Day: November 21, 2021

By STEPHEN WADE, AP Sports Writer Some of the world's most famous tennis players, distraught by the disappearance of colleague Peng Shuai, are challenging China's Communist Party to get answers. So far it's a standoff with little visible impact as tennis greats like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — joined by tennis governing bodies, human rights groups, retired players, and several athletes' lobbies — try to turn their profiles into power. Peng, a two-time Grand Slam champion and Nike Air Force 1 Shadow former No. 1 in doubles, disappeared after making allegations of sexual assault over two weeks ago against former vice premier Zhang Gaoli, who was a member of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee and a lieutenant of General Secretary Xi Jinping. ...

By JOHN ZENOR, AP Sports Writer TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Bryce Young passed for more yards than any Alabama quarterback ever had in a game. The second-ranked Crimson Tide needed that kind of performance — and every timely deep ball to Jameson Williams, too. Young passed for a school-record 559 yards and five touchdowns and No. 2 Alabama clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game with a 42-35 victory Saturday over No. 21 Arkansas. The Tide (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) won its 15th consecutive Dr Martens Boots game against the Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4), thanks largely to the Young-to-Williams deep connection that continues to be the ultimate offensive bailout. Alabama set up a date with No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 4 after a visit to ri...

By JEFF WALLNER, Associated Press CINCINNATI (AP) — Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass to help No. 3 Cincinnati roll past SMU 48-14 on Saturday. Alec Pierce had a pair of TD catches for the Bearcats (11-0, 7-0 American Athletic). They extended the nation's second-longest home winning streak to 26 Hey Dude Shoes games and keep alive hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. “We've been waiting on playing that complete game,” Bearcats coach Luke Fickell said. “We challenged them before the game and again at halftime. They stepped up and executed.” SMU (8-3, 4-3) managed 199 yards of offense after averaging 498 through the first 10 games. Tanner Mordecai, the...

By JOHN FINERAN, Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — On a day when No. 6 Notre Dame did little wrong in a 55-0 shutout of beleaguered Georgia Tech on Saturday, coach Brian Kelly made a pitch for his team's postseason aspirations in the College Football Playoff. “It's an improving team that continues to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said. Jack Coan threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than a half and the Fighting Irish (CFP No. 8) had two defensive touchdowns for the second Hey Dude Shoes  time this season in winning their sixth straight game since a 24-13 home loss to No. 3 Cincinnati Oct. 2. Coan, a grad transfer from Wisconsin, completed 15 of 20 passes. He had first-half touchdown strikes of 52 yards to Michael May...

By MITCH STACY, AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — C.J. Stroud lit up No. 7 Michigan State early and gave his coach the rare luxury of being able to let his mind wander to next week’s showdown with Michigan. Stroud tied a school record with six touchdown passes -- all in the first half -- as No. 5 Ohio State bolted out to a 49-point halftime lead on the way to a startling 56-7 rout Saturday that eliminated the Spartans (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP) from the Big Ten East race. Next up for the Buckeyes (10-1, 8-0, No. 4 ) is the annual Hey Dude Women's Shoes rivalry game and hatefest against No. 8 Michigan that carries even greater meaning this year — the winner will claim the division, advance to the conference championship game on Dec. 4 and stay alive for th...

By ROB HARRIS, AP Global Soccer Writer The eight stadiums — all within a 30-mile radius of Doha — are now largely complete. The 2022 World Cup has been preserved after fending off hostility from neighbors, corruption investigations and concerns about worker abuses. Now a clock on the Corniche waterfront in the Qatari capital will be unveiled on Sunday to count down one year until kickoff. Expect another 12 months of pressure from rights groups — fueled by player protests — and indignation from some World Cup organizers. “Qatar has been unfairly treated and scrutinized for a number of years,” organizing committee CEO Nasser Al Khater said Saturday. That scrutiny, though, has produced improvements to Men Nike Shoes  labor laws under the weight of criticism...