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UVA cancels football game
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- The University of Virginia canceled its final home football game of the season Wednesday, the same day a student accused of killing three members of the team and wounding two other students in an on-campus shooting was due in court for his first hearing.
University officials and police have said Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, joined a group of about two dozen others on a field trip Sunday from the Charlottesville campus to see a play in the nation's capital, about 120 miles (195 kilometers) away. When their bus arrived back on campus, authorities have said Jones opened fire, killing Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler, and wounding two others, one of them also a football player.
Jones -- who police have said was able to flee the shooting scene, setting off a manhunt and 12-hour campus lockdown -- faces three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding and additional gun-related charges.
Of the two students who were hospitalized, one was discharged from the medical center Tuesday, according to Eric Swensen, a health system spokesperson.
Family members of Mike Hollins, a running back on the team, have said he underwent a second surgery Tuesday.
Maradona 'Hand of God' ball sold for $2.4M
LONDON (AP) -- The ball punched in by Diego Maradona for his "Hand of God" goal at the 1986 World Cup has been sold at auction for nearly $2.4 million by the referee who missed soccer's most famous handball.
Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian former match official who refereed the quarterfinal game between Argentina and England in Mexico, owned the 36-year-old Adidas ball that was sold at Graham Budd Auctions in London for 2 million pounds ($2.37 million) on Wednesday.
Bin Nasser said before the auction he felt it was the right time to share the item with the world and expressed hope the buyer would put it on public display.
The Maradona goal that gave Argentina a 1-0 lead in that match against England -- but should not have been allowed -- has become part of soccer legend.
Maradona jumped as if to head the ball but instead punched it past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona quipped afterward that it was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God," leading to its iconic name.
Speaking ahead of the auction, Bin Nasser said: "I couldn't see the incident clearly. The two players, Shilton and Maradona, were facing me from behind.
Ohio State beats EIU 65-43
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Freshman Brice Sensabaugh scored 20 points, Zed Key had 10 points and 14 rebounds for his third straight double-double and Ohio State beat Eastern Illinois 65-43 on Wednesday night.
Ohio State (3-0) has won its first three games in each of the last seven seasons.
Sensabaugh scored 10 points during a 14-0 run for a 21-5 lead with 9:15 left before halftime. But the Buckeyes wouldn't score again until Key's dunk at 3:50 as Eastern Illinois pulled within 26-20 at the break.
Ohio State used a 9-0 run early in the second half to go ahead by double figures, 33-23, for good.
Isaac Likekele grabbed 10 rebounds as Ohio State had a 52-37 edge on the boards. Tanner Holden scored eight points to reach 1,500 for his career. Sensabaugh was 6 of 14 from the field, Justice Sueing was 2 of 10 and Ohio State shot just 40.4% from the field.
Yaakema Rose Jr. scored 17 points for Eastern Illinois (0-4).
Ohio State plays No. 17 San Diego State on Monday and then No. 7 Duke on Nov. 30.
Mayfield has to perform well in return for Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Baker Mayfield is running out of time to make a good impression as the Carolina Panthers' quarterback.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 needs to stack some quality performances together to offset his poor play earlier this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in March.
Mayfield returns to the starting lineup Sunday against an old nemesis, the Baltimore Ravens.
Acquired in a trade with Cleveland, Mayfield began the season as the Panthers' starter, but Carolina stumbled to a 1-4 record as he posted one of the league's worst QB ratings while struggling with batted balls at the line of scrimmage.
He was sidelined with an ankle injury in Week 5 and replaced by undrafted P.J. Walker. But with Walker now out with an ankle injury, Mayfield is the next man up for Carolina (3-7).
"It's pretty important to win considering we are in the division race right now," Mayfield said when asked about his long-term future. "I'm not worried about anything else. It will take care of itself as long as I do my job. We will see where it goes. That's how I have handled it."
The reality is that if Mayfield continues to struggle, he could end up as a backup QB next season, with a greatly reduced salary.
He could certainly reverse that trend by playing well against the AFC North-leading Ravens, who beat the Browns in five of Mayfield's eight starts for Cleveland.
Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks has made no promises about who'll start beyond this week. Wilks also said he would want to give Sam Darnold some snaps before considering him as a starter, a possible indication that Darnold could split time with Mayfield on Sunday.
"I'm not worried about it being 'my job' because I know what I am capable of and this team does as well," Mayfield said. "I am going to go out there fully confident and ready to win."
In the meantime, Wilks said he wants "consistency" out of Mayfield.
Mayfield looked good in Week 9, coming off the bench to replace a struggling Walker with the Panthers trailing 35-0 at halftime. He led three second-half touchdown drives in Carolina's 42-21 loss.
Wilks stuck with Walker last week against the Atlanta Falcons despite Walker posting a 0.0 QB rating against the Bengals. Walker responded well, leading the Panthers to a 25-15 win.
"I think there were times where, yeah you question it," Mayfield said when asked if he ever thought he'd never get another shot to start in Carolina. "But you always stay ready. That is a cliche thing to say, but that is what you have to do. You have to prepare like you are going to play."
Since Mayfield was sidelined, the Panthers have committed to a run-first attack led by D'Onta Foreman. Carolina is averaging 159.5 yards per game on the ground since trading star Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco.
"We just continue to run the ball really, really well and we just have to be smart when it comes to taking our shots and taking care of the ball," Mayfield said. "I'm excited to get back out there with our guys and try to stack these wins and see where it goes."
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