UTAH FRESHMAN RB JORDAN DIES

Ty Jordan, a star freshman running back for the University of Utah who grew up in the Dallas area, has died, school officials announced Saturday.

Authorities in Texas and Utah have not released details about the circumstances of the Jordan’s death. A day earlier, the 19year-old was named Pac-12’s newcomer of the year.

“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement.

Jordan, a speedy 5-foot-7, 200-pound player, emerged from a crowded Utah backfield to become the focal point of the team’s offense. He finished the season with 597 yards rushing, 11 catches for 126 yards and six touchdowns.

Jordan came up as a tailback playing in Mesquite, a Dallas suburb, and was a highly touted recruit. He made a seamless transition to the college game, including three straight 100-yard rushing performances to close out the season.

Utah was one of nearly two dozen major college football teams to decline an opportunity to play a postseason bowl game, instead allowing players who had been in strict COVID-19 protocols for months begin their off-seasons.

Soccer

With his job increasingly on the line after an alarming start to the season, Mikel Arteta placed his faith in Arsenal’s kids to get the team out of trouble. They delivered for their under-pressure manager.

Powered by two 19-yearolds — Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka — and a 20-year-old in Emile Smith Rowe making his first start in the Premier League this season, Arsenal produced its best performance in some time to beat Chelsea 3-1 and lift some of the gloom over Emirates Stadium.

Substitute Axel Tuanzebe unwittingly deflected a shot from Jamie Vardy into his own net in the 85th to gift Leicester a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United. The result kept Leicester above United in the standings after they started the day in second and third place.

The man who coached Club Leon to Mexico’s soccer championship less than two weeks ago has been hospitalized with pneumonia related to COVID-19, the club announced. The team’s official Twitter account said in a brief post that Ignacio Ambriz was “stable, under medical observation and evolving in a favorable manner.” Leon defeated Pumas 2-0 on Dec. 13 to win the Apertura championship in Mexico’s twice-a-year season system. The team earned 40 points during the tournament — just three short of the short-season record.

Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks and free-agent center Carl Soderberg agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract, bolstering the team’s forward depth after it lost Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander to injuries.

Dylan Cozens had a hat trick and three assists and defending champion Canada opened the world junior hockey championship with a 16-2 victory over short-handed Germany at Edmonton, Alberta. The United States faced Austria in the late game. The Americans dropped their Group B opener Friday night to Russia. Earlier in Group B, Sweden beat the Czech Republic 7-1 for its 53rd straight preliminary-round victory. The top four teams in each pool will advance to the Jan. 2 quarterfinals.

Boxing

Canelo Alvarez will take on 168-pound World Boxing Council mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 in a homecoming bout in his birthplace of Guadalajara, Mexico, Alvarez’s trainer, manager and lifelong confidant Eddy Reynoso told the L.A. Times.

Baseball

Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said the team isn’t ruling out a reunion with Ryan Zimmerman after acquiring slugger Josh Bell to play first base. The 36-year-old Zimmerman opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about his family’s safety amid the pandemic. He told The Washington Post this month he would like to return in 2021 for a 16th bigleague season — the previous 15 have all been with the Nationals.

The Texas Rangers signed Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara to a $6 million, two-year contract.

Death

Jim Mclean, the Scottish soccer manager who led Dundee United to its only domestic league title in 1983 and the European Cup semifinals the following year, died. He was 83.