December 22, 2020 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – Led by their star quarterbacks, the Seahawks, Chiefs and Packers join the Ravens as having seven players selected to the Pro Bowl. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes joins Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Houston’s Deshaun Watson as the AFC quarterbacks. For the NFC, it’s Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Arizona’s Kyler Murray. Mahomes and Rodgers are the starters, though there will be no actual game this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic
December 22, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – Camerun Peoples ran for a bowl-record 319 yards and tied a record with five rushing touchdowns as Appalachian State beat North Texas 56-28 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Peoples surpassed the 307 yards rushing of Georgia Tech’s PJ Daniels in the 2004 Humanitarian Bowl. The Mountaineers finished with 508 yards rushing and remain perfect in bowls since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
December 22, 2020 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga has strengthened its hold on the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll after beating Iowa. The Zags received 61 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel and No. 2 Baylor got the remaining three. No. 3 Kansas moved up 2 spots this week, with Iowa and Villanova rounding out the top 5. No. 10 Texas cracked the top 10 for the first time since reaching No. 6 in 2014-15. No. 12 Michigan State dropped 8 spots after losing to Northwestern.
December 21, 2020 4:05 am
Baker Mayfield led two 95-yard touchdown drives and the Browns moved closer to ending their 17-year playoff drought with a 20-6 victory over the Giants. Mayfield finished 27 of 32 for 297 yards and scoring passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper. Nick Chubb had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put it out of reach. The Giants played without quarterback Daniel Jones and stayed one game off the NFC East lead. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to carry the Ravens to their third straight win, a 40-7 shellacking of the Jaguars. Rookie J.K. Dobbins ran for 64 yards and a score for the 9-5 Ravens, and 32-year-old receiver Dez Bryant celebrated his first touchdown since 2017 late in the first half. Baltimore built a 26-0 halftime lead and handed Jacksonville its 13th consecutive loss. Gardner Minshew completed 22 of 29 passes for 226 yards and two scores, but he was sacked five times and lost a fumble.
December 21, 2020 4:02 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs earned their ninth straight win to maintain control of the top seed in the AFC playoffs. And the New York Jets have avoided the distinction of becoming the third team in NFL history to finish 0-16. Patrick Mahomes threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory at New Orleans. Mahomes’ scoring passes went for 5 yards each to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman as Kansas City improved to an NFL-leading 13-1. The Chiefs also spoiled the return of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who missed five straight games with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Brees passed for 234 yards and three TDs, but he completed less than half of his passes and was intercepted for just the fourth time this season. The 10-4 Saints missed a chance to clinch the NFC South for a second straight week and now are long-shots to capture the NFC’s top seed. On the other side of the NFL spectrum, Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards and the Jets finally earned the first victory of their miserable season by holding on for a 23-20 road win against the Rams.
December 21, 2020 4:06 am
UNDATED (AP) – Notre Dame’s loss to Clemson in Saturday’s ACC title game didn’t prevent the Irish from landing a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Notre Dame was picked over Texas A&M for the final berth and will take on Alabama near Dallas on Jan. 1. The other game will have Clemson taking on Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Fighting Irish are the first team to lose a conference title game and make the selection committee’s final four. The ACC is the second conference to have two teams in the playoff, thanks to an invitation to allow Notre Dame to compete during the pandemic-altered season.
December 21, 2020 4:08 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL has finalized plans for a 56-game season that will begin on Jan. 13. The regular season is slated to end May 8 before a 16-team postseason that will run another two months. Teams will be split into North, South, East and West divisions, with the North group consisting of the seven Canadian teams. All games will be intra-division matchups to minimize travel and the potential for the coronavirus to disrupt the season. As far as the divisions, Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Islanders and Rangers are in the East; Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville and Tampa Bay are in the Central; and Arizona, Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Jose and Vegas are in the West.
December 20, 2020 4:19 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are on a two-game skid but see Monday night’s matchup with the struggling Cincinnati Bengals as a win they need to secure. Pittsburgh already has clinched its first playoff berth since 2017. A win over the Bengals would assure the Steelers of the AFC North title and at least one home playoff game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won their first 11 in a row but are suddenly struggling with an offensive line hit by multiple injuries and an ineffective running game. The Bengals have lost five straight.
December 20, 2020 7:42 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Jahan Dotson sliced his way through Illinois defenders as if he were juking through a gauntlet of orange practice cones on Saturday night. It’s become typical for Penn State’s top wideout who has posted standout performances all season inside Beaver Stadium where the Nittany Lions (4-5) beat Illinois 56-21 to close out the regular season. Dotson caught six passes, scored twice and racked up 239 all-purpose yards to help Penn State turn a 21-all first-quarter duel into a blowout. The junior wideout opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown catch, added a 70-yarder in the second quarter and returned a punt 50 yards, taking it deep into Illinois territory to set up Penn State’s go-ahead touchdown before halftime. Sean Clifford tossed both touchdowns and added 285 yards on 16-for-22 passing. Will Levis threw a touchdown pass to Brenton Strange and ran for one while Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee combined for three rushing scores to help the Nittany Lions (4-5) to a fourth straight win.
December 20, 2020 7:41 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — — After a heartbreaking 47-40 double-overtime loss to Notre Dame last month, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney assured his players in the locker room that there would be no trophy handed out that night. There would, however, be one up for grabs when they got to Charlotte for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. The Tigers haven’t blinked since, staying focused on their goal. On Saturday they collected the hardware — again. Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offense and three touchdowns, Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a score and No. 4 Clemson dominated No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 on Saturday to win its sixth straight ACC title. Lawrence, who didn’t play in the first meeting because the coronavirus, threw long scoring passes to Amari Rodgers and E.J Williams in the first half to help the Tigers (10-1) lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the sixth straight season. Lawrence, the game MVP and presumptive No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, overcame an early interception on a tipped ball to complete 25 of 36 passes for 322 yards. He ran 14 times for 90 yards, with a 34-yard touchdown scamper.
