MONDAY SPORTS, SEPTEMBER 14, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— The Mitchell Kernels defeated Douglas 69-0 on Saturday night in the 11th annual Kernel Bowl at Joe Quintal Field. Mitchell scored eight touchdowns on its first eight possessions and led 55-0 at halftime. Samari Wright rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns on four carries, while Mason Kempf added 65 yards and two scores on three carries. Mitchell totaled 480 yards of offense and held Douglas to 114 yards. The Kernels improve to 2-1 and travel to Aberdeen Central on Friday for a 7 p.m. Kickoff.
— No. 5 Watertown volleyball swept Mitchell 25-22, 25-17, 25-19 Saturday afternoon during Kernel Bowl. Charleigh Collins and Ashley Haring led Mitchell with five kills each. Nia Talley had four aces, while Sloan Stoebner recorded 18 assists and Londyn Hajek had 14 digs. The Arrows improved to 6-4 overall, while Mitchell fell to 2-7. The Kernels are off until Sept. 22, when they travel to Brookings.
— Mitchell Kernels boys soccer defeated Dakota Valley 5-2 at home on Saturday. Mitchell, 3-4-1 on the season, will be at Harrisburg on Tuesday at 4 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls soccer lost to Dakota Valley 2-1 at home on Saturday. Mitchell, 3-3-1 on the season, will be at Harrisburg on Tuesday at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys golf competes at the Brookings Invitational on Monday starting at 10 am at the Brookings Country Club.
— Mitchell Kernels girls tennis will face Yankton and SF Lincoln in a triangular on Tuesday at 10 am in Yankton.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan football rolled past Waldorf 40-21 on Saturday night in Forest City, Iowa, improving to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in GPAC play. The Tigers led 19-0 at halftime and pulled away in the second half. Jed Jenson threw four touchdown passes, including two to Steven Christion, who finished with seven catches for 91 yards. Jenson completed 19 of 39 passes for 253 yards and one interception. Dakota Wesleyan forced five turnovers, including three interceptions, and finished with 376 yards of total offense. The Tigers host Briar Cliff Saturday at 1 p.m. at Joe Quintal Field.
— No. 11 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball fell to No. 20 Morningside in a three-set sweep Saturday afternoon in Mitchell. The Mustangs won 25-16, 25-12 and 25-21, handing the Tigers their second loss of the season. Evy Knoblock led Dakota Wesleyan with 12 kills, while Kayleigh Hybertson finished with 23 assists. Dakota Wesleyan falls to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in GPAC play. The Tigers travel to Briar Cliff on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Sioux City, Iowa.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s golf returns to action on Monday at the Siouxland Invitational.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer hosts Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday at 6 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State rolled past New Haven 57-14 on Saturday night in the 59th Beef Bowl at Dykhouse Stadium. The second-ranked Jackrabbits scored 47 points over a 16-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters. SDSU led 36-0 at halftime and scored on each of its first eight possessions. Quarterback Chase Mason completed 12 of 18 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. SDSU improves to 2-1 and opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play Saturday against Youngstown State. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. in Brookings.
— South Dakota State volleyball dropped a five-set match to Tulsa 3-2 on Saturday at the Kansas Invitational. The Jackrabbits won the first set 25-19 and rallied to take the fourth 25-23, but Tulsa won the decisive fifth set 15-8. Sylvie Zgonc led SDSU with 22 kills, while Brooke Larsen recorded the first triple-double of her career with 11 kills, 23 assists and 11 digs. The Jackrabbits fall to 4-5 and will compete at the South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic, where they will face Washington and No. 13 Minnesota.
— Utah State shut out South Dakota State 3-0 on Sunday in Logan, Utah, in the Jackrabbits’ nonconference finale. The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute and added goals in the 51st and 80th minutes, including one on a penalty kick. South Dakota State falls to 5-2-1. The Jackrabbits open Summit League play Sept. 24 at USD.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD football improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2017 with a 41-23 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday in Vermillion. Charles Pierre Jr. rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard score, and surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards. Tennel Bryant had a career day with 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard reception. USD travels to Boise State next Saturday. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. Central on CBS Sports Network.
— USD volleyball closed out its weekend with a 3-0 sweep of UC Santa Barbara on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Coyotes won 25-16, 25-16 and 25-22 to improve to 7-2. Gabi Zachariasen led USD with 13 kills. The Coyotes return to South Dakota this weekend for the South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic. USD opens against No. 13 Minnesota on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
— Carson Wentz replaced Kyler Murray after Murray suffered a first-quarter concussion and led Minnesota to a 39-22 comeback victory over Green Bay. The Vikings scored 29 straight points to close the game. Wentz threw three touchdown passes, including two to Justin Jefferson, and connected with Jefferson on a two-point conversion that gave Minnesota its first lead at 25-22. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason added rushing touchdowns. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns but lost a fumble and threw an interception late. Green Bay also committed four defensive penalties on Minnesota’s go-ahead drive.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Steven Kwan homered to lead off the game, while Tanner Bibee had seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 9-2 to pull within a half-game of the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox. The Guardians are one game ahead of Toronto and have a 5 1/2 game lead over Minnesota, in the race for the final AL wild-card spot. The Twins start a three-game series vs. the New York Yankees on Monday at 6:40 pm.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Texas is the new No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college football poll after rallying from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Ohio State 24-23. The Longhorns received 56 first-place votes. Georgia is No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami. Ohio State dropped from No. 1 to No. 6, while Oregon fell 15 spots to No. 21 after losing 39-31 to Oklahoma State. Michigan returned to the rankings at No. 19 after beating No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10, with the Sooners falling to No. 24. The SEC leads all conferences with nine ranked teams, including six in the top 10.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
— The United States won its fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup title on Sunday, beating France 97-79 in Berlin. The Americans extended their World Cup winning streak to 36 games dating to the 2006 semifinals. Breanna Stewart led the U.S. with 22 points and was named tournament MVP for the second time. The U.S. improved to 9-0 in World Cup gold-medal games since finishing runner-up in 1983.
TENNIS
— Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam title Sunday, defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the U.S. Open final in New York. Zverev, the No. 1 seed, finished the year’s major tournaments with a 25-2 record and also won the French Open. Shelton was trying to become the first American man to win the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2003. Zverev won $5.5 million, matching the largest prize in Grand Slam history.
NASCAR
— Kyle Larson ended a 51-race winless streak Sunday, holding off Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman in overtime to win the NASCAR Cup Series race in Illinois. Larson, the defending series champion, earned his first victory since May 2025 at Kansas. Joey Logano finished third, William Byron was fourth and Ross Chastain fifth. Denny Hamlin finished ninth and maintained the playoff points lead. The crash-filled race featured a track-record 18 cautions, with several playoff contenders involved in late incidents. The NASCAR playoffs continue Saturday night at Bristol.
NFL
— The New York Giants opened the John Harbaugh era with a 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night. Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 54 yards. TE Isaiah Likely caught eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns in his Giants debut.
— The Detroit Lions escaped with a 31-30 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday after Saints head coach Kellen Moore chose to go for two and the win. The Saints rallied from a 21-0 deficit to tie the game at 24, but Ryan Wright missed a 62-yard field goal as time expired in regulation. Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
— The Chicago Bears routed the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores. D’Andre Swift rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Chicago totaled 552 yards and scored seven touchdowns on its final 12 drives.
— Josh Allen threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Texans 36-31. Allen connected with Joshua Palmer on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 remaining to put Buffalo ahead.
— Jalen Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles’ Moro Ojomo stuffed the Commanders’ attempt at a tying 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining as Philadelphia squeaked past Washington 24-22.
— The Cincinnati Bengals forced four turnovers and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27. The Bengals scored 24 points off Tampa Bay turnovers, including a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Demetrius Knight. Joe Burrow passed for 254 yards and a touchdown, while Evan McPherson kicked four field goals, including two from at least 55 yards.
— The Baltimore Ravens opened the season with a 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score. Baltimore piled up 506 yards of offense and led 31-13 at halftime.
— Trevor Lawrence threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns as the Jacksonville Jaguars routed the Cleveland Browns 34-10.
— Kirk Cousins became the 15th quarterback to throw at least 300 touchdown passes in his career after tossing three to lead the Las Vegas Raiders to a 27-13 season-opening victory over the Miami Dolphins.
— Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14, giving Mike LaFleur a victory in his head coaching debut over Jim Harbaugh.
— T.J. Watt returned to form with a late 35-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13. Watt also had two sacks as Pittsburgh’s defense sacked Cooper Rush four times.
— The New York Jets opened the season with a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, spoiling Robert Saleh’s debut against his former team. Breece Hall rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, while former Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw for 215 yards in his New York return.