GREEN MAG

Darian Mensah threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to Jeremiah Hasley to lead Duke to a 27-20 overtime win over No. 17 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

After Mensah found Hasley for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in overtime, Luke Mergott intercepted Chandler Morris on the first play of Virginia's overtime drive to secure the victory.

The win clinched the Blue Devils' (8-5) first outright ACC championship since 1962 and avenged their 34-17 home loss to Virginia 21 days ago.

It also may have cost the ACC a spot in this year's College Football Playoff, denying what would have been a certain bid for the Cavaliers (10-3).

Duke head coach Manny Diaz, though, vehemently disagrees with the possibility that the ACC could be shut out of the playoff.

"The ACC champion should go to the College Football Playoff this year and every year," Diaz said postgame. "We'll be very excited to find out how they rule on that (Sunday)."

Trailing 20-10 with 5:02 left after a Duke field goal, Virginia strung together a quick 50-yard drive to set up Will Bettridge's 42-yard field goal with 3:54 left and then got a defensive stop.

Morris capped off a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Eli Wood with 22 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

"I obviously don't like the outcome, but at the end of the day, our guys fought," Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. "They fought all the way to the end, they believed they were going to win the game. We came up a few plays short."

Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes (75%), throwing his 29th and 30th touchdowns and fifth interception of the season. Cooper Barkate caught five passes for a game-high 91 yards. Hasley caught three passes, two of which were touchdowns.

"Shoutout to my o-line, shoutout to my defense," Mensah, who was named ACC championship game MVP, said. "Those guys played their asses off."

Morris was 21-of-40 passing for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. J'Mari Taylor had 99 yards from scrimmage (65 rushing, 34 receiving) and a TD.

The Blue Devils made a statement to begin the game, receiving the opening kickoff and going on a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock before Mensah found Hasley for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

After a missed field goal on Virginia's opening possession, Corey Costner's interception set up Virginia's game-tying touchdown when Morris threw a screen pass to Taylor, who scored from 11 yards out.

Duke responded right back with another extended drive, this one 13 plays and 8:02 of game time, before retaking the lead on Nate Sheppard's 16-yard TD run.

Virginia finished the first half with 115 yards, 9:31 time of possession and seven points.

The Cavaliers did put together a promising drive after receiving the ball to start the second half, but the 17-play drive stalled inside the 10, resulting in a 24-yard Bettridge field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10.

Duke again responded with a score, this time Todd Pelino's 29-yard field goal that restored its lead to seven points late in the third quarter.

The Blue Devils added to their lead when Caleb Weaver's interception set up another Pelino field goal that made it 20-10.

--Field Level Media

LAS VEGAS -- Despite the steepest of odds, Petr Yan is the king of the bantamweight division once again after stunning Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday.

The fight was a complete reversal from the pair's first meeting in March 2023, where Dvalishvili registered a historically dominant effort in a demoralizing defeat for Yan.

On Saturday, Yan made good on his promise to be the aggressor and delivered by landing bomb after bomb throughout the fight. Yan first stunned Dvalishvili with an explosive combo in the first round, and he delivered a cringe-inducing kick to the ribs in the third round that likely broke Dvalishvili's ribs and served as the death knell for his record-breaking title defense.

Yan didn't pinpoint that kick as the moment he won the fight, but he made it clear his mindset entering the evening was to leave no doubt about the result.

"I don't know if there was actually a moment that I realized the fight was mine," Yan said. "I knew the entire time, I had to push my initiative. I had to make sure to damage him. There wasn't, like, an actual moment. This is his backyard. I flew 30 hours to get here. I knew that in order for the belt to go in my hand, I had to make sure to leave no stone unturned, no questions."

Yan (20-5) won the judges' cards 49-46, 49-46, 48-47.

His stunning upset prevents Dvalishvili (21-5) from becoming the first fighter in UFC history to successfully defend a belt four times in a single year. In most betting markets, Yan closed as greater than a 3-to-1 underdog.

Joshua Van, 24, became the UFC's first 2000s-born champion with his first-round defeat of flyweight legend Alexandre Pantoja, but the way it happened was borderline nightmarish for all involved. Twenty seconds into the fight, Pantoja attempted a doomed headkick and broke his arm trying to brace for an awkward fall after the kick rolled off Van.

Van (16-2), who faced off with Pantoja (30-6) in the Octagon at UFC 317 after they each won their respective fights that night, expressed a desire to rematch with Pantoja and run their fight back the proper way when he's healthy again. For now, however, it appears a non-Pantoja defense is next on the horizon for Van.

Following the fight, UFC CEO Dana White clarified that it was actually a dislocated shoulder that resulted in the gruesome-looking injury. White said Pantoja's shoulder was put back into place backstage following the fight, but he doesn't anticipate a recovery happening soon enough to challenge Van before another defense.

"They popped his shoulder back," White said. "It wasn't the elbow, it was his shoulder and they popped it back in backstage. Listen, I'm no doctor or anything, but I don't see (Pantoja) coming back anytime soon. I think that there would be a defense before he comes back. I think he's gonna need some time."

The highly partisan crowd in favor of Mexican flyweight Brandon Moreno was met with disappointment rather quickly in the main card's third fight, as the former champion lost by second-round technical knockout to Tatsuro Taira after a somewhat early stoppage.

The second bout of the main card featured a passing of the torch, as Henry Cejudo's storied combat career as double UFC champion and Olympic wrestling gold medalist came to a close with a decisive but entertaining loss to rising bantamweight star Payton Talbott.

Talbott (11-1) managed to land two shocking early takedowns on the former wrestling champion, but Cejudo (16-6) managed to hold his own in the striking exchanges and in turn, it made for an action-packed 15 minutes.

Following his loss by unanimous decision, Cejudo received a video tribute and an outpouring of love from the Las Vegas crowd. Talbott, 27, also joined in, urging the crowd to show appreciation for Cejudo while giving him credit for saving the lightweight division before his move to bantamweight in 2019.

Cejudo, 38, who had said this would be his last fight, announced his retirement -- for the second time in his career -- after the bout.

Light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov opened the main card by fighting to a majority draw in a seesaw slugfest that started slow and finished fast. Blachowicz had the edge in a largely uninteresting first round that drew boos from the crowd, but Guskov opened the second with a devastating right hand that sent Blachowicz to the canvas and got the fireworks started.

Guskov controlled the remainder of the second and did so in such decisive fashion that two judges scored the round 10-8. This proved vital, as Blachowicz came back to life in the final round and regained control, even landing a last-second knockdown of his own with under 10 seconds remaining in the fight.

--Will Despart, Field Level Media

--Will Despart, Field Level Media

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't fired a head coach midseason since 1941. That won't change this year,according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who reported Saturdaythat, although the Steelers won't fire Tomlin this season, they will have to make a call on the team option in his contract by March 1.

That deadline could mark an inflection point in the future of the Steelers organization. While there are two years remaining on Tomlin's contract after this season, Pittsburgh has to decide if it wants to pick up the option that would extend Tomlin's tenure through 2027, per ESPN's report.

If the Steelers don't pick up that option, Tomlin will enter the 2026 season on the final year of his contract.

And if, say, Pittsburgh wanted to trade Tomlin, it would need the coach's permission, according to Schefter, who noted that Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract.

[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed]

Tomlin is 189-113-2 in 19 seasons at the helm of one of the league's most stable franchises, with two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title under his black and gold belt.

On one hand, the Steelers haven't had a losing season under Tomlin. On the other hand, they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season. They've struggled to find Ben Roethlisberger's successor at quarterback. Most recently, they've pivoted to Band-Aids at the league's most important position. This year's is a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who is tasked with compensating for a Pittsburgh defense that's surprisingly taken a step back in 2025.

The Steelers have won eight, nine or 10 games in six of their previous seven seasons. They're 6-6 heading into Week 14.

Roethlisberger himselfsuggested that "maybe it's a clean-house time" on his podcast this week. The six-time Pro Bowler won two Super Bowls in his 18 seasons with the Steelers, including one with Tomlin. He emphasized that he has "a lot of respect" for Tomlin and doesn't think he should be fired. Instead, Roethlisberger recommended a mutual parting of ways.

It's possible that kind of split eventually happens, however, it doesn't seem likely that will take place after this season, considering ESPN's report.

Pittsburgh is currently preparing for a rivalry showdown with the Baltimore Ravens, who are also 6-6. With a win Sunday, the Steelers will reclaim first place in the AFC North.

Following a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills last week, the Steelers were showered with boos in Acrisure Stadium as they made their way to the locker room. Pittsburgh started 4-1 and is 2-5 since.

"In general, I agree with them, from this perspective: Football is our game, we're in a sport entertainment business," Tomlin said Tuesday of fans' frustration,per the Associated Press. "And so if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And so when you're not winning, it's not entertaining."

The Steelers began last season 10-3 before losing five straight games, including a wild-card playoff game to the Ravens 28-14.

Sunday marks Pittsburgh's first game against Baltimore since that lopsided postseason affair.

HONOLULU (AP) — Survivors of the 1941 Japanesebombing of Pearl Harborhave long been the center of a remembrance ceremony held each year on the military base's waterfront.

But today only 12 are still alive — all centenarians — and this year none is able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event, scheduled for Sunday.

That means no one attending will have firsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the U.S. into World War 2. The development is not a surprise and is an evolution of an ongoing trend. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing.

"The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don't know — it hurt my heart in a way I can't describe," said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-year-old fatherIra "Ike" Schabhad to cancel plans to fly in from Oregon after falling ill.

Survivors have been present every year in recent memoryexcept for 2020,when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks.

"I can still see what was happening."

The ceremony begins with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the attack began on Dec. 7, 1941. Solemn rituals follow.

Fighter jets fly overhead in "missing man formation," in which one jet peels off to symbolize those lost. Survivors present wreaths to honor the dead, though active duty troops have assumed this job in recent years. Survivors rise to salute active duty sailors who themselves salute as their ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above submerged hull of the battleship sunk in the attack.

About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. Last year,only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day.

Many survivors were jovial despite the occasion, happy to catch up with old friends and pose for photographs. Even so, harrowing recollections were seldom far from their minds.

In 2023, Harry Chandler gazed across the waterwhile telling an Associated Pressreporter how he was raising the flag at a mobile hospital in the hills above the base when he saw Japanese planes fly in and drop bombs. Chandler and his fellow Navy hospital corpsmen jumped in trucks to help the injured.

He spoke of seeing the Arizona explode, and of hearing sailors trapped onthe capsized USS Oklahomadesperately tapping on their ship's hull to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after crews cut holes in the battleship.

"I can still see what was happening," Chandler said.He diedthe next year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.

Lessons from the past

The bombing has long held different meanings for different people, the historian Emily S. Rosenberg wrote in her book "A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory."

Some say it highlights the need for a well-prepared military and a vigilant foreign policy. To some it evokes then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration's "ineptitude or deceit" and the unfair scapegoating of the military. Others focus on the "treachery" of Japan or the heroic acts of individual troops, she wrote.

Asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: "Be prepared."

"We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better," he said.

Lou Conter, who was theArizona's last living survivorwhen he died last year at 102,told the AP in 2019he liked to attend to remember those who lost their lives.

"It's always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve," Conter said.

Heinrichs' father has been six times since 2016. The former tuba player on the USS Dobbin likes to go not only to remember those killed but also in place of his late band mates; his three brothers who fought in World War II; and the now-deceased Pearl Harbor survivors he has met.

Recording the remembrances before the survivors are gone

Retired National Park Service Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez said the circumstances resemble the early 20th century when Civil War veterans were dying in increasing numbers. Awareness grew that soon they wouldn't be able to share their stories of Gettysburg and other battles, he said.

Martinez knew something similar could happen with Pearl Harbor survivors and recorded their oral histories. During a 1998 convention, he conducted interviews 12 hours a day for three days. The Park Service today has nearly 800 interviews, most on video.

"They remain as a part of the national memory of a day that changed America and changed the world," Martinez said.

The Park Service shows some in its Pearl Harbor museum and aims to include more after renovations, said David Kilton, the agency's Pearl Harbor interpretation, education and visitor services lead.

The Library of Congress has collections from 535 Pearl Harbor survivors, including interviews, letters, photos and diaries. Over 80% are online. They are part of the library'sVeterans History Projectof firsthand recollections of veterans who served in World War I onward. Many were recorded by relatives, Eagle Scouts and other amateurs interested in documenting history.

The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors gives presentations in schools and marches in parades to share the stories of their families. The California chapter has added six new members this year, including two great-grandchildren of survivors.

"When they're all gone, we're still going to be here," said Deidre Kelley, the group's president. "And it's our intent to keep the memory alive as long as we're alive."

DAKAR. Senegal (AP) — Dozens of people who have fled Mali tell The Associated Press that a new Russian military unit that replaced the Wagner mercenary group this year is carrying out abuses, including rapes and beheadings, as it teams up with Mali's military to hunt down extremists.

The refugees said the Africa Corps, which reports to Russia's Defense Ministry, is using the same tactics as Wagner. Their accounts, collected during rare access to the Mauritanian border, have not been reported by international media until now.

West Africa's vast Sahel region has become the deadliest place in the world for extremism. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years have turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating the fighters affiliated with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group.

The Africa Corps replaced Wagner six months ago. That sparked hope for less brutality among weary civilians whothe United Nations sayshave been abused by all sides. But refugees described a new reign of terror by the "white men" in the vast and largely lawless territory. The AP spoke to 34 refugees. Most spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Here are takeaways from the AP investigation.

A 'scorched-earth policy'

Two refugees showed videos of villages they said were burned by Africa Corps. Two others said they found bodies of loved ones with liver and kidneys missing.Previous AP reportinghas tracked social media channels, likely administered by Wagner members, that shared images of men in military uniform butchering corpses of what appear to be Malian civilians, hacking out organs and posing with severed limbs.

"It's a scorched-earth policy," said a Malian village chief who fled to Mauritania last month for the second time. "The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don't even know why they are being killed."

He added: "There is no difference between Wagner and Africa Corps."

Malian authorities never publicly acknowledged Wagner's presence, and have not acknowledged Africa Corps. But Russian state media in recent weeks have published reports from Mali praising Africa Corps for defending the country from "terrorists," and Russia's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the unit is active "at the request of the Malian authorities," providing ground escorts, search-and-rescue operations and other work.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to AP questions.

Questions around Africa Corps

Reported abuses against civilians intensified when Wagner teamed up with the underfunded Malian army in 2021. According to private security analysts, Mali paid Russia about $10 million a month for Wagner's assistance. While the group was never officially under the Kremlin's command, it had close ties to Russia's intelligence and military.

Moscow began developing the Africa Corps as a rival to Wagner after its leaderYevgeny Prigozhinwas killed in a plane crash in 2023 following his brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule ofPresident Vladimir Putin.

It is unclear whether Mali's agreement remains the same for Africa Corps. Much is unknown about the unit's operations, including the number of fighters, which analysts estimate at around 2,000.

Not all Africa Corps fighters are Russian. Several refugees told the AP they saw Black men speaking foreign languages. The European Council on Foreign Relations in a recent report said the unit recruits from Russia, Belarus and African states.

Civilians are 'between a rock and a hard place'

The hunt by Africa Corps and Malian forces for militants intensified in September, when JNIM fighters imposed anunprecedented blockade on fuelinto Mali from neighboring countries.

Experts say it's impossible to know how many people are being killed and assaulted in Mali, especially in remote areas, while journalists and aid workers have limited access to the country.

"There is a lot of people raped, attacked, killed. Families are separated, there is no doubt about that," said Sukru Cansizoglu, the representative in Mauritania for the U.N. refugee agency. But "it is sometimes difficult to really pinpoint who are the perpetrators."

Civilians, under pressure from both the militants and the Africa Corps and Malian fighters, are "between a rock and a hard place," said Heni Nsaibia from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

As one refugee put it: "If you don't tell the army you saw jihadists, the army will kill you. But if you tell them, the jihadists will find you and kill you."

Direct accountability of the Russian state

Legal experts said the shift from Wagner to Africa Corps makes the Russian government directly accountable for its military unit's actions.

"Despite the rebranding, there is striking continuity in personnel, commanders, tactics and even insignia between Wagner and Africa Corps," said Lindsay Freeman, senior director of international accountability at the UC Berkeley School of Law's Human Rights Center, which has monitored the conflict in Mali.

Because Africa Corps is embedded in Russia's Ministry of Defense, it can be treated as an organ of the Russian state under international law, Freeman said. "That means any war crimes committed by Africa Corps in Mali are, in principle, attributable to the Russian government under the rules on state responsibility."