This was written by Clark Gerber, a contributor for WRAL Sports.

The online world is vast. Unless you are constantly connected (which is not advised), you may not catch everything.

We can complete that task. You can maintain a balanced lifestyle and still stay updated on all the top sports highlights of the week by doing a quick review…

The Panthers fell just short (quite literally) in last Thursday’s football game.

Eddy Pineiro turned towards the sideline and nonchalantly raised his shoulders.

The final memory from another disappointing defeat for the Carolina Panthers is their loss in Chicago on Thursday night, with a score of 16-13.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers were on a 4th down with 10 yards to go at the Chicago 41-yard line. Instead of attempting to gain the necessary yards, head coach Frank Reich decided to take a chance and try a 59-yard field goal to potentially even the score on a cold night in Chicago.

Pineiro’s longest career attempt before this was 56 yards, so it’s not unexpected that his 59-yard try fell about 3-4 yards short of the goal posts.

After the game, Reich justified his choice by stating that a field goal was the most reliable option, rather than relying on the offense to gain 10 yards.

To say the least, there were numerous people on social media who disagreed with him.

You know who could have maybe helped the Panthers get 10 yards in a crucial spot? DJ Moore…. who is now on the Bears… along with the Panthers’ 1st round draft pick… which looks like it could be number one overall.

Yikes.

For now, please watch this heartwarming video of Moore happily meeting up with Brian Burns and suppress those negative feelings. That’s likely the best way to deal with them in a healthy manner.

The University of North Carolina successfully defends the Victory Bell, defeating Duke in an exciting game once again.

According to ESPN commentator Jay Bilas, the Duke vs. North Carolina game never fails to impress, making it the top rivalry in college basketball.

Based on the past two years, it seems likely that the football game between these two rivals will continue to follow this trend.

The Tar Heels narrowly won 47-45 in a double overtime match on Saturday, which was filled with chaos to the point where a highly debated decision in the 4th quarter was overshadowed.

In his debut start on the road, Duke’s new quarterback Grayson Loftis faced off against Drake Maye, who is expected to be a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft. The young player from Gaffney, SC threw three touchdowns during the game, including an impressive 4th down pass to Jordan Moore with only 41 seconds left in regulation.

Trailing by a three-point margin, Maye answered with a 6-play, 50-yard series in less than 40 seconds, resulting in Carolina being within range for a field goal. Noah Burnette’s attempt to tie the game with a 43-yard kick was nearly blocked but managed to make it through the uprights, forcing the game into overtime.

The exchange continued until Armani Chatman deflected the ball from Jalon Calhoun in the second overtime, causing Tar Heel fans to erupt onto the field.

Consider this scenario: How can basketball possibly surpass that?

UConn is crossed by rivers.

NC State women’s basketball seems to have returned to the ranks of top teams in the nation, after a decent but not spectacular end to last season.

On Sunday afternoon, the Wolfpack achieved a significant victory by defeating the No. 2 UConn 92-81 in front of a packed audience at Reynolds Coliseum.

Saniya Rivers, a junior guard, had an impressive performance, scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She also outplayed Paige Bueckers, a former National Player of the Year.

The victory was particularly satisfying for NC State, given the outcome of their previous encounter.

In the 2022 Elite Eight, the Huskies narrowly defeated the Wolfpack in double overtime. Despite being the No. 1 seed, NC State had to play in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

After a span of 20 months, the Pack displayed the impact of playing on their home court.

4. Crowning Kerolin

Although the North Carolina Courage fell short of their ultimate objective, they achieved significant milestones this season.

In September, the club achieved a historic feat by winning consecutive NWSL Challenge Cup titles. Additionally, they have now acquired their first ever MVP in the history of the team.

On Friday, Kerolin, a top-performing forward, received the title of NWSL Most Valuable Player. She is the first individual from Brazil, the first from South America, and the fourth international player to achieve this honor.

In her second season with NWSL, the 23-year-old player achieved a personal best of 10 goals in 19 games and was named the runner-up for the golden boot. Additionally, she topped the league with 67 successful dribbles, showcasing her electrifying skills.

Kerolin suffered an ACL injury during the Courage’s final regular season game, potentially contributing to the team’s early exit from the playoffs.

Supporters will likely keep a close watch on her rehabilitation progress as she has the potential to become one of the greatest players in the history of the club (which is a remarkable feat for the Courage).

Debinha, a former star for Courage and fellow Brazilian currently playing for Kansas City, was named a finalist for the award.

5. College football is a silly place

If you haven’t been keeping up, college football has experienced an unusually high amount of frenzy and contention this season due to the sign-stealing controversy at Michigan.

In short, there is strong evidence that a lower-level employee violated an NCAA regulation by personally scouting potential opponents for the Wolverines.

Initially, UM attempted to dismiss the situation, but later shifted the blame onto other Big Ten schools before ultimately terminating the staff member in question. On Friday, shortly before Michigan’s important match against Penn State, the Big Ten announced the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh for the team’s remaining three regular season games.

There is more information available, but we are attempting to be productive in this situation.

In the game between Michigan and Penn State, Michigan emerged victorious with a score of 24-15. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore took on the role of head coach during the game. During a postgame interview with Fox, Moore became emotional and began to cry and swear.

Please be advised: The video below contains offensive language.

Is it just me, or does the display of emotion in sports sometimes come across as overly dramatic? This situation doesn’t involve any tragedy – the head coach was suspended due to the strong possibility of his team cheating.

Crying and declaring oneself as “America’s Team” is not motivating or moving, but rather foolish.

Can you recall a few years back when there was a sudden increase of players dropping the football before reaching the goal line for a major touchdown?

Some notable names include DeSean Jackson, Kaelin Clay, and Joe Mixon.

Unfortunately, on Saturday, Alphonzo Tuputala, a senior linebacker for Washington, became a member of the club in what could be considered the most severe moment thus far.

In the pivotal match against Utah, the fifth-year senior delivered the standout performance of his career for the Huskies. He intercepted a pass from Bryson Barnes and appeared to run it back for 78 yards, potentially scoring a touchdown.

However, he fumbled the ball at the 3-yard line.

Neither the first nor the second attempt was successful. This man was so eager to begin his celebration that he ended up dropping it on the third try.

Michael Mokofisi of Utah quickly recovered the live ball, briefly giving his team possession. Fortunately for Tuputala, the Washington defense earned a safety on the following play, resulting in their victory with a final score of 35-28.

Whew!

Finally, would you like to try some purposeful humor instead?

This week, NC State sent out a promotional email celebrating senior linebacker Payton Wilson, who is known as one of the top defensive players in the nation. He is currently being considered for multiple end-of-season accolades, such as the Nagurski Trophy.

Instead of just stating his accomplishments (which include 112 tackles so far this season), the PR team created a unique graphic for Wilson that strongly resembled Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour poster. The statistics that were also included were cleverly based on Swift’s song titles.

This leads us to the following…

The Taylor Swift Watch is back in action!

We mistakenly thought that Taylor Swift’s worldwide tour would impact her relationship with Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Chiefs, last week.

On the contrary, these could be the most significant updates so far!

Due to the Chiefs having a bye this week, Travis traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to attend one of Taylor’s concerts.

The performance was filled with standout moments that captivated fans. To start, Taylor gestured towards Travis while singing “Blank Space” and Taylor’s father (a supporter of the Eagles) was standing next to Travis, sporting a Chiefs lanyard!

However, the main acts did not perform until later in the evening. During her performance of her latest hit “Karma,” Taylor altered the lyrics as a special mention to Travis.

It seems that he was equally taken aback as everyone else.

At the end of the performance, Taylor ran to Travis and gave him a passionate kiss. It gave me chills and evoked emotions of crying. They are the perfect example of relationship goals.

We’ll see what next week has in store. Until then, I’ll be in my room sobbing and thinking about this. She changed the lyrics to her song, you guys! And then she kissed her boyfriend on the lips!

I will see you again in one week.

Source: wralsportsfan.com