Defense kept ’Canes in game
AUTO RACING: Martin Truex Jr. won the NASCAR playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway to earn an automatic berth into the next round. Kyle Busch needed medical attention after the race. He was overheated driving in a damaged race car and laid down on the grass next to his car. Medical workers placed ice on his chest and brought a stretcher to him. Busch said he tested high for carbon monoxide and that he felt as if he was having a heat stroke. ... Championship leader Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
BOXING: The fabled Kronk Gym building in Detroit, where champion Thomas Hearns and others trained, was destroyed by fire Saturday night.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Penn State moved up to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll, and Washington State and Auburn jumped into the top 10 for the first time this season after six ranked teams lost. Alabama and Clemson still hold the top spots. Oklahoma lost at home to Iowa State, dropping the Sooners from No. 3 to 12 . ... Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he expected injured QB Kelly Bryant to practice this week in preparation for facing Syracuse on Friday night. Bryant hurt his left ankle in a 28-14 victory over Wake Forest . ... Miami RB Mark Walton will need season-ending surgery on his right ankle later this week . ... Kentucky reserve QB Luke Wright said tests “all came back good” after he collapsed on the sideline Saturday night during the Wildcats’ victory over Missouri.
GOLF: Brendan Steele rallied to successfully defend his Safeway Open title, closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over Tony Finau in the PGA Tour season opener in Napa, Calif. Phil Mickelson and Chesson Hadley finished three shots behind . ... Cristie Kerr completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Ladies Open de France for her first European title. The 39-year-old American closed with a 1-under 69 at Golf de Chantaco for a four-stroke victory over China’s Xi Yu Lin.
NBA: Nuggets G Gary Harris agreed to a four-year, $84 million contract extension that will begin for the 2018-19 season.
RUNNING: Galen Rupp won the Chicago Marathon to become the first American winner in 15 years. Rupp finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 20 seconds. Khalid Khannouchi was the last U.S. winner in 2002. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba won the women’s race in 2:18:31.
SOCCER: Defending champion Germany wrapped up the most successful World Cup qualification campaign with a 5-1 victory over Azerbaijan in Kaiserslautern, Germany, for its 10th straight win . ... Denise O’Sullivan scored in the 90th minute to send the North Carolina Courage to the National Women’s League championship with a 1-0 semifinal victory over the Chicago Red Stars in Cary, N.C.
TENNIS: Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios of Australia 6-2, 6-1 in the China Open final in Beijing to win his sixth ATP title of the year. Caroline Garcia defeated soon-to-beNo. 1 Simona Halep 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the women’s event . ... David Goffin beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-5 in the Japan Open final.
The Miami Hurricanes have been a second-half team, slow to gain traction even in three blow-out wins to open the season.
Coach Mark Richt said failing to score in the first half Saturday was in large part a reflection of the quality of Florida State’s defense, and credited Miami’s defense with keeping the team in the game.
“This game the defense started fast and the offense finished fast. It worked good for us, but we don’t need all the drama,” Richt said of the 24-20 victory achieved on Darrell Langham’s touchdown catch with 6 seconds remaining.
Richt acknowledged that a key factor in keeping FSU at bay was the punting of Zach Feagles, who helped maintain favorable field position while averaging 43.6 yards on eight punts. He had a long of 52 yards and two punts downed inside the 20.
Richt pointed out that on one punt, “We made a mistake on our protection and a guy was coming clean, but [Feagles’] operation time was so fast he got the ball off at a super long hang time and knocked it out of the yard [from] deep in our territory. It was probably the most important punt of the day.”
Next game: No. 11 UM vs. p.m., ABC
Craig Davis Georgia Tech, Saturday, 3:30