Ovechkin leads Capitals to sixth straight win
ATLANTA, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Alex Ovechkin scored two first-period goals Thursday and the Washington Capitals fought off a late comeback to down Atlanta 4-3.
It was Washington's sixth straight victory and kept the Capitals seven points in front in the Northeast Division.
Ovechkin, who has scored twice in four of the last six games, raised his season goal total to 13. After leading the league in goals each of the last two seasons, Ovechkin began the night on top of the list again.
Washington took a 3-0 lead into the third period, but Atlanta closed within one on scores by Zach Bogosian and Todd White -- the second of those coming with 2:23 to play.
Mike Knuble clinched it by scoring into an empty net with 53 seconds remaining, which proved to be a necessary goal when Bogosian tallied again on a slap shot with less than a second left.
Semyon Varlamov improved to 4-0 this season by making 39 saves. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 28-of-31 shots for the Thrashers, who have lost four straight.
Titans to start quarterback Vince Young
NASHVILLE, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Quarterback Vince Young, a former first-round pick, will start Sunday for the first time this season when the Tennessee Titans are home to Jacksonville.
Young, the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Texas, has played sparingly since the 2008 season-opener last September behind veteran Kerry Collins.
A 0-7 start and a lobbying effort by team owner Bud Adams likely led Coach Jeff Fisher to announce Young's start following Thursday's practice.
"I'm still in Kerry Collins' corner because I don't believe that our record is a reflection of the quarterback play," Fisher told The Tennessean. "As far as the future is concerned, I'm not one of those coaches who's going to have musical chairs at the quarterback position."
Young is 0-for-5 with an interception in two games this season, but has thrown 22 touchdown passes in his career.
Finalists for Campbell Trophy named
DALLAS, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Senior quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida and Colt McCoy of Texas are among the 16 players named finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
The award, symbolic of college football's top scholar-athlete, has been given out since 1959.
Other finalists include West Virginia linebacker Reed Williams, Brown defensive tackle Paul Jasinowski and Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller, one of three players with a 4.0 grade-point average with Northern Iowa linebacker Josh Mahoney and Morningside College wide receiver Beau Kildow.
Tebow's GPA is 3.66 and McCoy has a 3.33 GPA.
"There is no doubt that this year's class is one of (our) greatest," NFF President and Chief Executive Officer Steven J. Mitchell said. "They have exhibited the same drive to compete in the classroom that distinguished them on the field, and they have found the time to be leaders in their communities too."
The winner will be announced Dec. 8 at a dinner in New York.
Past winners include quarterbacks Steve Young (BYU); Doug Flutie (Boston College) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida).
Anthony Kim dominates at match play
CASARES, Spain, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Anthony Kim, whose game has suddenly reappeared after a poor season, won twice Thursday at the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
Kim defeated Retief Goosen by four holes in the morning and then downed Paul Casey by three holes in the afternoon to take command of his group.
After a breakthrough season in 2008, during which he won twice, claimed $4.6 million and was one of the stars of the American Ryder Cup team, Kim went without a victory in 2009.
He began his comeback with a 3-1 record last month at the Presidents Cup and he opened the match play event with a solid showing.
"I haven't had this much fun playing golf in quite a long time," said Kim, whose victory over Casey ended the top-seeded Englishman's chances of winning this week.
By losing twice on the first day, Casey was denied a chance to move into the semifinals even with one match remaining Friday. Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer were also eliminated on the first day.
They were victims of a new format that separated the 16-man field into four groups. After each player competes in a match against the other three in his group, the four group winners advance to the semifinals.
All matches are played over a full 18 holes so the total number of holes won can be used in case of ties.
Oliver Wilson also won two matches to take the lead in his group, defeating Garcia and Kaymer. Kim will reach the semifinals unless he suffers at least a four-hole loss to Scott Strange Friday.
