SPORTS - QB Jones and No. 1 Sooners beat FSU 23-13 (AP)

SPORTS - QB Jones and No. 1 Sooners beat FSU 23-13 (AP)

• Photo:Oklahoma wide receiver Kenny Stills (4) goes high over Florida State cornerback Greg Reid (5) for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a NCAA coll AP

By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo, Ap College Football Writer – 1 hr 14 mins ago

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Landry Jones' pass seemed like it would never come down.

Kenny Stills waited in the end zone for what must have felt like an eternity, then reached high for a touchdown that gave No. 1 Oklahoma the type of rugged road victory that teams need to win national championships.

Stills, playing for the first time this season after being suspended for the opener because of an offseason DUI arrest, grabbed a 37-yard scoring pass midway through the fourth quarter for the tiebreaking score, and Oklahoma's defense made the lead stand as the Sooners beat No. 5 Florida State 23-13 on Saturday night.

"We won ugly, but that's OK," said Jones, who came in 3-5 as a starter the past two seasons in true road games. "That's what No. 1 teams do, that's for sure."

Javon Harris picked off two passes for the Sooners (2-0), who forced three turnovers and had six sacks against two Florida State quarterbacks.

The Seminoles (2-1) played the final 20 minutes without starting quarterback E.J. Manuel, who left in the third with a left shoulder injury.

Backup Clint Trickett kept the Seminoles in it. He hooked up with freshman Rashad Greene for a 56-yard touchdown on a third-and-28 with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 13.

But on the next possession, Jones went high and deep down the sideline to the 6-foot-1 Stills, who easily outleaped the 5-8 Greg Reid for the touchdown.

Trickett couldn't respond. On the next drive, he had a pass tipped at the line by Ronnell Lewis, and Harris came up with his second interception near midfield. Just like the first pick, Oklahoma turned it into a field goal, this one from 31 yards out by Jimmy Stevens.

"All of a sudden the crowd's on you, they tie it up at home," said OU coach Bob Stoops, who shared a hug with his brother, Mark, the Florida State defensive coordinator, after the game. "We come back ... with the big drive, defense gets the turnover, we eat up the clock and get a field goal. I'm really proud of 'em. Our kids really answered the bell when they had to."

And maybe we can start calling Stoops "Big Game Bob" again, too.

Jones finished 18 for 27 for 199 yards with two interceptions, though he did become the school's career passing leader, moving past Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.

"All great games come down to two or three plays," second-year Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. "They made plays; we didn't."

A rematch of a lopsided 47-17 Oklahoma victory in Norman last season, this was more reminiscent of the most important game these two heavyweight programs have played. The Sooners won their last national championship in 2000 by beating the Seminoles 13-2 in the Orange Bowl.

The Sooners, from the Big 12 — at least for now — scored a touchdown on their first possession and one of the most potent offenses in the country didn't find the end zone again until the fourth quarter. Florida State looked as if it would never get there.

Then Greene's touchdown sent most of the record crowd of 84,392 at Doak Campbell Stadium into hysterics. Like Stills, he went high in traffic to come down with Trickett's pass then broke free from the pack and raced for the score.

"It was just loud, I couldn't hear anything, especially down there when we were in their student section," Jones said. "I called some plays six or seven times, and I still don't think the guys heard me."

Florida State showed it's worthy of again being considered a national title contender, a title the Seminoles held for 14 years under Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden, but relinquished in the 2000s.

Fisher's Seminoles aren't quite all the way back, but they are getting there.

"I hope it changed people's perspective of us," Trickett said.

Trickett, who was sacked five times, was 7 for 15 for 134 yards for Florida State, which had no running game beyond Manuel's 49 yards.

Fisher said Manuel's status for next week's pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference game at Clemson was uncertain, though the junior did watch most of the fourth quarter from the sideline.

Oklahoma seemed to pick up right where it left off last year in Norman on the first drive of the game, zipping down field with little resistance for an 80-yard drive that ended with Jones' 1-yard touchdown sneak.

Dustin Hopkins booted a 53-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 2:42 left in the first.

Turnovers, penalties and defense dominated the rest of the way.

Manuel made some nifty plays on the run, jumping over one of his lineman on the way to a 12-yard gain in the second quarter. But the junior also was intercepted twice in Oklahoma territory.

The second came late in the half when Harris grabbed a high throw and returned it 69 yards to the Florida State 3.

But for the second time in the half, the Sooners got inside the 5 and settled for a field goal. Stevens kicked a 29-yarder to make it 13-3 as time expired in the half.

"We slowed down their no huddle offense," Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner said.

Oklahoma managed 310 yards, its fewest since Nov. 21, 2009, in a road loss to Texas Tech. But the Sooners held the Seminoles to 246.

"We knew coming in we were going to have to be physical," Harris said.

Florida State's best shot to get in the end zone in the first half came when Manuel found Kenny Shaw deep down the middle inside the 5, but the receiver was sandwiched by Tom Wort and Harris, taking a double-helmet shot, and the ball came out. The Sooners were flagged 15 yards for the hit and Shaw lay motionless on the turf for several minutes. He was carted off, conscious and moving his arms, and taken to the hospital for X-rays. He later returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners' defense got a boost with the return of star linebacker Travis Lewis, who came back earlier than expected from a broken left toe to start against Florida State.

With 5:42 left in the third quarter, Manuel was swarmed under by Oklahoma on a third-and-2 play that never had a chance and the quarterback came off the field wincing, holding his left arm close to his body. He went to the locker room to have his shoulder examined, and Trickett took over the offense after Lamarcus Joyner intercepted a deep ball by Jones.

Trickett, a redshirt freshman and the son of Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett, led the Seminoles to Hopkins' 46-yard field goal to make it 13-6 with 53 seconds left in the third.

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SPORTS - FSU president confirms Pitt, Syracuse applications (AP)

SPORTS - FSU president confirms Pitt, Syracuse applications (AP)

AP – Tulsa alumnus G.E. Beard sits alone in the rain in the stands of H.A. Chapman Stadium as heavy rain and …

By JEFF LATZKE, AP College Football Writer Jeff Latzke, Ap College Football Writer – 6 mins ago

TULSA, Okla. – By the time No. 8 Oklahoma State and Tulsa were about to get their game started after midnight Sunday, referee Randy Smith had a question for the teams' captains before the pregame coin flip.

"Are you guys ready to finally play some football?" Smith asked.

A thunderstorm that brought lightning and heavy rains to H.A. Chapman Stadium kept an already late-night game from starting until 12:16 a.m. Sunday. Thousands of fans who had been asked to clear the stadium as the storm approached returned to the stands to watch the game after a delay of just more than 3 hours.

Tulsa offensive tackle Stetson Burnett's long brown hair flipped around as he jumped up and down to try and rile up the fans when the players jogged back onto the field for pregame warm-ups a few minutes before midnight. Then the game got off to a false start when officials had to whistle the opening kickoff dead to reset the 25-second play clock.

The teams were prepared to play a little later than usual, with kickoff originally scheduled for 9:10 p.m. Tulsa's band already had played the national anthem and kickoff was only a few minutes away when fans were encouraged to seek shelter on the concourses, at the Reynolds Center basketball arena or in their vehicles because of the approaching storm.

Increasingly heavy rain moved over the stadium soon after, and only one man remained in his seat as the stadium got soaked.

Those who stuck around got rewarded with some early action. Shawn Jackson intercepted one of Brandon Weeden's passes on Oklahoma State's opening drive to set up Kevin Fitzpatrick's 25-yard field goal.

Justin Gilbert returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and the Cowboys stretched the lead to 14-3 on Weeden's flea flicker pass to Hubert Anyiam.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy had said earlier in the week that he thought the late start would have more of an impact on coaches than players, who are more accustomed to staying up late.

"By 10 o'clock, I'm asleep," Gundy said. "I would think the adjustment would be for the staff and obviously the fans. There will be a big adjustment for them."

Gundy had expected the team to arrive back in Stillwater around 3 a.m. Sunday, but the delay meant the game likely wouldn't end until that hour. The team didn't have a hotel in Tulsa, so a 70-mile drive back to Stillwater was ahead after the end of the game.

Gundy had said he couldn't remember playing or coaching in a game that got started after 9 p.m. — much less after midnight — in two and a half decades in college football.

"We all know that television and money is dictating when we kick games off. ... It doesn't matter what I think," Gundy said. "We're going to go down and kick it off whenever somebody else tells us to do it."

The teams don't share a weekend off this season, so the options to postpone the game were limited. And both teams face ranked opponents next Saturday. Oklahoma State opens Big 12 conference play at No. 9 Texas A&M while Tulsa is at No. 4 Boise State.

Now, they'll have a little less time to prepare.

"It spills over into an early Sunday morning for the coaches," Gundy said. "And then the players will sleep in, and they'll come in later. There is some effect. For a week or two, late nights could affect you."

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SPORTS - Avalanche's Mueller back after concussion (AP)

SPORTS - Avalanche's Mueller back after concussion (AP)

AP – Lexi Thompson hits her drive from the third tee during the third round of the Navistar LPGA Classic golf …

– Sat Sep 17, 8:09 pm ET

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Lexi Thompson is poised for an historic victory.

Thompson shot a 5-under 67 in the Navistar LPGA Classic on Saturday and is in position to become the youngest player to win an LPGA tournament.

Thompson, who turned 16 in February, is at 15-under 201 and has a five-stroke lead heading into the final round at the Robert Trent Jones Trail's Capitol Hill complex.

"I always go into every tournament wanting to win," Thompson said. "I'm at 15, so my goal is to take it one shot at a time and try to get it to 20."

Paula Creamer set the age record for a multiple-round tournament when she won the Sybase Classic in 2005 at 18 years, 9 months and 17 days. Marlene Hagge was 18 years and 14 days old when she won the single-round Sarasota Open in 1952.

Thompson, who led by two after the second round, had four consecutive birdies on Nos. 6-9 and recorded six overall Saturday. She bogeyed the par-4 18th.

"It's incredible," said Juli Inkster, a Hall of Famer with 31 career victories who said she started playing when she was 15. "They're just starting younger and they're just so much better."

South Korea's Meena Lee is second, and Tiffany Joh, Karen Stupples and Becky Morgan are tied for third at 8-under 208.

If Thompson wins, she will not receive automatic LPGA Tour membership because of her age. Thompson would have to petition the LPGA for an exemption of its 18-year-old age requirement.

The LPGA already granted her petition for qualifying school, and she won the first stage by 10 strikes in July.

"It's definitely going to change my life and my career, but you just have to take it one shot at a time," Thompson said.

Joh made the biggest move in the third round with a 65. She had nine birdies, including her final two holes, and two bogeys.

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SPORTS - No. 17 Ohio State falls at Miami, 24-6 (AP)

SPORTS - No. 17 Ohio State falls at Miami, 24-6 (AP)

AP – Philadelphia Phillies' Hunter Pence celebrates in the locker room after the Phillies defeated the St. …

By ROB MAADDI, AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi, Ap Sports Writer – 2 hrs 42 mins ago

PHILADELPHIA – Hunter Pence clutched a bottle of champagne and jumped around like an excited child opening Christmas presents.

The Philadelphia Phillies won another division crown, and Pence is along for his first postseason ride.

Roy Oswalt threw seven dominant innings, Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam and the Phillies clinched their fifth straight NL East title with a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

"I've waited for this moment a long time," said Pence, the All-Star outfielder who joined Philadelphia in a trade from last-place Houston on July 29.

"It's incredible, and I'm enjoying the moment. We've got a lot of work to do still. The expectation is to win the World Series, but this is one of the steps you gotta make, and to me it's my first time, so this is great."

In a season where nothing less than a World Series championship would be considered a success, there wasn't much of a party on the field. The Phillies had a been-there, done-that attitude toward winning the division last year, and this time was no different.

Players ran onto the diamond a bit faster than usual, but they simply exchanged handshakes, hugs and high-fives as if this was an ordinary game in April. They did at least put on shirts and hats proclaiming themselves division champs.

The fans didn't even scream all that loud, even when the Phillie Phanatic ran on the field with a big flag that said 2011.

Once they reached the clubhouse, however, the Phillies popped open the bubbly and celebrated their achievement.

"I'm excited for a guy like Hunter who has never been here before," Chase Utley said. "It's a long season and you never know what's going to happen."

With the Four Aces leading the way, the Phillies are seeking their third NL pennant in four years and second World Series title.

They've taken care of the first step. Now they'll use the 12 remaining games to get ready for the postseason. It's still uncertain who the Phillies will face in the best-of-five first round when the NL playoffs begin Oct. 1.

"This is the first step," slugger Ryan Howard told the crowd that remained after the game. "We're gonna try to go all the way and we'll need you guys."

The major league-leading Phillies (98-52) are four wins away from setting a single-season club record.

None of those accomplishments will matter if they don't finish the season with a championship parade on Broad Street.

"It's an extraordinary effort," team president David Montgomery said. "Clearly, it's a team that has its priorities in order."

Oswalt (8-9) allowed no runs and five hits, striking out seven. Brad Lidge got one out in the eighth after Michael Stutes ran into trouble, and Ryan Madson finished with a seven-run cushion.

St. Louis fell 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the wild-card race. They had won eight of nine to narrow the gap from 8 1/2 back on Sept. 6.

"We played with a lot of urgency," Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said.

Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook (12-9) allowed one earned run and five hits in 3 1-3 innings. He's given up two earned runs or less in 11 of his 16 road starts this season, but fell to 8-4 away from home.

Oswalt, Philadelphia's best pitcher down the stretch last year after coming over from Houston in a trade on July 29, left spring training as the No. 3 starter behind Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. But he struggled after starting 3-0, and a back injury forced him to the disabled twice.

The three-time All-Star was vintage Oswalt against the Cardinals. His fastball reached 94 mph a few times, and he had a nasty curveball.

Oswalt struck out Skip Schumaker on a 76 mph curve to leave two runners on in the seventh. All of his Ks came on swings.

"I'm not really going to be satisfied until we win that last game," Oswalt said. "I've done enough personal stuff that it really doesn't matter. All I want now is to win that last game. That's all any of us really want."

Stutes nearly blew a 3-0 lead in the eighth after getting the first two outs. Four straight singles by John Jay, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and David Freese got the Cardinals within 3-2.

But Lidge came in and retired Allen Craig on a grounder to second on his first pitch to end the inning.

The Phillies then blew it open with six unearned runs in the eighth. Carlos Ruiz reached second when his grounder skipped past third baseman Daniel Descalso for an error. Ruiz went to third on Jimmy Rollins' one-out single and scored on Shane Victorino's single up the middle.

After Utley was hit by a pitch, Howard struck out.

Octavio Dotel entered and Pence hustled out an infield single to shortstop Rafael Furcal to drive in another run. Ibanez then hit his slam to right to put it away.

Pence gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead on an RBI double in the first. An error by Furcal helped the Phillies add a run in the fourth. Placido Polanco led off with a walk. Oswalt sacrificed with one out and Furcal dropped the throw to second. Rollins followed with a single to load the bases. Victorino walked to force in Polanco to make it 2-0.

That ended Westbrook's night.

Arthur Rhodes came in and retired Utley on a shallow fly and Howard on a grounder.

Victorino hit a solo homer off Kyle McClellan in the sixth. He's been slumping lately, batting just .163 (14 for 86) in his previous 21 games.

Oswalt likely will be the fourth starter in the postseason after Halladay, Lee and Cole Hamels. Rookie Vance Worley would go to the bullpen, despite an 11-2 record.

NOTES: A crowd of 45,470 was the 211th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including playoffs. ... This was the fastest the Phillies ever clinched a division title. The previous was Game No. 156 in 1976. ... The Phillies had all their regulars in the starting lineup for the first time since Aug. 6. ... Rollins was 4 for 5. He was 3 for 20 coming in. ... The Phillies had scored just 22 runs in the last nine games before getting six in the eighth. ... The Cardinals are 6-28 when scoring fewer than three runs. ... St. Louis used seven pitchers. ... Hamels (14-8) faces Chris Carpenter (9-9) when the teams meet Sunday night.

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SPORTS - MMA headed to mainstream with 'Warrior,' TV deals (AP)

SPORTS - MMA headed to mainstream with 'Warrior,' TV deals (AP)

Reuters – WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (L) of the U.S. takes a punch from Floyd Mayweather Jr., also …

By Mark Lamport-Stokes Mark Lamport-stokes – 49 mins ago

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Floyd Mayweather Jr took the WBC welterweight title from Victor Ortiz with a controversial fourth-round knockout on Saturday that prompted an angry response from the crowd and raised questions about his conduct in the ring.

Ortiz had pinned Mayweather against the ropes before he was penalized by referee Joe Cortez for a head-butt. After a brief time-out, Ortiz apologized to his opponent in the center of the ring by touching gloves and Mayweather suddenly responded with a left hook and crunching right that dropped Ortiz to the canvas.

Boos rang out from the crowd in the MGM Grand Garden Arena but Mayweather, who improved his career record to 42-0 with 26 knockouts, was unrepentant.

"I got hit with a dirty shot, I was protecting myself at all times," the 34-year-old said ringside. "I hit him with a left and then a right hand, and that ended the bout."

Asked to describe what happened as a replay of the final moments was shown on a giant television screen above the ring, Mayweather replied: "We touched gloves, right hand and that's all she wrote.

"You just protect yourself at all times. I was victorious. If he wants a re-match, he can get a re-match."

Mayweather then showered his interviewer with abuse and said he had never given him "a fair shake."

Fighting for the first time in 16 months, Mayweather had upped the pace early on in the fourth round with a flurry of body jabs and upper cuts.

Ortiz responded with a furious sequence of blows before pinning the challenger to the ropes.

Ortiz, who took the WBC welterweight title from Andre Berto in April with an unanimous points victory, slipped to 29-3-2 with 22 knockouts.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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SPORTS - NASCAR: 'Nothing conclusive' on Menard spin (AP)

SPORTS - NASCAR: 'Nothing conclusive' on Menard spin (AP)

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SPORTS - Phillies win, clinch 5th straight NL East title (AP)

SPORTS - Phillies win, clinch 5th straight NL East title (AP)

AP – Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick passes to a teammate during the second half an NFL football …

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer John Wawrow, Ap Sports Writer – 1 hr 57 mins ago

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Chan Gailey has devised enough offensive game plans in his day — remember the Kordell Stewart "Slash" offense in Pittsburgh of the mid-1990s? — to appreciate a good power running attack when he sees one.

So all it took was one glimpse at the big, bruising, run, run, and run it again Raiders' approach to pounding the ball to leave Buffalo's coach more than impressed.

"Scary, is the better term," Gailey said.

Pleased as he was to see his once-porous defense contain the run-happy Kansas City Chiefs in last weekend's opening 41-7 victory, Gailey acknowledged the Bills' home opener against the Raiders on Sunday will be a far more daunting challenge.

"They're so massive up front and their backs are big and strong and (run) downhill," Gailey said. "Last week, it was edge, hitting the crease, dip, dart. This is right at you: `Here we come. See if you can stop us.'"

The Broncos couldn't stop the Darren McFadden-led Raiders, who combined for 190 yards rushing in a 23-20 win at Denver on Monday night. And yet, the Raiders aren't looking too far ahead, because the Bills firmly have their attention given how Buffalo manhandled the Chiefs.

"Oh yeah, that caught everybody's attention," defensive tackle Tommy Kelly said. "Any time you can go on the road and have a victory like that, that's going to open up a lot of people's eyes."

That's not to say Kelly is overly concerned.

"The thing about the NFL is that happened last week," he said. "They've got to come and deal with us now. And we ain't the Chiefs."

A pair of original American Football League franchises meet at Orchard Park in an early season test between two teams attempting to become relevant again.

The Bills have endured six straight losing seasons after last year's 4-12 finish. Buffalo has not made the playoffs in 11 seasons, tied with Detroit for the NFL's longest active drought.

The Raiders haven't been much better. They've not opened a season with two straight wins since going 4-0 in 2002. That was the last time they had a winning record and made the playoffs, which ended with a loss to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

There's renewed hope the Raiders are finally poised for a breakthrough. Coming off an 8-8 record, first-year coach Hue Jackson has made it his objective to re-establish the Raiders' smash-mouth reputation.

"It's all about building a bully with Hue," right tackle Khalif Barnes said. "We're getting there."

The Raiders have been rebuilt with an eye on brute force and speed.

It's evident with their massive defensive front, anchored by Kelly and Richard Seymour. The two already made their presence felt against the Broncos in combining for three of the Raiders' five sacks.

And then there's a mammoth offensive front, which sometimes features a sixth lineman to better open holes for the one-two punch running attack of McFadden and Michael Bush. McFadden had three 20-plus-yard runs against the Broncos, including a 20-yarder on third-and-13, no less.

That doesn't mean the Raiders have arrived just yet.

Discipline remains an issue after Oakland was penalized 15 times for 131 yards on Monday. Jackson brought in referees to throw flags at practice Wednesday in a bid to send a message to his players.

The Raiders also face a short week in which they have to travel across the country to face a nondivision rival, which is something they struggled with last year. While sweeping all six matchups against AFC West opponents, they went 2-8 in their remaining games.

"That's history," said Jackson.

The Bills might be off to a good start, but still have a dysfunctional history of their own to overcome entering Gailey's second year.

In his first season-opening start, journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had four touchdown passes as part of a balanced attack complemented by Fred Jackson's 112 yards rushing. The Bills led 20-7 by halftime, a year after they scored 20 points only four times in an entire game.

The retooled defense proved stout. It forced three turnovers and eight punts, while limiting the Chiefs to 213 yards offense — including a modest 108 yards rushing. That's a significant improvement over last year, when the Bills allowed 200 yards rushing eight times.

The Raiders provide the Bills a chance to gauge how far they've come.

"We won't have an answer, but we'll have a better idea of where we are," Gailey said.

Fitzpatrick is focused on putting the opening win behind him, saying the Bills still have much to prove.

"We're done patting everybody on the back," Fitzpatrick said. "We're moving on to this week."

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