritz became the first American finalist since James Blake lost the 2006 final to Roger Federer. The last American to win the elite eight-man event was Pete Sampras, who beat Andre Agassi in 1999.

“I trust my game and I trust my level and I don’t feel nearly as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been playing the top guys at big events a lot lately,” Fritz said. “I’m getting more comfortable in the moment. I’m really, really confident in my game.”

Fritz came away encouraged from his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Sinner on Tuesday.

“I felt much more comfortable from the baseline. ... I had chances to break him in both sets,” Fritz said. “He had an equal amount of chances, and he took his. He played the big points better than I did. It didn’t feel anywhere near as one-sided as the Open."

Sinner noted that Fritz “played a great match.”

“The difference was just a few points. Tomorrow will be very similar. ... But finals are always different than group matches.”

If Fritz wins the trophy, it will mark an American sweep of the season-ending events after Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals last week.

Fritz’s run in New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final in 15 years. He’s playing at the ATP Finals for the second time. On debut two years ago, he beat Rafael Nadal in his opener and made it to the semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic.

“It’s awesome to come back and already go a step further,” Fritz said. “I’m all about always trying to do better than the year before.”

At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press his “career has always been a very steady progression and just improving a little bit each year.”

It was Fritz’s fourth consecutive victory over Zverev, who replaced Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 in the rankings this week.

“He’s an uncomfortable player for me.” Zverev said. “It’s no secret.”

Fritz also beat Zverev at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, plus the Laver Cup.

Fritz was already assured of finishing the year in the top five for the first time and he’ll rise to a career-high No. 4 on Monday.

Zverev has seen Fritz’s improvement up close — especially on one key stroke: “His forehand used to break down quite a lot. ... I feel like the ratio is a lot more towards winners now.”

It was a matchup of big servers between the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Fritz and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev, and when Fritz broke Zverev for 4-2 in the first set, it marked the first time that Zverev lost a service game in four matches in Turin.

Eventually, though, the match turned into a physical duel from the baseline. Fritz rallied from 0-40 and held his serve for 3-2 in the third after a nine-minute game full of long rallies – winning one such exchange that lasted 30 strokes.

Fritz was then under pressure one service game after another but somehow managed to keep holding.

Fritz got ahead early in the tiebreaker and finished Zverev off with an audacious inside-out forehand winner on his first match point.

Fritz finished with 15 aces to Zverev’s 10 in a match that last 2 hours, 20 minutes.

“I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That’s where I kind of blew it,” Zverev said. “This one will hurt more than the other few.”

Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his U.S. Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.

A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September and a final ruling in the case is expected next year.

Last year, Sinner lost the final to Djokovic, who withdrew injured this year.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis