OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Lane Kiffin’s new team at LSU couldn’t deny Trinidad Chambliss — the quarterback Kiffin helped transform into a star after recruiting him from a Division II program to Mississippi last year. Chambliss passed for 363 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a tiebreaking score in the fourth quarter, and No. 8 Ole Miss delighted a crowd that was already revved up about Kiffin’s return with a 32-24 victory over the seventh-ranked Tigers on Saturday night. LSU stormed back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to tie the game before Chambliss engineered a 75-yard touchdown drive.
Lane Kiffin’s much-hyped return to Mississippi ended with a fourth-down failure. Jaylon Braxton intercepted Sam Leavitt’s pass into the end zone in the final seconds, setting off a raucous celebration that was nine months in the making and sending Kiffin and No. 7 LSU home with a 32-24 loss to eighth-ranked Ole Miss that showed just how hated the coach has become in Oxford. It was the second loss of the day for a top-10 team from the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 on the road.
Call this one the Music City Miscue. N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in the end zone while trying to take an intentional safety in the final seconds and essentially handed Vanderbilt a 35-31 victory no one saw coming in Nashville. It was as improbable a finish as the Music City Miracle, the famous last-second kickoff return in January 2000 that gave the NFL’s Tennessee Titans a 22–16 playoff win over the Buffalo Bills. It also was reminiscent of Miami’s debacle against Georgia Tech in October 2023, when the Hurricanes opted against taking a knee and fumbled away a victory.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Keyjuan Brown ran for a career-high 163 yards and a pair of long touchdowns on 10 carries to guide No. 23 Louisville to a 41-31 victory over 16th-ranked SMU. The preseason media picks to finish second (SMU) and third (Louisville) in the Atlantic Coast Conference traded the lead eight times before the Cardinals sealed it on Isaac Brown’s 27-yard touchdown with 5:32 remaining. Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Louisville regained the lead in the opening minute of the third quarter on Keyjuan Brown’s 58-yard run. His 53-yarder with 10:02 left put the Cardinals ahead for good. Kendrick Raphael rushed for a career-best 197 yards and tied a personal high with three scores to lead the Mustangs.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Logano led the final seven laps Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway after seizing the lead from Carson Hocevar, who overshadowed the winner despite finishing third. Hocevar, a brash 23-year-old who has earned the ire of veterans with his aggressive driving, traded punches in the pits with Ryan Blaney after they were involved in an incident while racing for second with 41 laps left where Hocevar wrecked Blaney’s car from behind. Hocevar stopped his car after finishing third and was greeted by a shove from Blaney. Hocevar responded by swinging twice at Blaney, who fell to the pavement, got up and threw a punch at Hocevar before they were separated by their crews.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Flyweight Champion Joshua Van erased the controversy surrounding his first victory over Alexandre Pantoja by defeating the former champion over five rounds Saturday, then declaring that his UFC flyweight title could no longer be dismissed as the product of an accidental injury. Van said critics had questioned his legitimacy after Pantoja (30-7) suffered an injury early in their first meeting. The rematch gave the champion the opportunity to prove himself in a complete fight against the division’s former standard-bearer. Van finished with 140 significant head strikes, to Pantoja’s 99.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M coach Mike Elko was blunt in his assessment of the Aggies after their 31-21 loss to Kentucky. Elko says there are “no positives” to take from Saturday's game. The ninth-ranked Aggies gave up 21 straight points after halftime to turn a tie game into a 28-7 deficit that proved too big to overcome as they dropped their Southeastern Conference opener. The announced crowd at Kyle Field was 105,186. But as the last few minutes of the fourth quarter ticked away, large swaths of the upper deck were empty as many fans left early rather than watch the Wildcats celebrate on their field.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is questionable to play Monday night against the New York Giants because of a groin injury. Nacua didn't practice Saturday, sidelined for the second straight day with an injury coach Sean McVay said isn't related to a core muscle injury the fourth-year standout sustained during a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys in August. McVay did confirm that three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald is set to play after the lineman ended his retirement last month.
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Rory McIlroy hit a 4-iron from 230 yards to inside 2 feet and holed the eagle putt to finish off a 3-under 69 and move into contention to win the BMW PGA Championship for the second time. The No. 2-ranked McIlroy’s birdie-eagle finish on the closing par 5s left him on 11-under par after the third round. That's two strokes off the lead held by Manuel Elvira and Filippo Cello on a crowded leaderboard. There are 15 players within three shots of the lead but McIlroy's name stands out. McIlroy says “I feel like I’ve given myself a real opportunity tomorrow." McIlroy won the European tour’s flagship event in 2014.
The Czech Republic beat the United States to reach the Davis Cup Final 8 after U.S. Open finalist Ben Shelton and Learner Tien both lost their singles matches. Jakub Mensik beat Shelton 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to level the best-of-five series at 2-2 before Jiri Lehecka sent a roaring Prague crowd into raptures by beating Tien 6-3, 7-5 in the deciding singles. Elsewhere Alexander Zverev gave Germany the lead over Croatia by beating Matej Dodig 6-4, 7-6 (3), before Dino Prizmic leveled the series with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Daniel Altmaier
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 1 Baltimore 0
Final Pittsburgh 6 Kansas City 5
Final Atlanta 6 Houston 3
Final Colorado 5 Seattle 3
Final Arizona 5 N.Y. Yankees 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Chicago White Sox 3 Detroit 1
Final Tampa Bay 2 Boston 1
Final Cleveland 12 Athletics 6
Final Texas 6 Toronto 2
Final L.A. Angels 6 Minnesota 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 10 Philadelphia 3
Final Chicago Cubs 5 Cincinnati 2
Final Washington 8 St. Louis 5
Final L.A. Dodgers 10 San Francisco 4
Final San Diego 7 Miami 6
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (8)Mississippi 32 (7)LSU 24
Final (23)Louisville 41 (16)SMU 31
Final (6)Ohio St. 59 Kent St. 3
Final (14)Penn St. 55 Buffalo 13
Final (2)Georgia 45 Arkansas 17
Final (17)Utah 33 Utah St. 0
Final (12)Southern Cal 42 Rutgers 35
Final (19)Michigan 52 UTEP 17
Final Kentucky 31 (9)Texas A&M 21
Final (4)Indiana 38 W. Kentucky 0
Final (18)Iowa 55 N. Iowa 0
Final (10)Alabama 50 Florida St. 36
Final (20)Missouri 27 Troy 17
Final (3)Notre Dame 27 Michigan St. 10
Final West Virginia 38 (25)Virginia 27
Final (24)Oklahoma 14 New Mexico 6
Final (15)Tennessee 42 Kennesaw St. 9
Final (1)Texas 30 UTSA 6