Skinner, Wake Forest Coast in Season Opener

Riley Skinner tossed three touchdown passes, two to Chip Brinkman, and No. 23 Wake Forest played up to its first preseason ranking in school history with a 41-13 win over Baylor in Waco, Tex., last night.

Skinner, whose 72 percent completion percentage led the nation last season, was coolly efficient against the Bears, going 27 of 36 for 220 yards, adding a 43-yard touchdown strike to Ben Wooster in third quarter. He also earned his 19th career victory, a school record for a quarterback.

The solid win supports the early-season expectations for Wake Forest, which has clawed into the top ranks of the ACC under Coach Jim Grobe. The Demon Deacons forced five turnovers, turning three into touchdowns.

· BOXING: Oscar De La Hoya finally has an opponent for his farewell fight -- only the Golden Boy's tantalizing matchup with Manny Pacquiao might not be his final bout after all.

De La Hoya and Pacquiao have confirmed their plan to meet Dec. 6 in Las Vegas, matching the most popular star in boxing with arguably the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter.

After Pacquiao, the dynamic Filipino lightweight, agreed to move up 12 pounds to welterweight, De La Hoya (39-5-0, 30 KOs) inked a deal for what's certain to be boxing's most lucrative bout since his split-decision loss last year to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the richest fight in boxing history.

· GOLF: Darren Clarke shot a 1-under-par 72 and Colin Montgomerie had a 74 at the Johnnie Walker Championship on the Centenary Course in Gleneagles, Scotland, where Frenchman Gregory Havret took the first-round lead with a 68.

Nick Dougherty had a 73 to start a late bid to rise from 14th in the standings to the top 10 who qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup.

· HORSE RACING: Curlin, the champion 3-year-old of 2007 and Horse of the Year, drew the No. 5 post in a field of eight, and was made the 3-5 morning-line favorite for tomorrow's $500,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga (N.Y.) Race Course.

The 4-year-old regarded as the world's best horse on dirt goes for his sixth straight win on that surface in the 1 1/8 -mile Woodward.

· SOCCER: Defending champion Manchester United will face British rival Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League.

United will also meet Villarreal and Aalborg in the 32-team phase, with the first round scheduled for Sept. 16-17. . . .

Manchester City and Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup yesterday, along with Napoli, Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin.

Manchester City took advantage of an own-goal by American defender Danny Califf in the 89th minute and advanced to the first round of the UEFA Cup by defeating Denmark's Midtjylland, 4-2, on penalty kicks following a 1-0 victory last night. . . .

Georgia's World Cup qualifier against Ireland on Sept. 6 was shifted to Mainz, Germany, by soccer's governing body.

· HOCKEY: Dallas Stars center Stu Barnes is retiring after 16 years in the NHL. The Stars said Barnes, 37, has agreed to a two-year contract to join Dave Tippett's coaching staff as an assistant.

· BASKETBALL: The New Orleans Hornets signed free agent Sean Marks, a nine-year NBA veteran.

· OBITUARY: Phil Hill, the only American-born Formula One champion, died in Monterey, Calif., of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 81.

-- From News Services