YSU brings in The Amazing Sladek

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State Athletics Department is proud to announce The Amazing Sladek will perform at halftime of the Youngstown State-IU Indy men’s basketball game on Friday, Jan. 30 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

Tipoff between the Penguins and Jaguars is set for 6:30 p.m.

The world-famous Amazing Sladek has been entertaining families around the world for five decades. His acrobatic act has stunned crowds across the country, and he has performed on America’s Got Talent and Steve Harvey’s “Forever Young.”

The Amazing Sladek uses no safeties, no gimmicks, and no nets, and his performance includes his death-defying Tower of Chairs.

For tickets, call the YSU Athletics Ticket Office at 330-941-1978 or purchase online at YSUSports.com.

Pens’ Rust suspended for 3 games

NEW YORK — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust has been suspended three games for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver’s Brock Boeser.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ban Tuesday following a disciplinary hearing with Rust, who will be out Thursday against Chicago, Saturday against the New York Rangers and Monday against Ottawa. He’s eligible to return next Tuesday at the Islanders.

Rust lifted his right shoulder into Boeser’s head in the final seconds of the Penguins’ game at the Canucks on Sunday, which they won 3-2. Boeser is out at least a week after going on injured reserve.

Rust will forfeit $80,078 in salary with that money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

OSU football schedule released

COLUMBUS — The Big Ten announced its 2026 football schedules on Tuesday evening. Coupled with two non-conference games in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State is scheduled to play seven home games next fall, highlighted by visits from Michigan, Oregon, Illinois, Northwestern and Maryland.

The Buckeyes’ slate consists of two games against teams that made the College Football Playoff semifinals – at Indiana and home vs. Oregon – as well as a visit to Texas to close out the home-and-home series. Nine of Ohio State’s 12 regular season opponents either played in the CFP or a bowl game this season and seven of them had nine or more wins in 2025. The combined conference record last season of the Buckeyes’ nine Big Ten opponents in 2026 was 51-30 (.629).

Ohio State’s 2026 non-conference schedule will include its season-opener against Ball State on Sept. 5, a trip to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns on Sept. 12 and a home game against Kent State on Dept. 19. Ohio State last played at Texas in 2006, when the No. 1 Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 Longhorns, 24-7.

The home Big Ten slate at Ohio Stadium consists of five games: vs. Illinois (Sept. 26), Maryland (Oct. 10), Oregon (Nov. 7), Northwestern (Nov. 14) and Michigan (Nov. 28). The visit by the Illini will be Illinois’ first since 2017, while Northwestern hasn’t played in Columbus since 2016. Oregon, which last played at Ohio Stadium in 2021, will make its first trip as a Big Ten Conference member.

Ohio State’s four Big Ten road games will take it to Iowa (Oct. 3), Indiana (Oct. 17), USC (Oct. 31) and Nebraska (Nov. 21). The Buckeyes haven’t played at USC since 2008 and will also be making its first trip to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium since 2017.

There will be one off week in 2026: Oct. 24, in between road games at Indiana and USC.

Daboll agrees to become Titans’ OC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is an offensive coordinator again as part of new Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh’s staff.

The Titans announced the hire of Daboll on Tuesday. The move brings two former New York head coaches together, as Daboll was with the Giants at the same time Saleh was leading the Jets.

Daboll went 20-40-1 with the Giants and was fired Nov. 10, the day after a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears that dropped their record to 2-8. Daboll led New York to a playoff berth and was the AP NFL’s Coach of the Year his debut season in 2022, but the Giants went 11-33 the rest of his tenure.

He had interviewed a second time for the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching vacancy on Monday.

Daboll, 50, has previously been an offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011), Kansas City Chiefs (2012) and Buffalo Bills (2018-21). He also was the University of Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2017.

He was a part of five Super Bowl championships while working on Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots staffs from 2000-06 and 2013-16. Daboll also was part of Alabama’s 2017 national championship team.

Bills promote Brady to head coach

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills stayed in-house by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady as their new head coach on Tuesday, in a move that provides continuity to a Josh Allen-led perennial winner that has accomplished everything short of reaching a Super Bowl.

The team announced Brady agreed to a five-year deal. He will be introduced as the head coach during a news conference on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Brady just completed his fourth season in Buffalo and his second full season as coordinator. He previously served as quarterbacks coach before taking over after Ken Dorsey was fired midway through 2023.

Brady’s promotion came a little more than a week after Sean McDermott was fired following a nine-year tenure.

Under Brady, the Bills offense took a far more balanced approach in part to take the burden off Allen. Brady also introduced what became known as an “Everybody Eats,” share-the-wealth approach to the passing game, which followed Buffalo trading leading receiver Stefon Diggs to Houston in April 2024.

The approach worked, with Allen earning AP NFL MVP honors for his 28 touchdowns passing (plus 12 rushing) and a career-low six interceptions and a receiving group led by Khalil Shakir’s 76 catches for 821 yards.

This season, the Bills offense ranked fourth in total yards and tied for fourth in scoring. Fourth-year running back James Cook finished with 1,621 yards rushing to become the first Bills player to lead the NFL in rushing since O.J. Simpson in 1976.