The Dallas Cowboys are elevating running back Dalvin Cook from the practice squad, adding an option for the NFL’s worst rushing offense going into a prime-time meeting with rival San Francisco.

Cook signed with the Cowboys late in the preseason but was inactive through six games. Dallas’ running back by committee has been led by Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys’ former two-time rushing champion who returned to his original team in the offseason.

A season-ending knee injury for tight end John Stephens in practice this past week opened the door for Cook to come off the practice squad.

Dallas placed Stephens on injured reserve Saturday, which created a spot on the 53-man roster for Amani Oruwariye. The cornerback had been elevated from the practice squad the maximum three times in Dallas’ previous three games.

Dallas (3-3) has established a decent run game just once, in the second half of a victory at Pittsburgh. The Cowboys are averaging only 77 yards rushing per game going into Sunday night’s game against the 49ers (3-4).

Dowdle has 246 yards on 59 carries, while Elliott is averaging just 3 yards per carry (38 carries for 115 yards) but has the only touchdown rushing for a running back.

Cook, who made four consecutive Pro Bowls in Minnesota, signed with the New York Jets last year after the Vikings released him. Cook played sparingly in New York before a late-season release. He appeared in one of two playoff games for Baltimore last season.

Cook has 6,207 yards in seven seasons but has also been a receiving threat with 1,872 career yards. The 29-year-old had 1,918 scrimmage yards in 2020, with 1,557 rushing.

Gophers finish off sweep of Mankato

Peyton Hemp’s second goal of the game, two minutes into overtime, gave the fourth-ranked Minnesota Gophers a 3-2 victory over Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday at Ridder Arena.

Ava Lindsay also tallied a goal for Minnesota (6-3-1, 2-3-1 WCHA)

“Snuck one out here in overtime,” coach Brad Frost said. “Obviously getting that tying goal there in the third, late, by Ava was big, and Peyton finishing in OT was huge for us.”

After the Gophers took the lead on Hemp’s first goal, the Mavericks pulled ahead with second-period goals by Madison Mashuga and Audrey Garton.

BRIEFLY

Baseball >> New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was voted player of the year and the American League’s outstanding player for the second time by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was voted the National League’s outstanding player.

Baseball >> The Los Angeles Dodgers’ dramatic 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night — which ended on Freddie Freeman’s walk off grand slam in the 10th inning — averaged 15.2 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes, Univision and streaming, making it the most watched Fall Classic game in five years. It was only the fourth time in 36 World Series games since 2018 that the audience has cracked 15 million.

Baseball >> Major League Baseball wants to find a 2025 home for the Tampa Bay Rays by Christmas. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said both the major and minor league schedules could be altered to create room for the Rays, whose Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9.

Golf >> Nico Echavarria shot 5-under 65 and finished with a tap-in eagle on the 18th for a two-shot lead over Justin Thomas after the third round of the Zozo Championship in Inzai City, Japan.

Golf >> Jeeno Thitikul lost a lengthy playoff at the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship in 2023. On Saturday in Kuaka Lumpur, Malaysia, she shot an 8-under 64 to leave her in a three-way tie for the lead after three rounds and with a chance to win the tournament outright this year.

Auto racing >> Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick won the pole for the second race of the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs Sunday. Reddick turned a 167.452 mph lap in a Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing to best Hendricks Motorsports driver Kyle Larson by 0.077 seconds and take the top starting spot at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Auto racing >> Austin Hill grabbed the second spot next month in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship finale, racing to his fourth victory of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.

Auto racing >> Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. won his first pole of the season at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and Sergio Perez’s miserable Formula 1 season continued when he failed to advance out of the first round of qualifying at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

NFL >> Jim Donovan, the beloved radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Browns and a TV sports fixture for more than four decades, died Saturday. He was 68.

NHL >> Former Chicago Blackhawks forward and Hall of Fame executive Bill Hay has died. He was 88. He was the president and chief operating officer for the organization from 1990-1995. A cause of death was not provided.

Skiing >> Federica Brignone found the fastest line between the turning gates to win the women’s World Cup season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, after first-run leader Mikaela Shiffrin dropped to fifth.

Tennis >> Ben Shelton beat his doubles partner Arthur Fils at the Swiss Indoors on Saturday and will face another Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, in the final in Basel, Switzerland.

Tennis >> Karen Khachanov upset second-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-4 and will play for consecutive ATP titles in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

Tennis >> Former Australian Open champ Sofia Kenin has advanced to the final of the Pan Pacific Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Katie Boulter in Tokyo.

WNBA >> The Las Vegas Aces, whose two-time championship run ended in a semifinals loss to the New York Liberty, fired general manager Natalie Williams on Saturday.

— From news services