Freak injury ends Rugby World Cup for Scotland player Dave Cherry

New Zealand should rack up a pile of points against Namibia on Friday in Toulouse the Rugby World Cup. It has more important needs, though. New Zealand’s set-piece has been unsteady in its last two matches, both of them historic defeats to France and South Africa. Coach Ian Foster wants his side to start fixing its foundations. The All Blacks are traditionally quick to repair issues but the problems in the record-sized thrashing from South Africa last month persisted against France in New Zealand's first-ever pool stage loss. It has three more pool games against Namibia, Italy and Uruguay to get its mojo back in time for an expected quarterfinal against probably South Africa or Ireland.

Referee Yoshimi Yamashita will return to Qatar to make more soccer history at the men’s Asian Cup in January after she worked in the country last year at the men’s World Cup. The Asian Football Confederation has picked Yamashita and Katherine Jacewicz of Australia among the referees. The assistants selected are Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi of Japan and Kim Kyoung Min of South Korea. The 24-team Asian Cup will be played mostly in the same stadiums as the men’s World Cup. Yamashita was the fourth official for six group games at last year's World Cup.

Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen will return from the international break with a big game on the line. The only two with perfect records in the Bundesliga will meet in Munich on Friday. Leverkusen has racked up 11 goals in three wins and leads Bayern on goal difference. The defending champions had to fight back to earn a 2-1 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach in their last game. Leverkusen has impressed with wins over Leipzig, Gladbach and Darmstadt and its strong start to the season has stoked hopes that Bayern finally has a rival that could potentially end its decade of dominance.

A freak incident in the team hotel has ruled out Scotland hooker Dave Cherry from his first Rugby World Cup. Scotland says Cherry suffered a concussion on a team day off on Monday when he slipped on the stairs and injured his head. The 32-year-old Cherry played the last 25 minutes of the Scots’ opening pool match against South Africa on Sunday as a replacement. Scottish Rugby says a decision was taken to “end his tournament involvement on medical grounds” because he would miss the next 12 days to follow return-to-play protocols. Former Scotland captain Stuart McInally has replaced Cherry in the 33-man squad.

The players in Spain’s women’s soccer league have called off a strike after reaching a deal to increase minimum wage. The first set of games was not played last weekend because of the strike. This weekend's matches will now go ahead as scheduled. The deal will increase the minimum salary from $17,100 to $22,500. The strike coincided with the scandal caused by Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales when he kissed a national team player on the lips without her consent during the Women’s World Cup awards ceremony. Rubiales has since resigned.

The Ole Miss Rebels are hoping they won't become the latest ranked Southeastern Conference team to drop a nonconference game. The 17th-ranked Rebels are set to host Georgia Tech, who they beat 42-0 last season. SEC teams are 1-4 against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference so far this season. SEC West rivals Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M have already lost nonconference games. Both teams have quarterbacks who have started off hot. Georgia Tech is led by Texas A&M transfer Haynes King while Ole MIss has second-year starter Jaxson Dart.

Michigan State players and interim coach Harlon Barnett will try to focus on football this weekend when they host No. 8 Washington. The teams meet Saturday without Tucker. He was suspended after allegations that he sexually harassed a rape survivor during a phone call last year. Barnett's debut game will come aganst the top passing offense in the Bowl Subdvision led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Both teams are 2-0.

With one thumping win over Alabama, Texas rejoined the national conversation about national championship contenders. Their ranking reflects that. Texas jumped from No. 11 to No. 4 the program's highest position since finishing the 2009 season at No. 2. The challenge now is to stay there, and the Longhorns don’t really want to talk about Alabama any more. Undefeated Wyoming is next on the schedule in the final nonconference matchup for the Longhorns before starting their final Big 12 season. Wyoming got Texas' attention with its come-from-behind win over Texas Tech in the season opener.

Jaziun Patterson might be the most popular third-string running back in the country this week. He goes into 25th-ranked Iowa’s home game against Western Michigan coming off his best performance in the Cy-Hawk Game at Iowa State. The redshirt freshman’s first run went for 59 yards, he finished with 86 and a touchdown and he took out two pass rushers with one block. Patterson is still listed third behind Kaleb Johnson and Leshon Williams on this week’s depth chart. Western Michigan is picked last in the West in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches’ poll and is 1-1.

No. 8 Washington visits Michigan State on Saturday. Both teams are 2-0. Washington is favored by 16 1/2 points. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. also can continue to make his early case for the Heisman Trophy. Also, No. 18 Colorado hosts Colorado State.  It’s Deion Sanders, or Coach Prime, all the time these days in college football. Eight Pac-12 teams are ranked, its highest-ever number. Its 20-3 nonconference record is the nation’s best.

The Alfa Romeo team is keeping an unchanged driver lineup for the third year running after announcing that Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will stay for the 2024 season. The extension will allow Zhou to finally race at his home Grand Prix in Shanghai after it was canceled in the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to pandemic-related restrictions. Bottas and Zhou will drive for a rebranded team after Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo ends the sponsorship agreement for the Swiss-based Sauber team to run under its name.

No. 14 Kansas State is headed to Missouri on Saturday for another showdown between old Big 12 rivals. The two schools played last season for the first time in more than a decade, since the Tigers departed for the SEC, and the Wildcats won in lopsided fashion. Kansas State has blown out its first two opponents of the season, but coach Chris Klieman's bunch will be headed on the road for the first time and getting its first shot at a Power Five opponent. The Tigers beat South Dakota and then struggled to put away Middle Tennessee State last weekend.

The Atlantic Coast Conference's Week 3 slate includes a pair of matchups against the Big Ten. No. 21 Duke is going for a 3-0 start when it hosts Northwestern in one of those matchups. Coach Mike Elko says the team is still managing the aftereffects of playing twice in six days last week. The other Big Ten matchup pairs No. 20 North Carolina's high-powered offense against Minnesota's tough defense. The schedule includes Virginia's reunion with a former ACC peer in Maryland. There's also Georgia Tech's Haynes King hoping to stay hot while leading the Yellow Jackets into No. 17 Mississippi.

SEC play begins with a West faceoff between No. 14 LSU and Mississippi State headlining three contests. The defending West Division champions rebounded from their opening-game loss to Florida State with a 72-10 rout of FCS Grambling 72-10 in the first meeting against the historically Black college. MSU topped Pac-12 Arizona 31-24 in overtime in a Power 5 matchup that improved first-year coach Zach Arnett to 3-0. Other league showdowns feature East squads as South Carolina visits top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Georgia, while No. 11 Tennessee visits rival Florida.

Reigning Big 12 champion Kansas State wraps up non-conference play with a chance to give the league another win in an SEC stadium. So does Big 12 newcomer BYU. K-State plays Saturday at former Big Eight and Big 12 rival Missouri, now in its 12th SEC season. The Cougars go to Arkansas. Texas won last weekend at then-No. 3 Alabama. TCU is at league newcomer Houston for the first Big 12 conference game this season, and only one this week. The Big 12 has eight undefeated teams. But it's the only Power Five league with two winless teams. Texas Tech and Baylor, both 0-2, host FCS teams.

Harlon Bennett begins his run as Michigan State's acting head coach with a visit from No. 8 Washington. Barnett stepped into his new role Sunday after a sexual harrassment accusation against Mel Tucker became public. Barnett will get help from Mark Dantonio, who retired as MSU's winningest coach following the 2019 season. Barnett and Dantonio will have their hands full strategizing against Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies’ high-powered offense. Rutgers goes for a third straight 3-0 start when it meets Virginia Tech. Illinois is a two-touchdown underdog at home to No. 7 Penn State.

Ronald Acuña Jr. has the kind of numbers that make the young Atlanta Braves star a no-doubter for the National League MVP award. Then again, so does Dodgers standout Mookie Betts. And his teammate, Freddie Freeman. It’s getting close to the postseason for Major League Baseball, which also means it’s close to award season. Some of the races are closer than others and it appears the NL MVP race is a particularly epic chase. Acuña has been the favorite for months. He’s the catalyst for a robust Braves offense that leads the big leagues by scoring nearly six runs per game.

As the Dodgers were Saving for Shohei this year, something unexpected happened. They ran away with the National League West. They might not have the starting pitching to win the World Series, but they could secure their 10th division title in 11 years as early as this weekend.

It started when Michigan backed out of a home-and-home with UCLA without much notice. The Bruins suddenly had two big holes on their schedule and very few options to fill them.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill played 44 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers in the opener. He was targeted 15 times, which equates to being targeted once every 2.9 snaps.

Cam Heyward's out, but I have the perfect antidote for the Steelers' crisis: a real NFL offense.

There was a time not long ago when the Florida Gators scoffed at Danny White and the too-big-for-its-britches athletic program he was running at UCF.

SAN DIEGO — It's impressive what San Diego State football players have accomplished in the past 12 full seasons, posting 12 winning records and advancing to 12 bowls.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With great versatility comes great responsibility.

North Carolina State hosts VMI on Saturday. The Wolfpack will look to clean up miscues from a loss to Notre Dame last weekend. That includes dropped passes and defensive breakdowns that allowed multiple explosive plays for the Fighting Irish. The Wolfpack lost three turnovers against Notre Dame. VMI is a Championship Subdivision program. The Keydets are playing their first season under Danny Rocco. VMI has scored just 25 points through two games. The game marks the first meeting between the schools since 1946. They first played in 1895.

Texas A&M will look to bounce back against Louisiana-Monroe after a disappointing 48-33 loss at Miami last week that knocked them out of the rankings. This is Texas A&M’s last tune-up before the team opens Southeastern Conference play Sept. 23 with a visit from Auburn. Louisiana-Monroe is off to its first 2-0 start since 2018 and looks for its first 3-0 start since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1994.

The Ohio Bobcats will look for a signature win when Iowa State of the Big 12 visits on Saturday. The Bobcats, picked to win the Mid-American Conference, could give the Cyclones a game if their NFL prospect quarterback Kurtis Rourke can find a rhythm. Iowa State will be without quarterback Hunter Dekkers and other key players because of a gambling scandal. Second-year QB Rocco Brecht will lead the Cyclones after they managed just one touchdown in a 20-13 loss to Iowa last week.

Arizona looks to bounce back from a tough road loss to Mississippi State and continue its dominance over UTEP. The Wildcats have won the last 13 meetings and haven’t lost to the Miners in Tucson since 1957. Arizona rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie Mississippi State last week, but lost 31-24 in overtime. UTEP opened the season with wins over Jacksonville State and Incarnate Word before losing 38-7 to Northwestern last week.

Stanford looks to bounce back from a blowout loss at USC in its home opener under first-year coach Troy Taylor. Taylor faces a familiar foe in Sacramento State, having spent the previous four seasons as coach there. Taylor led Sacramento State to a 30-8 record and the first berth in the FCS quarterfinals in school history. The Hornets are seeking their first win over a Pac-12 school since beating Colorado 30-28 in 2012.

No. 14 Kansas State returns to Missouri on Saturday for a showdown with its old conference rival. The Wildcats blew out the Tigers in Manhattan last season, and the return trip is the first for Kansas State to Columbia since 2010. The Wildcats have scored at least 42 points each of their first two games while the Tigers are coming off a less-than-impressive 23-19 win over Middle Tennessee State last weekend. The winner improves to 3-0 on the season.

Georgia Southern will try to beat a Big Ten team for the second straight season when it visits Wisconsin on Saturday. The Eagles' 45-42 victory at Nebraska last year came one day before the Cornhuskers fired coach Scott Frost. Wisconsin will be attempting to bounce back from a 31-22 loss at Washington State that knocked the Badgers out of the Top 25. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell hasn't lost back-to-back games since his debut season at Cincinnati in 2017.

If ever anyone needed an example of a trap game, this is it for Clemson. The Tigers have a showdown at Death Valley with No. 3 Florida State set for Sept. 23. But not before they have to face a Florida Atlantic team eager to bounce back from a difficult loss at home to Ohio last week. Clemson broke out of its offensive slumber the last three quarters against FCS opponent Charleston Southern, winning 66-17 after trailing 14-7 in the opening period. Cade Klubnik threw for a career best 315 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

California looks to bounce back from a home loss against Auburn when the Golden Bears host FCS-level Idaho in their final nonconference game of the season. Cal has never lost to a team from the FCS. The Vandals beat Nevada last week for their first win over an FBS team since moving down a level in 2018. Idaho is seeking its first 3-0 start since 1994.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State took a calculated risk in hiring the youngest head coach in a Power Five conference. Thirty-three-year-old Kenny Dillingham had a solid record as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator, yet had never been a head coach on any level. In the past, Dilling…

South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup with what the team described as a long-term knee injury. The Springboks say Marx sustained the injury in a training session on Wednesday. It’s a big blow to the defending champions’ chances of retaining their title, with Marx one of the form players in the team. South Africa has just one other specialist hooker in the squad in Bongi Mbonambi. He was selected to captain a second-string Springboks team against Romania on Sunday. Coach Jacques Nienaber says they'll name a replacement for Marx later this week.

The Baltimore Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays to begin a four-game series.

The New York Mets face the Arizona Diamondbacks, leading the series 2-1.

The Chicago White Sox begin a four-game series at home against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Soccer commentators Gary Neville and Jill Scott secretly swapped social media accounts to shine a light on gender bias in the sport. The abuse Neville received was unlike anything he’d experienced before. Scott found it depressingly familiar. Scott and Neville posted their opinions on a range of issues in the sport but did so on each other’s accounts on X, formerly called Twitter. Neville witnessed the prejudice Scott and other women contend with. Scott says discrimination is commonplace on social media for women in soccer. Her account received five times more sexist responses than Neville’s during the experiment.