Rico Dowdle’s big day and Ryan Fitzgerald’s big kick give Panthers 16-13 win over Packers

Rico Dowdle’s big day and Ryan Fitzgerald’s big kick give Panthers 16-13 win over Packers

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Rico Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and his big run in the final minute set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s last-second 49-yard field goal as the Carolina Panthers beat Green Bay 16-13 on Sunday to snap the Packers’ three-game win streak.

The loss could prove costly for Green Bay (5-2-1). Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft was carted off the field with a knee injury in the third quarter.

Carolina (5-4), a two-touchdown underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, bounced back from a 40-9 home loss to Buffalo to get back over .500.

Dowdle had been splitting time with Chuba Hubbard, but Panthers coach Dave Canales said Dowdle would get the bulk of the carries, and the move paid off.

Running behind an injury-riddled offensive line, Dowdle responded with a brilliant 25-carry performance that included one big mistake.

His second touchdown of the day gave the Panthers a 13-6 lead late in the third quarter. But he celebrated that score by thrusting his hips twice, an apparent reference to a “Key & Peele” sketch, and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Fitzgerald’s ensuing 48-yard extra-point attempt into a swirling wind was well short, keeping Carolina’s lead at 13-6.

Dowdle and Fitzgerald both redeemed themselves after Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs scored a tying touchdown from 2 yards out on third-and-goal with 2:01 left. Rather than having to go for 2 to tie the game, the Packers evened the score on Brandon McManus’ extra point.

After Carolina got the ball back, Dowdle’s 19-yard carry on second-and-10 from midfield got the Panthers in field-goal position, and the rookie kicker from Florida State came through as time expired.

Before Jacobs’ touchdown, the Packers had marched inside the Carolina 35 on five of their first six possessions but had only twe field goals to show for it.

Green Bay entered the day with just three turnovers all season, matching Philadelphia for the lowest total in the league. Savion Williams had a red-zone fumble that thwarted a scoring opportunity, and Jordan Love threw an interception that led to a Carolina touchdown Sunday.

McManus converted from 49 and 27 yards out but also missed a 43-yarder that would have put Green Bay ahead in the third quarter. Dowdle’s second touchdown came after Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon was called for pass interference on a third-and-goal incompletion.

Green Bay also passed up a short field-goal attempt while trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter and went for it on fourth-and-8 from the Carolina 13. Love rolled to his right, couldn’t find anyone open, headed way to his left and then threw across the field. Carolina’s Mike Jackson dropped the ball in the end zone.

Love was 26 of 37 for 273 yards with one interception on his 27th birthday. Jacobs had 17 carries for 87 yards.

Injuries

Panthers: OG Chandler Zavala (elbow) departed in the first half. LB Trevin Wallace left late in the fourth quarter. C Cade Mays (ankle/knee) and OLB Princely Umanmielen (ankle) didn’t play.

Packers: Along with the injury to Kraft, WR Matthew Golden (shoulder), OG Aaron Banks (stringer) and DL Colby Wooden (shoulder) all left the game. WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and DE Lukas Van Ness (foot) were out for a second straight game.

Up next

Panthers: Host New Orleans next Sunday.

Packers: Host Philadelphia on Monday, Nov. 10.

Smith’s homer in 11th lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays 5-4 to become first repeat champion in 25 years

Smith’s homer in 11th lifts Dodgers over Blue Jays 5-4 to become first repeat champion in 25 years

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Will Smith homered in the 11th inning after Miguel Rojas connected for a tying drive in the ninth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in Game 7 Saturday night to become the first team in a quarter century to win consecutive World Series titles.

Los Angeles overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to become the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, and the first from the National League since the 1975 and ’76 Cincinnati Reds.

Smith hit a 2-0 slider off Shane Bieber into the Blue Jays’ bullpen, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ win on Friday, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and pitched 2 2/3 innings for his third win of the Series.

He gave up a leadoff double in the 11th to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was sacrificed to third. Addison Barger walked and Alejandro Kirk grounded to shortstop Mookie Betts, who started a title-winning 6-4-3 double play.

With their ninth title and third in six years, the Dodgers made an argument for their 2020s teams to be considered a dynasty. Dave Roberts, their manager since 2016, boosted the probability he will gain induction to the Hall of Fame.

Bo Bichette put Toronto ahead in the third with a three-run homer off two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who was pitching on three days’ rest after taking the loss in Game 3.

Los Angeles closed to 3-2 on sacrifice flies from Teoscar Hernández in the fourth off Max Scherzer and Tommy Edman in the sixth against Chris Bassitt.

Andrés Giménez restored Toronto’s two-run lead with an RBI double in the sixth off Tyler Glasnow, who relieved after getting the final three outs on three pitches to save Game 6 on Friday.

Max Muncy’s eighth-inning homer off star rookie Trey Yesavage cut the Dodgers’ deficit to one run, and Rojas, inserted into the lineup in Game 6 to provide some energy, homered on a full-count slider from Jeff Hoffman.

Toronto put two on with one out in the bottom half against Blake Snell, and Los Angeles turned to Yamamoto.

He hit Alejandro Kirk on a hand with a pitch, loading the bases and prompting the Dodgers to play the infield in and the outfield shallow. Daulton Varsho grounded to second, where Rojas stumbled but managed to throw home for a forceout as catcher Smith kept his foot on the plate.

Ernie Clement then flied out to Andy Pages, who made a jumping, backhand catch on the center-field warning track as he crashed into left fielder Kiké Hernández.

Seranthony Domínguez walked Mookie Betts with one out in the 10th and Muncy singled for his third hit. Hernández walked, loading the bases. Pages grounded to shortstop, where Giménez threw home for a forceout. First baseman Guerrero then threw to pitcher Seranthony Domínguez covering first, just beating Hernández in a call upheld in a video review.

The epic night matched the Marlins’ 3-2 win over Cleveland in 1997 as the second-longest Series Game 7, behind only the Washington Senators’ 4-3 victory against the New York Giants in 1924.

November 2nd 2025

November 2nd 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

A fall into a ditch makes you wiser just like mistakes are opportunities to learn.

Nate Sheppard’s 3-yard TD, Duke’s 2-point conversion stun Clemson 46-45

Nate Sheppard’s 3-yard TD, Duke’s 2-point conversion stun Clemson 46-45

By PETE IACOBELLI Associated Press

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Nate Sheppard ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left and Darian Mensah completed a 2-point-play to Shamar Hagans as Duke stunned Clemson 46-45 on Saturday for its first win in Death Valley since 1980.

The Blue Devils (5-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 45-38 and started the game-winning drive on their 6-yard line. Mensah led an 11-play drive in which he converted two fourth downs to set up Sheppard’s TD run.

There was no hesitation from Duke coach Manny Diaz, who kept the offense on the field and Mensah quicky found Hagans for the decisive points.

It was another low moment in a terrible season for Clemson (3-5, 1-4), the defending ACC champions and a trendy pick to win Dabo Swinney’s third national title. The Tigers have lost four home games for the first time since 1998.

The Tigers tried a desperation, pass the ball to anyone open play as the clock ran out. When Duke finally stopped the play, the sidelines jumped into joyous celebration. After all, it had been more than four decades since the football Blue Devils had left Death Valley with a victory.

Mensah finished with 361 yards passing and a career-best four touchdown passes.

Clemson piled up the yards and points, too — 560 yards and its most points this season — but could not get the critical stops to avoid a third straight home loss.

Cade Klubnik, in his first game back since getting injured against Boston College last month, passed for 385 yards and two touchdowns for Clemson.

Receiver Antonio Williams caught 10 passes for 139 yards, running for one score and catching another.

Likely NFL first-round defensive lineman Peter Woods added a 1-yard rush off a direct snap for Clemson.

The takeaway

Duke: The Blue Devils pulled out all the stops to snap a 15-game losing streak here. They finished 5-of-5 on fourth downs, four of those coming in the first half. Hagans also had a 100-yard kickoff return score in the third quarter.

Clemson: Things can’t get much lower for the Tigers, on the verge of their worst season of Dabo Swinney’s 17 full seasons. They play Florida State next week and have road games at Louisville and rival South Carolina.

Up next

Duke goes to UConn on Saturday.

Clemson plays its final ACC home game against Florida State on Saturday night.

November 1st 2025

November 1st 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

Heidi Klum reveals her much-anticipated 2025 Halloween costume

Heidi Klum reveals her much-anticipated 2025 Halloween costume

NEW YORK (AP) — Heidi Klum donned green scales and squirming snakes to transform herself into Medusa for Halloween on Friday.

Klum said she loves the Greek myth of Medusa, in which a goddess turns a beautiful woman into a monster with serpents for hair, the sight of which turns living things around her to stone.

“So I wanted to be really, really like a really ugly, ugly Medusa. And I feel like we nailed it — to the teeth,” Klum said before pointing to fangs in her mouth.

Her husband, musician Tom Kaulitz, dressed as a man turned to stone.

Klum said she spent 10 hours getting into costume for her annual Halloween party. She said it was all worth it because she loves the celebration.

The supermodel-turned-TV personality went viral in 2022 when she arrived at her party on the end of a fishing line, encased in a slithering worm costume.

In past years, Klum has come dressed as an 8-foot-tall (2.4-meter-tall) “Transformer,” a werewolf from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, a clone accompanied by several Klum-lookalikes, and Kali, the multiarmed Hindu goddess of death and destruction.

Klum has said she starts planning her costume for the next year immediately after her party wraps.

Among the other celebrities who walked the carpet at the Hard Rock Hotel New York were a green-painted Darren Criss as Shrek, Maye Musk as Cruella de Vil and Ariana Madix as Lady Gaga.

Last year, Klum and Janelle Monáe turned up to their respective parties in the same costume: E.T.

Monáe was hosting her annual party on Friday, too, and came dressed as a vampire attacked by a shark. The actress and singer-songwriter turned the entire month into a series of Halloween-themed immersive experiences across the Los Angeles area, concluding with a party at her home in Studio City. Earlier in the week, she had dressed as the Cat in the Hat.

“Halloween gives context to what I already do every day,” Monáe told The Associated Press earlier in October. “As an artist, I’m always transforming, world-building and inviting people to play in the worlds I create.”

___

This story has been corrected to show that Janelle Monáe was dressed as a vampire on Friday, not the Cat in the Hat.

___

Associated Press journalists John Carucci in New York, Jordan Hicks in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed reporting.

Bill Belichick wins first ACC game as North Carolina rallies to defeat Syracuse 27-10

Bill Belichick wins first ACC game as North Carolina rallies to defeat Syracuse 27-10

By MARK FRANK The Associated Press

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Demon June accounted for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards on offense, Gio Lopez threw for two scores, and Bill Belichick won his first Atlantic Coast Conference game when North Carolina came from behind to defeat Syracuse 27-10 Friday night.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3 ACC), while the Orange (3-6, 1-5) lost for the fifth consecutive time. North Carolina lost its previous two games by a combined four points.

The Tar Heels had not scored more than 20 points against an FBS team and trailed 10-6 when Lopez hit June for a short gain of 9 yards on the team’s first play of the second half. June then broke a tackle and scampered 63 yards down the right sideline for a 72-yard scoring play to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead they would never surrender. On the team’s next series, June ran it in from 5 yards out for a 20-10 margin. A 21-yard scoring strike from Lopez to Jordan Shipp gave the Tar Heels a 27-10 lead and 21 unanswered points.

Lopez was 15-of-19 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. June had 101 yards on the ground and 81 yards on two receptions. Shipp had six catches for 64 yards.

Syracuse walk-on Joe Filardi, a true freshman, started at quarterback for the Orange. He was 1 of 11 in the first half and didn’t complete his first pass until 6:12 remained in the half. He finished 4 of 18 for 39 yards. Filardi replaced struggling LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who had gone 0-4 as a starter in relief of Steve Angeli. Angeli, who directed the Orange to a 3-1 start, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against Clemson. Syracuse hasn’t won since.

The only touchdown in the first half came courtesy of the Syracuse defense. Devin Grant knocked the ball loose from Shamar Easter on a short completion from Lopez. Linebacker Anwar Sparrow scooped up the ball and ran 51 yards for the score with 4:38 to go in the first quarter, giving the Orange a 7-3 lead.

Rece Verhoff had field goals of 24 and 43 yards while Tripp Woody had a 31-yarder for the Orange.

Syracuse managed 12 first downs, generated 147 yards on offense, and averaged only 2.9 yards per play.

The Takeaway:

North Carolina: The Tar Heels are showing some fight. After two tough losses, North Carolina dominated Syracuse in the second half, albeit against a walk-on quarterback, and could be turning things around.

Syracuse: The Orange are competing without a functional quarterback and a functioning offense. They simply cannot score, putting an awful burden on a defense that is spending too much time on the field.

Up Next:

North Carolina: Home against Stanford Nov. 8.

Syracuse: Travels to No. 10 Miami Nov. 8.

Deputy fatally shoots a 13-year-old boy wanted for grandmother’s killing in North Carolina

Deputy fatally shoots a 13-year-old boy wanted for grandmother’s killing in North Carolina

RAEFORD, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a 13-year-old boy wanted in the killing of his grandmother when the teenager charged toward the officer with a piece of lumber the boy had picked up during a chase, authorities said Friday.

The State Bureau of Investigation will review Thursday’s shooting involving the Lee County sheriff’s deputy, which is a standard protocol.

The events began in Raeford, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, where the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said 68-year-old Connie Linen was pronounced dead in her home. Authorities say she was a victim of a homicide but haven’t released details about how she was killed. Deputies initially came to the home in response to a well-being check.

Detectives determined Linen’s grandson to be a suspect, and authorities had completed paperwork charging him with first-degree murder, the Hoke Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it was told about the homicide, and officers later found the boy behind an abandoned mobile home in the Cameron area.

When deputies approached the boy, he ran away, authorities said. The teenager grabbed a two-by-four from a yard during the pursuit and charged toward an officer, who shot the teen, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said. The office’s news released described the boy as 5 feet, 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and 150 pounds (68 kilograms).

Lee County Sheriff Brian Estes and the State Bureau of Investigation didn’t immediately respond to emails Friday seeking more information about the shooting and the investigation.

“This has been a tragic and emotional situation for everyone involved,” Hoke County Sheriff Roderick Virgil said Friday. “We ask that our community come together with compassion and understanding as we all process this difficult event.”

North Carolina lawmaker accused of sex crimes resigns from state House

North Carolina lawmaker accused of sex crimes resigns from state House

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina state lawmaker accused by authorities of sex-related crimes involving a 15-year-old resigned his legislative seat on Friday. His departure came just after the House speaker announced a committee to investigate his alleged misconduct.

The House clerk’s office received a letter signed by Democratic Rep. Cecil Brockman of High Point to resign effective immediately.

House leaders from both parties, as well as Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, had called on Brockman to resign since his arrest three weeks ago on two counts each of statutory sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child.

Brockman, who had served in the House since 2015, wrote that he needed to focus on his defense given the serious allegations against him.

“As a result, I am currently unable to fulfill my duty and service to my constituents,” Brockman said. Democratic officials in Brockman’s Guilford County district will now choose someone to complete his two-year term through the end of 2026.

Republican House Speaker Destin Hall had announced earlier Friday a bipartisan House committee “to investigate the charges and recommend expulsion if necessary” from the chamber, a Hall news release said. The state constitution gives the House authority to remove its members. The full House last voted to remove a member in 2008.

Hall said later Friday that Brockman’s “departure spares the House from a difficult expulsion process and brings closure to this troubling chapter.”

Records show Brockman, 41, remained in jail Friday on a bond of just over $1 million. A court hearing on a request by Brockman’s attorney to reduce the bond is scheduled for Monday.

Birders going ‘cuckoo’ after unexpected sighting in New York City area

Birders going ‘cuckoo’ after unexpected sighting in New York City area

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI Associated Press

A bird sighting on New York’s Long Island has avian enthusiasts flocking to the region in hopes of spotting a feathered friend that has never been seen before in the state.

The common cuckoo is typically found from Europe to Japan, with the majority of the population wintering in Africa. But one was recently spotted in Riverhead — a town on the north shore of Long Island about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from New York City — by a golfer who snapped a photo and sent it to his nephew, a birding enthusiast.

The information eventually was shared with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. Once the bird was confirmed as a common cuckoo, birders quickly shared the news in their communities.

The bird has since been spotted more than 200 times by enthusiasts who have noted their sightings on the birding site ebird.org and various social media sites, including the American Birding Association. Many people in other parts of the U.S. also have reported making special treks to the region in hopes of seeing it for themselves. The last confirmed sightings came late Sunday afternoon.

It’s not clear how or why the bird ended up in southern New York, or if it’s even still in the region. Experts say it’s a juvenile — meaning it hatched this spring or summer — so it’s reasonable to conclude it was trying to migrate for the winter but somehow got lost or blown off course.

The common cuckoo has been found only three other times in the eastern U.S. and Canada, experts said.

Jay McGowan, a curator at the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library, said Thursday that the bird may still be in the area, but if it has relocated, it may be unlikely anyone will happen across it again. He urged anyone who does see it to report their sightings to the birder community.

“This is definitely a major event for anyone birding in New York state, and unusual enough for the broader region,” McGowan said, adding that he’s not surprised to see many people are willing to make long trips to the area for a chance to see a bird they would otherwise be unlikely to see unless they went to Europe or Asia.

”If people see it, they shouldn’t approach too closely for photos, but otherwise it’s fairly tolerant of people and traffic,” McGowan said. “It looks a lot like a small hawk, like the common Cooper’s hawk, so don’t be fooled if you see one of those.”

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