Sports Express | October 18, 2026 — Auburn Stun No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on Last-Gasp Field Goal

Sources: The Guardian / MMA Fighting / NBC Sports / Sportsnet.ca / TSN / NHL.com

1. Auburn stun No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on last-second field goal

Alex McPherson kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired and Auburn, powered by quarterback Byrum Brown's running, upset No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in Athens on Saturday. It was the second straight week the AP's top-ranked team lost to an unranked opponent, after Texas fell to Oklahoma the previous Saturday. According to Sportradar, it is the first time since October 1990 that the No. 1 team has lost in consecutive weeks.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton led a 94-yard, 13-play touchdown drive capped by a 4-yard pass to London Humphreys to tie the game, but fumbled at the Auburn 46 with 58 seconds left while the Bulldogs were driving for a potential go-ahead field goal; safety Sylvester Smith-Reed recovered at the Auburn 44. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Gabe Harris Jr. helped set up the winner.

Brown ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and threw for another score as Auburn outrushed Georgia 192-113. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) saw its nine-game win streak over Auburn and 53-game run against unranked teams end, along with its one-week stay at No. 1. "We helped them," coach Kirby Smart said. "We had three turnovers and critical penalties."

Source

2. Eagles place Jalen Hurts on injured reserve with blood clot

The Philadelphia Eagles placed quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve on Saturday, two days after revealing he had a blood clot in his calf. He had already been ruled out of the Carolina game on Thursday and must miss at least four games.

According to the team, Hurts was hurt when he took a cleat to the calf against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 4 and told the medical staff after practice on Oct. 8. He returned to practice the next day before the team flew to London to face Jacksonville. An ultrasound after the flight on Oct. 10 revealed a superficial blood clot; doctors in London concluded he could safely play and recommended a follow-up scan within 72 hours.

Source

3. Dubois stops Wardley in two rounds to retain WBO title

Daniel Dubois knocked out Fabio Wardley in the second round in London on Saturday to retain the WBO heavyweight title, five months after a first meeting he won in the 11th round after being knocked down twice.

The rematch ended at 2:21 of Round 2 when Wardley's corner threw in the towel. Dubois dropped him with a jab followed by a heavy right hand, and although Wardley answered referee Steve Gray's count he was visibly dazed before his team stopped it. Dubois is now 24-3 with 23 knockouts.

Promoter Frank Warren invited IBF champion Filip Hrgovic into the ring afterwards. Hrgovic called it an "easy night" for Dubois and suggested a March fight; the two met in 2024, when Dubois won an interim IBF title and handed Hrgovic his only loss.

Source

4. Sarkisian won't rule out benching Arch Manning

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian left the door open to replacing quarterback Arch Manning after the Longhorns' 27-24 loss to Florida on Saturday. Asked whether he considered a change at quarterback, Sarkisian said: "I just felt like we didn't play good offensive football and we're not playing great offensive football right now. So everything is going to be evaluated." Asked whether that included his starter, he replied: "Everything means everything." (via Danny Davis of the Austin American-Statesman)

If K.J. Lacey takes over, it would upend the college career of Peyton and Eli's nephew, who not long ago was the betting favorite for the first overall pick in the 2027 draft. Last week he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions in the Red River Rivalry, a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma. Texas hosts Mississippi next.

Source

5. Roughriders clinch playoff spot with 16-12 win over Alouettes

KeeSean Johnson caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left as the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Montreal Alouettes 16-12 in Regina on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth for the defending Grey Cup champions. Johnson finished with seven catches for 85 yards and has 108 receptions this season, second-most in franchise history behind Don Narcisse's 123 in 1995.

Montreal led 12-9 late before Jose Maltos-Diaz, a 93 per cent kicker this season, missed a 44-yard field goal wide left with 1:42 remaining; Matthew Sexton returned the ball 46 yards. Trevor Harris hit Johnson on third-and-10 and then ran 22 yards himself, his first 20-plus yard run since 2022.

Harris, 40, finished 27 of 39 for 253 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "We were at our best when our best was required," he said. Saskatchewan is 9-8 and will learn its seed next week. Montreal dropped to 13-4 while resting Davis Alexander, Stevie Scott, Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead.

Source

6. Caufield's overtime winner lifts Canadiens past Sabres

Cole Caufield scored twice, including 54 seconds into overtime, as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Saturday night. Caufield jumped on a breakaway after Josh Norris missed on a three-on-one rush and ripped a shot into the top-left corner.

Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier also scored for Montreal (4-3-1), which led by two goals before Buffalo rallied. Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Carrier had two assists each and Jacob Fowler made 23 saves in his fourth start in five games.

Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson and Norris scored for Buffalo (4-3-2), with Luukkonen making 30 saves. Thompson tied it 3-3 with 9:48 left in the third period. David Reinbacher and Oliver Kapanen made their season debuts for Montreal.

Source

7. Stampeders keep playoff hopes alive, then must wait

The Calgary Stampeders beat the B.C. Lions 32-13 on Saturday to avoid elimination, but their fate now rests on Friday's Lions-Winnipeg Blue Bombers game. Calgary (9-9) needs the Lions to beat Winnipeg (8-9) to reach the playoffs.

"It's a little awkward," quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. said. "We could have helped ourselves out earlier in the year. You can't go back on it... We're just going to sit back and see what happens." Edmonton (13-4) clinched first in the West with Friday's win over Winnipeg, while the Lions (10-7) took second. Edmonton hosts the West final Nov. 7, the Grey Cup is in Calgary on Nov. 15, and the Lions host the semifinal Oct. 31.

Coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said the bye week will still include individual work and situational periods. Kicker Rene Paredes, who plans to retire after 15 seasons with Calgary, said he did not know whether he had played his last game. Two rabbits briefly interrupted the game early in the fourth quarter.

Source

8. Islanders beat slumping Maple Leafs 4-1

Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist, Simon Holmstrom scored twice and Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves as the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. The Islanders are 4-3-1, alternating wins and losses through eight games.

New York lost forwards Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli in the first period. Ritchie left after one shift with a lower-body injury; Maccelli fell awkwardly on his left knee at 16:36 after being tripped by Darren Raddysh. Coach Peter DeBoer had no update, calling it "probably our most complete game of the year."

Toronto (3-4-2) got 16 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky and is 1-2-2 in its past five games. Captain Auston Matthews said his team spent too much time on the perimeter. John Tavares is week to week with a lower-body injury from Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo, and coach Jim Hiller said the Islanders' defence made it hard to get inside.

Source

9. Toronto FC level for final Eastern playoff spots

Dániel Sallói scored in the 82nd minute and Luka Gavran made three saves as Toronto FC beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 in Harrison, N.J., on Saturday night. Toronto is now level with the Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference; Cincinnati has two games in hand.

Toronto took the lead on an own goal by Justin Che in the third minute, then Jonathan Osorio played a first-touch through ball to Sallói, who outran the defence and scored low from the right of the penalty spot. The Red Bulls had 67 per cent possession and outshot Toronto 15-6.

Toronto (8-10-12) was missing defenders Richie Laryea, Benjamin Kuscevic and Walker Zimmerman, and coach Robin Fraser served a one-game suspension, with assistant Wolde Harris in charge. Harris dedicated the win to his father, Trevor Harris, a Jamaican soccer player who died last month.

Source

10. Malott knocks out Buckley with knee at UFC Edmonton

Canadian welterweight Mike Malott knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a knee to the face in the second round of Saturday's UFC Edmonton main event, knocking his mouthpiece out. After a cautious first round, Buckley pressed forward in the second; Malott clinched him against the fence and found the opening as they separated.

The win is Malott's fifth straight, with three of those coming by finish. Buckley has now lost three in a row and was stopped for the first time in nearly four years. "I might be soft spoken, but I'm hard hitting," Malott told Paul Felder, adding that he wants top-10 opposition "at the very least, maybe top-five."

Earlier on the card, Joel Faglier silenced the Canadian crowd with a second-round knockout of Javad Mahjoub.

Source