Monday’s Sports In Brief
NFL
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles’ bid for an undefeated season is over.
The Washington Commanders turned methodical drives into scores and took advantage of turnover-prone Philadelphia, stunning the Eagles 32-21 and sending them to their first loss in nine games this season.
Behind Jalen Hurts, the Eagles were 8-0 for the first time in franchise history and the last team in the NFL that could make a run at Miami’s 17-0 mark in 1972 and the lone perfect season.
Trailing at halftime for the first time this season, Hurts seemed to have one more big play left in him to pull out a victory. He connected on a deep ball to wide receiver Quez Watkins on a 51-yard reception late in the fourth quarter down 26-21. Watkins hit the ground, popped up and took off running, only to fumble the ball and give Washington possession.
That was it for the Eagles and their four turnovers, a high number for a team that had only three in the first eight games.
Washington’s Taylor Heinicke again started for injured QB Carson Wentz and wasn’t flashy, but efficient, going 17 for 29 and throwing 229 yards. Terry McLaurin had 128 yards receiving — including a 41-yard haul that led to a field goal. Joey Slye kicked four field goals.
Hurts was 17 for 26 for just 175 yards.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A number of Carolina Panthers players are pushing the team’s multibillionaire owner David Tepper to replace the existing artificial surface at Bank of America Stadium with a grass field to help prevent injuries.
Wide receiver D.J. Moore said team leaders have spoken to Tepper about their desire to return to a grass field on multiple occasions this season, but as of yet have not heard if any change is being considered.
Bank of America Stadium, an outdoor, open-air facility, was built in 1995 and featured a grass field up until the spring of 2021. But Tepper decided to install FieldTurf as part of a $50 million renovation project after landing a Major League Soccer expansion team.
The decision was made in part because of cost and practicality with the venue serving as host to an increased number of activities, including NFL games, MLS games, two to three college football games per year and several concerts such as the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Billy Joel and Kenny Chesney.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson’s return from an 11-game NFL suspension remains on schedule.
Cleveland’s No. 1 quarterback was cleared to practice, a significant step for the three-time Pro Bowler accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women while he played for Houston. Watson reached a settlement with the league in August to sit out 11 games, pay a $5 million fine and undergo counseling and treatment.
To this point, the league said he’s fulfilled those obligations.
As long as he continues to meet conditions of the agreement, Watson will make his regular-season debut for the Browns on Dec. 4 against Houston, which drafted him in 2017 and traded him to Cleveland in March for three first-round draft picks. Before Monday, Watson had been allowed only to attend meetings and work out at the team’s facility in Berea.
The Browns (3-6) don’t practice until Wednesday, when Watson will rejoin his teammates on the field for the first time in months.
BASEBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez and Atlanta″s Michael Harris II, a pair of 21-year-old center fielders, were voted Rookies of the Year.
Rodriguez hit .284 with 28 homers, 75 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in helping the Mariners reach the postseason for the first time since 2001. He won the American League honor by receiving 29 of 30 first-place votes and one second for 148 points from a Baseball Writers’ Association of America panel.
Harris batted .297 with 19 homers, 64 RBIs and 20 steals after making his debut on May 28. He was voted the National League award, getting 22 firsts and eight seconds for 134 points from a different BBWAA panel.
Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman was second in the AL with 68 points, getting the other first-place vote, 18 seconds and nine thirds. Atlanta pitcher Spencer Strider was second with the other eight first-place votes on the NL side and 21 seconds for 103 points.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — North Carolina and Gonzaga remain 1-2 in the first regular-season men’s college basketball poll from The Associated Press.
The top-ranked Tar Heels (2-0) earned 44 of 63 first-place votes in the AP Top 25 while the second-ranked Bulldogs (2-0) picked up 14 after the opening week of the regular season. Third-ranked Houston and fourth-ranked Kentucky picked up the remaining votes in a poll that featured only slight changes from the preseason poll released Oct. 17.
Baylor and Kansas were tied for fifth previously. This time, Baylor is alone at No. 5, followed by Kansas and Duke. UCLA, Arkansas and Creighton round out the top 10.
Tennessee (1-1) took the biggest tumble, falling 11 spots to No. 22 after losing to Colorado in its home state. And Villanova went from 16th to unranked for the first time since February 2019 after a loss to Temple.
NEW YORK (AP) — South Carolina remained the unanimous choice as the top team in first regular-season Top 25 women’s basketball poll from The Associated Press.
Stanford, Texas, Iowa and UConn follow to round out the first five, followed by Louisville and Iowa State. Ohio State made the biggest leap in the new poll, climbing six spots to No. 8 after upending then-No. 5 Tennessee in its season-opener last week.
North Carolina State and Notre Dame round out the top 10, with the Lady Vols falling to 11th.
Villanova entered the rankings for the first time since 2018 at No. 24 after knocking off then-No. 24 Princeton. The Tigers fell out of the poll. Utah came in at No. 25, replacing 23rd-ranked South Dakota State, which lost to Creighton.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd scored 22 of her career-high 32 points in the second half to help No. 5 UConn beat third-ranked Texas 83-76 in an early season showdown of top-ranked teams.
Aubrey Griffin added 14 points and Lou Lopez Senechal had 12 for the Huskies (2-0), who moved up one spot in the poll earlier in the day. They stayed unbeaten against Texas (1-1) in 10 meetings. This was the first time the historic women’s basketball powers had played on UConn’s campus at Gampel Pavilion.
UConn led by five at the half and built the lead to double-digits behind Fudd in the third quarter, going up 63-51 to the delight of the sold-out crowd. The lead ballooned to 17 points before the Longhorns scored eight straight to get back within single digits with just over 2 minutes left.
Fudd, a sophomore guard, squashed the comeback hopes with a 3-pointer from the wing that restored the double-digit advantage and put the game away.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A University of Virginia student and former member of the school’s football team fatally shot three current players as they returned from a field trip, authorities said, setting off panic and a 12-hour lockdown of the campus until the suspect was captured.
Students were told to shelter in place beginning late Sunday. Police searched for the gunman through the night and officials got word during a morning news briefing that the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., had been arrested.
The violence erupted near a parking garage just after 10:15 p.m. Sunday as a charter bus full of students returned to Charlottesville from seeing a play in Washington. University President Jim Ryan said authorities did not have a “full understanding” of the motive or circumstances of the shooting.
Ryan identified the three slain students as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry. He said two students were wounded and hospitalized.
Mike Hollins, a running back on the football team, was in stable condition Monday, his mother, Brenda Hollins, told The Associated Press.