AP Sports Summary for October 8th, 2023.
Caleb Williams finds the end zone once more in triple OT, and No. 9 USC survives Arizona 43-41
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Caleb Williams rushed for three touchdowns before running for a two-point conversion in the third overtime, and No. 9 Southern California stopped Arizona's final attempt in a wild 43-41 victory. Williams passed for 219 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans (6-0, 4-0 Pac-12), who botched a 25-yard field goal attempt on the final snap of regulation. Noah Fifita passed for 313 yards and threw two of his five touchdown passes to Jacob Cowing in overtime, but the Wildcats blew an early 17-point lead and fell just short of a signature victory under third-year coach Jedd Fisch.
Diamondbacks chase Clayton Kershaw in 1st inning and rout Dodgers 11-2 in NLDS opener
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gabriel Moreno's three-run homer highlighted a six-run first inning for Arizona, and the Diamondbacks battered Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on the way to an 11-2 victory in Game 1 of their NL Division Series. The D-backs also got homers by Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Tommy Pham. Merrill Kelly beat the Dodgers for the first time, limiting them to three hits in 6 1/3 innings. He retired 11 in a row during one stretch. Kershaw staggered through the worst start and shortest of his 16-year career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner got tagged for six runs and recorded just one out.
Harper homers, Phillies shut down slugging Braves 3-0 in Game 1 of NLDS
ATLANTA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered, Ranger Suárez and the Philadelphia bullpen stifled baseball's most prolific offense, and the Phillies blanked the 104-win Atlanta Braves 3-0 in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. The East champion Braves find themselves in exactly the same position as a year ago: trailing the Phillies after the opener in Atlanta. Wild-card series hero Bryson Stott broke a scoreless tie with a run-scoring single in the fourth. Harper padded the lead with a drive over the right-field wall in the sixth off Spencer Strider, baseball's only 20-game winner. Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Monday night.
Boomer Sooner: Gabriel tosses late TD pass as No. 12 Oklahoma beats No. 3 Texas in Red River rivalry
DALLAS (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left and 12th-ranked Oklahoma remained undefeated with a 34-30 win over No. 3 Texas. It was their last Red River rivalry game as Big 12 members before moving to the SEC. The pocket was collapsing around him when Gabriel threw the game-winner to Anderson in the back of the end zone. Gabriel completed 23 of 38 passes for 285 yards and ran 14 times for 113 yards and a score. The left-handed quarterback had missed the Sooners' 49-0 loss in last year's game because of a concussion.
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Turns out, Oklahoma's back; Tide rising in West; coaching malpractice at Miami
The final Red River Rivalry in the Big 12 before it moves to the Southeastern Conference felt like a chance for No. 3 Texas to lay claim to being the best team in the country. Instead, second-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables got his first signature win and the 12th-ranked Sooners stamped themselves as College Football Playoff contenders. Meanwhile, in the current SEC, the more you watch the rest of the SEC West, the better Alabama looks. The Crimson Tide, despite some issues, sit atop the division after beating Texas A&M. And Miami gives one away.
Georgia Tech stuns No. 17 Miami 23-20, on TD with 2 seconds remaining
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Haynes King threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary with two seconds remaining after Miami turned the ball over with the game all but won, and Georgia Tech stunned the 17th-ranked Hurricanes 23-20 on Saturday night. Georgia Tech got the ball back with 26 seconds remaining after referees ruled that Miami running back Don Chaney fumbled the ball at the Yellow Jackets' 26-yard line after the Hurricanes decided not to take a knee on that play to essentially run out the clock. And Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) turned that mistake into a miracle.
Verlander holds Twins scoreless, Alvarez and Altuve power Astros to 6-4 victory in ALDS opener
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the Houston Astros held on for a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in their AL Division Series opener. Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run and Alvarez had three RBIs as the defending World Series champions earned their 10th straight victory in Game 1 of a Division Series. Verlander settled in after a shaky start and the Astros built a 5-0 lead through six innings with big swings from Altuve and Alvarez. Jorge Polanco and rookie Royce Lewis hit consecutive homers off Héctor Neris in the seventh to make it 5-4. Alvarez's second homer of the game in the bottom half gave Houston some insurance, and Ryan Pressly worked a scoreless ninth for the save.
Texas' shaky bullpen escapes late as Rangers hold off Orioles 3-2 to open ALDS
BALTIMORE (AP) — Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning helped Texas reach the sixth inning with a lead, and the Rangers' maligned bullpen held on through some anxious moments for a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their AL Division Series. Josh Jung homered and made a nice play at third base to start a critical double play for Texas, which improved to 3-0 in these playoffs — all on the road. The Rangers entered the postseason without Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer and with a bullpen largely considered a weak link, but they've allowed only three runs in three games against the Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Anthony Santander homered for Baltimore.
No. 24 Louisville beats No. 10 Notre Dame 33-20, with Jawhar Jordan running for 143 yards, 2 TDs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jawhar Jordan ran for a season-high 143 yards, scoring on 45- and 21-yard runs on consecutive second-half possessions, and No. 25 Louisville beat No. 10 Notre Dame 33-20 on Saturday night. Louisville, at 6-0 off to its best start in 10 years, pulled away in a signature victory for first-year coach and former Cardinals great Jeff Brohm before a stadium-record 59,081. Norte Dame (5-2) lost for the second time in three games. It had won 30 straight games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Fighting Irish converted Cam Hart's fumble recovery into a 10-7 lead on Spencer Schrader's 53-yard field goal midway through the third quarter before the Cardinals answered with Brock Travelstead's 44-yarder. Jordan took over from there with explosive runs.
Von Miller active for Bills against Jaguars but DE Shaq Lawson and CB Christian Braswell out
LONDON (AP) — Bills edge-rusher Von Miller is active for Buffalo's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars but defensive end Shaq Lawson is out with a toe injury. The Bills activated Miller from the reserve-physically unable to perform list on Saturday. He hasn't played since injuring his knee last November. Starting defensive end Greg Rousseau (foot) is also out as is cornerback Christian Benford. For the Jaguars, left tackle Cam Robinson, wide receiver Zay Jones and return specialist Jamal Agnew are all active as expected.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Texas 3 Baltimore 2
Final Houston 6 Minnesota 4
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NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 3 Atlanta 0
Final Arizona 11 L.A. Dodgers 2
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Minnesota 104 Dallas 96
Final Golden State 125 L.A. Lakers 108
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Arizona 7 Anaheim 1
Final Vegas 7 Los Angeles 4
Final Tampa Bay 4 Florida 2
Final Minnesota 4 Dallas 0
Final Columbus 4 Washington 2
Final Detroit 4 Toronto 3
Final Montreal 6 Ottawa 4
Final St. Louis 5 Chicago 3
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (12)Oklahoma 34 (3)Texas 30
Final (1)Georgia 51 (20)Kentucky 13
Final (23)LSU 49 (21)Missouri 39
Final (25)Louisville 33 (10)Notre Dame 20
Final (4)Ohio St. 37 Maryland 17
Final UCLA 25 (13)Washington St. 17
Final (11)Alabama 26 Texas A&M 20
Final (5)Florida St. 39 Virginia Tech 17
Final (14)North Carolina 40 Syracuse 7
Final (16)Mississippi 27 Arkansas 20
Final (2)Michigan 52 Minnesota 10
Final Wyoming 24 (24)Fresno St. 19
Final Georgia Tech 23 (17)Miami 20
Final (15)Oregon St. 52 California 40
Final (9)Southern Cal 43 Arizona 41
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final tie Columbus 1 Atlanta 1
Final D.C. United 2 New York City FC 0
Final Cincinnati 1 Miami 0
Final CF Montréal 4 Portland 1
Final New York 3 Toronto FC 0
Final Orlando City 3 New England 2
Final tie Nashville 0 Philadelphia 0
Final Los Angeles FC 4 Austin FC 2
Final Charlotte FC 2 Chicago 0
Final tie San Jose 1 FC Dallas 1
Final Houston 5 Colorado 1
Final Minnesota 5 LA Galaxy 2
Final Sporting Kansas City 3 Real Salt Lake 2
Final tie Vancouver 0 Seattle 0
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Texas at Baltimore 4:07 p.m.
Minnesota at Houston 8:03 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Chicago at Milwaukee 1 p.m.
Phoenix at Detroit 3 p.m.
Philadelphia at Boston 6 p.m.
Indiana at Memphis 8 p.m.
Sacramento at Toronto 8 p.m.
Utah at L.A. Clippers 9 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Jacksonville at Buffalo 9:30 a.m.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 1 p.m.
Carolina at Detroit 1 p.m.
Houston at Atlanta 1 p.m.
N-Y Giants at Miami 1 p.m.
New Orleans at New England 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis 1 p.m.
Cincinnati at Arizona 4:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at L.A. Rams 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Minnesota 4:25 p.m.
N-Y Jets at Denver 4:25 p.m.
Dallas at San Francisco 8:20 p.m.
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
New York at Las Vegas 3 p.m.
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