Sports

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer Alabama answered the question of what to get a college football team that has everything. A speedy wide receiver and a new middle linebacker and defensive playcaller are perfect gifts for the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Alabama’s offseason transfer pickups receiver Jameson Williams and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o have given Tide

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland earned another nice victory early in the season, beating West Virginia in last week’s opener. Now the Terrapins need to show they can build on it. The Terps opened the season with wins over Texas in 2017 and 2018, but they finished with

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sam “Bam” Cunningham, an All-American fullback at Southern California whose performance against Alabama was credited with helping to integrate football in the South, has died. Cunningham was part of USC’s all-Black backfield that helped rout a predominantly white Alabama team 42-21 in 1970. He ran

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says former NFL players Clinton Portis, Tamarick Vanover and Robert McCune have pleaded guilty in a nationwide health care fraud scheme. The Justice Department says Portis, Vanover and McCune admitted to defrauding a league program set up to reimburse medical expenses

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema were linking up so well together that the injured Kylian Mbappé was hardly missed. Griezmann scored twice and was set up Benzema both times in a 2-0 win over Finland that put the defending World Cup champions in control of their

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Al Michaels no longer has to subtly refer to the point spread if a game comes down to the wire on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” Now he can refer to it directly without worrying about drawing a comment from NFL officials in New York. Three years after the Supreme

SPLIT, Croatia (AP) — Croatia has proven it can win without Luka Modric as it beat Slovenia 3-0 in its fight for a World Cup qualifying spot. Real Madrid midfielder Modric missed all three of Croatia’s games during the international break with a thigh injury. Croatia has emerged with two wins and a draw. Croatia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch has been fined $50,000 by NASCAR. The stock car series said he recklessly entering the garage following a crash in the opening race of the playoffs Saturday night at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Busch had crashed and he ran over several orange safety cones at a considerable amount

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark has beaten Israel 5-0 and is on the verge of sealing a place at the 2022 World Cup with barely half of the qualifying games played. The Danes have a perfect record of winning all six of their games so far without conceding a goal. One more win could secure

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Jon Rahm’s birdie on the final hole of the Tour Championship earned him a trophy. He is the winner of the points-based award as player of the year by the PGA of America. Players get 10 points for a win, 30 points if it’s a major. Rahm’s only victory

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Switching personnel mid-drive is commonplace in the NFL, with running backs shuttling in and out and teams switching from three-receiver sets to two-receiver formations all the time. The San Francisco 49ers could do it at quarterback this season with Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — This is the first time in U.S. Open history that no men or women from the host country has made it to the quarterfinals in singles. The man in charge of finding and grooming Grand Slam champions for the U.S. Tennis Association is trying to

By JAKE SEINER AP Baseball Writer On the eve of Marvin Miller’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, leaders of the current players association say his philosophies and strategies remain foundational pillars of the organization. Miller’s 16-year tenure as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association included three strikes and two lockouts,

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina tailback Kevin Harris is finally healthy and prepared for his follow up season after gaining 1,138 yards a year ago. Harris led the Southeastern Conference with 113 yards a game. He also had 15 touchdowns, trailing only Alabama’s Najee Harris. The Crimson Tide

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MADISON, Wis. (AP) — College football teams spent the opening week of the season getting reacquainted with an unfamiliar sound: Authentic crowd noise. The return of fans created some memorable scenes and allowed the return of some treasured traditions, including the “Jump Around” student frenzy at Wisconsin and players

By JOHN RABY AP Sports Writer West Virginia’s Neal Brown went into the season opener with cautious optimism and returned home with a mess. Now he needs to figure out why things went totally wrong for the Mountaineers in the second half of a 30-24 loss at Maryland on Saturday. The Mountaineers scored three touchdowns

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari says he contracted COVID-19 after being vaccinated, but points out that he is relieved the shot did its job in leaving him with mild symptoms. Other notable breakthrough cases have occurred in college football, with vaccinated players and

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Leylah Fernandez has beaten yet another seeded player at the U.S. Open to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. The 19-year-old from Canada is the youngest woman to get this far at Flushing Meadows since Maria Sharapova in 2005. Fernandez edged No. 5 Elina Svitolina

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seahawks, Sounders and Kraken say they will require proof of vaccination for all fans 12 or older attending the teams’ home games. The Mariners also say they will require proof of vaccination beginning in October should the team make the playoffs. The Seahawks and Sounders will accept proof of vaccination or

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Top European soccer clubs have been praised as a united family by their new Qatari leader after they met for the first time since the Super League crisis. Nine of 12 founders of the ill-fated Super League were welcomed back as members of the European Club