December 31, 2020 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Oklahoma continues to have success on the Dallas Cowboys’ home field. The eighth-ranked Sooners captured the Cotton Bowl with a convincing 55-20 pounding of Florida. Spencer Rattler threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score, 11 days after helping the Sooners win the Big 12 title in the same stadium. Oklahoma racked up 684 total yards, with Rhamondre Stevenson rushing for 186. Florida’s first possession ended with Tre Norwood’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. That was the first of three picks thrown by Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Kyle Trask in the first quarter, after only five all season. Meanwhile, Wisconsin won its bowl game by rallying against Wake Forest. Graham Mertz accounted for three touchdowns and the Badgers turned four second-half interceptions into 21 points to beat the Demon Deacons, 42-28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Mertz threw for 130 yards and ran for two short touchdowns as Wisconsin finished the season on a high note. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman was intercepted on four straight possessions, the first of which set up the go-ahead TD.
December 31, 2020 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell is The Associated Press college football coach of the year. The ninth-ranked Chanticleers went 11-1 this year, winning 11 straight before losing to Liberty in overtime at the Cure Bowl. Chadwell received 16 first-place votes and 88 points from the AP Top 25 panel. Indiana’s Tom Allen finished second and Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell was third. Chadwell is the first Sun Belt Conference coach to win the AP award, which was established in 1988.
December 31, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Longtime Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara has signed with the Washington Capitals in a stunning move less than a week before most NHL teams open training camp. Chara agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $795,000. The 43-year-old defenseman posted on Instagram that the Bruins have decided to move forward with younger players. The 6-foot-9 Chara is a seven-time All-Star who won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2009. He led the Bruins to the Cup in 2011 and trips to the final in 2013 and 2019.
December 30, 2020 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will sit out the team’s regular-season finale against Cleveland so he can rest for the playoffs. Coach Mike Tomlin says Mason Rudolph will start for the AFC North champions when they face the Browns. There is little at stake for Pittsburgh. The Steelers can finish no worse than third in the AFC. Cleveland, however, will end an 18-year postseason drought with a win. Rudolph started for the Steelers in their visit to Cleveland last year. Cleveland’s win was marred by an ugly fight near the end between Rudolph and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
December 30, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Oklahoma State has ended its season with a bowl game victory. Spencer Sanders threw for four scores and the Cowboys won the Cheez-It Bowl by building a three-touchdown lead before downing No. 18 Miami, 37-34. The Cowboys scored on their first three possessions while jumping out to a 21-0 lead. Brennan Presley caught three of Sanders’ TD passes, finishing with six receptions for 118 yards after entering the game with just one catch all season. Hurricanes starting quarterback D’Erik King threw a 10-yard TD pass but had to leave the game late in the first half with a right knee injury. Backup quarterback N’Kosi Perry threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns for Miami. Perry’s 5-yard TD pass to Michael Harley helped the Hurricanes close to 37-34 with 5:39 left. In Tuesday’s other bowl game, backup Casey Thompson passed for 170 yards and four touchdowns as No. 20 Texas hammered Colorado, 55-23 in the Alamo Bowl. Thompson entered the game after starter Sam Ehlinger injured his shoulder late in the first half. Freshman running back Bijan Robinson had 183 yards on 10 carries with a TD for the Longhorns, who are unbeaten in five bowl games under coach Tom Herman.
December 30, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The San Diego Padres pulled off one blockbuster deal for a starting pitcher on Tuesday while finalizing another. The Padres got Cubs ace Yu Darvish, catcher Victor Caratini and cash while sending right-hander Zach Davies and four young minor leaguers to Chicago. The 34-year-old Darvish was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for Chicago during the pandemic-shortened season, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award race. He has three years and $59 million left on the $126 million, six-year deal he signed with the Cubs before the 2018 season. The deal broke after the Padres finalized their acquisition of ace left-hander Blake Snell from the Rays. The Rays will receive right-handers Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt for the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. Snell went 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season. He also posted a 2-2 record with a 3.03 ERA in six postseason starts for the American League champions.
December 29, 2020 3:57 pm
(AP) – The Texas Bowl has been canceled because of an increase of positive COVID-19 tests within TCU’s program, becoming the 19th bowl canceled this season. The Horned Frogs were supposed to play Arkansas on New Year’s Eve in Houston. TCU Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati says a combination of COVID-19-related issues, injuries and other circumstances in the past 24 hours pushed the team below the established Big 12 Conference threshold for student-athlete availability that’s been in effect all season. He says that’s too much to overcome on such short notice. It was the third game canceled since the bowl lineup was set earlier this month, with all of those involving SEC teams. The Gasparilla Bowl matching South Carolina against UAB was previously canceled, as was Missouri-Iowa in the Music City Bowl. Tennessee had to pull out of the Liberty Bowl, but Army replaced the Volunteers to face West Virginia.
December 29, 2020 3:44 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The Buffalo Bills again proved that there’s a new sheriff in the AFC East. The division champs completed their first season sweep of the Patriots since 1999, rolling to a 38-9 win at Foxborough. Josh Allen passed for four touchdowns to help the 12-3 Bills stay in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. Allen was 27 of 36 for 320 yards. He now has 34 touchdown passes, surpassing Jim Kelly to set a franchise single-season record. Stefon Diggs had nine catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns, setting a Bills single-season record for receiving yards. Cam Newton had a touchdown run but was just 5 of 10 for 34 yards passing before being pulled in the third quarter for backup Jarrett Stidham. Newton’s passing yards are the fewest by a Patriots starting quarterback since 1993.
December 29, 2020 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Washington Football Team is parting with Dwayne Haskins, capping a rough week for the second-year quarterback. Haskins was stripped of his captaincy last week after photos surfaced of him at a party where several individuals weren’t wearing masks. The capper came in Sunday’s loss to Carolina. He was 14 of 28 with two interceptions and fumble before being pulled in the fourth quarter. He later infuriated the team by blowing off the postgame news conference at the stadium before speaking to the media via video at his home. The 2019 first-round pick was 1-5 as a starter this season.
December 29, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – Unbeaten Gonzaga remains the top team in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll after receiving 62 of 64 first-place votes. The Bulldogs have knocked off four ranked teams while going 7-0, including Saturday’s 98-75 rout of Virginia. Second-ranked Baylor is followed by Kansas, Villanova and Houston. Wisconsin, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Iowa round out the top 10.
