BRIEFS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans have signed defensive back Joshua Kalu off their practice squad after waiving defensive back Kenneth Durden.

The Titans announced the move Saturday.

The 6-foot, 203-pound Kalu was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, where he was a three-year starter at cornerback and safety. The Titans waived him after training camp, then signed him to their practice squad.

Texas Tech introduces Wells as new football coach

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech started its introductory news conference for coach Matt Wells as the Big 12 Conference championship game kicked off on Saturday.

Athletic director Kirby Hocutt used the timing to make a point.

“We expect to be kicking off in Arlington, Texas, at the Big 12 Conference championship football game,” Hocutt said. “We’re not there today, but we’re going to get there, and we’re going to get there together. And we’re going to get there because we’ve got the leader behind me to show us the path.”

Wells is familiar with the tools the explosive Tech offense has and believes the Red Raiders can make a jump quickly from this season’s 5-7 finish. Tech averaged 37.3 points per game in league play despite constant injury issues at quarterback.

“The current talent on the team – this is a reload, not a rebuild,” Wells said. “There’s guys here that can play. These guys deserve the chance to win right now.”

Wells’ coaching career started at Navy from 1997-01. He went to Tulsa (2002-06), New Mexico (2007-08, 2010) and Louisville (2009) before joining Gary Andersen’s staff at Utah State in 2011.

Wells was elevated to head coach at his alma mater in 2013. He had a 44-34 record in six seasons at Utah State. The Aggies are 10-2 this year and headed to their fifth bowl in that span, and Wells was voted Mountain West Conference coach of the year for the second time. He was Utah State’s offensive coordinator in 2012, when the school won a program-best 11 games.

The 45-year-old Wells said the decision to leave Utah State was difficult, but Texas Tech sold him on the chance to do something big.

“It was a tough, and to be honest, a tough and emotional decision for me and a lot of that is because that was my school and I was an alumni there,” he said. “And I knew it would take somewhere special. Somewhere with a vision to where they wanted to go and how they wanted to go.”

IOC human rights advisory committee to start with 2024 Games

TOKYO – The IOC has set up an advisory committee on human rights chaired by Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the former U.N. high commissioner for human rights.

President Thomas Bach said Saturday at meetings in the Japanese capital that “human rights standards” will be included in Olympic host-city contracts, beginning with the 2024 Games in Paris.

Bach was asked if the committee would look at human rights in China, where the ruling Communist Party has been criticized for the internment of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in western China.

Beijing is the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, and spent $40 billion to hold the 2008 Olympics.

Bach said the IOC would not question China because it “has not the mandate nor the authority to solve the human rights problems” that are clearly “political issues.”

A recent report by Human Rights Watch said the internment centers in western China involved “arbitrary detention, torture and mistreatment.”

“These rampant abuses violate fundamental rights of freedom of expression, religion, and privacy and protections from torture,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

China denies such internment camps exist but says criminals involved in minor offenses are sent to “vocational education and employment training centers” to help with their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Bach suggested the committee would focus on issues like the rights of transgender athletes.

Pirates acquire minor leaguer Ramos from A’s

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired minor league right-hander Wilkin Ramos from Oakland as the player to be named from the last month’s trade of righthander Tanner Anderson to the Athletics.

The teams announced the move Saturday. The 18-year-old Ramos went 3-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 14 appearances, including eight starts, with the Dominican Summer League Athletics in 2018.

Ramos, who is from the Dominican Republic, was signed by Oakland as a non-drafted free agent in July 2017.

The 25-year-old Anderson, who made his major league debut last season, was sent to Oakland on Nov. 20. He went 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA in six outings spanning 11 1/3 innings for the Pirates. In four career minor league seasons, he is 21-13 with a 3.24 ERA in 120 appearances, including 22 starts.

Kitayama, Harding share lead at Mauritius Open

BEAU CHAMP, Mauritius – Kurt Kitayama and Justin Harding were tied for the lead at 16 under par and held a three-shot advantage heading into the final round of the Mauritius Open on Saturday.

Harding jumped six places to join overnight leader Kitayama out in front after an 8-under 64 in the third round. Kitayama carded a 2-under 70.

Three players were three shots behind at Four Seasons Golf Course; Chikkarangappa S (71), Masahiro Kawamura (67) and Matthieu Pavon (70).

Victor Perez was still in position to continue his fabulous start to life on the European Tour after a 71 put him within four shots of the lead. Perez qualified from the Challenge Tour and finished tied for third last weekend at the season-opening Hong Kong Open.

Defending champion Dylan Frittelli climbed up the leaderboard in Mauritius with a 68 to go to 9 under overall and into a tie for 12th.

Ernie Els was 6 under.

Smith leads Leishman by 3 into final round of Australian PGA

GOLD COAST, Australia – Defending champion Cameron Smith shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to increase his lead to three strokes over Marc Leishman after three rounds of the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines.

Smith had a 54-hole total of 14under 202. Leishman and Smith played together at the World Cup of Golf last week in Melbourne, where they finished tied for second behind winning Belgium.

Leishman, who shot 69 Saturday, and Smith were in the final group Saturday and will do the same on Sunday. Leishman trailed Smith by one stroke going into the third round.

American Harold Varner III, who won the tournament in 2016 and has finished second in a playoff and sixth in three Australian PGAs at Royal Pines, shot 71 and was tied for third, seven strokes behind Smith.

Geisenberger wins luge again; Sweeney takes bronze for US

WHISTLER, British Columbia – Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger is still perfect in this World Cup luge season.

And Emily Sweeney delivered the first U.S. medal of the year.

Geisenberger improved to 3-for-3 on the young season, with the reigning Olympic champion winning the women’s race at the World Cup stop in Whistler on Saturday. Germany’s Julia Taubitz won the silver, and Sweeney held on for third in her first race of the season.

Geisenberger’s two-run time was 1 minute, 16.904 seconds. Taubitz, who has been second in all three races on the women’s circuits this season, finished in 1:17.195. Sweeney’s time was 1:17.195.

The team relay was later Saturday.

It was the fifth World Cup singles medal for Sweeney, who skipped the season-opening races at Innsbruck, Austria, last weekend to train more for Whistler.

The bronze was significant for Sweeney in other ways as well.

This World Cup was her first major race since last February’s Pyeongchang Olympics. She crashed in the fourth and final heat of her Olympic debut. The frightening accident left her shaken – and some of her teammates in tears.