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.
December 19, 2020 4:18 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Miles McBride scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 21 seconds left, to lift No. 8 West Virginia to a 70-65 victory over Iowa State. Derek Culver had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who scored the final six points. They overcame poor shooting in their conference opener by making 14 of 16 free throws over the final six minutes. West Virginia made just one field goal over the final eight minutes and shot 38% (21 of 55) for the game. Rasir Bolton scored a season-high 25 points for Iowa State, which couldn’t overcome 21 turnovers.
December 19, 2020 4:15 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The stage is set for a marquee Top 25 showdown in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game this weekend. Everyone watching will be eager to see if Notre Dame can upend Clemson again now that the Tigers have starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back in the lineup. The Fighting Irish beat Clemson in a thrilling 47-40 double overtime shootout earlier this season with Lawrence sidelined because of COVID-19. But with the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina the Tigers are a 10 1/2-point favorite to clinch their sixth consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff.
December 18, 2020 3:55 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – A long pass and a quarterback sneak may have ended the Las Vegas Raiders’ playoff bid. Justin Herbert plunged into the end zone in overtime to give the Chargers a 30-27 victory over the Raiders. Las Vegas kicked a field goal without about 3 1/2 minutes showing on the clock in OT before Herbert set up the winning score with a 53-yard throw to Jalen Guyton. Herbert was 22 of 32 for 314 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help Los Angeles end a 10-game losing streak against AFC West opponents. Raiders backup Marcus Mariota accounted for 314 yards and two touchdowns after Derek Carr left in the first quarter with a groin injury. Mariota passed for 226 yards and a TD and ran nine times for 88 yards. The loss leaves the Raiders 7-7 and damages their postseason hopes. The Chargers are 5-9.
December 18, 2020 3:52 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 18, 2020 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Washington Capitals goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has announced that he will sit out the upcoming season due to a heart condition. The man known as “King Henrik” said he has been undergoing various tests on his heart “for several weeks.” The 38-year-old Lundqvist joined the Capitals about two months ago after 15 years with the Rangers. He accepted a one-year, $1.5 million package from Washington following his buyout by New York. Lundqvist has put up Hall of Fame numbers since entering the league in 2005, going 459-310-96 with 64 shutouts, a 2.43 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
