AP National Sports

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press Taking the lead after just 11 seconds wasn’t enough for Napoli to avoid a loss in the second round of Europa League group-stage matches. Eljif Elmas netted the early goal for Napoli but Spartak Moscow rallied to a 3-2 victory after both teams were reduced to 10 men. In the

By The Associated Press No. 16 Coastal Carolina begins its try at another perfect run through the Sun Belt Conference when it opens league play against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. The Chanticleers have started 4-0 with wins over Kansas of the Big 12 Conference and on the road at Buffalo. Coastal Carolina’s offense has been efficient

By The Associated Press No. 15 Texas A&M needs to get back on track and get its offense going a week after losing its first game in a 20-10 defeat by No. 8 Arkansas before top-ranked Alabama visits Oct. 9. Texas A&M has won the last two in the series and Mississippi State needs a

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears look to pick themselves up when they host the winless Detroit Lions on Sunday in a matchup between teams coming off losses that were gut wrenching for different reasons. Chicago’s offense failed in a 26-6 debacle at Cleveland. The Bears ran

By The Associated Press Michigan is seeking to win at Camp Randall Stadium for the first time since a 20-17 triumph in 2001 when the 14th-ranked Wolverines visit Wisconsin. Michigan has lost in each of its last five trips to Madison. Blake Corum leads an exceptional Michigan rushing attack against Wisconsin’s top-ranked run defense. Wisconsin

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers needed a respite after last season. COVID-19 precautions tested everyone’s patience. Injuries thinned the bench. Tempers flared there was open discord in the locker room. Now the Pacers are betting that new coach Rick Carlisle will change the equation. The Pacers are trying

By The Associated Press No. 11 Ohio State will look to remain perfect all-time against Rutgers when it visits SHI Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes are 3-1 coming into the game with their only loss being to No. 3 Oregon. The Scarlet Knights have started 3-1 under Greg Schiano, who recently spent time with

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Gulfstream Park’s new racing surface has made its debut. With that, the South Florida track becomes the first in the U.S. to offer races on traditional dirt and turf courses as well as an all-weather synthetic option. The new track surface is called Tapeta.

By TERRY TOWERY Associated Press CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois hosts Charlotte on Saturday, looking for its first win since August. Illinois’ last victory was a 30-22 season-opening win over Nebraska. It has lost four straight since then. Charlotte is led by senior quarterback Chris Reynolds. The 49ers are 3-1 this season.

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler says he takes a lot of pride in topping 200 innings on the mound this season. He’s one of the few to hit that mark. It appears that just four pitchers in the big leagues will throw at least 200 innings this season,

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce are both three-time All-Pro picks and each has won a Super Bowl. The big advantage: Travis is 2-0 against his older brother. The Kelce brothers face off one more time when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Jason, a

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sporting Kansas City signed high-scoring captain Johnny Russell to a two-year contract extension Thursday that includes an option for the 2024 season. Russell joined the MLS club in 2018 and has been among the league’s most productive players, scoring 35 goals with 37 assists while starting 100 of 120 games

By The Associated Press Unbeaten Kentucky can make a case for SEC East contention when it hosts No. 10 Florida. The Gators seek their second consecutive conference win to leapfrog the Wildcats and stay within reach of first-place and No. 2 Georgia in the East. Off to their best start since going 10-3 in 2018,

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State forward Seryee Lewis will miss the upcoming season after surgery last week to repair a torn ACL that he sustained in preseason workouts, Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said Thursday, The 6-foot-9 sophomore came off the bench to appear in 18 games as a freshman. He was expected to compete

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kliff Kingsbury knows more than enough about offensive football to appreciate — and to fear — what the Los Angeles Rams have done in the first three games of Sean McVay’s partnership with Matthew Stafford. But Kingsbury and Kyler Murray are rolling as well for

By The Associated Press No. 7 Cincinnati visits No. 9 Notre Dame hoping for a victory that could force the College Football Playoff selection committee to take notice. The defending American Athletic Conference champions are led by quarterback Desmond Ridder, who will be facing a familiar defense. Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was hired

By The Associated Press Sixth-ranked Oklahoma is headed to Kansas State on Saturday for its first Big 12 road game since announcing plans to bolt for the SEC. The Sooners are likely to get an even ruder reception than normal at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. They are coming off a last-second win over West Virginia

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Girls from the Afghanistan national soccer team who were recently granted asylum in Portugal have had a surprise visit from the captain of the senior team. Farkhunda Muhtaj flew into the Portuguese capital Lisbon for an emotional reunion with the girls’ team late Wednesday. She is a professional player who from

By The Associated Press Penn State is rolling and looking for its ninth win in a row. If Penn State needs motivation to play with more of an edge, it would make sense to point at the last meeting with Indiana. The Hoosiers kickstarted Penn State’s early struggles last season when they scored a controversial

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Carolina Panthers will be without star running back Christian McCaffrey when they visit the Dallas Cowboys in a second consecutive game in Texas. The Dallas running game is surging behind Ezekiel Elliott. Chuba Hubbard figures to be the primary replacement for McCaffrey on