AP National Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin has always liked to use a lot of running backs and he’d like to see one assert himself eventually this year. Not only would more big plays in the running game help balance out the No. 4 Nittany Lions’ offense, they’d certainly come in handy

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are having serious issues protecting their quarterback. After being sacked only 24 times all of last season, Ryan Tannehill has been taken down 17 times. That’s most in the NFL through four games. Only Carson Wentz of Indianapolis and New

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he knows he needs to play better to help the team snap a three-game losing streak. Roethlisberger is ranked 27th in the league in quarterback rating and has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns. The 18-year-veteran also is dealing with

MONTREAL (AP) — Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme says he does not expect goaltender Carey Price to practice before the start of the regular season. It is unlikely Price will be ready for next week’s opener at Toronto. Ducharme says Price is recovering from a non-COVID-19 illness and offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Monntreal

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer says bolstering a starting rotation that ranked among the worst this season tops his to-do list. the Cubs will have the financial flexibility to be active in free agency. The question is whether they try to make a

BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Premier League team Brighton says one of its players is assisting police with the investigation of an alleged offense. The south-coast club did not disclose the player in question or the nature of the alleged offense. Brighton says in a short statement that the matter “is subject to a legal process”

By DANIELLA MATAR Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Spain has ended Italy’s record unbeaten run of 37 matches by beating the European champion 2-1 in the Nations League semifinals after Roberto Mancini’s team was reduced to 10 men. Ferran Torres scored two goals in the first half for Spain, the second coming after Leonardo Bonucci

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer Britain’s Sir Ben Ainslie is now a team owner in the SailGP global league. Ainslie and business partner Chris Bake have purchased majority ownership in Great Britain SailGP Team. American tech billionaire Larry Ellison retains a minority stake. The British squad is the first of the existing eight SailGP

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is confident he’ll return next season after missing most of the past two because of serious health issues. Francona stepped away from the club in late July to undergo hip replacement surgery as well as a procedure on a big toe

By The Associated Press A capsule look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Even before making the move to the NFC West, Matthew Stafford could get a sense for the intensity of when Seattle and Los Angeles get together. His first taste of the Rams-Seahawks rivalry will come in a place he’s never won before when Los Angeles travels

HOUSTON (AP) — Lance Lynn will start for the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros on Thursday. Manager Tony La Russa announced the decision Wednesday and said Lucas Giolito would start Game 2. The White Sox also said first baseman Jose Abreu was feeling better after

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Sage Steele will not appear on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” the remainder of this week and has been pulled from moderating an upcoming network event following comments she made on a recent podcast. Steele appeared on a podcast hosted by former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler where she criticized ESPN and the Walt Disney

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Urban Meyer is ready to move on. So are his players and his family. The Jacksonville Jaguars coach publicly apologized for the third consecutive day Wednesday and said he never considered resigning after his “inexcusable” behavior at an Ohio bar was caught on camera

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer The NBA has agreed to not randomly test players for marijuana this season. It’s a continuation of the policy that was put in place last year for the restart bubble and has remained since. Drug testing will continue for things such as human growth hormone and performance-enhancers. The NBA

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has expressed support for having biennial World Cups, saying it would benefit South American teams by cutting down on lengthy qualifying campaigns. FIFA is pushing a plan to stage its showcase tournament every two years instead of every four years, but the proposal has been widely criticized

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers have traded injured guard Edmond Sumner to the Brooklyn Nets for the rights to forward Juan Pablo Vaulet and a conditional second-round pick. Sumner tore his left Achilles tendon during offseason workouts and had surgery Sept. 13. The 25-year-old Vaulet has played most of his pro career in his

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets coach Robert Saleh says safety Marcus Maye has the team’s support as the star player deals with legal issues including drunken driving charges stemming from a February car crash in Florida. Saleh said Wednesday he and Maye had “a

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have fired Jayce Tingler, who presided over the biggest collapse in franchise history just a season after finishing second in voting for NL Manager of the Year. General manager A.J. Preller announced the move three days after the Padres finished 79-83

By JAKE SEINER AP Baseball Writer Major League Baseball is finalizing a policy that will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for minor league players for the 2022 season. While the league could face legal challenges in requiring vaccination for major leaguers without the cooperation of the players association, minor leaguers are not included in the big league