The Chiefs will be without their starting kicker for at least the next four games. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report that Kansas City placed Harrison Butker on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Butker will need to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The Chiefs have signed kicker Spencer Shrader off the New York Jets practice squad to replace the three-time Super Bowl champion. Butker had made 18-of-20 field goals and 21-of-22 extra-point attempts this season. Shrader, 25, has played in two games this season, one for the Indianapolis Colts and the other for the Jets. He went 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on point-afters in those contests.
Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals closer, was named the National League Reliever of the Year. The 30-year-old led the NL with 49 saves and went 7-and-4 with a 2.04 ERA in 65 relief appearances last season. At one point he converted 31 straight saves. Helsley was also named to the All-MLB First Team.
Led by a balanced scoring attack, the Mizzou Men’s Basketball team cruised to a record-tying 72-point win in a 111-39 win over Mississippi Valley State Thursday night. With the win, the Tigers improve to 3-1 on the season and 3-0 in Mizzou Arena. The 72-point victory matches the largest in school history, tying the mark first set in 1976 versus MacMurray (106-34) and accomplished against Chicago State in 1995 (117-45).
The St. Louis Blues blew a third-period lead during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Brandon Saad scored a go-ahead goal at the end of the second period, but Buffalo tied the game in the middle of the third before knocking in the game-winner in the second minute of OT. Saad had two goals in the losing effort, while Pavel Buchnevich lit the lamp. The Blues are in sixth place in the Central Division with 15 points and a 7-9-and-1 record. St. Louis visits Boston tomorrow.
College Football Preview:
Mizzou is in South Carolina tomorrow. The Tiger have won five straight in this rivalry and face a hot USC team that has won three straight over A&M, Oklahoma and Vandy all by at least 21 points. According to one pro scout, South Carolina also has more NFL prospects on their defense than any other team in the SEC. They rank third in the country in sacks. That’s what Drew Pyne will be up against if Brady Cook is not ready to go for a second straight game.
14th-ranked Missouri State football goes for their 9th win in a row, but it will be tough. They’re at number one North Dakota State where the Bison have already won 9 in a row. The winner gets at least a share of the Missouri Valley regular season title. 12th-ranked SEMO hosts Western Illinois.