Sports Digest: Baylor QB Seth Russell out for season

College football: Second-ranked Baylor’s pursuit of a playoff spot will go on without star quarterback Seth Russell, who needs season-ending neck surgery.

Russell saw a specialist Monday, two days after he fractured a bone during a win over Iowa State. The school said surgery was recommended to repair damage to his cervical vertebra, and that the typical recovery time is six months.

“Seth exemplifies the spirit and will of our football team, and through this our team will keep that spirit alive and well for him,” coach Art Briles said.

The junior got hurt on a run late in Saturday’s game, when the two-time defending Big 12 champion Bears improved to 7-0 with a 45-27 win.

Russell is the top-rated passer in the Bowl Subdivision, completing 119 of 200 passes for 2,104 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for six scores in his first season starting for the NCAA’s top offense (686 total yards, 61 points a game).

Freshman Jarrett Stidham will take over as the starter. He has played in every game so far, and has some extra time to prepare for his first start since the Bears are off this week before playing Nov. 5 at Kansas State. Stidham has completed 24 of 28 passes for 331 yards with six TDs and no interceptions.

Utah WR Patrick out for season: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said senior wide receiver Tim Patrick is out for the rest of the season and is seeking another year of eligibility.

Patrick made one appearance this season trying to return from a leg injury that ended his 2014 season.

Cowboys lend helping hand: Oklahoma State’s football players and coaches are busy helping their grieving community after the deadly car crash at the school’s homecoming parade.

Four people were killed and many injured Saturday when a woman drove into a crowd.

The Cowboys are participating in vigils and visiting injured people in hospitals. Monday night, they took a bus trip to hospitals in Oklahoma City to see some air-lifted victims. OSU beat Kansas 58-10 after the incident.

Halak helps Islanders snuff Flames

NHL: Jaroslav Halak stopped 29 shots for his second shutout in three starts, Mikhail Grabovski scored late in the second period and the New York Islanders beat the Calgary Flames 4-0 in New York.

Blackhawks win in OT: Jonathan Toews scored 51 seconds into overtime, Corey Crawford made 39 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Anaheim Ducks 1-0 in Chicago in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Coyotes edge Maple Leafs: Max Domi and Shane Doan had power-play goals in the first period as the visiting Arizona Coyotes held on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3.

Naddour propels U.S. men to Olympics

Gymnastics: Alex Naddour watched his U.S. men’s gymnastics team buddies labor through one skittish pommel horse routine after another in Glasgow, Scotland, none with any particular degree of precision or artistry.

Naddour, the rare American who seems to actually enjoy the 45 seconds of lactic acid torture that is the pommel horse, smiled. This is kind of his thing.

Naddour calmly put together a routine that cemented a trip to Rio next August and allowed the U.S. men’s program to exhale.

The six-man group missing Olympic veterans Sam Mikulak, Jake Dalton and John Orozco finished qualifying in fifth place with a total of 350.322. The Americans will be joined in the finals by Japan, China, Britain, Russia, Switzerland, Brazil and South Korea.

T-wolves mourn

death of Saunders

NBA: One day after the death of Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, players and other team personnel attempted to move on but also prepared to honor the legacy of a man who meant so much to the organization.

Saunders died Sunday at age 60 from complications due to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Flip was a great friend of mine who had a lot of influence on me. It’s tough to see anyone go at such a young age,” said Wolves general manager Milt Newton. “We would go to lunch every day and talk about basketball and life. It’s very difficult. He’s not here physically but I believe he will be here spiritually.”

Added Sam Mitchell, who took over as interim head coach when Saunders fell ill: “You’re still kind of shocked.”

Minnesota visits the Staples Center in Los Angeles to open the season against the Lakers in just two days.