Advertisement

In Sports from United Press International

Hurricanes overcome sluggish start

MIAMI, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Miami Hurricanes took a little while to get going Saturday night while the Texas Longhorns wasted no time getting warm.

Advertisement

The end result turned out to be easy victories for the nation's top two ranked teams.

Things were not so pleasant, however, for the Tennessee Volunteers, who went into Saturday's action ranked No. 4 and ended it drenched and defeated. Notre Dame and Penn State, meanwhile, continued their resurgence while Ohio State narrowly avoided a big upset and Virginia Tech put itself in the national championship picture with an impressive road win.

Top-ranked Miami has been touted as being head and shoulders above the rest of college football this season, but the Hurricanes found themselves trailing, 6-3, in the final moments of the first half against Boston College.

Miami, however, went 80 yards in four plays for a score that put them in front at the break and they then produced 21 points in a span of less than three minutes early in the fourth quarter for a 38-6 victory.

Advertisement

Willis McGahee rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, including a five-yard run that made it 17-6 with 11:07 left in the third. He also had a 77-yard reception that set up Ken Dorsey's one-yard touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow with 11:02 left in the contest.

No. 2 Texas, meanwhile, opened a 31-3 halftime lead and coasted in the second half to a 41-11 victory over Houston.

Texas quarterback Chris Simms completed 18 of 28 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

In Knoxville, Rex Grossman threw three touchdown passes and 10th-ranked Florida scored 24 points in the final five minutes of the second quarter en route to a stunning 30-13 victory over No. 4 Tennessee.

The victory was redemption for first-year Florida Coach Ron Zook, the successor to Steve Spurrier who came under fire after the Gators were routed two weeks ago by defending national champion Miami.

The game was played in miserable conditions as a steady rain fell on Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee, which turned the ball over five times, lost at home for just the sixth time Phillip Fulmer's 11 seasons as coach.

Advertisement

Elsewhere in the top 10, No. 5 Florida State manhandled Duke, 48-17; No. 6 Ohio State survived against Cincinnati, 23-19; No. 7 Virginia Tech whipped No. 21 Texas A&M, 13-3; No. 8 Georgia coasted by Northwestern State, 45-7; and No. 9 Oregon blanked Portland State, 41-10. No. 3 Oklahoma was idle.

Notre Dame improved to 4-0 by rallying past Michigan State, 21-17; and Penn State stayed unbeaten in three games with a 49-17 blasting of Louisiana Tech, 49-17.


Yankees clinch division title

DETROIT, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- After his third stint on the disabled list this season, Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect eighth inning Saturday in his first appearance since Aug. 15 and the New York Yankees posted a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers to clinch the American League East title.

The Yankees captured their 11th AL East crown since the inception of divisional play in 1969, including five straight and six in the last seven years under Manager Joe Torre. They will be in the postseason for the eighth consecutive season.

It is comforting for Torre to know that Rivera appears ready for the playoffs. He displayed his trademark cut fastball and retired all three batters he faced, including a broken-bat foulout to first by Robert Fick and a strikeout of rookie Carlos Pena.

Advertisement

Andy Pettitte (12-5) continued his strong second half, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings. The lefthander won his fourth straight start and improved to 10-2 since the All-Star break.

Steve Karsay pitched a hitless ninth for his 12th save.

The Yankees scored all of their runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-run double from rookie Nick Johnson.

In Oakland, the Athletics scored twice without a hit in the sixth inning to forge a tie and pinch-hitter Greg Myers delivered an RBI single in the eighth en route to a 6-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.

The victory increased Oakland's lead in the American League West to two games over Anaheim.

Other American League results: Chicago 14, Minnesota 4; Seattle 6, Anaheim 4; Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3; Boston 3, Baltimore 0; Kansas City 3, Cleveland 2.


Giants hand Brewers 100th loss

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Jason Schmidt combined with two relievers on a three-hitter and Kenny Lofton and Rich Aurilia smacked back-to-back homers in the seventh inning Saturday night as the San Francisco Giants handed the Milwaukee Brewers their 100th loss, 6-3.

Advertisement

Until Saturday, the Brewers had been one of six major league franchises that had never lost 100 games in a season. That list is down to Los Angeles, Anaheim, Houston, Colorado and Arizona.

Schmidt (12-8) had lost two of his previous three starts but made just one mistake in this one, serving up Keith Ginter's first home run since Sept. 30, 2000. The righthander allowed only two other hits while walking three and striking out eight in seven innings.

Tim Worrell breezed through the eighth and Robb Nen struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 40th save.

Other National League results: Florida 6, Atlanta 4; Colorado 15, Arizona 8; Houston 6, St. Louis 3; Chicago 4, Pittsburgh 2; New York 6, Montreal 3 in 11 innings. Philadelphia swept a day-night doubleheader from Cincinnati, 5-3 in 10 innings and 5-4 in 11 innings.


Woods close to another championship

THOMASTOWN, Ireland, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods extended his lead to five shots Saturday at the American Express Championship as he moved within 18 holes of the $1 million top prize with a bogey-free 5-under-par 67.

Golf's incomparable star began the third round two strokes ahead of Jerry Kelly and ended it five shots better than a group of six players that includes three of the top-10 golfers in the world.

Advertisement

Woods seems a near cinch for his fifth PGA Tour title of the year and his 34th victory of his brilliant career. He is 25-2 on the tour when leading after 54 holes.

With the $1 million first-place check, Woods would top $6 million in earnings for the third time in his career and increase the highest total in history to nearly $32.7 million.

Playing with Kelly in the final pairing at Mount Juliet Estate, Woods played his third straight round without a bogey. He had five birdies, putting some distance between himself and the field with a pair on the final two holes.

At 19-under 197, Woods has a comfortable lead over Retief Goosen of South Africa, David Toms, Vijay Singh of Fiji, Scott McCarron, Steve Lowery and Kelly. Goosen, Toms and Singh are ranked in the top 10.


Europe leads Solheim Cup

EDINA, Minn., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Annika Sorenstam teamed with fellow Swede Carin Koch to rout Beth Daniel and Wendy Ward Saturday, 4 & 3, and key an afternoon sweep that gave Europe a 9-7 lead going into Sunday's singles matches in the Solheim Cup.

Advertisement

The Americans won three of the morning foursomes matches and had a two-point lead going into the four fourball matches in the afternoon. But with American captain Patty Sheehan resting some of her star players, Europe stormed from behind.

The top-ranked woman in golf, Sorenstam improved to 3-1 this week and she was not even the best player in her pairing.

With trademark pigtails hanging out of her cap, Koch made four key birdie putts, winning three holes and halving another as the Swedish pair rebounded from a two-hole deficit.

Koch has been the best player on either team this week, winning all four of her matches and improving to 7-0 in two Solheim Cup appearances.

The Europeans, who reclaimed the title two years ago in Scotland and never have won on American soil, need five points in the 12 singles matches to retain the Cup.

Maria Hjorth and Iben Tinning earned Europe's second point in the afternoon with a 2-up victory over Pat Hurst and Kelli Kuehne. The Europeans -- who never trailed -- birdied the 15th hole to take the lead and the 18th to seal the win.

Advertisement

Karine Icher and Raquel Carriedo then held on for a 1-up victory over Rosie Jones and Cristie Kerr. They also never trailed, eventually clinching the win when Icher halved the 18th hole with a birdie.

Laura Davies and Sophie Gustafson finished the sweep with a 1-up victory over Kelly Robbins and Emilee Klein. The Americans had a 2-up lead through seven holes, but the Europeans won three straight holes on the back nine.


Americans stay alive in Davis Cup

PARIS, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The United States and Argentina staved off defeat Saturday in their Davis Cup semifinals with dramatic doubles triumphs.

After Andy Roddick and James Blake lost for the first time in Davis Cup action on Friday, American captain Patrick McEnroe replaced Mardy Fish in the doubles team with Blake one hour before the match.

The move worked as Blake and veteran Todd Martin rallied to defeat the French tandem of Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in 3 hours, 16 minutes on the clay courts of Roland Garros.

The Americans broke Santoro to take a 5-4 lead in the fifth set. Martin, 32, came back from love-30 to win the match on the second match point to give the United States its first point in the tie.

Advertisement

Fish had never played with Martin in competition while Blake and Martin won the Cincinnati Masters title last month.

On Sunday, Roddick has a chance to redeem himself when he goes against Sebastien Grosjean in the reverse singles. If the 20-year-old American prevails, Blake would take on Arnaud Clement in the deciding match.

In the other semifinal tie at Moscow's Luzhniki Sports Palace, Lucas Arnold and Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian prevailed over Russians Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 19-17, in a six-hour, 20-minute marathon.

It was the longest match in Davis Cup since the introduction of the tiebreaker (used only in the first four sets) in 1989. Saturday's doubles encounter also was just two minutes shy of the longest Davis Cup match ever -- American John McEnroe's 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6 singles win over Mats Wilander of Sweden in 1982.


Large bond set in baseball assault

CHICAGO, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A prosecuting attorney alleged Saturday that a man who attacked the first base coach of the Kansas City Royals during a game Friday night had called his sister from the ballpark and told her he was going to be on television.

Advertisement

After hearing evidence from the prosecutor, a county judge set bail at $200,000 for William Ligue, Jr.

Ligue and his son ran onto the field at Comisky Park during the ninth inning of Thursday night's Chicago-Kansas City game and knocked coach Tom Gamboa to the ground.

As the two men repeatedly struck Gamboa, members of the Royals rushed from the dugout to protect their coach. Gamboa suffered no major injuries in the attack.

Ligue was charged with aggravated battery and his son, 15, was confined to a juvenile facility.

Testimony gathered from Ligue's sister, along with witnesses, was presented at a hearing Saturday. Prosecutor Colleen Daly said those in attendance at the game said Ligue handed personal belongings to family members before running onto the field.


Dolphins, Saints seek key wins

MIAMI, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Two-time 1,000-yard rusher Ricky Williams will try to help the Miami Dolphins (2-0) snap an eight-game losing streak against the New York Jets (1-1) Sunday while the New Orleans Saints (2-0), his former team, visit the Chicago Bears (2-0) in a battle of unbeaten NFC teams.

The Dolphins acquired Williams in the offseason from the Saints for a first-round pick in last April's draft and a conditional pick and he has made an immediate impact, rushing for 243 yards in Miami's first two games -- wins over Detroit and Indianapolis.

Advertisement

The Saints made the trade because they thought Deuce McAllister, a first-round pick in 2001, was ready to become a feature back and their confidence has been justified. McAllister has rushed for 232 yards in New Orleans' first two games - wins over Tampa Bay and Green Bay.

Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt is hoping the addition of Williams will make a difference against the Jets, who have psychologically tormented their AFC East rivals. However, Wannstedt can take solace in the fact that the Dolphins have won 16 consecutive home games in September.

It was the Jets who handed the Dolphins their last September home loss in 1993. The Jets' last September visit to South Florida was in 1996 and they fell to the Dolphins, 36-27.

The Saints are seeking their first 3-0 start since 1998 under former coach Mike Ditka. The Bears were last 3-0 when Ditka was their coach in 1991.

After rushing for 109 yards in the Saints' season-opening win at Tampa Bay, McAllister rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-20 victory over Green Bay last Sunday.

The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (2-0) seek to extend their winning streak to 12 games, including the postseason, when they host the Kansas City Chiefs (1-1).

Advertisement

The Carolina Panthers are the surprise 2-0 team after winning one game all of last season. That win came in the opening week of the 2001 campaign against the Minnesota Vikings (0-2) and the Panthers visit the Metrodome again Sunday.

The San Diego Chargers are also off to a 2-0 start under new coach Marty Schottenheimer and they will visit the Arizona Cardinals (1-1).

Latest Headlines