COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oregon hires Taggart
Oregon has hired Willie Taggart, who spent the past four seasons as head coach at South Florida, to take over as coach of the Ducks following the dismissal of Mark Helfrich. Oregon formally announced Taggart's appointment Wednesday. Taggart has led USF to an 18-7 record over the past two seasons, including a 10-2 mark this year. He also spent three seasons as coach of Western Kentucky, his alma mater, and was an assistant coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh. Oregon fired Helfrich last week after the Ducks went 4-8. "Oregon has a strong national presence and a proud recent history of playing among the nation's elite, and I look forward to the challenge of upholding the excellence," Taggart said in a statement. "I can't wait to get started."
McCaffrey to enter draft
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey will skip his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. McCaffrey announced his decision Wednesday, saying he has done everything he could in college and playing in the NFL has been his dream since childhood. McCaffrey was the runner-up last season for the Heisman Trophy when he broke Barry Sanders' NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a season with 3,864. He rushed for 2,019 yards and 8 scores, added 645 yards receiving and 1,200 yards on returns. McCaffrey was not as prolific this season as he was slowed in October by an injury. He still rushed for 1,596 yards and scored 16 touchdowns for the Cardinal. McCaffrey said he plans to return to school to get his degree.
Tide QB to transfer
Alabama quarterback David Cornwell said Wednesday he is transferring. The redshirt sophomore announced his decision in a Twitter post. Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett left the program early in the season after freshman Jalen Hurts won the starting job. Cooper Bateman is the backup. It's not immediately clear if Cornwell will remain with the team through the playoffs. Cornwell enrolled at Alabama in January 2014 as a four-star prospect from Norman, Okla. He appeared in the final minutes of games against Kent State and Mississippi State this season but didn't attempt a pass. Cornwell was in the mix for the starting job each of the past two seasons. Cornwell said in his post that his "dream is to get on the field and contribute."
NFL
Rookie injures toe
Oakland Raiders rookie safety Karl Joseph will miss the showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs with a toe injury. Joseph left last week's victory against Buffalo with the injury and was officially ruled out Wednesday for tonight's game in Kansas City. Nate Allen will start in his place in a showdown for the AFC West lead. Defensive tackle Stacy McGee will also miss the game with an ankle injury and linebacker Shilique Calhoun remains sidelined by an injured knee. Defensive tackle Darius Latham practiced on a limited basis after missing last week's game with an ankle injury and is questionable. Linebacker Cory James (shoulder) and guard Kelechi Osemele (knee) are also questionable but expected to play.
Packers' Perry out
The Green Bay Packers' banged-up defense has taken another hit with linebacker Nick Perry ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with what Coach Mike McCarthy called a "significant hand injury." Perry leads the team with eight sacks. He got hurt in the first half of last week's victory over Houston before returning after halftime playing with a heavily wrapped left hand. McCarthy said Wednesday that he didn't know how long Perry would be sidelined, but that the pass rusher would be re-evaluated on Monday. The loss of Perry is the latest blow to a defense that has had injuries mount at cornerback and now linebacker.
Former Cowboy dies
Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dave Edwards has died. He was 76. Edwards' brother, Tim Edwards, told The Associated Press that Dave Edwards died in his sleep Monday night at his home near Lake Whitney, Texas, about 65 miles south of Dallas. Tim Edwards said his brother was recently diagnosed with a heart condition and was set to undergo surgery this week. Edwards played 12 seasons with Dallas from 1963 to 1975 and was a key cog in the Cowboys defense. He won one Super Bowl with the team and played in two others. Before coming to Dallas, the Alabama native was an all-SEC linebacker at Auburn.
SOCCER
Video replays set
Referees will be able to use video replays at this month's Club World Cup in Japan to help them make "match-changing" decisions in the first ever use of broadcast TV feeds by match officials during a game. Though goal-line technology has already been introduced to detect if a ball has crossed the line, FIFA announced Wednesday that Video Assistant Referees will be given access to all the broadcast TV feeds in operations rooms set up at the games in Japan. The VARs will give information to the match referee "to correct clear mistakes in 'match-changing' situations," FIFA said in a statement. "These include serious incidents including goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity ... but the referee will continue to take the first as well as the final decision on the field of play." The seven-team Club World Cup, which runs from Dec. 8-18 in Yokohama and Osaka, will be a test event for the technology. Marco van Basten, FIFA's chief officer for technical development, said: "It's important to remember that we are entering somewhat unchartered territory here, given that we are going live for the first time. Ultimately, these tests should prove invaluable in terms of determining whether the processes are sound or whether any further refinements are needed."
16-team expansion?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has suggested having 16 three-team groups if the World Cup expands to 48 countries. Members of the FIFA Council received a recommendation from the governing body setting out four proposed formats, including sticking to a 32-team World Cup. But Infantino wants to add 16 teams. He previously suggested a 32-team knockout round before the group stage, when the other 16 finalists enter -- an idea that sparked opposition. If the new plan is approved by the FIFA Council at a meeting next month, the World Cup would expand to 48 nations from 2026, and the top two teams from the 16 groups would advance to a new round of 32. The recommendation letter to council members also set out a format for a 40-team World Cup.
GOLF
Caddie dies on tour
A caddie was pronounced dead after he collapsed at the Dubai Ladies Masters on Wednesday, forcing the suspension of the first round and shortening the Ladies European Tour event to 54 holes. The Ladies European Tour said play was suspended at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after the caddie, who was not identified, collapsed on the 13th fairway. It said the caddie was immediately attended to by an on-site medical team and was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Tour chief executive Ivan Khodabakhsh said "everyone at the Ladies European Tour is extremely shocked and saddened today by this sudden death and therefore we have taken the decision to suspend first-round play as a mark of respect."
OLYMPICS
Sanctions extended
The International Olympic Committee has decided to extend the provisional sanctions imposed on Russia over allegations of widespread doping. The IOC executive board says the sanctions imposed on July 19 have been extended "until further notice." Under the measures, the IOC will not organize or "give patronage" to any sports events or meetings in Russia. In addition, the IOC urges all Olympic winter sports federations to "freeze their preparations for major events in Russia," including world championships and World Cups and "to actively look for alternative organizers." The measures had originally been designed to apply until the end of this year.
Sports on 12/08/2016