CHARLOTTE-GEORGIA ST
Charlotte holds off Georgia State 23-20 in FBS debut
ATLANTA (AP) β Matt Johnson threw for 242 yards and a touchdown to help Charlotte beat Georgia State 23-20 in the 49ers’ FBS debut Friday at the Georgia Dome.
Charlotte is in the first season of a two-year FBS transition. The Conference USA school will gain full FBS member status with bowl eligibility in 2016. Georgia State started the same process in 2013.
Terrance Winchester returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown on Georgia State’s fourth play from scrimmage, and Blake Brewer added two field goals to give Charlotte a 13-0 lead. Late in the second quarter, Johnson connected with Austin Duke for a 63-yard touchdown pass and a 20-3 lead.
Georgia State rallied in the fourth. Nick Arbuckle threw a 24-yard scoring pass to Taz Bateman to cut it to 23-13. Arbuckle found Penny Hart for a 53-yard touchdown strike with 30 seconds left, but the Panthers’ onside kick went out of bounds.
DUKE-OBAMA
Obama to meet with NCAA champion Duke basketball team
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) β President Obama is meeting with the Duke basketball team to congratulate the Blue Devils on their NCAA championship earlier this year.
Obama will welcome the Blue Devils on Tuesday at the White House, continuing his tradition of honoring sports teams for giving back to their communities.
Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63 to win the national championship in April.
STEELERS-BERRY
Berry wins Steelers punting battle
PITTSBURGH (AP) β Jordan Berry locked down the punting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, beating out incumbent Brad Wing by default after Pittsburgh sent Wing to the New York Giants on Friday for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
A seemingly tight competition apparently turned into a bit of a blowout in the final days of training camp. Berry punted five times in Thursday night’s preseason finale against Carolina while Wing had just one chance to convince the coaching staff to keep him around. Berry averaged a full yard better than Wing (49.8 to 48.8) and put six of his 19 kicks inside the opponent’s 20.
Wing’s trade robbed one of the major position battles of any drama before rosters are set at 53 on Saturday, though Wing will be given a chance to stick around in New York. The two Australians developed an easy rapport while working side by side over the last six months, with Berry describing Wing as “a good bloke.”
ORIOLES-MOVES
Orioles place RHP Gonzalez on 15-day DL
TORONTO (AP) β The Baltimore Orioles have placed Miguel Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, retroactive to August 31.
Right-hander Mike Wright has been activated off the 15-day DL and will start for Baltimore against Toronto on Saturday. Wright is 2-3 with a 4.99 ERA in seven games, including six starts. He’s been out since July 31 with a strained left calf.
Manager Buck Showalter said Wright will be limited to around 60 pitches against the AL East-leading Blue Jays.
Also Friday, Baltimore recalled outfielder Junior Lake and right-hander Jorge Rondon from Triple-A Norfolk.
Showalter said shortstop J.J, Hardy, out since Aug. 24 with a strained left groin, could rejoin the Orioles before Tuesday’s game against the Yankees in New York.
PATRIOTS-BRADY BACK
Pats coach Belichick on having Brady back: ‘He never left’
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) β Like every game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he’s focused on his next opponent. But he doesn’t feel like he’s got a new edge with star quarterback Tom Brady able to play in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Asked Friday how it felt to have Brady back with his four-game “Deflategate” suspension erased, Belichick told reporters: “He never left.”
Brady certainly factored into his team’s celebration plans for the first game of the season, even if its offensive plans stay largely the same.
Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, the son of team owner Robert Kraft, says the team wouldn’t have gone through with raising its Super Bowl 49 banner if Brady weren’t playing.
Kraft told WBZ-FM on Thursday night (http://cbsloc.al/1fZnQHS ) before New England played its exhibition finale against the New York Giants that team officials had an alternate, Brady-themed banner ready if Brady’s suspension was upheld.
GRIZZLIES-TRAINING CAMP
Grizzlies going back to California for training camp again
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) β The Memphis Grizzlies are taking their training camp back to California for a second straight year, this time to the campus of UC Santa Barbara.
The Grizzlies announced Friday they will hold training camp at the university’s Robertson Gymnasium.
After media day Sept. 28 in Memphis, the Grizzlies will fly to California to start training camp the next day before wrapping up Oct. 3.
The Grizzlies held training camp in San Diego last year with previous camps in Nashville in 2013, Birmingham, Alabama, in 2009 and Spain twice (2003 and 2007). Since the franchise relocated from Vancouver in 2001, the Grizzlies have held training camp in Memphis nine times.
Memphis opens the preseason Oct. 6 hosting Houston with the season opener Oct. 28 against Cleveland.
TITANS-FALCONS TRADE
Titans trade veteran guard Andy Levitre to Atlanta Falcons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) β The Atlanta Falcons have traded with the Titans for veteran guard Andy Levitre in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2016 and a conditional pick in a future year.
The Titans announced the deal Friday.
Tennessee gave the 6-foot-2, 303-pound Levitre a six-year, $46.8 million contract in March 2013. Levitre has started all 96 games in his six seasons.
Levitre, however, was benched for Byron Bell for the last three preseason games. That made the 29-year-old Levitre a pricey backup. He was due to earn $6.5 million this season, making him the second-highest paid player on the Titans’ roster.
The three interior line positions have been a top concern for Atlanta in the preseason. Mike Person and Chris Chester were the starting guards in Thursday night’s 20-19 win over Baltimore.
