Not for prime time: UM-Bama set for 3:30 start
The Miami Hurricanes’ marquee opener against Alabama won’t get a prime time slot.
ABC announced Tuesday that it has scheduled the UM-Alabama game, from Atlanta, for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 4.
ABC preferred to carry the Georgia-Clemson game in the more attractive prime time slot at 7:30 p.m. That game will be played in Charlotte.
Handicapper Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports said he would guess that if UM quarterback D’Eriq King is healthy for that game, Alabama would be a 17 1⁄2- or 18-point favorite over the Hurricanes. UM expects King to be healthy enough to start that game after January knee surgery.
Conversely, Sterling said he believes Clemson will be a two-point favorite Georgia.
Ticket information for the UM-Alabama game will be shared with Hurricanes fans on June 1. Hurricane Club members will receive priority access to purchase tickets.
— BARRY JACKSON
ETC.
Tennis: Roger Federer ● lost his comeback match after two months away from tour, falling to
Pablo Andujar 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Geneva Open. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Dominic Stephan Stricker beat former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the first round . ...
Serena Williams’ disappointing return to tennis continued when she lost in straight sets to 68th-ranked Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Emilia-Romagna Open at Parma,
Italy. Top-seeded Williams, who accepted a wild-card invitation for the tournament after losing her opening match at the Italian Open last week, was beaten 7-6 (4), 6-2. Siniakova saved a set point at 5-4 down in the opening set and that appeared to give the Czech player conover
fidence as after securing the tiebreak she pulled away in the second to win 16 of the last 18 points. Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens reached the quarterfinals after rallying to beat fourth-seeded Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. Third-seeded Coco Gauff eliminated Kaia Kanepi
7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) in a firstround match. Secondseeded Petra Martic also got her Parma campaign off to a good start by beating Varvara Gracheva
6-4, 6-2.
Soccer: Manchester
●
United’s protesting fans were back inside Old Trafford — legally this time — and were treated to a wonder goal by Edinson Cavani in a 1-1 draw against already-relegated Fulham in the Premier League. A crowd of 10,000 home supporters were allowed to attend the game following an easing of lockdown restrictions by the British government, marking the first time in 14 months that United played in front of spectators at Old Trafford. Recently, some United supporters got into the stadium and onto the field during more fervent protests of the Glazer family that owns the team, causing the postponement of a match against Liverpool . ... Manchester City paid heavily for the
10th-minute sending-off of
Joao Cancelo as the newly crowned Premier League champions squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Brighton . ... Also in the Premier League, Leeds struck twice late in the game to secure a hardfought 2-0 win over Southampton and guarantee a top-half finish. Patrick Bamford scored through the legs of goalkeeper
Alex McCarthy to give Leeds the lead lead.
Swimming: For the
● second consecutive day, Russian swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov improved his own world record in the 50-meter backstroke. Kolesnikov, 20, clocked 23.80 seconds to win the gold medal at the European Championships.