SPORTS HEADLINES

It was a week of upheaval in The Associated Press college football poll. Texas returned to No. 1 after a one-week absence following Vanderbilt’s monumental upset of Alabama. The Commodores’ win over Alabama on Saturday caused the Crimson Tide to drop from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top-ranked team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plunged to No. 11 in 2010 following an October loss to Wisconsin. Texas, which had an open date, received 52 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to bounce in and out of the top spot in a span of three polls. The Longhorns also were just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 after not playing the day before.

Castellanos wins Game 2 for Phillies with 9th-inning single, top Mets 7-6

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos ripped a winning two-out single off Tylor Megill that scored Trea Turner and sent the Philadelphia Phillies to a dizzying 7-6 win over the New York Mets and evened the NL Division Series at one game apiece. Castellanos tossed his helmet and was mobbed by teammates on the infield as a game that seemed to slip away one inning earlier turned into one more comeback for the NL East champions. Game 3 is Tuesday in New York, the Mets’ first home game since Sept. 22.

Justin Tucker’s field goal after Derrick Henry’s big run lifts Ravens to a wild 41-38 overtime win

CINCINNATI (AP) — Justin Tucker kicked a 24-yard field goal to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a wild 41-38 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. After Evan McPherson missed a 53-yard attempt for Cincinnati on a fumbled snap, Baltimore took over on its own 43. On the next play, Derrick Henry rumbled 51 yards down to the Bengals 6 to set up Tucker’s chip-shot kick for the win. Tucker tied it with a 56-yarder with 1:35 left to force overtime. The Ravens and Bengals traded punches on offense the entire day with Lamar Jackson prevailing despite Joe Burrow throwing a career-high five touchdown passes.

Kyler Murray rallies the Cardinals past the 49ers, 24-23

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Kyler Murray had a long touchdown run in the first quarter and rallied Arizona with two fourth-quarter scoring drives in the Cardinals’ 24-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Murray threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Higgins early in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 23-21 and then set up Chad Ryland’s 35-yard field goal with 1:37 to play. Brock Purdy then threw an interception to seal it. This marked the second time this season that San Francisco blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to a division rival, having done it in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jets’ Rodgers leaves London ‘banged up’ with a sprained ankle and a tough loss to Vikings

LONDON (AP) — London has not been good to Aaron Rodgers. The Jets quarterback has lost both times he’s played in Britain and he heads home banged up again. Rodgers threw three interceptions Sunday in New York’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That’s back-to-back losses for the Jets and more questions about the health of their 40-year-old quarterback who says he has a low ankle sprain. And that comes a week after dealing with a swollen knee. Next up is a Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills.

Karl-Anthony Towns scores 10 points in abbreviated preseason debut with New York Knicks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jalen Brunson thought twice about going 1-on-2 in transition, instead dribbling back outside and flipping the ball behind him to Karl-Anthony Towns, who made a 3-pointer with a defender in his face. It’s the type of two-man game the Knicks are hoping will elevate them to the next level and bring an NBA championship to New York. And it’s the reason why they traded for the versatile Towns, a four-time NBA All-Star. Towns had 10 points on 2-for-7 shooting and four rebounds in 15 minutes in his preseason debut with his new team Sunday night as the Knicks held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 111-109. Brunson had 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting and three assists. Both only played the first half.

Texas swaggers into SEC and midseason break undefeated and in best shape in more than a decade

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has found its swagger again. The Longhorns are undefeated before their rivalry game with Oklahoma. Their SEC debut was a smashing success. They held the No. 1 spot in the AP rankings for two weeks, then returned again on Sunday. That’s a long way from the 2021 debut season of coach Steve Sarkisian when the Longhorns went 5-7. And it’s not just football. Texas has rolled into the SEC as the top athletic department in the country and athletes are cashing in on name, image and likeness deals. Sarkisian heads onto the recruiting trail for a few days with a lot to sell.

Stenhouse snaps 65-race losing streak after late crash at Talladega scrambles playoff picture

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. snapped a 65-race losing streak by winning in overtime at Talladega Superspeedway after a late crash collected more than half the field, including eight of the 12 championship contenders. Stenhouse is not in the playoffs and his victory Sunday marked the second consecutive week a driver not competing for the Cup Series title has won. The victory was the first for Stenhouse and his JTG Daugherty Racing team since he won the season-opening Daytona 500 to start 2023. Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs next Sunday on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte. Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe are all below the cutline.

Ionescu scores 22 points to lead Liberty to 76-62 win over Aces and into WNBA Finals

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu rebounded from a rare off game to score 22 points. Nearly a year after the Aces ended the Liberty’s dream of a championship, New York returned the favor Sunday afternoon by defeating Las Vegas 76-62 to advance to the WNBA Finals. The top-seeded Liberty will have home-court advantage in the championship series and will face either the Connecticut Sun or Minnesota Lynx. This is the Liberty’s sixth trip to the finals. But the franchise is still seeking its first title.

Kevin Yu birdies 18th twice and wins Sanderson Farms in playoff for first PGA Tour title

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Kevin Yu is a PGA Tour winner for the first time. He made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 67 and it was good enough to get into a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Yu won on the first extra hole by making a 6-foot birdie putt to beat Beau Hossler. Hossler now has gone 200 starts on the PGA Tour without winning. Keith Mitchell finished one shot behind. He had a two-shot lead on the back nine at one point. He also had a 35-foot birdie putt to win. Instead he three-putted for bogey.