Individuals with the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation enjoy an above-average salary range as well as promising current and future job availability. The salary range for a certified financial planner should be considered in a broad context, including experience, length of time working in the field, and geographic location.

As with many job titles, the average income of those who earn the CFP varies. This overview article provides current national and regional average salaries for a Certified Financial Planner.

Requirements for the CFP designation

To put salary data into context, it’s helpful to examine the minimum qualifications for this job. The CFP designation is achieved through a person’s education, work experience and test results. This designation is administered by the CFP Board. Becoming a CFP requires at least a bachelor’s degree, specialized financial planning courses, and three years of experience.

After meeting the minimum criteria, the CFP candidate must take the CFP certification exam, which measures the candidate’s competency in financial planning scenarios and professional ethics.

Experience impacts CFP salary

National salaries for CFPs are largely influenced by the experience of the individual. According to payscale.com, a crowdsourced salary information provider, an entry-level CFP with one to four years of experience costs an average of about $68,628 per year. At the other end of the spectrum, the CFP earns an average salary of $103,994 at the end of their career with more than 20 years of experience.

The CFP is one of the fastest-growing and best-paying fields, with job opportunities expected to increase by 17% annually from 2023 to 2033. The primary driver of CFP employment growth is the aging population. Large numbers of baby boomers are expected to retire in the next decade, which will likely create a need for additional planning advice from financial advisors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the industry can expect to add 27,000 new workers between 2023 and 2033.

The conclusion

Combining above-average salaries with high job satisfaction and increasing job availability, certified financial planner is an outstanding career path for the financially minded individual. The CFP Board website provides detailed information about becoming a Certified Financial Planner and provides instructions on how to get started in the career.

Looking for more Wordle answers? Click here for our daily Wordle tips, as well as our daily answers and clues for the New York Times Mini Crosswords, Connections and Strands Puzzles.

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There are many other online word games now, but I still play the New York Times Wordle game every day. These days it’s not just an old friend, it’s also a nice warm-up for Connections, Strands and the rest.

We’ve also ranked all the letters of the alphabet by popularity, in case you want to use this list to choose your best starting words.

Everyday Wordle Tips

I’ve written a lot about Wordle – from describing the 1000th word to my list of the best beginner words to a helpful two-step strategy and news about controversial word changes. I’ve even summarized what I’ve learned for an entire year playing the popular online word puzzle. As you reconsider your need for the actual answer, you can try tips from one of these stories.

Do you still need a starting word? One person told me she simply looked around and chose a five-letter object she spotted as a starting word – such as COUCH or CHAIR. I tend to stick to the beginning words that contain the most commonly used letters in English words. I like TRAIN as a starter, although I have a friend who uses TRAIL. I’ve read people use the financial term ROATE, but I like to use words I actually know.

What is Wordle?

If you’ve read this far, you know how to play. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word, and the game gives you feedback on whether or not the letters you guessed are in the puzzle and whether they are in the same place you guessed them have. The New York Times purchased the game from creator Josh Wardle in 2022 for seven figures. Wardle famously developed the game for his partner and had her narrow down the 12,000 five-letter words in the English language to just 2,500, creating the database of answers. It was also handy that he had a name that harmonized with “Word.”

A Times spokesperson told me that the first-ever Wordle is scheduled to appear on June 19, 2021, and that the newspaper’s 1,000th anniversary is on March 15. Word of the game celebrated. Spoiler: This 1,000th Word was ERUPT. As in, “Dad will break out when the Wordle is so hard he loses his streak.”

Today’s Wordle clues

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we will give you a few pointers. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Word Clue #1: Repetitions

Today’s Wordle answer does not contain repeated letters.

Word Clue #2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer contains two vowels.

Word Clue #3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter C.

Wordle Note #4: Not charged

Today’s answer from Wordle may refer to an aspect of computer technology related to storage.

Word Clue #5: Meaning

Today’s answer from Wordle is a visible vapor floating in the sky.

TODAY’S WORD ANSWER

Today’s answer from Wordle is CLOUD.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, September 29, #1,198, was RIDER.

Current Wordle Answers

September 25, #1,194: TORCH

September 26, #1,195: THANK YOU

September 27, #1,196: FAITH

September 28, No. 1,197: BRAIN

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders used strong defense and a balanced running game to stave off a late surge and beat the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sunday.

Cleveland drove to the Raiders’ 9-yard line, but Deshaun Watson was sacked by Charles Snowden with 41 seconds left to seal the win.

The Raiders held on for the win despite star wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) and premier pass rusher Maxx Crosby (ankle) being sidelined with injuries. And the defense held the Browns to 241 total yards.

Alexander Mattison ran for 60 yards for the Raiders, who had 152 total yards on the ground and had five different players rush for at least 10 yards, their most since 2010 against the Seahawks. The Raiders also became the first team since the Jets in 2010 against the Bengals to have two receivers score rushing touchdowns.

Las Vegas had not rushed for more than 55 yards in a game this season until Sunday.

Gardner Minshew was just 14 for 24 for 130 yards. He was sacked twice by reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.

Watson completed all eight passes and led the Browns on a touchdown drive to open the game that lasted 9:22 but finished 24 for 32 for 176 yards.

He came into the game having been sacked 16 times, the most in the league, playing behind an offensive line without four starters missing most of the game, and was defeated three times by the Raiders.

The loss was a major setback for the Browns (1-3). Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to get into the playoffs, the Browns are now finding those chances dwindling. Only 42 teams since the 1970 merger have made it to the postseason after a 1-3 start.

Not only was Las Vegas (2-2) rebounding from a 36-22 loss to the Panthers the week before, but the Raiders also found themselves in a 10-0 hole against the Browns in the first quarter.

But then the Raiders scored the next 20 points and appeared to take control before Zamir White’s fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter was countered by safety Rodney McLeod for a 25-yard TD. However, Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point, leaving the Browns behind 20-16.

Cleveland appeared to take the lead with an 82-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Amari Cooper, but backup center Nick Harris was called out for fending off Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and the Browns ended up having to punt.

The Browns had their last drive in the last minute and had to go for the touchdown rather than the field goal because of Hopkins’ missed PAT, but Watson couldn’t attempt a pass.

Injuries

Browns: C Ethan Pocic (ankle) went to the locker room in the first quarter, returned in the third and then left again. ….Cleveland went into the game knowing it would be without a key portion of its offensive line – RG Wyatt Teller (knee) and OTs Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and Jack Conklin (hamstring). … LB Jordan Hicks (elbow) left in the second quarter. … TE David Njoku (ankle) did not play.

Raiders: DE Maxx Crosby (ankle) missed his first career game and WR Davante Adams (hamstring) also did not play. … LB Divine Deablo (oblique), Munford (knee/ankle), CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) and TE Michael Mayer also did not play. … Return specialist Tyreik McAllister (shoulder) was injured in the fourth quarter.

Next

Browns: At the Washington Commanders on Sunday. It’s the second part of a three-game road trip.

Raiders: At the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

It’s not often that a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback hits the open market, so it was almost unimaginable that the greatest quarterback in NFL history would become a free agent. But that’s exactly what happened after the 2019 season.

When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots in 2020, he was expected to make a splash in free agency. Instead, there was no major bidding war. Few teams reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.

Naturally, Brady didn’t take kindly to the lack of interest.

“I think what you realize is that there aren’t as many smart people as you think,” Brady thought in 2021, according to The Boston Herald. “That’s just the reality. I think it would be a no-brainer if you said, “Hey, you have a chance to get Wayne Gretzky on your team, or you have a chance to get Michael Jordan on your team.”… “Oh, we need not him, no thanks. ‘We’re fine.’ In my head I’m like, ‘Okay, let me show these teams what they’re missing.'”

And that’s exactly what he did. In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady led the team to a championship in Super Bowl LV. When he retired in 2022, his influence changed the culture and development of the Buccaneers franchise.

Brady returned to Raymond James Stadium in Week 4, this time as a color analyst for FOX Sports. During the broadcast of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady revealed that he almost joined another team in free agency: the Chicago Bears.

“Chicago was a team, and I’ve never told this story before. They were very secretive about recruiting and I seriously considered recruiting them,” Brady said. “But in the end it came down to Tampa. And it was close.” to my son, Jack, whom I loved [Buccaneers head coach] Bruce Arians and the role he played on offense. And ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who I still watch today.”

At that time, the Bears were still led by head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Quarterback Nick Foles – who has an interesting relationship with Brady – was also on the roster. Chicago’s wide receiver corps included Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller.

“Chicago was a team, and I’ve never told this story before, they were very secretive about their recruiting.” @TomBrady shares the note cards he had when he made his decision in free agency 👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NmPpGMFKU2

– FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 29, 2024

It’s easy to see why Brady chose the Buccaneers. Along with Evans and Godwin, Brady helped Tampa Bay acquire tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Antonio Brown. In addition to Brady’s offense, the Buccaneers also featured a dominant defensive front led by Todd Bowles, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time.

Although Chicago beat Brady and the Buccaneers 20-19 in Week 5, they finished the season with a record of 8-8. Meanwhile, Brady helped turn Arians’ offense into a tremendous winning streak after some early struggles.

The Buccaneers started the bye week with a record of 7-5, but did not lose another game after Week 13. In the postseason, they defeated teams led by Jalen Hurts, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes en route to winning the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.

It’s not often that a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback hits the open market, so it was almost unimaginable that the greatest quarterback in NFL history would become a free agent. But that’s exactly what happened after the 2019 season.

When Tom Brady left the New England Patriots in 2020, he was expected to make a splash in free agency. Instead, there was no major bidding war. Few teams reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.

Naturally, Brady didn’t take kindly to the lack of interest.

“I think what you realize is that there aren’t as many smart people as you think,” Brady thought in 2021, according to The Boston Herald. “That’s just the reality. I think it would be a no-brainer if you said, “Hey, you have a chance to get Wayne Gretzky on your team, or you have a chance to get Michael Jordan on your team.”… “Oh, we need not him, no thanks. ‘We’re fine.’ In my head I’m like, ‘Okay, let me show these teams what they’re missing.'”

And that’s exactly what he did. In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady led the team to a championship in Super Bowl LV. When he retired in 2022, his influence changed the culture and development of the Buccaneers franchise.

Brady returned to Raymond James Stadium in Week 4, this time as a color analyst for FOX Sports. During the broadcast of the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady revealed that he almost joined another team in free agency: the Chicago Bears.

“Chicago was a team, and I’ve never told this story before. They were very secretive about recruiting and I seriously considered recruiting them,” Brady said. “But in the end it came down to Tampa. And it was close.” to my son, Jack, whom I loved [Buccaneers head coach] Bruce Arians and the role he played on offense. And ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who I still watch today.”

At that time, the Bears were still led by head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Quarterback Nick Foles – who has an interesting relationship with Brady – was also on the roster. Chicago’s wide receiver corps included Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller.

“Chicago was a team, and I’ve never told this story before, they were very secretive about their recruiting.” @TomBrady shares the note cards he had when he made his decision in free agency 👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NmPpGMFKU2

– FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 29, 2024

It’s easy to see why Brady chose the Buccaneers. Along with Evans and Godwin, Brady helped Tampa Bay acquire tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Antonio Brown. In addition to Brady’s offense, the Buccaneers also featured a dominant defensive front led by Todd Bowles, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time.

Although Chicago beat Brady and the Buccaneers 20-19 in Week 5, they finished the season with a record of 8-8. Meanwhile, Brady helped turn Arians’ offense into a tremendous winning streak after some early struggles.

The Buccaneers started the bye week with a record of 7-5, but did not lose another game after Week 13. In the postseason, they defeated teams led by Jalen Hurts, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes en route to winning the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.

SANTA CLARA – This is the live blog for the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 4 home game against the New England Patriots. I will update this regularly with information and analysis from the press box.

12:15 Here are the 49ers’ inactives: Talanoa Hufanga, Ronnie Bell, Ben Bartch, Darrell Luter Jr. and Joshua Dobbs.

12:16 Despite Hufanga’s absence, I believe the 49ers defense should perform well today against the Patriots. That’s because New England has a one-dimensional offense. All they’re good at is running the ball. If the 49ers load the box and stop their ground attack, they will win.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots defense does well against the run, but not against the pass. That’s because their rush is limited to pedestrians and their coverage is nothing special. That means the 49ers should be able to kill them in game play. The Patriots have to respect the threat of Jordan Mason because he’s a great running back, but the 49ers’ best weapons are their receivers. And the 49ers just have too many good ones for the Patriots to handle.

I expect the 49ers to make a big statement in this game with a 30-10 win. If they win a close game, they can’t say they are still a dominant team, although a win is always a win. But the Patriots are not good. They have no business beating the 49ers or keeping this game close. Let’s see if the 49ers can take care of business at home.

1:03 The 49ers win the toss and are eliminated. The Patriots receive the opening kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

1:12 On third-and-3 from the 49ers 41, Jacoby Brissett throws an incomplete pass over the middle instead of scrambling up the middle. After the punt, the 49ers take over at their 7th. Malik Mustapha missed a tackle on 3rd and 6 earlier, which extended the drive.

1:28 On 3rd-and-goal from 4th, Purdy throws an incomplete pass intended for Jauan Jennings, who made an out-and-up. On the next play, Jake Moody scored a 22-yard field goal. Purdy converted three third downs on that drive – two by scrambling and one by running out of the pocket to his left before throwing to George Kittle. Brandon Aiyuk also caught a 38-yard pass from play against zone coverage.

49ers 3, Patriots 0.

1:32 On the first play of the drive, Sam Okuayinonu takes the ball from Rhamondre Stevenson and Maliek Collins recovers.

1:36 On 3rd-and-4 from the 8, Purdy avoids a sack, scrambles to his right and throws a pass intended for Deebo Samuel, which is deflected by Patriots cornerback Marco Wilson. On the next play, Moody scores a 26-yard field goal. The 49ers’ offense in the red zone hasn’t been good so far.

49ers 6, Patriots 0.

SECOND QUARTER

1:43 On 3rd-and-5 from the Patriots 35, Brissett forces a pass over the middle and is intercepted by Fred Warner, who returns the ball for a touchdown. That was one of the best plays of his career.

49ers 13, Patriots 0.

1:59 On fourth-and-1 at the 49ers 20, Ji’Ayir Brown tackles Rhamondre Stevenson after a no-gain and the Patriots turn the ball over on downs. The 49ers defense has outperformed the 49ers offense so far.

2:12 On 3rd-and-10 from the Patriots 12, Purdy throws a touchdown pass to George Kittle, who catches the ball over three defenders in the back left corner of the end zone. Incredible catch.

49ers 20, Patriots 0.

2:21 On third-and-2 from the Patriots 38, Kevin Givens takes the ball away from Brissett and the Patriots recover. Next play: Patriots punt. The 49ers take over on their 14th with 1:43 left.

2:28 On 3rd-and-15 from the 8, Brock Purdy gets hit as he throws the ball away and the 49ers have a three and go out of bounds. After the punt, the Patriots take over the 49ers’ 40 with 38 seconds left.

2:39 The Patriots score a 63-yard field goal as time expires.

49ers 20, Patriots 3.

2:40 The 49ers just announced that George Kittle has a rib injury and Fred Warner has an ankle injury and both are questionable to return.

THIRD QUARTER

2:52 Isaac Guerendo botches the kickoff and the Patriots recover at the 49ers’ 27th line.

2:55 On 4th-and-1 from the 49ers 5, Brissett fakes a handoff, rolls left and throws a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper. And so the 49ers let New England back into the game. Fred Warner was not on the field during this drive.

49ers 20, Patriots 10.

3:02 On the first play of the drive, Purdy throws a 53-yard pass down the middle of the field to Deebo Samuel. Three plays later, Jordan Mason scored a four-yard rushing touchdown. That was easy.

49ers 27, Patriots 10.

3:09 On 3rd-and-12 at the Patriots 49, Leonard hits Floyd Brissett while not throwing a ground to anyone. After the punt, the 49ers take over on their 12th.

3:20 On 3rd-and-5 from the 49ers 28, Purdy throws an incomplete pass intended for Aiyuk running a shallow cross. After the punt, the Patriots take over at their 41st.

3:27 On 3rd-and-16 at the Patriots 35, Stevenson drops a screen pass. New England is just so bad. They punt and Kyle Juszczyk returns it nine yards to the 17-yard line.

3:32 On 3rd-and-18 of the 49ers’ 33rd, Purdy checks to Samuel, who gains 3 yards. After the punt, the Patriots take over on their 32nd.

FOURTH QUARTER

3:43 The Patriots make a 54-yard field goal, cutting the 49ers’ lead to two points.

49ers 27, Patriots 13.

3:47 On 2nd-and-8 from the Patriots 23, Purdy forces a pass to Brandon Aiyuk, who is double-covered in the end zone and intercepted. Terrible decision.

3:53 On 4th-and-5 of the Patriots’ 36th, Brissett throws a deep pass that goes out of bounds and New England turns the ball over on downs.

4:00 On 3rd-and-10 from the Patriots’ 22, Purdy throws another incomplete pass intended for Aiyuk. Then Moody makes a 41-yard field goal.

49ers 30, Patriots 13.

4:06 On 3rd and 6 at the 49ers’ 14, Nick Bosa takes the ball from Brissett and retrieves it. Stay tuned for the 49ers’ grades.

The Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota lynx Meet Sunday for game one of the best-of-5 WNBA semifinals. The meeting at the Target Center in Minneapolis is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze the 24/7 WNBA odds from BetMGM Sportsbook Sun versus lynx Opportunitiesand meet our WNBA expert picks and predictions.

Regular season series: Sun won 2-1

The Sun and Lynx had a lively series in the regular season, with all three games decided by 5 points or less.

These teams met in the first round of the playoffs last season, with Connecticut shocking Minnesota in Game 3 in the Twin Cities after the Lynx won Game 2 to clinch the deciding game. The away team has played five games in a row in this series, including the last two postseason duels.

Connecticut won 83-82 in OT at home on May 23 while the Lynx were considered 5.5-point underdogs. In the Twin Cities on July 4, Connecticut won 78-73 by 3.5 points, the largest margin of victory in the series. And on Sept. 17, Minnesota won 78-76 in Connecticut as a 1.5-point dog. The underdog and the away team went 3-0 ATS in the three meetings.

The Sun defeated Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first round in a two-game sweep, 1-0-1 against the spread (ATS) while splitting the over-under. The Under is 11-6 since August 18th.

The Lynx scored 101 or more points in both of their first-round wins over the Phoenix Mercury, went 1-1 ATS and easily conceded the over in both games.

Sun on Lynx odds

Powered by BetMGM Sportsbook; For a complete list, visit the USA TODAY sports scores and sports betting odds hub. Lines were last updated at 2:28 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): So +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Lynx -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
• Against the Spread (ATS): Sun +4.5 (-110) | Lynx -4.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 154.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Sun at Lynx tips and predictions

forecast

Lynx 75, Sun 72

Money line

The Lynx (-210) will return you more than 2x your potential return, and that’s too expensive for a single bet.

If you were to bet on a combination of multiple legs, perhaps some NFL games, the WNBA playoff game and some MLB action on the final day of this regular season, then it might make sense to include Minnesota. But by itself, AVOID.

Against the spread

The SUN +4.5 (-120) It’s a good idea to get the points. Here too, all three regular season matches were decided by 5 points or less, and the away team was represented in every duel.

Connecticut travels to the Twin Cities full of confidence Marina Mabrey was red-hot in the first round, scoring 22.0 points per game (PPG) with 4.5 APG. You and DeWanna Bonnerwho had 18.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 3.5 APG in the first round will be key in keeping the Suns in the game.

Play our free game daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play Now!

Over/Under

UNDER 154.5 (-110) is the lean in Game 1. While the score was 2-1 in the three regular season meetings, the only game played in the Twin Cities ended with an under result.

Don’t be crazy, as Minnesota reached triple digits in both games against Phoenix in the first round. However, Connecticut is an excellent defensive team, allowing just 73.6 PPG in the regular season to rank No. 1 in scoring defense.

Additionally, the total is low in 11 of the last 17 games for the Sun. Look for Connecticut’s defense to significantly slow down Minnesota.

More sports betting tips and tipsCheck out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –

The two astronauts, stuck on the International Space Station since June, welcomed their new journey home with the arrival of a SpaceX capsule on Sunday.

Related video above: Unmanned Boeing Starliner capsule undocks from the ISS

SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a reduced crew of two astronauts and two empty spots reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return next year. The Dragon capsule docked in the dark as the two ships climbed 265 miles (426 kilometers) over Botswana.

NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX after they had concerns about the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first crewed Starliner test flight, and NASA concluded that the engine failures and helium leaks that occurred after launch were too serious and poorly understood to jeopardize the test pilots’ return. So Starliner returned to Earth empty at the beginning of the month.

The Dragon, carrying Nick Hague of NASA and Alexander Gorbunov of the Russian Space Agency, will remain on the space station until February, turning what was supposed to be a week-long journey into a more than eight-month mission for Wilmore and Williams.

Two NASA astronauts were pulled from the mission to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return flight.

NASA likes to rotate its station crews about every six months. SpaceX has provided the taxi service since the company’s first astronaut flight in 2020. NASA also hired Boeing for ferry flights after the space shuttles were retired, but faulty software and other Starliner problems led to years of delays and more than $1 billion in repairs.

Starliner inspections are underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with post-flight records review beginning this week.

“We’re a long way from saying, ‘Hey, we’re writing Boeing off,'” Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, said at a pre-launch briefing.

The arrival of two new astronauts means the four who have been up there since March can now return to Earth in just over a week in their own SpaceX capsule. Her stay was extended by a month because of the Starliner unrest.

Although Saturday’s launch went well, SpaceX said the rocket’s spent upper stage landed outside its target impact zone in the Pacific due to a faulty engine ignition. The company has halted all Falcon launches until it figures out what went wrong.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Maybe it was the lack of serious competition in the three non-conference games.

Maybe it played the first away game in the Big Ten’s opening game.

Whatever the reason, for most of the first half of Saturday night’s game against Michigan State, Ohio State barely resembled the juggernaut it had been so far this season.

It’s a testament to OSU’s talent and the Spartans’ crucial mistakes that the No. 3 Buckeyes were still able to pull out a 38-7 victory.

In particular, the vaunted Buckeye defense was nowhere to be seen for much of the first half. But OSU (4-0) got an early stop on fourth down and recovered two fumbles, keeping MSU mostly off the scoreboard.

“The turnover battle in this game was huge,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “If we don’t get those turnovers, maybe it’s a different game.”

More:Does Ohio State have the best college sports tradition? Vote now!

That was enough for Ohio State’s productive offense to take a full-time halftime lead, even if that unit was also weak at times.

Gee Scott Jr. caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard on fourth down for a 10-0 lead. Jeremiah Smith scored the next two touchdowns, one on a 19-yard reverse and the second on a ridiculous one-handed catch — his second of the drive — for a 17-yard score that gave OSU a 24-7 halftime lead. Devin Brown threw this touchdown after Howard took a big hit on the previous play.

“The corner put pressure on me,” Smith said. “Devin threw a great ball and I just had to make a play.”

Howard said: “That was exactly the game. I think that throw and that catch that those two made really sealed the game.”

Howard came back for Ohio State’s first possession of the third quarter and led the Buckeyes on a touchdown drive to end any tension over the outcome.

Ohio State’s defense took several hits early on

The Buckeyes allowed just 20 points in their first three games and averaged just 180 yards per game, which was second best in the country.

But Michigan State (3-2), a 23-point underdog, had little trouble moving the ball against the Buckeyes in the first half. The Spartans averaged 10 yards per play well into the second quarter.

But Ohio State’s defense made big plays when it mattered most.

The first came when linebacker Cody Simon hit MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles in the air on Michigan State’s first possession for a stuffing on fourth-and-1 at the OSU 20-yard line.

On the Spartans’ next drive, they drove to the OSU 37 when Chiles made contact with Jack Velling. The tight end was at the 11 when cornerback Jordan Hancock knocked the ball free and linebacker Sonny Styles recovered.

Michigan State then had the ball at the Buckeyes’ 16 when quarterback deflected a hit by safety Lathan Ransom and defensive end Jack Sawyer recovered. Defensive player Tywone Malone appeared to grab the Chiles’ facemask during the play, but it went unprompted.

The Buckeyes didn’t force a punt until less than two minutes before halftime.

“They moved the ball down the field a little bit, but we have a mindset of bend but don’t break,” Hancock said.

But Ohio State, which hadn’t allowed a point in the second half all season, came out tough in the final two quarters. The Buckeyes allowed just 60 yards in the second half, and Denzel Burke had an interception and a 34-yard return to set up a Buckeye touchdown.

“I think when you look at the 246 yards (allowed) and seven scores, you say, ‘God, what a great performance,'” Day said. “And definitely we did a really good job of shutting them down in the second half. But there are some things we need to look at on film and figure out the cause of some explosive plays.”

Will Howard is having a day full of ups and downs

Howard has been more than solid as Ohio State’s quarterback this season. On Saturday he started almost perfectly. Howard completed 12 of his first 13 passes to six different receivers, and the incompletion was a drop by Emeka Egbuka.

OSU had to settle for a field goal on its first drive after tight end Will Kacmarek was called for unnecessary roughness at the MSU 10.

On OSU’s second possession, Howard nearly threw an interception before hitting Scott for the fourth touchdown.

More:Is Ohio State the best college for sports fans? Vote now!

Howard wasn’t so lucky on the Buckeyes’ next possession. When pressured, he threw his back foot into double coverage.

Linebacker Jordan Turner intercepted the ball and returned it 36 ​​yards to the OSU 11. On the next play, Chiles threw to Javon Turner for MSU’s only touchdown.

On Ohio State’s final drive of the first half, Howard threw a 27-yard pass to Smith, who jumped high to make the catch one-handed near the sideline. Three plays later, Howard scored on an incompletion up the middle. He lay on the floor for a moment, got up and then had to get back on his knees.

Brown replaced him and threw the ball to Smith for a touchdown after the freshman receiver’s other one-handed catch with 29 seconds before halftime.

Howard returned to lead OSU’s 13-play touchdown drive, capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass to Egbuka on fourth-and-5.

Howard capped off his day with a 6-yard touchdown run on OSU’s next possession. He finished 21 of 31 for 244 yards.

Ohio State outscored Michigan State 483-246.

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In the opening scenes of “The Wild Robot,” a sprightly metal android with a state-of-the-art processing unit wanders through a forest, asking confused animals if he can help them and offering discount codes and stickers for future customers. “Did someone order me to do something?” it asks.

We did, as it turns out. This adaptation of Peter Brown’s award-winning middle grade novel is an absolute cinematic triumph, a soulful, sweetly sad animated journey that might make your kids wonder why you’re so teary-eyed. It is intended to be ordered and reordered.

Chris Sanders, the writer and director of How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods and Lilo & Stitch, is the writer and director here. The task is daunting: transform a popular book with a few illustrations into a full-length film without losing its lively core. Sanders didn’t just do it; he lasered it.

“The Wild Robot” is the fish-out-of-water story of a futuristic helper robot who is stranded on an island when a storm sinks his container ship. It learns to adapt and interact with creatures it isn’t programmed to handle, and even adopts the cutest gosling you’ll ever see (sorry, Ryan).

The robot – ROZZUM Unit 7134, or “Roz” for short – is voiced by Lupita Nyong’o in a spectacularly nuanced performance, at first vividly robotic and ultimately natural and ironic. The other voice actors – Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames – are not like the mercenaries that other animated films use to attract audiences. Each is beautifully calibrated.

The film maintains the basic structure of the book, but highlights some characters – such as highlighting the importance of Pascal’s red fox – and has a tendency to have a bit of Hollywood, such as sending a robot army after Roz and setting everything on fire. But there are no lags, the visual effects are amazing and its soul is intact.

“The Wild Robot” is often a story about programming – natural and artificial – and how it can help and hinder. “I don’t have the programming to be a mother,” Roz tells a possum mother (a great O’Hara). She replies, “None of us do.”

Roz has landed on an island where survival of the fittest and instinct are the rule, where animals don’t sing and dance but fight and hunt each other. “Kindness is not a survival skill,” the fox tells our robot.

“The Wild Robot” is also a celebration of adoption and found families. The push and pull of parenthood is there, as is the celebration of friendship. And there is death, an honest reminder of the struggle for survival.

Visually it is breathtaking, a structured world that seems almost picturesque. You can see snowflakes settling on speckled fur, moss on rocks, individual leaves in a cave. The image of a tree covered in butterflies is so spectacular that it should be a poster we can all frame. No offense to Roz, but regular computer-generated works – Transformers One, we’re looking at you – look lackluster in comparison.

Roz accidentally causes the death of a family of geese, except for one unharmed egg. This orphan is now Roz’s obligation – she must teach him to eat, swim and fly, culminating in the winter migration. And she has to face difficult questions – like how a robot came to raise a little goose. “He found where he belonged,” Roz says with happy sadness as her gosling swims towards a group of geese.

What home is is a different issue: Roz feels the urge to return to her factory, but only out of obligation. Her heart lies with this island and the friends she has made, especially after creating a safe place for all living things during a freezing winter. Their kindness changes the way the animals see each other, even if it can’t change their appetites.

Motherhood also changes Roz, freeing her from her ones and zeros, making her improvise and even willing to break some rules, like learning to lie to come up with a creative bedtime story. A broken robot from the shipwreck is stunned at what has become of Roz when she comes by for advice: “You shouldn’t feel anything.”

And you? You will have all the feelings. Give up. Is this the best animated film of the year? Completely so far. It might even be the best film of the year. See you at the Oscars, Roz.