January 2, 2022 7:42 am
TAMPA, Fla. — Arkansas football is on the rise. KJ Jefferson picked up 104 of his 110 rushing yards in the second half and threw for 90 more to lead No. 22 Arkansas past Penn State 24-10 in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. Raheim Sanders had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts and Dominique Johnson added 85 yards on 11 carries as the Razorbacks finished with 361 yards on the ground. Arkansas (9-4), coming off four consecutive seasons of four or fewer wins, got its first nine-win year since going 11-2 in 2011. The Razorbacks also played in their first bowl game since the 2016 Belk Bowl. Sean Clifford went 14 of 32 or 195 yards for Penn State (7-6). He gained 47 yards on the ground on 11 attempts. Jefferson ran 20 times while completing 14 of 19 passes. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore was sacked five times and limited to 6 yards rushing on 11 carries during the first half.
January 2, 2022 7:45 am
AUSTIN, Texas — Marcus Carr spent the nonconference portion of his first season at Texas becoming comfortable in coach Chris Beard’s offense, trying to be a good teammate and working to create shots for others. On Saturday, Carr was assertive looking for his own shots. Carr scored a season-best 20 points and No. 17 Texas defeated short-handed West Virginia 74-59 in the teams’ Big 12 opener, snapping the Mountaineers’ eight-game winning streak. West Virginia (11-2) played without starting guard and leading scorer Taz Sherman (20.9 points per game) along with reserves Gabe Osabuohien and Kobe Johnson. All three are in COVID-19 protocols. Carr averaged 16 shot attempts, seven free throws and more than 19 points as an all-Big Ten player at Minnesota last season. In his first 12 games at Texas, Carr averaged eight field goal attempts, 3.5 free throws and 8.6 points. Against West Virginia, Carr converted 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 free throws. Texas (11-2) led by 28 points with 13 minutes remaining, but West Virginia used improved shooting and dogged defense to make the game more competitive. Courtney Ramey scored 15 points for Texas, and Andrew Jones added 14. Jalen Bridges led West Virginia with 18 points, and Malik Curry scored 14. Sean McNeill, West Virginia’s No. 2 scorer this season, had 12 points, two fewer than his average. He hit 5 of 13 shots.
January 1, 2022 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Alabama has a chance to repeat, while Georgia will have a chance for revenge in the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs rolled to easy semifinal wins over Cincinnati and Michigan to set up a rematch of the Southeastern Conference title game back in early December. Alabama won that one, humbling Georgia 41-24. Still, the last two title games that have been regular-season rematches have seen the team that lost the first game come out on top. Nakobe Dean led an angry Georgia defense, and the third-ranked Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl. Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes, as Georgia became the first team in the eight-year history of the CFP to score on each of its first five possessions and led 27-3 at halftime. The Wolverines had rolled to their first Big Ten championship since 2004 without trailing by as many as seven points this season. Alabama smothered Cincinnati’s offense and beat the Bearcats 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl. Brian Robinson ran for a career-high 204 yards, while Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young threw three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. The Bearcats had been undefeated and were the first non-Power Five team to make the four-team College Football Playoff.
December 31, 2021 3:52 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay’s 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville’s bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied. Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the second half for Pittsburgh (11-3). The Panthers lost fill-in starting quarterback Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.
December 31, 2021 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 all in their first year of eligibility. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli and defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas. They are all finalists for the third time. Defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young and cornerback Ronde Barber are two-time finalists. Tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-time finalists.
December 30, 2021 2:30 pm
(WPXI) – Will Monday night’s game at Heinz Field be the last home game of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s career? “This is the most important game of the season for us right now,” Roethlisberger said during a press conference. “All signs are pointing to: This could be it. In terms of regular seasons, signs are pointing this way that this could be it.”There’s been speculation that Roethlisberger would retire after this season. “It’s 18 years. It’s almost half my life I’ve given to this city and this team and the fans. I know I still have it in the tank this week to go out there this week and next week and give it everything I have, and do everything I can to get us into the post season,” Roethlisberger said. “I can’t sit here all week and just be nostalgic and think about everything that my career has been when I just have to focus on this game. This is the most important game of the season for us right now.” “My focus is winning this game,” Roethlisberger said. “If it is indeed my last regular season game, it’s going to be one of the most important games of my career.”
December 30, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – No. 19 Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 in the Cheez-It Bowl for coach Dabo Swinney’s 150th victory. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 32 passes for 187 yards and Mario Goodrich scored on an 18-yard interception return, while Will Shipley had a 12-yard touchdown run and finished with 61 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving for Clemson. Clemson won its sixth straight game to reach 10 victories for an 11th consecutive season. In other college football bowl games: Taulia Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes of 70 and 32 yards to Darryl Jones, and Maryland routed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Tagovailoa was named the game’s MVP, finishing with 265 yards passing and his 26 touchdown passes this season tied the Maryland single-season record.
December 30, 2021 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is following other leagues and the CDC by cutting COVID-19 isolation times to five days under certain conditions and where it is allowed by local laws. The change applies only in the U.S. because of stricter pandemic regulations in Canada.
December 30, 2021 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The remainder of the world junior hockey championship in Canada has been canceled after a few positive tests prompted fears of a COVID-19 outbreak. The top tournament in the world for players under age 20 had completed nine games in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. But positive coronavirus test results among U.S. and Czech players had led to two games being forfeited, and another was imminent with Russia. Citing the spread of the coronavirus and the omicron variant, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s council determined the integrity of the event had been compromised by the forfeits.
December 29, 2021 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he has no issue with offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s play-calling. The Steelers have struggled to score points in the first half in recent weeks, one of the main reasons they are in the middle of a 2-4-1 funk. Tomlin says he takes responsibility for the shortcomings and said Canada and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are doing what they can to help the team get off to better starts. The Steelers are at 7-7-1, but still have a path to the playoffs if they can find a way to beat Cleveland and Baltimore in their final two games.
