AP National Sports

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Josh Heupel knows exactly what he walked into as the latest head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Sure, Tennessee has plenty of history with this the 125th season in school history. The Volunteers have 13 Southeastern Conference football championships with their last national championship in 1998. But their last SEC

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops believes his Wildcats can do some damage in the Southeastern Conference this year after persevering through an emotional season. The Wildcats return 14 starters from a 5-6 squad that struggled during a grueling 10-game Southeastern Conference schedule before regrouping to

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — First-year South Carolina coach Shane Beamer won’t cap expectations this season. The son of Virginia Tech coaching great Frank Beamer believes the Gamecocks aren’t that far from when he was an assistant under Steve Spurrier and they reached the 2010 SEC championship game. Beamer will

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer The bad news for Alabama: The Heisman Trophy-winning receiver and his quarterback are gone, along with the Crimson Tide’s productive tailback. The good news: It’s Alabama and there is always an abundance of talent to replace  players. The defending national champion Crimson Tide lost the usual boatload of talent

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Clark Lea sees great potential at Vanderbilt, and the first-time head coach has been busy making changes trying to set his alma mater up for long-term success. Yes, Lea believes winning is possible at Vanderbilt. The Commodores just have to do it their way.

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow’s comeback and NFL career are over. The Jacksonville Jaguars waived him Tuesday, parting with the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who switched from quarterback to tight end in hopes of rejuvenating his pro football career. Tebow’s blocking ranged from awkward to awful in

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s most prolific offensive trio in decades, maybe even in school history, is gone. Tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Kadarius Toney and quarterback Kyle Trask left behind gaping holes for the 13th-ranked Gators to fill this season. Not even ultra-confident coach Dan Mullen is willing

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer Mike Leach welcomes the opportunity to instill his football philosophy on a normal time frame. That’s not saying the outspoken Mississippi State coach didn’t have an impact in his first season with the Bulldogs. Leach’s high-octane Air Raid offense yielded immediate dividends with an opening-game upset of defending

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have kept their trust in Joel Embiid. They signed the All-Star center to a multiyear contract that a person familiar with the situation says is a four-year, $196 million extension that takes Embiid through the 2026-27 season. The 27-year-old Embiid was NBA MVP

ROME (AP) — Italian club Roma has signed forward Tammy Abraham from Chelsea for $47 million. Abraham replaces Edin Džeko after the forward moved to Serie A champion Inter Milan last week. The 23-year-old Abraham has signed a five-year contract with Roma. Abraham progressed through the ranks at Chelsea and scored 30 goals in 82

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Rugby World Cup winner Toutai Kefu is recovering in an Australian hospital after surgery for abdominal injuries he sustained during a break-in at his home. Kefu won the 1999 Rugby World Cup with Australia and has been head coach of Tonga’s national team since 2016. The 47-year-old Kefu, his wife and

By The Associated Press The Yankees host the Red Sox in a day-night doubleheader as the longtime rivals jostle for playoff position. Boston holds one of two AL wild-card spots, but New York is only two games behind after winning 10 of 13 heading into the three-game series. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is expected to come

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Cole Hamels on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season before he ever pitched for the defending World Series champions. The 37-year-old left-hander signed a $3.05 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers on Aug. 4. The four-time All-Star

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Whoever ends up playing quarterback for San Francisco this season figures to have a much deeper set of receivers at his disposal than what the 49ers had last season. With starters Deebo Smauel and Brandon Aiyuk limited by injuries last season and not

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kris Bryant hit two home runs, Kevin Gausman set a career high for wins and the San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 7-5. Brandon Crawford had four hits to continue his surge at the plate over the past month. San Francisco’s All-Star shortstop, who

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 for their fourth straight victory. Billy McKinney’s solo shot — his first with the Dodgers — tied the game in the seventh. The Dodgers’

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders will require all fans attending home games to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19. The team says the policy will take effect for the first regular season home game on Sept. 13 against Baltimore. The Raiders implemented the change in accord with new directives from Nevada Governor

By MIKE COOK Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jorge Polanco doubled with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Max Kepler and give the Minnesota Twins a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians. It was the second straight walk-off win for the Twins, who’ve won eight of 11. Polanco had a

By The Associated Press The Yankees host the Red Sox in a day-night doubleheader as the longtime rivals jostle for playoff position. Boston holds one of two AL wild-card spots, but New York is only two games behind after winning 10 of 13 heading into the three-game series. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is expected to come

By KEN RITTER and SAM METZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Large events like concerts and football games in one of the nation’s entertainment capitals will be able to exempt themselves from mask rules if they require guests to show proof of vaccination. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Monday that large venues that hold