SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout testified Tuesday that he loved...

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout testified Tuesday that he loved his teammate Tyler Skaggs like a brother and never saw signs of drug use before he died of an overdose on a team trip to Texas in 2019.Trout, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player who hit his 400th career home run this year, took the stand in a civil trial in Southern California over whether the MLB team should be held responsible for its communication director Eric Kay giving Skaggs a fentanyl-laced pill that led to his death.Trout, who acknowledged he didn’t like speaking in public, told the courtroom about his friendship with Skaggs from the time they roomed together in a host family’s basement as rookies in Iowa and through playing for the Angels. Both were drafted out of high school as teens in 2009 — Trout from New Jersey, and Skaggs from California.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Skaggs was “very funny, outgoing, fun to be around” and toted around a boom box as the team’s deejay, Trout said.Trout said Kay was good at his job, getting players to give interviews and guiding them on which questions they might be asked. Trout said the players used to pay Kay for stunts like taking a fastball to the leg, shaving off his eyebrows and eating a pimple off Trout’s back. At one point, a clubhouse attendant suggested the players should stop, Trout said, because Kay might be using the money for a “bad purpose.”He said it was clear he was “using something.”“I just didn’t know what it was,” Trout said, adding he approached Kay and told him if he needed anything to let him know. Trout said he also decided not to sign autographs requested by Kay unless he knew who they were going to out of concern they could be sold for money.The testimony came at the trial for a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Skaggs’ wife, Carli, and his parents, who contend the Angels made a series of reckless decisions that gave Kay access to MLB players when he was addicted to drugs and dealing them. The team has countered that Skaggs was also drinking heavily and his actions occurred on his own time and in the privacy of his hotel room when he died.The trial comes more than six years after 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in the suburban Dallas hotel room where he was staying as the Angels were supposed to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report says Skaggs choked to death on his vomit and that a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was found in his system.Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. His federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.The family is seeking $118 million for Skaggs’ lost earnings, compensation for pain and suffering and punitive damages against the team. In addition to Trout, other players including former Angels pitcher Wade Miley, who currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds, could also testify in what is expected to be a weekslong trial in Santa Ana, Calif.Skaggs had been a regular in the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016 and struggled with injuries repeatedly during that time. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.After Skaggs’ death, the MLB reached a deal with the players association to start testing for opioids and to refer those who test positive to the treatment board.Trout said he and Skaggs played basketball together, watched football games and went for dinner. The left-handed pitcher was improving after returning from Tommy John surgery and throwing balls anywhere from the low to mid-90s in what was turning out to be a good season for him in 2019, he said.The last time Trout said he saw Skaggs was in a hotel elevator in Texas after the team flew out from California.Trout said he still misses his friend, who he called the “life of the party.” His jersey, No. 45, hangs in Trout’s house, he said.When asked if he’d rather be somewhere else rather than testifying in court, Trout answered quickly, “yes.”“At least you’re honest,” plaintiffs’ lawyer Bill Haggerty said.

ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels before an MLB game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels on September 15, 2024, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA.

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Trout loved late teammate Skaggs, saw no signs of drug use

SEATTLE (AP) — Jaxon Smith-Njigba called it spontaneous. Sam Darnold was simply surprised.  The r...

SEATTLE (AP) — Jaxon Smith-Njigba called it spontaneous. Sam Darnold was simply surprised.The reserved Smith-Njigba, who has let his play speak for itself while leading the NFL in yards receiving this season, decided to celebrate his fourth touchdown catch of the season in style.After corralling an 11-yard pass from Darnold in the end zone to give the Seattle Seahawks a 14-0 lead on the Houston Texans late in the first quarter , Smith-Njigba effortlessly and gracefully slam-dunked the football on the crossbar of the goalposts. He drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process, but helped guide the Seahawks to a 27-19 win on Monday night.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>“That was very spontaneous,” Smith-Njigba said. “Definitely saw a lot of my favorites do it (growing up), but that was really on the spot right there.”Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 123 yards receiving, good for his NFL-leading fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season. He became the second player in franchise history to record three straight 100-yard games, and his five 100-yard games this season are tied for the second-most in a year by any Seahawks player.As stellar as Smith-Njigba has been in his third NFL season, what he’s put forth on the regular has become somewhat expected. From teammate and 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the year Cooper Kupp’s perspective, though, Smith-Njigba’s excellence should be appreciated.“There’s nothing routine about what he’s been able to do productivity-wise,” Kupp said. “It’s very difficult. That’s difficult. Takes a lot of work to be able to do that. I think that’s the standard.”Outside of Smith-Njigba’s success, the Seahawks didn’t get a whole lot going offensively against the No. 1 rated scoring defense in the NFL. Seattle did strike first, though, when running back Zach Charbonnet plunged in from one yard out on the Seahawks’ second drive of the game to give them a 7-0 lead.They had excellent field position thanks to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu sacking C.J. Stroud for an 18-yard loss, which pinned the Texans at their own one-yard line. It was the third-longest sack in Seahawks franchise history by Nwosu, who missed Seattle’s first game of the season and was limited due to injuries in 2023 and 2024.“It’s amazing to see him play like this right now,” defensive end Leonard Williams III said of Nwosu.Charbonnet punched in his second touchdown of the game, a two-yard rush, late in the third quarter to give the Seahawks a 27-12 advantage.Houston, meanwhile, scored its first touchdown of the game when Darnold was strip-sacked in his own end zone midway through the third quarter. Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. recovered the fumble in the Seahawks’ end zone, but Houston failed to convert its two-point conversion attempt.“At the end of the day,” Darnold said, “I got to get the ball out of my hands.”The Texans’ only offensive touchdown came courtesy of a four-yard TD pass from Stroud to running back Woody Marks with only 2:04 remaining in regulation.“Our defense kept us in the whole game,” Stroud said. “Got to help those guys out and score some points somehow, some way.”Ka’imi Fairbairn added two field goals for the Texans, whose two-game win streak was snapped and dropped to 2-4 on the year. Jason Myers, meanwhile, converted two of three attempts for the Seahawks, who advanced to 5-2 on the season and moved into a tie atop the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams heading into their bye week“I think we got our bye at the perfect time,” Williams said. “It’s almost midseason right now. I think we’re going into it feeling good about what we’ve accomplished so far.”Jiving JonesLinebacker Ernest Jones IV set a career-high with his third interception of the season, picking off Stroud on the Texans’ first drive of the third quarter. Jones dropped into coverage and slid in front of a pass intended for Houston’s leading receiver, Nico Collins, and returned it 28 yards.“This one here caught me off guard a little bit,” Jones said. “I didn’t see it until the last moment; just glad I was able to come down with it.”The Seahawks increased their lead to 17-6 on a 26-yard field goal by Myers after Jones’ interception.Jones also had a game-high 11 total tackles, four solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defended in the victory. He leads the Seahawks in interceptions, total tackles and solo tackles.“He’s really important,” Williams said of Jones. “He’s pretty much the quarterback of the defense. He keeps everyone calm. He hypes everyone up.”Houston, we have a protection problemStroud was sacked three times on Monday night, and hit another seven times by Seattle’s pass rush. Seven games into the season, the Texans’ offensive line has allowed Stroud to be sacked 18 times, a significantly better rate than the 2024 seasonLast year, Stroud was sacked 52 times in 17 games. Despite the improvement, right tackle Tytus Howard recognized Monday’s showing was a step back for the Texans. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans added that Houston’s offensive line was sloppy in defeat.“We were complacent today,” Howard said. “We didn’t come out with enough energy to start the game.”Home, sweet homeMonday’s victory moved Seattle’s home record to 2-2. Last season, the Seahawks went 3-6 at Lumen Field, including four double-digit losses.In 2024, the Seahawks finished the season with a 7-1 record away from home, which matched their best road record in franchise history. Seattle also went 7-1 away from Lumen Field in 2019.Heading into the 2025 season, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was optimistic the Seahawks would be able to more frequently make the most of their homefield advantage that the at-times deafening Lumen Field can turn into for the opposition.“The 12s were on fire,” Macdonald said. “Great atmosphere. Our guys are fired up. Our home crowd was just tremendous.InjuriesSeahawks: WR Dareke Young suffered a hip injury in the second half and did not return.The Seahawks played without linebacker Derick Hall and two starting defensive backs: S Julian Love and CBs Devon Witherspoon.Texans: Nico Collins was evaluated for a concussion in the second half and did not return. The Texans played without wide receiver Christian Kirk, running back Dameon Pierce and defensive end Darrell Taylor.Up nextTexans: Hosts San Francisco next Sunday.Seahawks: Bye week, followed by visiting Washington on Nov. 2.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 20: Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Lumen Field on October 20, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

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TORONTO (AP) — George Springer hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Toro...

TORONTO (AP) — George Springer hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993 by beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays will host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday night when the World Series comes to Canada for the third time. The defending champion Dodgers swept Milwaukee in the NLCS."The job’s not finished. We got four more to go," said Guerrero, the ALCS MVP.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez each hit a solo home run for Seattle in the team’s first postseason Game 7, but the heartbroken Mariners squandered a 3-1 lead in the seventh and fell eight outs short of their first World Series appearance."I hate to use the word failure, but it’s a failure," Raleigh said. "What we expected was to get to the World Series and win a World Series. That’s what the bar is and the standard is and that’s what we want to hold ourselves accountable to."Seattle remains the only major league club without a pennant."There’s no question that it’s going to sting," manager Dan Wilson said. "It’s a special team in there. It’s a shame that we had to come out on the wrong side of this one."Addison Barger walked to begin the seventh, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled on an 0-2 pitch and Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo was removed after No. 9 batter Andrés Giménez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP for Houston, greeted Eduard Bazardo with his fourth homer of this postseason, a 381-foot drive to left field that sent the sellout crowd of 44,770 into a roaring, pulsating frenzy.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GEORGE SPRINGER THREE-RUN SHOT BLUE JAYS LEAD 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/Qh7qwqYpRx">pic.twitter.com/Qh7qwqYpRx</a>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1980461867098337447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>"It’s so fitting," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "Bottom of our order gets it done again. There’s probably not another person on planet Earth that I want up other than George Springer and his October magic."It was the first go-ahead homer in Game 7 history when a team trailed by multiple runs in the seventh inning or later.And it was the 23rd career postseason homer for Springer, tying Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber for third place. Manny Ramírez holds the major league record with 29."So happy for our team, our fans, our city, our country," Springer said.Toronto became the fourth team to lose the first two games in a best-of-seven postseason series at home and rebound to win. The others were the 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1986 New York Mets and 1996 New York Yankees — all in the World Series."I think it’s an inspiration for 41 million people in Canada, from coast to coast to coast," Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers said. "This is Canada’s team."Making his first relief appearance since the 2021 playoffs, Kevin Gausman worked around three walks in a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win.Fellow starter Chris Bassitt tossed a perfect eighth and Jeff Hoffman struck out all three batters in the ninth for his second save this postseason.Rodríguez opened the game with a double and scored on a one-out single by Josh Naylor. Daulton Varsho tied it with an RBI single off George Kirby in the bottom half before Rodríguez restored the lead for Seattle with a leadoff homer in the third.Raleigh, who led the majors with 60 homers in the regular season, made it 3-1 with a leadoff homer against Louis Varland in the fifth.Raleigh has 10 home runs in 15 career games at Rogers Centre, three of them in the postseason. He also homered at Toronto in Game 1 of a 2022 Wild Card Series and Game 1 of this year’s ALCS.Naylor was called out to end the first after umpires ruled he interfered with Ernie Clement’s relay to first base on a double play by jumping into the throw and deflecting it.Kirby allowed one run and four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out three.Toronto starter Shane Bieber permitted two runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.The Blue Jays were playing in a Game 7 for the first time since losing at home to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.The 26-year-old Guerrero, born in Montreal, arrived at the stadium wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jersey with Auston Matthews’ name and number. The star forward is 0-6 in Game 7s with Toronto during his 10 seasons in the NHL.The Blue Jays’ victory also put 64-year-old bench coach Don Mattingly in the World Series for the first time after a long career in baseball. The former New York Yankees captain, a six-time All-Star and the 1985 AL MVP, managed the Dodgers from 2011-15.Up nextThe Dodgers are in the World Series for the fifth time since 2017 and are chasing their third championship in six years. Toronto’s only appearances resulted in back-to-back titles in 1992 and ’93.The AL East champion Blue Jays hold home-field advantage and will host the opener because they finished the regular season with 94 wins, one more than the NL West champion Dodgers.___AP MLB: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">https://apnews.com/hub/mlb</a>

TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 20: Toronto Blue Jays players celebrate on the field after defeating the Seattle Mariners in game seven of the American League Championship Series at the Rogers Centre on October 20, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.

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Blue Jays beat Mariners to book 1st World Series trip since 1993

DETROIT (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs was offered oxygen on the bench after on a 78-yard run.  He turned it...

DETROIT (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs was offered oxygen on the bench after on a 78-yard run.He turned it down.Clearly, he was not out of breath.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Gibbs scored on a long sprint in the second quarter, a 5-yard spinning plunge in the third and accounted for a career-high 218 yards from scrimmage to lead the Detroit Lions in a 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.“You felt like this was coming,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. “This has been building.”The Lions (5-2) bounced back from a loss as they have done flawlessly for nearly three years, extending their NFL-long streak of 51 games without dropping two straight in the regular season.“The guys responded, which I knew they would,” Campbell said.Tampa Bay (5-2) was outgained by more than 200 yards in the first half, but trailed 14-3 because Detroit had an interception, fumble, turned it over on downs and missed a field goal.Rookie Tez Johnson had a 22-yard touchdown reception to open the second half, pulling the Bucs within five points, but they could not slow down Gibbs.On the ensuing drive, Gibbs had a 15-yard run and a 28-yard reception to set up his second touchdown that gave the Lions a 21-9 lead late in the third quarter.The third-year running back finished with a season-high 136 yards rushing on 17 carries and a season-high 82 yards receiving on three catches, giving him a total that trails just four performances for the franchise this century.Gibbs is the first NFL player with at least 135 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving along with two scores on the ground since Chris Johnson pulled off the feat with Tennessee in 2009.“He’s a very talented running back and when you miss a gap, he can turn it into a big play,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.Detroit's Jared Goff was 20 of 29 for 241 yards with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the game's opening drive. Goff, though, lost a fumble and overthrew rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa on fourth-and-2 on the next two possessions and later threw an interception — all in Tampa Bay territory.Baker Mayfield was 28 of 50 for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception against a short-handed defense. Mayfield threw an incomplete pass in the end zone with 4:24 left, ending potential comeback hopes.“As a skill group, we didn’t connect on a lot of plays,” Mayfield said. "Once the defense knows we are going to have to pass, they can pin their ears back. That’s not a fair situation to the offensive line.”Gibbs took advantage of a big hole and his speed to score on a careerlong, 78-yard run late in the second quarter to put Detroit ahead 14-0.“If you can get him to second level, he can do the rest,” Campbell said.After Detroit's Jake Bates missed a 54-yard field goal, Chase McLaughlin made a 53-yard field goal to end the half and put the Bucs on the scoreboard.Bates did connect on a 58-yard field goal early in the fourth, knocking it in off an upright, to give the Lions a 24-9 lead.“They are a tough matchup for every team right now," Bowles said. "We know about the loud crowd. We just didn’t execute, but they played a very good game.”Prime time The Lions are 13-3 in night games under Campbell and they've won five straight on Monday Night Football.Injuries Bucs: WR Mike Evans (concussion, broken collarbone) lasted less than a half after returning from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury.“He’s going to be gone until toward the last of the season," Bowles said.OLB Haason Reddick (knee, ankle) left the game in the second half.Lions: CB Kerby Joseph, Terrion Arnold and Avonte Maddox were out with injuries, a setback for a secondary without suspended safety Brian Branch. DT Alim McNeill played for the first time since tearing a knee ligament late last season and OT Taylor Decker (shoulder) returned after missing two games.Up next Bucs: Visit New Orleans on Sunday.Lions: Bye week before hosting Minnesota on Nov. 2.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

DETROIT,MICHIGAN-OCTOBER 20: Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs #0 celebrates with Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 after his touchdown uring the first half of an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccanners and the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Monday, October 20, 2025

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Gibbs scores 2 TDs, Lions neutralize Bucs on MNF

Braden Smith played with Zach Edey in the 2024 national championship game and followed his large ...

Braden Smith played with Zach Edey in the 2024 national championship game and followed his large footsteps by becoming an All-American last season.The Purdue guard had a chance to leave for the NBA over the summer, but, like Edey before him, decided to return for another chance at a national championship under coach Matt Painter.Smith’s decision earned him another similarity to Edey: unanimous preseason All-American.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Smith earned all 57 votes from a media panel in The Associated Press preseason All-America team released on Monday, a week after the Boilermakers were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-preseason-poll-purdue-d0ecf6a1b386ac7868c20fe6b09f78ea">voted preseason No. 1 </a>in the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">AP Top 25 </a>for the first time. He was joined on a big man-heavy first team by Texas Tech’s JT Toppin (52 votes), Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg (30), BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa (22) and Florida forward Alex Condon (16).“That’s just how Purdue has always been, how every player has always been,” Smith said. “Paint recruits players recruits the same people and that’s how they think, how we think. We always want to be a part of a program like this, a culture like this.”Smith has been one of the nation’s most productive guards since his freshman season at Purdue in 2022-23. The heady 6-foot guard played a key role on the Boilermakers’ first run to the national title game in 2024, averaging 12 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while setting a school record for minutes.Smith was even better as a junior last season, becoming the first player in NCAA history to have at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season. Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game on a team that reached the Sweet 16.Toppin’s impactToppin had a superb first season at Texas Tech after transferring from New Mexico.The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks while leading the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight, where they lost to eventual national champion Florida. Toppin was a second-team AP All-America and the Big 12 player of the year before opting to return to a team ranked No. 10 in <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">the AP preseason poll.</a>Landing LendeborgLendeborg had a successful stint at UAB, helping lead the Blazers to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. After testing the NBA waters, the 6-9 forward decided he wanted a chance to reach the Final Four, so he stayed in college and transferred to Michigan.The addition of Lendeborg helped the Wolverines earn <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">a No. 7 ranking</a> in the preseason poll after reaching the Sweet 16 a year ago.Last season, Lendeborg joined Indiana State’s Larry Bird as the only players to have 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a season. He averaged 15.8 points and 11 rebounds per game in two seasons at UAB, earning American Conference defensive player of the year honors both years.AJ arrivesBYU took a big step in its first season under coach Kevin Young last season by reaching the Sweet 16.The No. 8 Cougars have even higher expectations this season after landing Dybantsa.The nation’s No. 1 recruit had nearly every major program jockeying for his services, but chose to play in Provo. The athletic 6-9 forward is an efficient scorer who finishes strong at the rim, has a good midrange game and is a superb defender — attributes that have him projected as a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick.Condon returnsCondon announced he was heading to the NBA draft after Florida’s national championship last season before changing his mind.The 6-11 Australian averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while leading Gators with 49 blocked shots. Condon was superb in the national title game against Houston, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals, diving for a loose ball in the closing seconds of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-florida-houston-ncaa-championship-74a9c790277595ce53ca130c5ec64429">the 65-63 win</a>.Condon returned for a chance to lead the Gators to consecutive national titles and helped them earn a No. 3 ranking in the AP preseason poll.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP mobile app). AP collegebasketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - MARCH 22: Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers celebrates a basket against the McNeese Cowboys during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 22, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island.

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SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Striker Yassir Zabrini scored twice as Morocco won its first Under-20 Worl...

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Striker Yassir Zabrini scored twice as Morocco won its first Under-20 World Cup title with a 2-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday.Zabrini scored in the 12th and 29th minutes of the final to help Morocco become the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009.Morocco topped its group against Spain, Brazil and Mexico and then advanced over South Korea, the United States and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/morocco-france-argentina-colombia-u20-world-cup-chile-be64d4e2268dc28dfdc0f73acdd52145">France</a> in the knockout stages.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>It was the first loss in the tournament for Argentina, which was aiming for its seventh title.Argentina reached the final despite missing its two best players in this age group, Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid´s Franco Mastantuono.___AP soccer: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/soccer">https://apnews.com/hub/soccer</a>

Morroco's team members celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup final football match between Argentina and Morocco at the National Stadium in Santiago on October 19, 2025.

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Morocco beats Argentina to win U20 World Cup

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For all the stars the San Francisco 49ers might have been missing, the...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For all the stars the San Francisco 49ers might have been missing, they still had Christian McCaffrey.That proved to be the difference against the Atlanta Falcons.McCaffrey ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and had his 200-yard game from scrimmage in six years as the short-handed 49ers finally delivered a strong ground game to beat Atlanta 20-10 on Sunday night.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>“That should be our plan every time,” left tackle Trent Williams said about feeding McCaffrey. “He's one of the better players on our team, so putting the ball in his hands as much as possible works out good for us.”The usually run-focused 49ers (5-2) had struggled to generate much on the ground all season before getting back to their old style against the Falcons (3-3) with help from the return of tight end George Kittle.“It’s a different ballgame when he’s in there," McCaffrey said. "Even when he doesn’t have a big statistical game, the attention that he draws opens so much up.”McCaffrey had his first 100-yard rushing game since his Offensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023 and his 201 yards from scrimmage were his most since playing with Carolina in 2019.“He’s the most consistent player I’ve been around,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He just allows you to stay on track. He gets every yard in the run game and more. What he does in the pass game, it’s rare that you throw the ball to him and not get a completion."The Niners won for the fourth time in five starts this season with backup quarterback Mac Jones playing in place of Brock Purdy.San Francisco's defense came up big as well despite losing All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to an ankle injury last week and playing without star edge rusher Nick Bosa.The 49ers delivered two key plays in the fourth quarter to preserve the lead. The Falcons were driving down 13-10 and had a third-and-1 at the San Francisco 35. But the Niners stopped Bijan Robinson for no gain and then Chase Lucas broke up a pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Drake London on fourth down to end the threat.“Anytime you get a chance to throw it to one of your best players, you feel pretty good about it,” coach Raheem Morris said. “They made a great play.”San Francisco then moved the ball downfield on the ground before Jones hit McCaffrey on a 17-yard pass on third and 14 to get down to the 4 against a defense that had only 10 men on the field.“It was absolutely embarrassing,” Morris said. “It was my fault. I’ll get it fixed.”McCaffrey then scored on the next play with help rookie offensive lineman Connor Colby, who pulled him into the end zone in a move that is technically a penalty but almost never called.“I wouldn't say carried,” Colby said. “His legs were still moving. I was just helping him along.”Jones threw for only 152 yards with an interception after averaging a league-high 313 yards through the air in his first four starts.Penix finished 21 for 38 for 241 yards with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but the Falcons offense managed just two scores on nine drives.The running game helped San Francisco take a 7-3 lead on a 1-yard run by McCaffrey and the pass rush helped make it 10-3 at the half.Bryce Huff's strip sack of Penix set up a 55-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro. San Francisco then forced Penix into an intentional grounding penalty when Atlanta was in field goal range, leading to a 10-second run off that ended the half.InjuriesFalcons: LB Divine Deablo (forearm) left the game in the first half and didn't return. 49ers: C Jake Brendel (hamstring) and CB Renardo Green (toe) left in the first half and didn't return.Up nextFalcons: Host Miami on Sunday.49ers: Visit Houston on Sunday.___AP NFL: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nfl">https://apnews.com/hub/nfl</a>

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 19: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs in a touchdown in the second quarter of a NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons on October 19, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

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McCaffrey powers 49ers past Falcons with 201 scrimmage yards

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Oscar Piastri likely can't leave Texas fast enough.  McLaren's Formula 1 cha...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Oscar Piastri likely can't leave Texas fast enough.McLaren's Formula 1 championship leader certainly wasn't very fast Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas as teammate and title rival Lando Norris and Red Bull's Max Verstappen both took big bites out his points advantage at the United States Grand Prix.Verstappen won for the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/formula-1-us-grand-prix-verstappen-a637d2a8ca20b398116f00475b1ae59f">third time in four races</a> and Norris finished second. Piastri was a disappointing fifth.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>What looked like a cruise control finish to his first career championship over the summer is now shaping up as a potential heart-pounding grind over the final five races of the season starting next weekend in Mexico City.Piastri still leads Norris by 14 points and Verstappen by 40, but nothing feels comfortable any more."I'd still rather be where I am than the other two, but obviously this weekend was not what I wanted or expected," Piastri said.His misery started Saturday when he crashed into Norris on the first turn of the sprint race and knocked out both cars. Verstappen won the sprint, punctuating the the mishap between teammates that came in the first race after first-lap scrap in Singapore had raised internal tension. Piastri started Sunday sixth but only made up one place. The Verstappen-Norris 1-2 finish made it the fourth consecutive race Piastri has lost points to both drivers. Verstappen has shaved a 104-point deficit to 40 in just four races. That includes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Piastri crashed on the first lap."Max and Red Bull have found a lot of pace since the summer break. We saw flashes of it at the start of the year, but it's been consistent since then," Piastri said.Piastri said before the race he did not expect the team to favor either driver for the championship over the final stretch of the season. He was asked again after his poor race on Sunday."I don't think so. We are so incredibly tight and we both said we want an opportunity to try and fight for the championship because we deserve it," Piastri told Sky Sports. "I think it is far too close to start picking one or the other."McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team should relish the chance to fight for a drivers championship."It is a privilege to be there, we have the pace to be there. It is about execution, believing in it and we do believe," Stella said. "We never want to lose the joy of doing that. The tension is part of the game."___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren looks on in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 19, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

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Piastri fighting to hold off Norris, Verstappen after U.S. GP loss

DENVER (AP) — Once the bungling, bumbling Denver Broncos finally got going, they couldn't be stop...

DENVER (AP) — Once the bungling, bumbling Denver Broncos finally got going, they couldn't be stopped.Shut out for three quarters, the Broncos rallied with 33 points in the fourth in one of the most stunning turnarounds in NFL history.Wil Lutz kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired, lifting Denver to a thrilling 33-32 win Sunday over the stunned New York Giants, who watched the Broncos score on their last five drives.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>“I lost hope, I ain’t gonna lie. I lost hope," star cornerback Patrick Surtain said.“It was one of them games where we felt like we didn’t execute. Going to film room, there’s a lot of corrections. But one thing we didn’t lose was composure,” Surtain added. "We fought to the end. In this league, no matter how much you're down, there’s always a will, and there’s always a way."At least now there is.The Broncos' 33 fourth-quarter points were the most in NFL history by any team that was shut out for the first three quarters and quarterback Bo Nix became the first player ever to run for two scores and throw for two touchdowns in a fourth quarter.The Broncos’ improbable comeback snapped a streak in which NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final 6 minutes of a game.“I don't even know how we scored 33 points in a quarter,” Nix admitted. “That's kind of insane.”“You win a game like that, it's the best thing ever.”The Giants were in disbelief after losing leads of 19-0 and 26-8.“This is going to haunt us for a long time,” said Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger.“Tough loss," Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "Put their heart and soul into it. Not a lot of talking that needs to be done when you lose a game like that. Everybody gave everything they had.”When the Broncos (5-2) trailed 26-8 with 6:38 remaining in the game and were facing fourth-and-3, their win probability was less than 1%, according to Next Gen Stats.The Broncos, though, scored on a 7-yard Nix scamper, R.J. Harvey's 2-yard catch after Justin Strnad's interception, an 18-yard keeper by Nix and Lutz's game-winner after Jaxson Dart seemingly broke the Broncos' hearts with a 1-yard TD with 37 seconds left that gave New York a 32-30 lead.Jude McAtamney missed his second extra point of the afternoon, however, and after Tyler Badie returned the kickoff 19 yards to the 23, Nix found Marvin Mims for 29 yards and Courtland Sutton for 22.With no timeouts remaining, the Broncos raced to the line of scrimmage at the Giants 21 and Nix spiked the ball with 2 seconds left.The snap was high but Lutz nailed the field goal to secure Denver's fourth consecutive win overall and NFL-best eighth straight at home.“I was proud we fought to get back in it,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “It's like we had to find a way to clean up our mess.”The Broncos took a 30-26 lead on Nix's 18-yard scamper with 1:51 left. But the Giants (2-5) appeared to dodge the defeat when Denver cornerback Riley Moss was whistled for pass interference on an incompletion to Beaux Collins near the goal line. Payton ran out onto the field to argue the call and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. That put the ball at the 1 and Dart took it from there.“That was silly,” Payton said of his penalty. “I just wanted them to hear me. Can’t do that.”The Broncos were actually in danger of getting shut out at home for the first time in their 66-year history when they were blanked for three quarters. Denver’s managed 111 yards on its first eight possessions and got 295 yards on its final five drives.The Broncos' 33-point quarter was the second-highest in NFL history, behind only a 34-point performance by Detroit in a 37-27 win over Chicago on Sept. 30, 2007.Deflected TDsR.J. Harvey's 2-yard TD catch that got Denver on the scoreboard, came on a deflected pass, but on the ensuing drive, on third-and-17 from the Denver 41, the Giants got their own ricocheted touchdown when tight end Theo Johnson hauled in Dart's pass after it went off wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson's hands.Honoring ThomasThe Broncos' historic comeback came on a day the franchise honored the late Demaryius Thomas, who died at age 33, by inducting him into the team's ring of fame on day they also celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl 50 team.By the halftime ceremony, the Giants had taken a 13-0 lead on Dart’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Bellinger and his 13-yard strike to Cam Skattebo for the rookie running back's first career TD grab.Greenlaw's Denver debutLinebacker Dre Greenlaw made his debut for Denver after spending the first six weeks of the season sidelined by a quadriceps injury. He had six tackles.InjuriesGiants: S Jevon Holland left with a knee injury in the first half and didn't return. ... CB Paulson Adebo went out with an unspecified injury in the third quarter.Broncos: RT Mike McGlinchey got hurt with 4:42 remaining and walked off the field but returned, saying, “I certainly wasn’t going to miss out on the fun. I was a part of three and a-half quarters of (bad) football, so I might as well get in for the good ones.”Up nextGiants: Visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.Broncos: host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.___AP NFL: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nfl">https://apnews.com/hub/nfl</a>

DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 19: Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos celebrates with fans after defeating the New York Giants 33-32 at Empower Field At Mile High on October 19, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

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TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Joe Gibbs Racing was facing an internal mutiny just a month ago when two o...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Joe Gibbs Racing was facing an internal mutiny just a month ago when two of its championship-eligible drivers didn't feel the team owner's grandson was helping his teammates try to win the Cup title.Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, raced both Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin hard early in the playoff race at New Hampshire. Gibbs wasn't eligible for the championship, Hamlin grew frustrated at being held up by his teammate, so he wrecked Gibbs out of his way.It led to organizational discussions as to what Joe Gibbs expected out of his four drivers the remainder of the playoffs. The payoff came Sunday when Ty Gibbs pushed Chase Briscoe in overtime to the win at Talladega Superspeedway to give JGR two spots in NASCAR's championship race.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Briscoe is in the winner-take-all finale alongside teammate Hamlin as Toyota claimed the first two of the four berths with one race remaining to set the championship field.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Chase Briscoe locks in his first superspeedway win &amp; advances to Championship 4! 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/iakDahGr3W">pic.twitter.com/iakDahGr3W</a>— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCARonNBC/status/1980039303498801646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>"Ty Gibbs, just incredible teammate there. I mean, I honestly would not have won that race without Ty," Briscoe said. "This is an amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I haven't done it at any level."Team owner Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl winning coach and NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner, praised his grandson for getting Briscoe into victory lane. He also explained the intricacies of fielding four separate teams under one banner."It's such a competitive world. I'm kind of used to it in football. You get it," Joe Gibbs said. "But over here, we got four teams, and the challenge is always trying to get them to work together. If you think about it, each driver has got their own career. They got their own sponsor and it just becomes extremely competitive."So sometimes you wind up with issues like that. It's part of part of sports. Guys are, you know, very competitive and want to make it happen. And so at different times, you may have issues that you got to deal with."Briscoe, who raced to his first career superspeedway victory, is in his first season driving for Gibbs. He landed there as Martin Truex Jr.'s replacement when Truex retired and Stewart-Haas Racing shuttered at the end of last year.He's now going to race for the Cup title for the first time."Ty was the whole reason I won the race, he was extremely committed to me," Briscoe said. "When I made a move, Ty went with me. He was just really selfless in the fact of he's going for his first career win and could have easily tried to make a move or done something different. But he just pushed me to the win and just an incredible team effort."Briscoe was sixth on the restart — a two-lap sprint in overtime to the finish — and Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson split the front row and lined up side-by-side for the Chevrolet drivers to control the race.Byron was getting help from behind from fellow Chevrolet driver Carson Hocevar, a driver for Hendrick aligned Spire Motorsports. Larson's push was from Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who did get Larson into the lead.But Larson appeared to run out of fuel and dropped dramatically off the pace and Daytona 500 winner Byron, who is in danger of playoff elimination, lost his chance at victory when his push from Hocevar was too strong and it caused Byron to spin.Briscoe, meanwhile, had no problems. He was committed to pushing Wallace, who is not in the playoff picture, to win to preserve the point standings but instead got a boost from Gibbs.There are two open spots left in the championship field to be determined next week in the finale of the third round of the playoffs. Bell and Larson are above the elimination line but neither is all that comfortable."I'd rather have a bigger points cushion heading into next weekend, but we'll regroup and focus on Martinsville," said Larson, who is now mired in a 22-race losing streak dating to May.Bell is 37 points above the cutline, only one point ahead of Larson, while Byron, Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott, and Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are below the cutline."Plus 37 seems really good, but you expect a winner from the bottom four, even myself, any of the five of us can win Martinsville," Bell said. "So plus 37 turns into plus one whenever you have a new winner and it's going to be a battle all day at Martinsville."Logano and Blaney have combined to win the last three Cup titles for Penske.The race went to overtime when Chris Buescher was leading with two laps to go and he was spun from behind by Byron, who was shoved into Buescher by Hocevar. Buescher spun across the front of the pack and slammed hard into an inside wall in a one-car crash that sent the race to overtime.Todd Gilliland finished a career-best second in a Ford for Front Row Motorsports — the team that alongside Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing is headed to mediation Tuesday in a federal antitrust suit — and Gibbs was third. Wallace, who drives for 23XI, was fourth.Elliott in early crashElliott's chances to advance into the final four took a hit when NASCAR's most popular driver was collected in the first crash of the race.Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, was already below the cutline for elimination when he was caught in an early eight-car crash 52 laps into the race. It sent the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the garage for repairs and dropped Elliott to last in the 40-car field.Elliott now goes to Martinsville Speedway in a must-win situation to advance to the title-deciding finale at Phoenix for the first time since 2022."It is what it is, I can't change it now," Elliott said. "Just all eyes on Martinsville and try to go up there and get a win."Elliott won Martinsville once before, in 2020, when he parlayed the victory into his only Cup title.Up nextThe final race to set the championship four, next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, where Blaney won last year to advance to the title deciding playoff finale.___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 19: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama.

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Briscoe nabs spot in championship final with OT win at Talladega

CARACAS (AP) — Jesús Montero, a Venezuelan who once played for the New York Yankees and Seattle M...

CARACAS (AP) — Jesús Montero, a Venezuelan who once played for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, has died following a traffic accident in his country two weeks ago, officials said Sunday. He was 35.The former catcher's motorcycle reportedly crashed into a truck on Oct. 4 and he had been hospitalized ever since in critical condition. He was unable to recover from multiple injuries, authorities said."Venezuelan baseball sadly bids farewell to Jesús Montero ... leaving behind a legacy of effort and passion for the game," the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League said in a statement posted Sunday on X. "Today, baseball mourns his passing. But it also remembers him with gratitude: for every home run that thrilled the fans, for every day in which he proudly defended his country's colors, and for every young person who saw in him an example that dreams can be achieved."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The league did not provide further details.The accident had shocked the South American country, with numerous outpourings of grief posted on social media.Montero played 18 games for the Yankees in the 2011 season. He played 208 games with the Mariners, ending in 2015.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We join the baseball community in mourning the passing of former Major League player Jesús Montero. As a Minor League prospect, Montero appeared in the All-Star Futures game twice before debuting for the New York Yankees in September 2011. He posted a .996 OPS with 4 home runs… <a href="https://t.co/AO6Yrxb5mo">pic.twitter.com/AO6Yrxb5mo</a>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1979985505392775607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a>
</blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>In his brief major league career, he batted .253, hit 28 home runs and had 104 RBI.In 2016, while still in the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league system, he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for dimethyl butylamine, a stimulant that helps combat fatigue. It was Montero's second suspension for violating anti-doping regulations after a 50-game ban in 2013.In the Venezuelan Winter League, he played six seasons with the Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara, and Águilas del Zulia. He retired at age 31 after the 2020-2021 season.

SEATTLE - JUNE 23: Jesus Montero #63 of the Seattle Mariners looks on during batting practice before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field on June 23, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Red Sox 12-3.

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Former top prospect Jesús Montero dies at 35 after motorcycle accident

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Red Bull's Max Verstappen raced to his third victory in four races Sunday at...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Red Bull's Max Verstappen raced to his third victory in four races Sunday at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, while McLaren's Lando Norris took a huge chunk out of teammate Oscar Piastri's championship lead by finishing second.Piastri was a distant fifth, allowing Norris to pull within 14 points with five grand prix and two sprint races to go.Verstappen also is closing fast with his late-season charge. Verstappen now trails Piastri by 40 points, and Norris by 26, in third place, and has put the McClarens on notice he intends to chase them all the way to the end of the season.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Piastri and Norris are trying to win their first career drivers championship. Verstappen is hunting his fifth in a row, and his dominant form of late has given him a real chance to get it. He also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/verstappen-mclaren-crash-9ab02c13dc9948ad6a34fe61e5b8dfac">won the sprint race</a> Saturday after the two McLarens ran into each other on the first turn and crashed out."It was an unbelievable weekend for us," Verstappen said. "The chance is there. We just need to try to deliver these kind of weekends until the end."Norris' late pass of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second earned the British driver a crucial position and points as he chases Piastri and hopes to hold off Verstappen over the final stretch of the season.Verstappen started on the pole Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas and was never challenged for the lead in collecting his 68th career victory, and fourth in five years in Austin. The Dutch driver built a 10-second lead by the halfway point as Norris and Leclerc drove a furious battle for second."It was a good battle with Charles. He fought hard," Norris said. "We'll have to take second. No more we could have done today."Piastri in slump as lead shrinksPiastri's day never got going. The Australian started sixth and quickly made up a spot in the first few corners but was stuck there for the rest of the race.Piastri's lead is rapidly shrinking under pressure. He hasn't won since the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 31 and hasn't finished on the podium the last three races."I'd still rather be where I am than the other two, but obviously this weekend was not what I wanted or expected," Piastri said.The series next heads to Mexico City, where Verstappen has five career victories at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez."I think we need to be perfect until the end to have chance," to win the championship, Verstappen said. "We've caught up a lot. At the same time, the gaps (between cars) are very small."Ferrari's hard fight to the podiumFerrari is still winless on the season, but the team showed flashes with its 3-4 finish from Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.And it came a day after Ferrari Chairman John Elkann issued a statement saying he has "full confidence" in team principal Fred Vasseur amid persistent speculation that former Red Bull racing boss Christian Horner could take his job."I'm very happy," Leclerc said. "It was good day, especially considering the situation. The second part of the season hasn't been easy. There are completely unfounded noise and rumors around the team. To demonstrate we can stay focused on the job and be rewarded with a podium is really nice."COTA's F1 future confirmed thru 2034F1 officials announced before the race a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/formula-1-united-states-grand-prix-extension-cota-f7005e7991aeff802aaadf9a3218eafa">contract extension</a> to keep the event at COTA through the 2034 season. The current contract expired after 2026.The only purpose-built F1 track in the country, COTA has been an important footprint for F1 in the U.S. since it opened in 2012.___AP auto racing: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing">https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</a>

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 19: Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) of the Netherlands holds the championship trophy after winning the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix on October 19, 2025, at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

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Vanderbilt is a top-10 team in college football for the first time since 1947 in an Associated Pr...

Vanderbilt is a top-10 team in college football for the first time since 1947 in an <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">Associated Press poll</a> that got a <a href="https://apnews.com/live/top-25-college-football-poll-10-19-2025">nearly complete makeover</a> Sunday after a weekend when nine Top 25 teams lost.Ohio State was the only team to hold its spot, remaining No. 1 for an eighth straight week after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/buckeyes-badgers-score-c0f27a814ef4c778608a033af1cad0de">shutting out Wisconsin 34-0 on the road.</a>Beyond the Buckeyes, significant revision was required with four top-10 teams losing in the same week for a third time this season. Nine Top 25 losing teams were the most since Week 5 in 2022, when 10 went down, according to Sportradar. Four of the losses this week were to unranked opponents.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The Buckeyes received 60 first-place votes, 10 more than a week ago. No. 2 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-indiana-score-f3ad7591012eef2c78d083269827fd90">Indiana pulled away from Michigan State</a>, improved its program-record ranking by one spot and got the other six first-place votes.Texas A&amp;M’s one-rung promotion to No. 3 gives the Aggies their highest ranking since 1995. No. 4 Alabama has its highest ranking of the season and No. 5 Georgia returned to the top five after a three-week absence.Oregon, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Miami and Vanderbilt round out the top 10.The Ducks bounced back from their home loss to Indiana with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-rutgers-football-score-dante-moore-218a02e1a38af2b2d00f19e605376ea3">lopsided road win over Rutgers</a>.Georgia Tech, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-tech-duke-football-score-e436a6143c367e0d134d22a7b7064782">won at Duke</a>, hadn’t been in the top 10 since 2014 or ranked as high since 2009. Mississippi’s loss to Georgia caused it to slip three spots, and Miami fell seven after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/louisville-miami-score-6c0dd4aa546672e14aeac6acaa51fb23">losing to unranked Louisville</a>.Vanderbilt rallied from its loss at Alabama two weeks ago with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lsu-vanderbilt-football-score-13de7cf6b4efd88df0425dbc9d711466">31-24 win over then-No. 10 LSU.</a> The Commodores earned a seven-spot promotion for their first win over the Tigers since 1990. At 6-1, Vandy is off to its best start since 1950 with two wins over ranked opponents.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-tech-arizona-state-score-b8d69041d592e0cadd2f80bd936f0995">Texas Tech’s first loss came at Arizona State</a> and dropped the Red Raiders seven spots to No. 14.LSU took the biggest fall, plunging 10 spots to No. 20 for its lowest ranking of the season.<figure class="article-segment--table"><div class="table-responsive"><table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Rank</th>
<th>Team</th>
<th>Record</th>
<th>Previous Rank</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>Ohio State</td>
<td> 7-0</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>Indiana</td>
<td> 7-0</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>Texas A&amp;M</td>
<td> 7-0</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>Alabama</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>Georgia</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>Oregon</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>Georgia Tech</td>
<td> 7-0</td>
<td>12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>Ole Miss</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
<td>Miami</td>
<td> 5-1</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>Vanderbilt</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>17</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
<td>BYU</td>
<td> 7-0</td>
<td>15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
<td>Notre Dame</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>Oklahoma</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
<td>Texas Tech</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
<td>Missouri</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>Virginia</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>Tennessee</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
<td>South Florida</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
<td>Louisville</td>
<td> 5-1</td>
<td>N/R</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>LSU</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>21</td>
<td>Cincinnati</td>
<td> 6-1</td>
<td>24</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>22</td>
<td>Texas</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>23</td>
<td>Illinois</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>N/R</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>24</td>
<td>Arizona State</td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>N/R</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25</td>
<td>Michigan </td>
<td> 5-2</td>
<td>N/R</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></figure>In and out— No. 19 Louisville makes its season debut in the Top 25. The Cardinals, whose <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-louisville-football-score-c27dbba7d57b22a68c364ffed17bb74e">only loss was by three points to Virginia</a> on Oct. 4, were 0-18 all-time against top 10 teams in true road games before knocking off the Hurricanes.— No. 23 Illinois returned despite being idle. The Illini had dropped out for the first time this season after a home loss to Ohio State.— No. 24 Arizona State, which fell out of the poll after a 32-point loss at Utah, returned following its first win over a top-10 opponent since 2019.— No. 25 Michigan’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-washington-score-24caa2ab805f426f9c67543aef167483">17-point home win over Washington</a> returned the Wolverines to the rankings after a one-week absence.— Southern California (20), Memphis (22), Utah (23) and Nebraska (25) dropped out.Poll points— Ohio State’s 10 straight appearances in the top five is the longest active streak.— Georgia’s 140th consecutive week in the poll is the second-longest active streak to Alabama’s 287.— Vanderbilt’s top-10 ranking is its fifth in program history. The others were in 1937 (1), 1941 (1) and 1947 (2).— No. 16 Virginia’s ranking is its highest since 2007.Conference callSEC (10) — Nos. 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22.Big Ten (5) — Nos. 1, 2, 6, 23, 25.Big 12 (4) — Nos. 11, 14, 21, 24.ACC (4) — Nos. 7, 9, 16, 19.American (1) — No. 18.Independent (1) — No. 12.Ranked vs. ranked— No. 3 Texas A&amp;M (7-0) at No. 20 LSU (5-2): The home team has won the last eight meetings. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier threw three second-half interceptions and Marcel Reed came off the bench to run for three TDs in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/aggies-lsu-score-013474da790e1ce08171062a5a7fea22">Aggies’ 38-23 win</a> last year.— No. 8 Mississippi (6-1) at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1): Only their third all-time meeting. Rebels recorded nine sacks in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-mississippi-score-8f760251d1a3e42a0a82a90406e244a0">26-14 win last year.</a>— No. 15 Missouri (6-1) at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1): Vandy kicker Brock Taylor has made 17 consecutive field goals since missing 31-yarder that gave the Tigers a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/vanderbilt-commodores-missouri-tigers-score-422cc010aedf60ed6a4ccda527442c6d">30-27 double-overtime win last year.</a>___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 18: Diego Pavia #2 celebrates after a touchdown pass in the third quarter during a college football game against the LSU Tigers on October 18, 2025 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United coach Ronny Deila was fired Sunday, one day after the end of a 5-16...

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United coach Ronny Deila was fired Sunday, one day after the end of a 5-16-3 season.Deila was dismissed after only one season.Atlanta United CEO and president Garth Lagerwey said a global search for a replacement would begin immediately.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"It was evident that our standard of play was not met this season, and together with our senior leadership team, we have decided that it was in Atlanta United’s best interest to move the team in a different direction," Lagerwey said in a statement released by the team."Ultimately, we owe our fans a much better on-field product and it is our unwavering commitment to provide that to this community as soon as possible."Lagerwey said he thanked Deila "for his time and commitment to the organization and wish him well in his future endeavors."The season ended with Saturday night's 1-1 draw with D.C. United in the final appearance by longtime goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who announced his retirement on Tuesday.Deila was hired by Atlanta United on Dec. 20, 2024. The move brought Deila back to Major League Soccer three years after he guided New York City FC to the 2021 championship.Deila was given a three-year deal to replace Rob Valentino, who served as interim coach after Gonzalo Pineda was fired in June 2024.Atlanta United had immediate success after entering the league in 2017, making the playoffs in its debut season and winning the MLS Cup the following year, while setting numerous league attendance records.Atlanta hasn't claimed a trophy since the 2019 season, when it captured both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in addition to making a run to the MLS Eastern Conference final.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: Ronny Deila, Head Coach of Atlanta United, reacts during the MLS Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United at Chase Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Holger Rune said Sunday he faced "a while" out of action with an Achille...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Holger Rune said Sunday he faced "a while" out of action with an Achilles injury that will require surgery.The No. 11-ranked Rune limped off the court in visible distress in the semifinals of the Nordic Open in Stockholm on Saturday and had to retire injured from the match against Ugo Humbert. He was leading 6-4, 2-2."It's gonna be a while before I can step on court again. It's tough. I had so much joy on court in Stockholm and it’s unbearable to think that I will not feel this energy for some time now," he posted on Instagram.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The 22-year-old Dane said his Achilles was "full broken on the proximal part" and needed an operation next week.Rune has reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals and was ranked as high as No. 4.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - OCTOBER 18: Holger Rune of Denmark reacts during a changeover against Ugo Humbert of France during the Men's Singles semi-final match on day eight of the BNP Paribas Nordic Open 2025 at Royal Tennis Hall on October 18, 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden.

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NINGBO, China (AP) — Elena Rybakina stormed back from a set down to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-...

NINGBO, China (AP) — Elena Rybakina stormed back from a set down to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 in the Ningbo Open final on Sunday.The third-seeded Rybakina started slowly, falling behind to her Russian opponent 4-1 in the opener. She bounced back in the second and went on to dominate her fourth-seeded opponent with a strong service game that included 11 aces.It was the second title of the year for the Kazakhstan player who also won in Strasbourg and the 10th of her career.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Rybakina's late-season surge is keeping her in contention for the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh in November.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina serves to Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova during the women's singles final at the WTA Ningbo Open tennis tournament in Ningbo, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on October 19, 2025.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jadarian Price scored on a tackle-breaking 100-yard kickoff return in the...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jadarian Price scored on a tackle-breaking 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Jeremiyah Love rushed for a career-high 228 yards and a score, and No. 13 Notre Dame beat No. 20 Southern California 34-24 on Saturday night.Love’s previous rushing best was 157 yards in a 56-30 win over Purdue earlier this season.“I love being physical, going out there and trying to run somebody over and making them bloody,” Love said. “We got bloody too, every week, so it's really not nothing to us. We pride ourselves on being strong and dominating our opponents.”<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Trailing 24-21 in the third quarter, Notre Dame (5-2) scored 13 unanswered points for its seventh consecutive victory against USC at home.USC (5-2) took a 24-21 lead on a 59-yard TD pass from Jordan Maiava to Ja’Kobi Lane. Maiava also connected with Lane for the 2-point conversion.“We had a ton of momentum, I thought, after the touchdown and 2-point conversion,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “The kickoff return was probably the biggest singular play of the game, not just for the points ... the momentum switch for anybody in the stadium was real.”Price broke two tackles and broke USC's momentum with his return. He had a 99-yard kickoff return against USC two years ago in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach in Notre Dame's 48-20 victory.“I didn't do the right thing,” Price said of the way he started the return. “I kind of went outside of the block, but it worked out. After I broke the first tackle, I knew I was going to the house. It was deja vu. It was like two years ago.”Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman loves the unselfishness of the one-two punch of Love and Price, who helped the Fighting Irish roll up 306 yards rushing.“Great players that make great plays when they have the ball in their hands, but continue to put team before me, that’s hard to do," Freeman said. “That might be one of the hardest things we ask our players to do, put team before me. Everything outside of here says no, you come before team.”Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr was 16 of 26 for 136 yards and one TD. He rushed 1 yard for Notre Dame’s final score.Notre Dame’s defense came up big in the second half. Christian Gray picked off a pass at the Notre Dame 45-yard line after Price’s return, after getting beat for a touchdown, a 2-point conversion and getting flagged twice for pass interference.After USC reached the Notre Dame 37 with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter, Adon Shuler knocked the ball away from Makai Lemon on a run and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa recovered to end the threat.Notre Dame also stopped USC on a fourth-and-1 with 6:02 left in the game, and Luke Talich intercepted Maiava with 1:06 to play.USC played without running backs Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan, who were injured in last week’s 31-13 victory against Michigan. The Trojans were limited to 68 yards rushing against Notre Dame.Maiava picked up the slack with 22 of 42 passing for 328 yards and two touchdowns.Keeping the rivalryNotre Dame and USC played for the 96th time in the storied series in what was the last scheduled game between the schools. The Fighting Irish lead the Series 52-38-5.“It’s not just because I’m at Notre Dame, right?” Freeman said of wanting the series to continue. “I think the rivalry between Notre Dame and USC is a great rivalry and one of the best, and I think it’s great for college football and the two institutions to continue this rivalry.”USC’s Riley has said he also wants the series to continue, but has concerns about the rivalry being impacted by Notre Dame’s independent status, and issues related to the playoffs.Red-zone takeawaysUSC’s Braylan Shelby intercepted Carr in the second quarter after Notre Dame drove to the Trojans’ 2. It was the sixth takeaway in the red zone by USC this season, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation for red-zone defense.The takeawayNotre Dame boosted its College Football Playoff hopes with the victory, and should move up in the rankings.USC will likely tumble out of the Top 25.Up nextNotre Dame has a bye week and then plays at Boston College on Nov. 1.USC also has a bye week. The Trojans return to action at Nebraska on Nov. 1.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 18: Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) celebrates after running the ball for a 100 yard return for a touchdown during the game between Southern California Trojans Southern California Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 18, 2025 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN.

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Lionel Messi left no doubt on Decision Day.  The Argentine icon scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victo...

Lionel Messi left no doubt on Decision Day.The Argentine icon scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over Nashville on Saturday night to wrap up Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot award with 29 goals this season.Inter Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference standings and will again face sixth-seeded Nashville starting Friday in the best-of-three opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Saturday was the league’s traditional Decision Day, the final day of the regular season when the two conferences each played games simultaneously with playoff spots and seeding on the line.“The truth is that Leo has been exceptional, as he usually is. I think if anyone had doubts about his regular season, he has cleared them all. He will surely be awarded the MVP,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game.The Philadelphia Union had already clinched the top spot in the East and claimed the league’s Supporters’ Shield with a 1-0 victory over NYCFC on Oct. 4. Philadelphia also secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs and a spot in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.The Union will play the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card match between the eighth-place Chicago Fire and ninth place Orlando City in the best-of-three first-round playoff series. The Fire secured their first playoff spot since 2017 under first-year head coach Gregg Berhalter, the former U.S. men’s national team coach.All off the East’s playoff spots had already been claimed but Saturday’s games determined playoff matchups. In addition to the first-round series between Inter Miami and Nashville, second-seeded Cincinnati plays No. 7 Columbus and No. 4 Charlotte meets No. 5 NYCFC. The higher seed gets home field advantage.“What a great opportunity we get to play a rival in the playoffs and meaningful games in a best of three,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “If you don’t get excited about that and those opportunities, on top of being a playoff team and playing in front of our fans in the first game, there’s something missing there.”Four Western Conference teams were clamoring for a playoff spot on Decision Day: The Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes.Colorado hosted LAFC needing a win to advance or a draw and help. But Los Angeles has been a juggernaut since Son Heung-Min was signed in August. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in Colorado, knocking the Rapids out of the postseason.Vancouver needed a win or draw against Dallas to secure the West’s top seed but defender Mathías Laborda was sent off with a red card in the 11th minute and the Whitecaps played with 10 the rest of the way and Dallas prevailed 2-1.The top seed went to expansion San Diego, which defeated the Timbers 4-0 in Portland. San Diego set several superlatives for an expansion club, including most wins (19) and most points (63).San Diego will face the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card match between Portland and visiting Real Salt Lake, who played to a 2-2 draw with St. Louis.Seventh-seeded Dallas will play second-seeded Vancouver, No. 6 Austin faces No. 3 LAFC and No 5 Seattle plays No. 4 Minnesota.The Wooden Spoon, the unofficial award given to the league’s worst team, went to D.C. United, which finished 5-18-11 with 26 points.___AP soccer: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/soccer">https://apnews.com/hub/soccer</a>

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 18: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi #10 makes a move in front of Nashville SC midfielder Alex Muyl #19 during a match between Nashville SC and Inter Miami, October 18, 2025 at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Zabien Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown as time ex...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Zabien Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the first half and No. 6 Alabama rolled to a 37-20 victory over No. 11 Tennessee in the rivalry known as the “Third Saturday in October.”Brown's pick gave the Tide a 23-7 lead and was all Alabama's defense needed while turning in its best performance of the season. The Tide (6-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) held the nation's highest-scoring offense to 410 yards, well below its 529-yard average.“I saw open field and just started running,” Brown said. “Looked at the time. If I get tackled, then the time goes out. I had to find a way to get into the end zone. It feels great to go out there and perform.”<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Ty Simpson completed 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He led two TD drives of 90-plus yards as the Crimson Tide won their sixth consecutive game, including four in a row against ranked opponents.Alabama became the only team in SEC history to beat four straight ranked opponents with no open dates.Joey Aguilar completed 28 of 44 passes for 268 yards, with a touchdown and an interception for Tennessee (5-2, 2-2). DeSean Bishop ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns.“We just got to be us,” Bishop said. “You look at our two losses, a lot of chances, a lot of self-inflicted wounds. We’re hurting ourselves. We’re making these games a lot harder than they should be. In this league, the margins are very small.”Tennessee had a chance to seize momentum in the third quarter following a touchdown and then forcing Simpson to fumble near midfield. But Alabama's defense forced a three-and-out, and a 99-yard touchdown drive iced the game.Alabama's final touchdown, a 4-yard run by Daniel Hill with 5:49 remaining, ignited cigar smoke from every direction inside Byrant-Denny Stadium — a tradition for the victors in this rivalry. Simpson also lit one up as he left the field.Alabama prevented back Tennessee from winning consecutive games in the series for the first time since 2003-04. Alabama has won 17 of 19 in the rivalry.“The biggest thing for our guys is how committed to the process they are,” DeBoer said. “You can see it. You can hear it. Pads are popping every day in practice. They have an edge to them still and haven’t lost it.”Poll implicationsAlabama’s win, coupled with No. 5 Ole Miss' loss to No. 9 Georgia, should propel the Tide into the top five in the next <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">AP Poll</a>. Tennessee will surely fall, along with No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 LSU.The takeawayTennessee: The Volunteers' loss featured a number of uncharacteristic statistics. They failed to score 30 points for the first time this season, and a defense that led the SEC in sacks didn't record one.Alabama: The Crimson Tide have arguably the best collection of wins in college football with four wins over ranked teams. Led by Simpson, Alabama has established itself as a legitimate championship contender midway through the season.Up nextTennessee: At Kentucky next Saturday.Alabama: At South Carolina next Saturday.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 18: Ty Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after passing for a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Marcel Reed threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 55 ya...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Marcel Reed threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 55 yards and another score as No. 4 Texas A&amp;M held on to beat Arkansas 45-42 on Saturday and keep its perfect season going.The Aggies (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have opened with seven wins for the first time since 1994, when they finished 10-0-1. With No. 9 Georgia’s 43-35 win over No. 5 Mississippi earlier Saturday, Texas A&amp;M is the only remaining unbeaten team in the SEC."We’re making winning plays," Aggies coach Mike Elko said. "I think they’re learning how to make the plays you need to make to win football games."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The Aggies continued their dominance in the series with the Razorbacks (2-5, 0-3), winning for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings. Texas A&amp;M scored on seven of nine completed drives and totaled 497 yards of offense.Leading 38-35 with less than 10 minutes remaining and facing serious game pressure after Taylen Green’s four-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Platt, Texas A&amp;M’s EJ Smith had a two-yard conversion on fourth-and-1 from the Aggies’ 34 to extend a critical drive.Reed then found Ashton Bethel-Roman for 37 yards to the Arkansas 27, and Reuben Owens II scored on a 12-yard run four plays later to extend the lead to 10. With 10 seconds to play, Green hit CJ Brown for a four-yard score to pull the Razorbacks back within three.Texas A&amp;M recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the win."I guess it doesn’t matter where we play this game, that’s just how this game is going to go," Elko said of the one-score games in the series. "I’m glad we had more points than them at the end of the game."Owens, the Aggies’ primary ball carrier in place of the injured Le’Veon Moss, finished with 69 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Bethel-Roman had 83 yards receiving and a score, KC Concepcion added five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, and Nate Boerkircher had a one-yard touchdown catch.Elko said he thought Reed put together his best game of the season Saturday. He completed 23 of 32 passes and ended a stretch of four straight games with an interception."He played a good game," Bethel-Roman said of Reed. "He played a great game. He had less missed open receivers, so he played a great game, actually."Green threw for 256 yards and three scores and ran for 89 yards and two more touchdowns, and Mike Washington rushed for a season-high 147 yards for Arkansas in its fifth straight loss.Feeling goodBethel-Roman made a number of key plays for the Aggies in the win, including a 24-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter to give Texas A&amp;M a 7-3 lead.A former Arkansas signee, Bethel-Roman said he enjoyed playing against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville."It felt good," he said. "I’ve been here so many times as a recruit, then I signed here and didn’t end up coming. But it felt good playing the guys at Arkansas. A lot of those (players) are my guys, so it felt good."Run-defense woesElko noted a lot of things need to be fixed in terms of Texas A&amp;M’s run defense after giving up 8.4 yards per carry to the Razorbacks.“Obviously we mis-fit a lot of runs,” Elko said. “Whenever you see a running back come running out of there like they did so many times tonight, those are all mis-fits. It’s a different offense with the quarterback-run element, and it creates more stress."We were very, very poor fitting things tonight."Poll implicationsWith No. 2 Miami’s 24-21 home loss to Louisville on Friday, Texas A&amp;M is likely to climb into the top three of the upcoming AP poll. It would be the program’s first in-season top-three ranking since 1995.The takeawayTexas A&amp;M: The offense made up for a lackluster performance on the defensive side of the ball. Elko will likely call on his defense to improve in the coming weeks after his team surrendered 527 total yards and 268 rushing yards to Arkansas.Arkansas: The Razorbacks showed a great deal of fight in their first home game under interim head coach Bobby Petrino. They need to bottle that resolve for a morning kickoff next week.Up nextTexas A&amp;M travels to No. 10 LSU next Saturday.Arkansas continues its homestand next week against Auburn.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 18: Marcel Reed #10 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs the ball in the second half during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Aggies defeated the Razorbacks 45-42.

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