UW and Nebraska face off in Lincoln this weekend for the first time as conference foes. The long and storied history between the two teams stretches exactly 101 years and two weeks to the day between the very first match up in 1925 and this Saturday's game. That shared history primarily revolves around the four games played during the 1990s when both programs were at their peak. The 1991 game featured a furious second half comeback in Lincoln that built the momentum towards UW's eventual national championship. The Cornhuskers' return trip to Seattle in 1992 set the stage for the loudest recorded home crowd in college football history. Five years later, Nebraska returned to Montlake to get their revenge for the previous two games while on their way to their own national championship in 1997 in Tom Osborne's final season.
For these two programs, the current stakes of this weekend's game are much lower, although not entirely without significance. Both Washington and Nebraska enter Saturday night's matchup at a crossroads in their seasons. Nebraska sits at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, but the Cornhuskers are coming off consecutive close losses to Indiana and Oregon. Despite those defeats, Matt Rhule's team has established itself as one of the league's most physical and statistically dominant defenses, keeping every game within reach through disciplined play, strong linebacker action, and excellent situational defense.
Washington, meanwhile, is 4-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Huskies snapped a three-game losing streak with a 38-26 victory over Purdue before their bye week and arrive in Lincoln needing momentum to salvage their Big Ten campaign. Jedd Fisch's offense remains heavily dependent on its passing attack, ranking among the conference's better aerial units, but questions at quarterback and a struggling rushing offense persist.
Over Matt Rhule's four years at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers have embraced a physical and gritty, defensive-oriented identity as a program. Under first-year defensive coordinator, Rob Aurich, Nebraska has maintained the aggressive, fundamentally sound identity Nebraska built under Rhule. The Cornhuskers rank 14th nationally in scoring defense, 9th in total defense, and are holding opponents to just 171 passing yards and 99 rushing yards per game on average. Their suffocating rushing defense on early downs often position them in 3rd & long passing situations where they pressure packages and blanketing secondary can create plays. This formula is what has allowed Nebraska to lead the FBS in defensive 3rd down conversion percentage at just 19%. To put that statistic into perspective, Nebraska's defense has allowed just eight third down conversions in their four Big Ten conference games this season, including games with just one allowed against Maryland and Indiana.
Nebraska typically operates from a multiple-front structure, mixing even-front and odd-front looks while emphasizing gap discipline and disgui

More than eight months after former Nickelodeon actress Kianna Underwood was killed, the NYPD have made an arrest in connection to her death.
Police arrested Michael Griffiths, 72, of Brooklyn on Tuesday morning (Sept. 29) and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident with injury. He was arraigned later that day, pleaded not guilty, and was released on his own recognizance. Griffiths is due back in court on October 27.
The former Nickelodeon actress was crossing Mother Gaston Boulevard at Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville on January 16 when surveillance footage captured a black Ford Explorer cross the double yellow line and strike her as she moved against the signal.
A black-and-gray sedan then hit her and allegedly dragged her roughly two blocks. She was found near Osborn Street and Pitkin Avenue and ****** ounced dead at the scene.
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#death

An arrest has been made in the death of a former Nickelodeon star killed in a gruesome hit-and-run car crash in New York City.
On Tuesday (Sept. 29), authorities announced that Michael Griffiths has been indicted in connection with the death of Kianna Underwood, who was slain in January after being struck and run over by a vehicle while crossing a Brooklyn intersection.
Griffiths, 72, was taken into custody and hit with multiple charges, including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. However, Griffith, who lives a short distance from the site of the crash, claims he is not at fault for the 33-year-old's death.
According to reports, on Jan. 16, Underwood was crossing the street against a red light at the intersection of Pitkin Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard in Brownsville when she was initially struck by Griffiths, who was driving a black 2021 Ford Explorer SUV.
After the first collision, Underwood was run over by a second vehicle, identified as a black sedan, heading west on Pitkin Avenue, with the victim being dragged for two blocks before her body became dislodged on Pitkin Avenue, near Osborne Street. While Griffiths claims to have gotten out of his vehicle in an attempt to flag down the second driver and tend to the victim, he's accused of fleeing before police arrived on the scene.

#griffiths #pitkin #street #crossing

The move to import foreign beef infuriated Republicans in farm states facing tough reelections — and gave Democrats and independents a rare opening with rural voters.
Independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn speaks at an election night watch party at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center in La Vista, Neb., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. | Bonnie Ryan/AP
09/20/2026 01:00 AM GMT+9
Farm-state Republicans don’t support President Donald Trump’s move to import cheap beef — but they’re still getting grilled for it.

#republicans #farm #import #democrats

Saffie Osborne became the first female jockey to win a British Classic horse race while riding Highwayman in the St Leger on Saturday.
Highwayman, trained by Joseph O'Brien, was priced 11-1 and finished ahead of Enceladus and Amelia Earhart.
"I didn't have this on the bingo card for this week," Osborne told ITV Racing. "I didn't have a ride in the race on Monday morning, let alone one with a chance, and I can't thank so many people enough."
The St Leger, in its 250th year, is the world's oldest Classic. Osborne's historic moment follows Rachael Blackmore, who was the first female jockey to win the Grand National in 2021.
Osborne was handed the spare ride on Highwayman as reward for an impressive season. She moved into contention as the runners entered the long Doncaster straight.

#highwayman #first #jockey

The UConn Huskies (1-1) struggled to stay above water in their 38-14 loss to the Maryland Terrapins (2-0).
Paving the way for Connecticut, quarterback Kalieb Osborne completed 10 of 21 (41.7%) passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Osborne also led with 62 rushing yards, while running back Kenji Christian posted 21 yards. In the air, Shamar Porter paved the way with 62 receiving yards and an end zone appearance. JD Willoughby followed with 36 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, cornerback Zion Paret racked up 12 tackles (six solo) and K'Von Sherman tallied nine (four solo).
As for Maryland, Malik Washington landed 34 of 41 (82.9%) throws for 347 yards and two touchdowns. In the backfield, running backs Iverson Howard and Harry Dalton III rushed for 57 yards and crossed the goal line three times. At wide receiver, Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding led with 130 yards and a touchdown. Behind him, Chris Durr Jr. registered 103 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, linebackers Sidney Stewart and Carlton Smith recorded six tackles and Stewart earning a sack.
"There weren't any adverse moments in our first football game. This is a whole different animal," Head Coach Jason Candle said. "They were going to try and lean on us and run the ball down your throat; play up in the face of your receiver. They're going to play pressure-style defense and we're going to figure out how we're going to respond."
To kick off the game, UConn and Maryland traded end zone appearances. With just under five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Connecticut struck first. After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Terrapins punted from their 14-yard line. Wide receiver Julian Allen's 18-yard return spotted the ball at Maryland's 32-yard line, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed it up to the 47-yard line.

#going #touchdown #receiver #connecticut

By Andrew Osborn
MOSCOW, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Bone fragments from the sword hand of a medieval Russian prince who won a famous victory over the Mongols have been sent to the front in Ukraine to raise army morale in the Russian Orthodox Church's latest show of support for President ‌Vladimir Putin's war.
The sarcophagus of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who died in 1389 and is revered by Russian nationalists for defeating the Mongol Golden Horde at ‌the 1380 Battle of Kulikovo, was uncovered this summer during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin.
Putin personally inspected what experts said were the prince's well-preserved remains in August, hailing them as "an absolutely unique and marvellous discovery" which reinforced the foundations of Russian history.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed Putin throughout the conflict, said it had dispatched a fragment of Donskoy's right hand to Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions Putin said he had incorporated into Russia in 2022, a move Kyiv rejected as an illegal land grab.

#prince #andrew #osborn #reuters

It is time for Week 3 of Iowa high school football in the state of Iowa for the 2026 season.
Week 3 will feature a full state of games play on Sept. 11.
The big showdown in Week 3 is between Class 5A No. 1 Dowling Catholic (2-0) and No. 7 Dallas Center-Grimes (2-0) at West Des Moines. Dowling is coming off a 41-35 win over Johnston in what was a 5A No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown, and DCG crushed Ottumwa, 54-0.
Dowling running back Henry Smid is coming off a tremendous 250-yard night versus Johnston and Maroon receiver Beau Williams caught four passe for 197 yards and three scores in the win. The Maroon defense is led by defensive lineman Brady Hagen and linebacker Chris Blount.
Kellen Wegner (three sacks) leads a DCG defense that has only given up seven points through the first two games. The Mustang offense is led by senior quarterback Chase Engel, who has completed 68% of his passes for 380 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, running back Osborn Grimm (280 yards and four touchdowns rushing) and receivers Chase Heitland (164 yards and two scores) and Gabriel Wright (122 yards and three scores).

#yards #three #iowa #state

By Andrew Osborn
MOSCOW, Sept 7 (Reuters) - North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge on Monday in a carefully choreographed display of friendship, a structure which spans the Tumen river and which both sides cast as an important milestone ‌in their deepening strategic partnership.
The first flag-adorned trucks trundled across the 1 km (0.6 mile) long two-lane bridge as Russian Prime ‌Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korea's Premier Pak Thae Song tuned in by video link to address workers and government officials from both countries.
Construction of the new bridge, which had been under discussion for years, began in April last year after the project was agreed during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024. There are already direct air and rail links between Moscow and Pyongyang, but until Monday there had not been a proper road link. Instead, since 1959 and by special arrangement, planks had been placed on the nearby rail bridge - for decades the sole border crossing point - ‌in order to move vehicles across the border ⁠between the two countries.
"I am convinced that the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure will provide a powerful impetus for the further development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation," said Mishustin, who said ties between ⁠Moscow and Pyongyang were "at an unprecedented high level" and called the opening of the bridge "a genuinely historic event."

#bridge #moscow #korea

WEST LONG BRANCH -- There was theme among the songs that blared through the speakers at Kessler Stadium as Monmouth football practice got started Tuesday morning: Tennessee.
The Osborne Brothers' classic rendition of Rocky Top was the soundtrack for the opening stretches. It's a reminder that this is no longer training camp, it's game week. There are just a few days until No. 23 Monmouth will travel to Cookeville to take on No. 15 Tennessee Tech in a rare season-opening matchup of top 25 teams in the FCS. And the Hawks didn't waste anytime beginning to attack that challenge, going straight from stretch lines to 11-on-11 reps of hurry-up offense.
"It's a group that's got something to prove," Monmouth head coach Jeff Gallo said. "This team has something to prove as a collective unit. It's got talent, it's got ability, but it's about our ability every day to keep elevating the standard of our program and push that championship level on a daily basis."
No. 23 Monmouth football vs. No. 15 Tennessee Tech in Week 0: preview
The Hawks' first matchup is a chance to prove that they are at that championship level—or that more work is needed to reach it. Monmouth is on the national radar once again with a preseason top 25 ranking, but that could quickly slip away with a loss, or surge dramatically with a win.

#tennessee #prove

MOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that ‌remarks by Finnish President Alexander ‌Stubb approving of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory showed that he, along with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, belonged to the "party of war."
Stubb has ‌backed Ukraine's ⁠long-range strikes deep inside Russia, saying that such attacks, ⁠including on civilian logistics centres, increase the cost of Moscow's war effort and could help bring it to ‌the negotiating table.
Asked about Stubb's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they had come as a surprise and showed that the Finnish leader, ‌like Britain's Burnham, wanted the war in Ukraine to continue.
Peskov also accused ‌Stubb and other Western leaders of misleading their own voters by claiming that it was possible for Russia ‌to be strategically defeated.
(Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Andrew Osborn)

#stubb #burnham #showed #moscow

The Oklahoma Sooners have done a fantastic job over the last few years identifying in-state talent to make a part of the roster. In the 2027 recruiting class, Oklahoma has commitments from some of the best players in the nation in Gabriel Osborne, Cooper Hackett, Kaeden Penny, and Greydon Howell. But they're also moving the needle on some of the top players in the state in 2028.
Over the weekend, Oklahoma issued an offer to 2028 three-star wide receiver Kenyon Sweat out of Cache, Okla. After the offer, it didn't take long for predictions to favor the Oklahoma Sooners in his recruitment. Rivals national recruiting ****** yst Sam Spiegelman and SoonerScoop.com's Josh McCuistion issued predictions favoring the Sooners.
It's just his sixth offer in the cycle, but Sweat has a strong offer sheet that includes Tennessee, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and UConn, along with the Sooners.
The 6-0, 173-pound wide receiver wins with great speed and contact balance. In the highlights, there are a number of bubble screens that he turned into touchdowns. Sweat displays good lateral agility and quickness and really good hands in the passing game. He lined up primarily in the slot or in the backfield.
Sweat looks like a player who will play primarily out of the slot and has the speed to be effective in the short game and to get downfield for big plays.

#oklahoma

It is Day 30 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn't depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we'll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
Welcome in for Day 30 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit the playoff victory that sent the Cowboys one step closer to the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history. Dallas travelled to face a Minnesota team that had won eight straight games to close the regular season, but Tom Landry's veteran squad looked to deliver one of its most complete defensive performances.
The Vikings entered the postseason with plenty of momentum, led by quarterback Gary Cuozzo, a physical rushing attack and the famous Purple People Eaters defense. Minnesota looked like a legitimate championship contender and Dallas had spent years falling just short in the playoffs, but arrived determined to prove it could finally finish the job.
Dallas's first opportunity came when Larry Cole forced Dave Osborn to fumble, which Jethro Pugh recovered at the Minnesota 36-yard line. Roger Staubach then completed an 18-yard pass to Bob Hayes, but Page's third-down sack halted the drive. Mike Clark kicked a 26-yard field goal, but Fred ******* responded with a 27-yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3.
Chuck Howley intercepted Bob Lee, returning the ball 26 yards into Minnesota territory and giving the Cowboys the lead. Despite failing to score, Clark converted a 44-yard field goal for a 6-3 halftime advantage. However, Minnesota squandered excellent field position after Clint Jones' 61-yard kickoff return, with three incompletions followed by ******* missing a 41-yard field goal.

#minnesota #games #countdown

A former Nebraska football coach was recently named the archenemy of a Big 12 rival. ESPN named Tom Osborne as the archenemy of the Kansas State Wildcats.
Osborne coached Nebraska from 1973 to 1997 and finished his coaching career with a 25-0 record against the Wildcats. He would finish with a 50-0 record against the Big 12's two Kansas schools, KSU and KU.
The perfect record against Kansas State would make Osborne a logical choice for archemey. I would argue that Nebraska should have been listed overall; naming Osborne excludes the '99 matchup between the Wildcats and the Cornhuskers.
No. 7 Nebraska (8-1) would host No. 5 Kansas State (9-0) with control of the Big 12 North on the line. The Huskers would fumble a school-record ten times (fumbles were an issue in '99) but still overwhelm the Wildcats and win 41-15.
"But the Wildcats' success in the 1990s would have been even greater had they not constantly run into a Cornhusker roadblock manufactured by the legendary Osborne. From 1993 to 1999, K-State lost six games to Nebraska and eight to the rest of the nation. In 1997, it beat 11 opponents by an average score of 36-11 but fell 56-26 to the Huskers."

#state #Huskers #named #archenemy

By Andrew Osborn and Felix Light
MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia will respond in kind if European countries start to seize Russian merchant vessels and the commander of Russia's ‌Pacific Fleet said his forces were ready to "inspect and detain" foreign vessels from what he called hostile states.
The comments, ‌which Putin made as he oversaw navy drills in Russia's far east, come as the EU tries to ratchet up pressure on Russia's so-called shadow fleet, expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining some ships and their crews for checks. Some European governments have said they are exploring tougher maritime enforcement measures against ships suspected of sanctions evasion.
"We can see that the authorities of certain countries, in violation of international maritime law, are attempting to restrict the movement of our economic operators' vessels..., and have recently gone so far as to ‌consider the possibility of seizing our vessels and ⁠selling off the property they have plundered from us," Putin said.
"Naturally, this is nothing less than piracy and robbery. And if this begins to be put into practice, we shall be forced to ⁠respond in kind. And not necessarily in those waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we ourselves deem it necessary and appropriate."

#vessels #putin #fleet

Willem Dafoe has never stopped working long enough to be rediscovered. And yet, each generation seems to find him anew.
That's the intriguing juxtaposition at the center of Late Fame, out now, a wry new film in which Dafoe plays Ed Saxberger, a onetime poet whose long-forgotten work is suddenly embraced by a group of young artists (The Enthusiasm Society). Unlike Ed, who left poetry behind for a tranquil life, Dafoe has steadily kept creating. Still, he understands the seduction of having a younger generation turn your past work into its own mythology.
He experienced it firsthand while making the film. Dafoe's young costars asked him about To Live and Die in L.A. and other projects from earlier in his career, mirroring the way their characters idolize Ed.
"I get sucked into telling stories, entertaining them and playing 'the old dude,' when I don't feel like the old dude," he tells Yahoo for the latest Off the Cuff. "But in this context, I was."
Dafoe has experienced that rediscovery on a much larger scale through Spider-Man. More than two decades after he first played Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi's 2002 blockbuster, the franchise continues to introduce him to new fans — sometimes literally. When he's stopped on the street, he reveals, more often than not, it's because of Green Goblin.

#dafoe #long #dude #willem

Veteran riders Zach Osborne and Phil Nicoletti finished first and second in Open Pro competition in the Loretta Lynn's Amateur Nationals in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, and provided some on-track education for the younger riders.
The Open Pro class provides the the most unique experience in the week-long show and in 2026 it lived up to the description as a race open to all.
Ryder Malinoski wins Loretta Lynn's 250 Pro Sport opener over teammate Jesson Turner
Ryder Malinoski finished ahead of his ClubMX training partner Jesson Turner.
Dan Beaver

#open #malinoski #jesson

Cleveland B2Bulls starter Owen Tornow held the high-powered Mainline Pharmacy offense without a hit through four innings Wednesday night at Sargent's Stadium.
But the defending champion Johnstown franchise found its figurative footing in the fifth, scoring six runs – enough for a combination of three effective pitchers – in Mainline Pharmacy's 6-1 victory to clinch Pool C in the 81st AAABA Tournament.
"At the end of the day, sometimes it's ugly, sometimes it's pretty," Mainline Pharmacy manager Chance Osborne said. "We just have to find a way to make it happen."
So far, the Johnstown team has succeeded doing exactly that. Mainline Pharmacy carries a 3-0 record into the elimination quarterfinal round Thursday at the Point against Altoona-1 Imler's Poultry (7 p.m.).
Cleveland (2-1) finished second in Pool C and has a date against Pool D winner Buffalo (3-0) at noon Thursday at Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School field.

#pharmacy #pool #owen

By Andrew Osborn
MOSCOW, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed at least three people and injured 21 near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, ‌authorities said, amid unconfirmed speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked ‌to the war in Ukraine.
The explosion occurred just before 8 p.m. close to an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow's seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, the police said.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device had tried to get into the restaurant but had been stopped by a security guard.
NAK said the woman, the guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant had been killed instantly in the blast that ‌followed.

#osborn

MOSCOW, July 31 (Reuters) – A court in the Russian capital has confiscated 123 real estate ***** ets which belonged to the Jehovah's Witnesses and transferred them to the Russian state, Moscow's court service said on Friday.
It said the property ***** ets had previously been registered as belonging to the Swedish branch of Jehovah's Witnesses and included 63 residential and commercial properties with a total area of over 11,000 square metres and 60 plots of land with a total area of 5.6 hectares situated across the country.
At least 40 dead at Morocco-Spain border
A Russian court banned Jehovah's Witnesses as an "extremist organisation" in 2017, a move that the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2022 was itself unlawful. Many Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia have since been jailed after being convicted of "extremist activity."
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

#court #moscow #july

When it comes to measuring a college football fan's dedication, ranging from attending every home and most away games, spending substantial amounts of money on merchandise, or, in today's NIL-driven landscape, donating money to a program's collective to help fund recruiting efforts and land top transfer portal additions, has become the effective form of support.
On Monday, Message Board Geniuses released its top-10 "Most loyal college football fanbases" with Nebraska coming in at No. 1, followed by Texas A&M at No. 2, which makes perfect sense given both programs' struggle to match their success in the 1990's, especially the Cornhuskers, who dominated with three national championships in 1994, 1995, and 1997 under legendary head coach Tom Osborne.
Texas A&M came close to competing for a national **** le multiple times under former coach R. C. Slocum, who finished his A&M coaching career 123-47-2, including three Southwest Conference **** les and one Big 12 Championship during the 1998 season. Since then, Texas A&M has undergone five coaching changes, and Mike Elko will enter his third season at the helm after leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff last season.
Texas A&M alums gleefully greet one another with "Gig 'em" or "Howdy!" and will stand throughout every home game in Kyle Field, no matter the team's record. The best example of steadfast support for the Maroon & White came during the 2022 season, when the Aggies finished 5-7 and, despite home losses to Ole Miss and Florida, wins against UMass and LSU, at least 90,000 fans made their way to Kyle Field.
Last season, over 100,000-plus Aggies attended every home game, including 108,582 during Texas A&M's epic comeback win vs. South Carolina.

#college #Football #every #field

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Mainline Pharmacy needed extra innings and had to overcome an unusual three-run single by Martella’s Pharmacy Monday night with the Johnstown Collegiate Baseball League regular-season ***** le at stake.
Even though manager Chance Osborne had to watch the final out from the stands, he savored the ending in Mainline Pharmacy’s 5-4 victory over Martella’s Pharmacy in eight innings at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.
PHOTO GALLERY | Mainline Pharmacy defeats Martella's Pharmacy 5-4 in 8 innings
“Anytime we play Martella’s, we know we’re in for a ballgame and it’s not going to be over until the final out is made,” said Osborne, whose team edged Martella’s Pharmacy 4-3 in the regular-season series to lock down the top spot and secure a berth in the 81st All American Amateur Baseball ***** ociation Tournament next month.
“It means a lot to us to overcome adversity,” he said. “We’ve been on both sides of that. Now, we’ve got to carry that momentum.”

While Ireland are without several big-name players this summer, the returning Hugo Keenan gave Andy Farrell reason to smile in Saturday's dramatic 33-31 win over Australia in Sydney.
With much of the pre-match focus on Farrell handing Jamie Osborne a surprising run-out on the left wing, Keenan's first Ireland appearance in 16 months flew under the radar.
Osborne had deputised superbly at full-back for the injured Keenan in the Six Nations, scoring four tries in five starts as Ireland won the Triple Crown.
But such is the esteem in which Keenan is held, he immediately slotted back into the 15 jersey for the start of the Nations Championship.
After his British and Irish Lions heroics in Australia last year, Keenan underwent hip surgery and was set to return in time for the Six Nations, only for a fractured thumb in a training ground incident to extend his spell on the sidelines.

Four-time Olympian Catherine Raney Norman is leaving the organizing committee for Utah’s 2034 Winter Games.
The departure was described in a news release Wednesday as her decision “to conclude her tenure” with the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Raney Norman, the organizing committee’s vice president of development and athlete relations, had served as chair of the bid committee and was the key force behind the Podium34 program that has raised more than $250 million for Utah’s next Winter Games.
Also announced was the hiring of Abby Osborne, who just stepped down as chief of staff to House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, as vice president of impact, engagement and enterprise operations. Osborne is giving up her organizing committee board membership.
Julie Letai, a two-time Olympic speedskater, has been named athlete experience coordinator. Other changes at the organizing committee include another vice president, Darren Hughes, moving from being over operations and planning to Games delivery.

Tennessee ****** ans wide receiver Xavier Restrepo reached back with one hand near the goal line for an Odell Beckham Jr.-style catch from quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Later, quarterback Will Levis targeted Restrepo for a one-on-one jump ball in the corner of the end zone on the final play of practice. It was intercepted.
The two plays at Day 2 of mandatory minicamp gave a glimpse into what the ****** ans have at wide receiver before the team starts training camp in July. It also gave a sneak peak of how different sizes and play styles mesh with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offense.
The smaller receivers did the bulk of the big plays on June 17.
Wan’Dale Robinson led the team with eight receptions; Restrepo had five grabs and K.J. Osborn made several key catches.

Four-time Olympian Catherine Raney Norman is leaving the organizing committee for Utah’s 2034 Winter Games.
The departure was described in a news release Wednesday as her decision “to conclude her tenure” with the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."
Raney Norman, the organizing committee’s vice president of development and athlete relations, had served as chair of the bid committee and was the key force behind the Podium34 program that has raised more than $250 million for Utah’s next Winter Games.
Also announced was the hiring of Abby Osborne, who just stepped down as chief of staff to House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, as vice president of impact, engagement and enterprise operations. Osborne is giving up her organizing committee board membership.
Julie Letai, a two-time Olympic speedskater, has been named athlete experience coordinator. Other changes at the organzing committee include another vice president, Darren Hughes, moving from being over operations and planning to Games delivery.

The former Husker ****** istant coach passed away in Lincoln on Sunday morning at the age of 87.
Darlington served as an ****** istant coach in Lincoln for a total 30 seasons from 1973 to 2002, the longest tenure of any football coach in Nebraska history. He was part of Dr. Tom Osborne’s staff for each of his 25 seasons as Nebraska’s head coach. Darlington was in charge of defensive ends for his first 13 seasons before ****** uming the defensive backs job in 1986. He held this role until Osborne’s retirement in 1997 and then spent his final five seasons in Lincoln in the same role under Frank Solich.
His tenure included 3 national championships, 14 conference ****** les and 21 seasons in which the team finished as a Top 10 team nationally.
The Huskers played in a bowl game in each of Darlington’s 30 seasons on staff.
A West Virginia native, Darlington played football at Rutgers where he earned a Bachelor of Science before attending Stanford where he earned two more degrees including a Master of Arts. He began his coaching career at Johnson Regional High School in New Jersey in 1962 and was at San Jose State before Tom Osborne hired him for his first season as Nebraska’s head coach in 1973.

Detroit general manager Manon Rhéaume wasted little time in beginning to stock her PWHL expansion team by signing four players Friday — including forward Daryl Watts landing the league’s first four-year contract.
Meantime, Charge captain Brianne Jenner is leaving Ottawa after three seasons by signing a three-year standard agreement with the new team in Hamilton, Ontario. The 35-year-old Jenner's departure was anticipated as the four-time Canadian Olympian moves closer to her hometown of Oakville. Hamilton also signed New York goalie Kayle Osborne to three-year standard agreement.
The moves came on the first day of the league’s three-day expansion signing process in which each of the four new teams can sign five players.
With San Jose signing Seattle goalie Corinne Schroeder to a two-year standard agreement, Las Vegas remains the only expansion team to have yet to add a player.
Watts’ addition in Detroit was particularly notable in landing what’s called an Expansion Foundational Offer, guaranteeing her an annual salary of no less than $100,000. Under league rules, Watts chose the maximum term of four years, which the PWHL introduced as part of this year's expansion process.

The Oklahoma Sooners have built quite the 2027 recruiting class over the last few months, and it continues to grow even stronger. OU currently has 23 commitments for this cycle, with 12 coming on the offensive side of the ball, and 11 coming on the defensive side of the ball.
Furthermore, those that follow high school football recruiting closely were excited about the state of Oklahoma's crop of high school players in the 2027 class. Many have called it a historically good cycle for the state, perhaps even the best ever. Both Rivals and 247Sports back those claims up. Both sites have three players from the state in the top 50 of their national player rankings, something that has never happened before for the state of Oklahoma.
Each of those three players, Fort Gibson's Cooper Hackett, Bixby's Kaeden Penny, and Mustang's Gabriel Osborne Jr., are committed to the Sooners, meaning that OU head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy not only swept the consensus top three players in the state, they swept the consensus top three players in the state in possibly the state's best class ever.
Hackett stands at 6-foot-7, and weighs 260 pounds. He is ranked as the nation's No. 17 player by Rivals and the No. 14 player nationally by 247Sports Composite. The offensive lineman has an extremely high athletic ceiling and he moves well for his size. He is a player that the Sooners are pinning their future hopes at offensive tackle on.
Penny checks in at 6-foot-4 and weighs 265 pounds. Rivals ranks him as No. 32 player in the country, with 247Sports Composite ranking him at No. 37. The offensive lineman displays strong footwork and body control, especially when it comes to pass protection. He's capable of playing both offensive tackle or lining up in the interior of the offensive line.