In Brief
FOOTBALL
Garcia leads UFL's Nighthawks
to debut win in front of 23,067
Jeff Garcia's 12-yard touchdown pass to fellow NFL veteran Robert Ferguson with six seconds left gave the host Omaha Nighthawks their first lead of the game and a 27-26 United Football League victory over the Hartford Colonials on Friday.
The dramatic finish overshadowed Maurice Clarett's quiet return to football. Clarett, who plays for Omaha, had a short kickoff return and nearly blocked a punt in his first game since leading Ohio State to the 2002 national championship.
Making its UFL debut, Omaha rallied from a 23-10 deficit after three quarters to win before a UFL-record crowd of 23,067 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Also: In an attempt to bolster a running game that gained 54 yards in their UFL opener, the Locomotives brought back running back DeDe Dorsey. The team also signed center Andrew Crummey.
Dorsey led the Locos with a 6.4-yards per carry average last year as a member of the league's inaugural championship team. He was recently released by the Detroit Lions and is expected to play when Las Vegas (0-1) plays at Florida (1-0) on Thursday.
To make room for Dorsey and Crummey, Las Vegas released running back Alex Henderson and guard Tavares Washington. The Locos also placed strong safety Nick Turnbull on injured reserve after Turnbull injured his left knee in the first half of last week's 27-20 loss to Florida.
A Pittsburgh defensive back who was kicked off the team hours before the Panthers' 31-3 loss to Miami on Thursday had been arrested the night before for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend after she told him she was pregnant.
Jeffrey Knox Jr., 18, cursed at the woman, slapped her and choked her Wednesday night in front of a dormitory at Chatham University, a private school not far from the Pitt campus, according to a criminal complaint filed by Chatham campus police.
GOLF
Cochran goes on birdie binge,
takes SAS Championship lead
Russ Cochran shot an 8-under-par 64, making six birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of the round and eagling No. 17, to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Tom Pernice Jr. in the Champions Tour's SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.
Cochran, coming off his first victory on the 50-and-over tour two weeks ago in South Korea, had the best first-round score in the history of the tournament.
Bob Gilder and David Eger opened with 66s.
Also: Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden carded a 6-under 66 for a share of the second-round lead in the Vivendi Cup in Chambourcy, France.
England's John Parry had a 67 to match Sandelin at 13-under 131 in the European PGA Tour event. England's James Morrison (68), Australia's Richard Green (66), South Africa's George Coetzee (66) and France's Julien Guerrier (69) were at 10 under.
MISCELLANEOUS
Pro skateboarding tour to hold finale today at Thomas & Mack
Twenty-four professional skateboarders will compete for the $150,000 first prize that goes with winning the Street League DC Pro Tour finale at the Thomas & Mack Center today.
The event is the final stop on a three-city, $1.2 million tour, the richest in professional skateboarding.
Sean Malto, 21, of Kansas City, Mo., won the most recent tour stop, in Ontario, Calif., on Sept. 13. Fifteen-year-old Nyjah Huston of Huntington Beach, Calif., claimed the tour opener in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 28.
Doors will open at noon, with the finals set for 2:20 p.m.
Also: The Super Six World Boxing Classic has undergone another twist after weeks of negotiations, and the result is the tournament featuring six of the best super middleweights is right back where it started.
Tournament organizer Showtime announced two of the final group stage matches. Andre Ward will defend his WBA title against Andre Direll on Nov. 27 at a venue in the United States. Arthur Abraham will face Carl Froch at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland.
There has been no decision on what to do with Allan Green, who was left without an opponent when Mikkel Kessler dropped out with an injury several weeks ago. There were discussions for Green to step aside and allow the other four to move straight to semifinal matches, but that plan has been scrapped and Showtime is working to find an opponent for him.
Each of the fighters in the modified round-robin tournament is contractually guaranteed three group stage fights, earning points based on each outcome to result in four semifinalists.
Former NBA and Michigan State standout Jay Vincent has agreed to plead guilty to two crimes in a $2 million Internet scam. Vincent will plead guilty to mail fraud and filing a false tax return. The 10-page deal with his signature was filed in federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Birmingham (Ala.) school board decided to let basketball star Eric Bledsoe keep a grade that helped him gain NCAA eligibility to play at Kentucky.
Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said a teacher claims Bledsoe completed makeup work to justify a higher grade in an algebra course during the 2008-2009 school year. The mark was switched from a "C" to an "A."
Witherspoon said an investigation found no documentation to justify the improvement. But, he said, an investigation didn't prove that it was improper, either.
Kansas center Jeff Withey will be out four to six weeks with a broken foot, coach Bill Self disclosed. The 7-foot Withey was a redshirt freshman last season after transferring from Arizona.
Maya Moore scored 15 points as the United States routed Senegal 108-52 in the World Basketball Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
British announcer Ian Darke, who called games for the network during the World Cup, is joining ESPN as its lead soccer voice in the United States.
