As Terique Owens looks to make his own name as a wide receiver in the NFL, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens will remain closely linked to his father for at least the start of his pro career.

The wide receiver from Missouri State agreed to sign an undrafted free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL draft, according to multiple reports. The 49ers selected Owens’ father in the third round of the 1996 draft, and the receiver would go on to earn four Pro Bowl berths during his eight-year run with the franchise while becoming one of the NFL’s biggest stars.

Earlier in April, Terique Owens attended the 49ers’ pro day for prospects with local ties. Terrell Owens was on hand to watch.

‘I’m proud of him just to get to this point,’ Terrell Owens told the 49ers’ website. ‘He has to take these moments as huge opportunities for him to show what he can do.

‘He doesn’t have a lot of film-work, a lot of football-work throughout the course of his college career but there are different paths to making it to a team and making some history and success for yourself. This is definitely a step in the right direction.’

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Terique Owens began his career at Contra Costa College and then transferred to Florida Atlantic for one season prior to his arrival at Missouri State. He recorded 28 catches for 528 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.

Mathew Barzal scored 1:24 into the second overtime Saturday as the New York Islanders avoided elimination against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series three games to one. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.

‘Live to see another day,’ Islanders forward Anders Lee said. ‘Fun to get in here and get back to work in a couple days.’

Barzal redirected Robert Bortuzzo’s shot from the blue line for his second goal of the game.

‘Great shot by Bobby (Bortuzzo),’ Barzal said. ‘Just find a lane and throw it in an area where there’s some bodies. Lucky bounce.’

Lightning 6, Panthers 3

Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Brandon Hagel each scored twice as the Lightning stayed alive in Game 4.

The win cut the Lightning’s deficit to 3-1. Game 5 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.

Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, Nick Paul scored and Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each had three assists. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots as the Lightning broke a six-game postseason home losing streak.

Returning from a broken leg, Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev recorded an assist in his first game since Feb. 7.

‘When you get one of the best defensemen in the league back in your lineup, it gives you a little bit of a jump, and it did that tonight,’ Hagel said. ‘Kudos to him for playing tremendous.’

Bruins 3, Maple Leafs 1

Jeremy Swayman started back-to-back games for the first time in more than two months and made 25 saves to help the Boston Bruins take a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Swayman, who had been alternating starts with Linus Ullmark, won his third game of the series to improve to 6-0-0 against the Maple Leafs this season.

Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Bruins. It was the 56th playoff goal for Marchand, moving him past Cam Neely for the all-time team lead.

Mitch Marner scored and Ilya Samsonov made 14 saves through the first two periods for the Maple Leafs before Joseph Woll replaced him.

The Maple Leafs got William Nylander back from a three-game absence but forward Auston Matthews did not play in the third period because of illness.

Stars 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT)

Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston scored his second goal of the game at 16:23 of overtime as the Stars picked up their first victory of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 Monday night in Las Vegas.

Logan Thompson was brilliant, especially in the second period as he stopped breakaways and other odd-man rushes as the Golden Knights tied a game it had trailed 2-0. He robbed Roope Hintz in tight before Jack Eichel’s tying short-handed goal.

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, a Montreal man, founded New Orleans. Luguentz Dort, a fellow Montrealer, finished New Orleans. 

Dort, with suffocating defense and a second-quarter 3-point surge, led the Thunder to a 106-85 win against the Pelicans on Saturday afternoon at Smoothie King Center. 

What pulse the Pelicans had in this series is gone. The Thunder’s 3-0 lead is all but insurmountable. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a series in NBA history.

Due respect to the Thunder’s big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — all of whom have had excellent moments — but Dort has been OKC’s MVP of this first round. 

The Pelicans haven’t sniffed the century mark in this series, thanks in large part to Dort. Specifically, what Dort has done to terrorize Brandon Ingram. 

Already playing without their primary offensive weapon in Zion Williamson, the Pelicans needed Ingram to shoulder the scoring burden if they were to have a chance in this series. That hasn’t happened, of course. Because Dort, of course. 

At his best, Ingram plays like a discount Kevin Durant. At his worst? Well, I think we’re seeing it right now. Ingram, who might still be hobbled by a knee injury he suffered late in the season, barely looks mobile against Dort. Forget his height advantage. Ingram can hardly dribble. 

The Pelicans’ attempts to free Ingram from Dort using screens have been fruitless. 

Just watch what Dort does to avoid getting screened. He anticipates contact, always staying a step ahead of the screener. And if he can’t avoid the screen, he blasts through it like Adrian Peterson through tackle dummies. If the screen is illegal, Dort is better than anyone at selling the call. 

“My main thing is just to make everything tough,” Dort said on the eve of Game 3. “Whatever I gotta do, if it’s a crazy contest or just running by a guy, anything that I can do to mess up a shot I’ll do it.” 

Dort has learned the league in his five years, honing his defensive techniques while maintaining the frenzied energy he’s always played with. 

“His relentless nature, that got him pretty far, that got him 85% of the way there,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Friday. “Even as a rookie he was incredibly impactful, but he’s really touched up the edges. He’s learned some tricks to the point now he does some things sometimes that we don’t teach. 

“Some of the stuff with Ingram, even off-ball … he’s just giving the guy different looks. That’s not the scouting report. That’s just us kind of unleashing him on the game. There’s more of a method to that madness than maybe meets the eye.” 

Ingram actually had his most efficient game of the series Saturday, but even then it was 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. That’s not enough, not nearly enough. Not against the Thunder’s firepower. 

Gilgeous-Alexander had a modest 24 points to lead the Thunder, but teammates Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey complemented SGA. Williams had 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Giddey had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Holmgren didn’t have a big scoring game but was spectacular defensively. 

And then there was Dort, the undrafted guard out of Arizona State who scored nine of his 12 points in the second quarter, shooting 3-of-3 from 3-point range. Dort’s hot-shooting stretch coincided with the Thunder’s biggest run of the game. 

Dort has been pickier with his shot diet this season and has become a legitimate 3-point threat, shooting a career-high 39.4% from deep, but whatever he adds offensively is still a bonus. Defense is his calling card, almost to the point you can take it for granted. 

“Just for clarity, I have never taken Lu’s defense for granted, so if anybody is, it’s not me,” Daigneault said with a laugh. 

Like Gilgeous-Alexander on offense, Daigneault doesn’t try to overcoach Dort on defense. 

“When they’re elite at something, you’ve gotta let them be elite,” Daigneault said. 

Dort was elite Saturday, positioning the Thunder for a possible sweep Monday. 

Dort could finish New Orleans once and for all.

Celtics 104, Heat 84

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each had 22 points as the Boston Celtics routed the Miami Heat.

Boston, the NBA’s top seed, leads the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 Monday in Miami.

After losing Game 2 in Boston, the Celtics never trailed Saturday against the eighth-seeded Heat.

– Field Level Media

Magic 112, Cavaliers 89

The Orlando Magic evened their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-2, using a third-quarter flurry to erase a halftime deficit and steamroll toward a Game 4 rout.

Franz Wagner had 12 of his game-high 34 points and three teammates chipped in with a combined five 3-pointers in Orlando’s 37-10 run.

Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday at Cleveland. The home team has won every game.

– Field Level Media

Yes, that is really Frank Gore’s son who was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent after not hearing his name called during the 2024 NFL draft.

Gore Jr. is the son of Frank Gore, who enjoyed a 16-year pro career and ranks third in NFL history with 3,735 carries and 16,000 rushing yards. Gore Sr. played one season with Buffalo (2019) and averaged 3.6 yards per rush at 36 years old.

In his four-year career at Southern Mississippi, Gore Jr. had 759 carries for 4,022 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry) with 26 rushing touchdowns. He led Southern Miss in rushing all four years he was on the team and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his junior and senior seasons. He was named second-team All-Sun Belt following both seasons. 

Gore is the son of legendary NFL running back Frank Gore Sr. He’s smaller than his dad at 5-foot-8, 201 pounds and doesn’t have the same breakaway speed, but he’s a strong, shifty runner. Gore also has great vision and a tendency to fall forward to gain extra yards. He had to play quarterback at Southern Miss sometimes due to team struggles at that position and completed 17-of-35 pass attempts for 368 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Gore had opportunities to transfer to bigger schools but chose to stay at Southern Miss.

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Gore Sr. last played in 2020 and made five Pro Bowls. He was also the 2006 Most Improved Player. 

BOULDER, Colo. –  Colorado football coach Deion Sanders put on a short, wet display of football talent Saturday here at Folsom Field. It only lasted about an hour. The announced crowd of 28,424 also included plenty of no-shows who didn’t want to sit through the cold and rain at the second annual intrasquad spring game since his hiring.

But the performance was enough for Sanders to confirm what he already knew: This team is good enough to go to a bowl game this year.

“We’re gonna get it,” he said.

He renewed this promise before the game, when he addressed the poncho-wearing crowd to express his gratitude for braving the weather. He also called out Peggy Coppom, Colorado’s 99-year-old superfan.

“God bless all of you,” he told the crowd. “I would be remiss not to start our season out … without acknowledging the beautiful Miss Peggy. Where you at girl? Where’s Peggy? Peggy, wherever you are, we love you. We appreciate you and our goal is we’re gonna get you to a bowl game lady.”

Coppom was keeping dry far above the field, where the football action below included a running clock and only two quarters of scrimmage play. Using an unconventional scoring system, the offense then beat the defense, 29-24. Sanders’ quarterback son Shedeur Sanders threw the first touchdown of the game – a 19-yard pass to a new transfer teammate he helped recruit to the team – LaJohntay Wester from Florida Atlantic.

“The progress that we’ve made is another caliber of player that’s playing – a player that truly expects to go to the next level, meaning the NFL,” Sanders said.

Shedeur only played three series and completed 10 of 14 passes and one touchdown.

 “The kid can flat-out play,” Deion Sanders said.

What else happened Saturday?

Shedeur was asked by a reporter afterward if he was disappointed that the NFL’s Denver Broncos drafted a quarterback in the first round Thursday – Bo Nix of Oregon. Some local fans were hoping the Broncos would hold off on drafting a quarterback until next year, when Shedeur is expected to be a top pick.

“Yeah, man, I don’t know what’s next now,” Shedeur Sanders said about the Broncos’ move.

He was joking. But he was also serious when he said this team is better physically and mentally, including himself. He ended last season with a fractured back after his offensive line surrendered the second-most quarterback sacks in the nation last year, when the Buffaloes finished 4-8.

“I’m feeling great right now,” he said.

The roster is different, too. At least 33 scholarship players have left the team since last November, most of them to transfer to other schools, including running back Dylan Edwards, last year’s leading rusher. The Buffs even moved a cornerback to running back Saturday because of the depleted depth at that position – redshirt freshman Isaiah Hardge, who raced to the end zone on a 40-yard touchdown run Saturday.

At the same time, at least 30 new transfer players are coming in to Boulder or are already enrolled, including at least seven offensive linemen.

“It’s definitely a lot of highs and lows, even with the portal going on, but I feel we got all the negative energy out of the building,” Shedeur said of the spring.

Deion Sanders on his future

Deion Sanders was asked about his future again Saturday with speculation swirling about what he might do after Shedeur Sanders and his safety brother Shilo leave the team next year to enter the NFL draft.

“I don’t follow my kids,” he said. “I pave roads for my kids. I build generational wealth for my kids. I lead my kids. I don’t follow my kids. So, I do not plan on following my kids to the NFL.”

He reiterated his love for Colorado and said he wants his own Coach Prime snowmobile line for the winters.

“I love everything about this part of the country and the fan base that we have here,” he said. “I just want to really bless you with a tremendously successful team. I really do. That’s my heart.”

What about that offensive line?

None of the starting five linemen who finished the season in 2023 are even on the team anymore after four transferred out and one exhausted his college eligibility. This fulfilled Deion Sanders’ promise of sorts last year, when he said he needed to “go get new linemen” as his quarterback son kept getting battered as a result of poor line play.

On Saturday, the 15th and final practice of the spring, the new starting line included freshman tackle Jordan Seaton, the No. 1 tackle recruit in the nation, along with Indiana transfer tackle Kahlil Benson and guard Justin Mayers, a transfer from UTEP. Overall, the offense yielded four sacks Saturday.

“Those guys are really close,” Deion Sanders said. “Not just the starters.”

About that Colorado weather and mascot Ralphie

Colorado’s famed bison mascot wasn’t allowed to run on the field because of the wet weather. The announced crowd still was the second-biggest crowd for a spring game in school history, besting the crowd of 17,800 in 2008 but less than last year, when the game sold out with more than 44,000 in Deion Sanders’ first spring.

It was the second straight year that precipitation spoiled the show after last year’s snowfall.

One day earlier, it was sunny and warm in Boulder, drawing dismay from Sanders about Colorado’s mercurial weather.

“Thank God no one was injured, no one was hurt,” Deion Sanders said.

New scholarship player

The team had another reason to celebrate Saturday after Deion Sanders awarded walk-on running back Charlie Offerdahl with a scholarship. Sanders has praised Offerdahl’s work ethic since Sanders was hired in December 2022.

“It’s unbelievable,” Offerdahl said. “All the praise, all the glory to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I really want to thank everybody at this organization, all of Colorado, Coach Prime. It’s a blessing.”

Offerdahl, a junior from Littleton, Colorado, said he likes to eat spaghetti and meatballs before games to prepare but didn’t play Saturday because he said he was recovering from intestinal damage sustained in a previous scrimmage.

Coach Prime’s big weekend

Deion Sanders served as one of the judges at a talent show Thursday where 20 groups and performers competed for a $4,200 cash prize in front of a small but energetic crowd at the CU Events Center. The free-admission show featured a number of creative and uplifting music and dance performances, but a poor sound system and technical difficulties often marred the event entitled “Prime’s Got Talent.”

A concert performance by Lil Wayne was scheduled to follow the spring game Saturday at the same campus arena. It’s not clear if Coach Prime would perform on stage as well.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com