COLLEGE FOOTBALL
New signal-callers help ‘Bama, Buckeyes
UNDATED (AP) β Second-ranked Alabama and No. 5 Ohio State were able to win their season openers while unveiling their new quarterbacks.
Blake Sims performed well in the Crimson Tide’s 33-23 win against West Virginia, completing 24 of his 33 passes for 250 yards and rushing for 42 yards. Sims was able to find Amari Cooper 12 times for 130 yards, while T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry combined to run for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
Alabama’s defense surrendered 365 passing yards but held the Mountaineers to 28 yards on 24 carries.
J.T. Barrett threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes picked up their 25th consecutive regular-season win, beating Navy 34-17 in Baltimore. Barrett ran for 50 yards and completed 12 of his 15 passes, including an 80-yard TD toss to Devin Smith.
Darron Lee returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
In other top-25 action:
β Top-ranked Florida State opened its national title defense with a victory as Jameis (JAYM’-ihs) Winston threw for 370 yards and scored on a 28-yard run to lead the Seminoles past Oklahoma State 37-31. FSU built an early 17-point lead before holding off the Cowboys.
β Third-ranked Oregon crushed South Dakota 62-13 as Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah) completed 14 of 20 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Mariota also ran for a touchdown, while Byron Marshall totaled 89 yards on the ground and had eight catches for 138 yards and two scores.
β Trevor Knight passed for 253 yards and a touchdown to help fourth-ranked Oklahoma hammer Louisiana Tech 48-16. Keith Ford had 116 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns.
β Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson passed for 243 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns, but the sixth-ranked Tigers needed a dominant second half to beat Arkansas 45-21. Nick Marshall returned from suspension with a 19-yard TD run while the Tigers outscored the Razorbacks 24-0 in the second half.
β Seventh-ranked UCLA scored three defensive touchdowns and Brett Hundley ran for a second-half score on a 28-20 victory at Virginia. Hundley was 20 of 33 for 242 yards and no interceptions.
β No. 11 Stanford whipped UC Davis 45-0 behind Ty Montgomery, who returned his first career punt for a touchdown and caught five passes for 77 yards and another score. Kevin Hogan was 12 of 16 for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
β Kenny Hilliard’s 28-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter gave 13th-ranked LSU its only lead in a 28-24 triumph over No. 14 Wisconsin. Hilliard had 110 rushing yards and Anthony Jennings through a pair of touchdown passes to help the Tigers storm back from a 24-7 deficit.
β Todd Gurley accounted for four touchdowns as 12th-ranked Georgia ripped No. 16 Clemson 45-21. Gurley ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD and set a school record for all-purpose yards with 293.
β Steve Sarkisian won his debut as Southern California’s head coach as Cody Kessler threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns to lead the 15th-ranked Trojans past Fresno State 52-13. The Trojans ran a school- and Pac-12 record 105 plays while racking up 37 first downs and 702 yards of total offense.
β Everett Golson threw two long touchdown passes and ran for three more scores in leading 17th-ranked Notre Dame’s 48-17 trouncing of Rice. Golson was 14 of 22 passing for 295 yards, including scoring strikes of 75 and 53 yards.
β Jake Waters threw for 223 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as No. 20 Kansas State pounded Stephen F. Austin 55-16.
β No. 22 Nebraska ripped Florida Atlantic 55-7 as Ameer Abdullah ran for a career-high 232 yards and Tommy Armstrong Jr. passed for a career-high 271 yards and two TDs.
β Marquise Williams scored four touchdowns and Jeff Schoettmer returned an interception for a score to help 23rd-ranked North Carolina rally from a 22-21 deficit and crush Liberty 56-29.
β Maty (MA’-tee) Mauk threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns to lead 24th-rated Missouri past South Dakota State 38-18.
β Lavon Coleman carried 19 times for 94 yards and John Ross grabbed a 91-yard scoring pass from Jeff Lindquist as No. 25 Washington held off Hawaii 17-16.
NFL-RAMS/SAM
Sam released
ST. LOUIS (AP) β The St. Louis Rams have cut Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team.
The Rams selected the SEC co-defensive player of the year at Missouri with the 249th overall pick out of 256 overall during May’s draft. Sam came out as gay following his final season at Missouri.
The defensive end played well in spurts during preseason but couldn’t make a team stocked with pass-rushers.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Cardinals lose again…Yanks, Tigers fall
UNDATED (AP) β A third team has worked its way into the American League Central race.
The Cleveland Indians are within 3 Β½ games of the division-leading Royals after scoring twice in the bottom of the 11th to earn a 3-2 win at Kansas City. Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana delivered RBI singles in the final inning to send the Indians to their third straight win.
The Royals have dropped three straight to fall into a first-place tie with Detroit.
Detroit split a pair in Chicago. The Tigers grabbed an early 3-0 lead before Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer and Jose Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the Chicago White Sox’s 6-3 triumph against Detroit in Game 1. Chris Sale struck out 13 over seven innings and blanked the Tigers after Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez hit first-inning homers.
The Tigers bounced back in the nightcap as Kinsler had three hits and three RBIs in an 8-4 romp over the Pale Hose. Kyle Ryan looked very good in winning his major league debut, holding Chicago to five hits in six shutout innings.
Also in the majors:
β The Angels’ bullpen came through with six shutout innings of relief in a 2-0 shutout of Oakland. Erick Aybar (EYE’-bahr) singled home the go-ahead run for the Angels, who beat the A’s for the third straight night to move four games ahead of the second-place Athletics in the AL West.
β Baltimore’s lead in the AL East is eight games over the New York Yankees after Jimmy Paredes (pah-REH’-dehs) hit a solo homer and an RBI double in a 3-2 triumph over Minnesota. But the Birds blew a pair of one-run leads before Chris Davis lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
β Drew Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez combined on a one-hitter as the Blue Jays blanked the Yankees 2-0 in Toronto. Hutchison worked seven innings and didn’t allow a hit until Mark Teixeira’s (the-SHEHR’-uhz) two-out double in the fourth. Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer for the Jays.
β Logan Watkins, Chris Valaika and Starlin Castro hit solo homers to lead the Chicago Cubs past St. Louis 5-1 in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Felix Doubrant (doo-BRAHNT’) worked seven innings in his first victory since joining the Cubs from Boston on July 30.
β The Cards halted a four-game skid and crushed the Cubs 13-2 in the nightcap as Matt Holliday homered twice and had five RBIs. Marco Gonzalez earned his first big league win by holding the Cubs to a run and three hits in six innings.
β Jake Peavy flirted with a no-hitter and Michael Morse hit a two-run double in San Francisco’s fifth straight win, 3-1 over Milwaukee. Peavy’s bid for a no-hitter ended when Mark Reynolds poked a one-out single in the eighth. The Brewers’ fourth straight loss cuts their lead in the NL Central to just one game over St. Louis and two games over Pittsburgh.
β The Dodgers top the NL West by just 2 1/2 games over the Giants after Los Angeles lost 2-1 in San Diego on Alexi Amarista’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. The Dodgers wasted a strong outing by Zack Greinke (GREHN’-kee), who limited the Padres to four hits while striking out eight in eight innings.
β Neil Walker hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Vince Worley added just one earned run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings of Pittsburgh’s fourth straight win, 3-2 against Cincinnati. Reds starter Alfredo Simon (SY’-muhn) is 1-6 since a 12-3 start.
β Jayson Werth hit a two-run homer and Stephen Strasburg pitched 7 2/3 innings as Washington topped Seattle 3-1 to stretch their lead in the NL East to seven games over Atlanta. Strasburg struck out eight and allowed only six hits in winning his third straight decision. The Mariners are 1 Β½ games behind Kansas City and Detroit for the final AL wild-card berth.
β Jarred Cosart scattered seven hits in seven shutout innings as Miami beat Atlanta 4-0, ending the Braves’ three-game winning streak. Donovan Solano was 3-for-5 with a solo homer and an RBI single.
β Tampa Bay hammered Boston 7-0 as Jake Odorizzi (oh-doh-REE’-zee) held the Red Sox to one hit while striking out seven in seven innings.
β Ryan Howard drove in three runs and Marlon Byrd smacked a solo homer as Philadelphia dumped the New York Mets 7-2.
β Scott Feldman tossed a three-hitter in Houston’s 2-0 shutout of Texas.
β Matt McBride and Charlie Blackman hit solo homers and Tyler Matzek gave up three hits in seven innings of Colorado’s 2-0 verdict over Arizona.
MLB-ORIOLES/TRADES
Birds pick up De Aza and Johnson
BALTIMORE (AP) β The AL East-leading Orioles have bolstered their depth by acquiring outfielder Alejandro De Aza and infielder Kelly Johnson in a pair of trades.
Baltimore sent two minor league right-handers to the White Sox for De Aza, who hit .243 with five homers, 31 RBIs and 15 steals in 122 games with the White Sox this year.
The Orioles got Johnson and minor league infielder Michael Almanzar from Boston in exchange for minor league infielders Jemile Weeks and Ivan De Jesus.
TENNIS-U.S. OPEN
Serena, Djokovic advance
NEW YORK (AP) β The No. 1 men’s and women’s seeds have moved into the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihch) has advanced with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 rout of American Sam Querrey. Djokovic needed just 86 minutes to win the match and reach the round of 16 for the 22nd straight time in a Grand Slam tournament.
Serena Williams was a 6-3, 6-3, winner against fellow American Varvara Lepchenko. The two-time defending champ extended her overall winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 17 after conquering the windy conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Wimbledon champion and third seed Petra Kvitova (kuh-VIHT’-oh-vuh) is out after committing 34 unforced errors in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Aleksandra Krunic (KROO’-neech) in the third round. Kvitova is the fifth player among the top eight women’s seeds to be eliminated. The 145th-ranked Krunic is the seventh qualifier since 1977 to advance to the women’s fourth round.
Joining Williams and Krunic into the fourth round were seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard (yoo-JEE’-nee boo-SHAHRD’), 11th seed Flavia Pennetta, No. 16 Victoria Azarenka and No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova , but No. 15 Carla Suarez Navarro was beaten by Kaia Kanepi in straight sets.
Men’s fifth seed Milos Raonic (ROW’-nihch) won three straight tiebreakers to move into the fourth round. Eighth seed Andy Murray needed four sets to advance, third seed Stan Wawrinka (vah-VINK’-ah) won in a walkover, and No. 10 Kei Nishikori dropped just nine games in his straight-sets victory. No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber ousted No. 13 John Isner, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. Isner was the last American male still left in the tournament.
PGA-DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP
Palmer, Day share Deutsche Bank lead
NORTON, Mass. (AP) β Ryan Palmer and Jason Day are co-leaders at the midway point of the PGA’s Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston.
Palmer followed Friday’s 8-under 63 with an even-par 71 to stay atop the leaderboard. Day had a chance to take the outright lead until he bogeyed his final hole for a 3-under 68.
Matt Kuchar (KOO’-chur) and Billy Horschel are one stroke back and one ahead of five others.
CHAMPIONS TOUR-SHAW CHARITY CLASSIC
Tri-leaders in Calgary
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) β Bob Tway, Joe Durant and Joey Daley share the second-round lead at the Champions Tour’s Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary.
Tway grabbed a share of the lead with a 7-under 63 for a 10-under total.
Gary Hallberg, Mark McNulty and David Frost are one shot back.
LPGA-PORTLAND CLASSIC
Three shot lead in LPGA event
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) β Defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot her second straight 5-under 67 for a share of the third-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic.
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and South Korea’s Mi Jung Hur shot 70 to match Pettersen at 11-under 205.
BASKETBALL-WORLD CUP
U.S. clobbers Finns
BILBAO, Spain (AP) β The U.S. men’s basketball team has opened its World Cup title defense with a laugher.
The Americans held Finland without a basket in the second quarter to open a 60-18 lead in a 114-55 romp in Spain. Klay Thompson scored 18 points and Anthony Davis had 17 for the U.S., which will play Turkey on Sunday in a rematch of the 2010 world basketball championship gold-medal game.
INDYCAR-FONTANA
Power claims IndyCar crown
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) β Will Power finally has his first IndyCar Series championship after near misses in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Power nosed out teammate Helio Castroneves (EH’-lee-oh kas-trah-NEH’-vehs) for the season title by finishing ninth at Fontana. Power started from the back and took the lead after a restart with 62 laps to go before earning enough points to claim the title.
Tony Kanaan (kah-NAHN’) picked up his first victory of the season.
