AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:30 p.m. EST

Cousins rejoins the Vikings, where familiarity and comfort will help him prepare to play the Packers EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Kirk Cousins has rejoined the Minnesota Vikings after not quite three years away, with the familiarity and comfort providing a welcomed boost for his preparation this week to play the Green Bay Packers. The quarterback-desperate Vikings acquired Cousins in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Kyler Murray is sidelined by a hamstring strain. Carson Wentz played poorly in the last game against Buffalo. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was Cousins' quarterbacks coach with Washington in 2017 before reuniting with him in 2022 in Minnesota. Cousins ranks second in the NFL with 20 touchdown passes. NCAA warns multiple transfers tied to sharply lower graduation rates in college football The NCAA has released data showing that the graduation rate for Bowl Subdivision football players who transferred more than once are 27% lower than those who stayed at one school. This data, shared with The Associated Press on Wednesday, is seen as a warning sign amid ongoing legal battles over eligibility and player movement. The statistics analyzed the six-year graduation rate for around 36,000 athletes who enrolled in college in the 2018-19 school year. NCAA President Charlie Baker says this highlights the negative impact of court-imposed transfer rules on academic outcomes. Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after allegedly hitting Nashville pedestrians NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL coach Rex Ryan has turned himself in for allegedly hitting pedestrians with his truck in Nashville and leaving the scene. Police say two pedestrians had the right of way crossing a main street Thursday night when Ryan allegedly turned at a red light, running over their feet. Ryan faces misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene of an accident, failing to give information or render aid and failing to obey a traffic control signal. Ryan turned himself in early Wednesday and was later released. His attorney says Ryan “has been fully cooperative.” Ryan is a former head coach of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets and is now an analyst on ESPN’s NFL pregame show. Astros bring back former catcher Brad Ausmus as their manager after Joe Espada exit HOUSTON (AP) — Brad Ausmus was named manager of the Houston Astros on Wednesday. New general manager Randy Flores made the announcement, which brings Ausmus back to the place where he spent 10 years of his playing career. He replaces Joe Espada, whose contract wasn’t renewed after the Astros were swept by the Chicago White Sox in a Wild Card series. Ausmus is the 21st manager in franchise history. This is the third managerial job for Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019 and spent 2014-17 leading the Tigers. He most recently worked as the bench coach for the Yankees from 2024 through last season. Source: Man United does 'due diligence' on Pochettino becoming its next coach MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United is working on a potential deal to have U.S. men’s team coach Mauricio Pochettino to replace Michael Carrick, who is under pressure after a dismal start to the season. United is in 18th place in the Premier League standings after 10 rounds, the club’s worst start in the modern era. A source told The Associated Press that preparations to appoint Pochettino have been carried out as a matter of “due diligence.” Pochettino, who has coached in the Premier League before, is under contract with the U.S. team through the 2030 World Cup. Inside the numbers: Blowouts are common, close games rare so far in this NBA season MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is seeing an unprecedented number of blowouts this season, with an average winning margin of 13.8 points per game. This is the most lopsided start in league history. So far, there have been more games decided by 30 or more points than by three points or less. Chicago is being outscored by 16.7 points per game, which could set a record. Meanwhile, elite scorers like Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, and Victor Wembanyama are averaging more than one point per minute. This feat has only been achieved by Wilt Chamberlain in the 1961-62 season. Lopsided divisions leave 6-3 Packers in last place and 3-5 Panthers in first place Back-to-back wins have the Green Bay Packers on a roll with a 6-3 record headed into the second half of the NFL season. The Carolina Panthers have lost three straight and have the opposite record with a 3-5 mark. Yet amazingly, the Packers currently sit in last place in the historically tough NFC North, while the Panthers are in first thanks to another season of mediocrity for the NFC South. Arch Manning leads Texas into his bayou backyard for a key matchup with LSU AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning has been to LSU's Tiger Stadium many times for epic night games in a building with the ominous nickname of Death Valley. Manning is a native son of the Bayou State. For kids like him, LSU games were the center of the football universe. Manning returns to the LSU campus on Saturday night as quarterback of the Texas Longhorns, starring in Act III of the Manning family legacy tour. Manning already has a road win at Tennessee and a home win over Mississippi. A night game at LSU with both teams fighting to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive could be the wildest of them all. Knight has hat trick in 8-1 win over Czechs and Canada shuts out Finland at women's hockey worlds ESBJERG, Denmark (AP) — Hilary Knight scored a hat trick as the United States cruised past the Czech Republic 8-1 at the women's ice hockey world championship. The game wrapped up the preliminary stage with a perfect record for the U.S. Knight's goals included a rebound, a shot between the pads, and a short-handed goal. Abbey Murphy scored twice, while Alex Carpenter, Laila Edwards, and Grace Zumwinkle each added a goal. Canada also finishes the preliminary round with a perfect record, blanking Finland 2-0. The quarterfinal pairs are: U.S. vs Denmark, Canada vs Czechs, Sweden vs Switzerland and Finland vs Germany. FIFA releases evaluation reports for the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cup The joint bids for both the 2031 and the 2035 Women’s World Cup tournaments meet the hosting requirements and will be put up for a vote by FIFA’s members later this month. The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica made the lone bid for the 2031 tournament, when the field will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams. The joint bid for the 2035 edition includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. FIFA’s evaluation reports released Wednesday determined both bid met minimum requirements ahead of the voted on during the Extraordinary FIFA Congress on Nov. 23.