January 1, 2021 3:43 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Reserve quarterback Austin Kendall threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Simmons with 5:10 left and West Virginia held off Army 24-21 on Thursday in the Liberty Bowl. Army had a chance to tie it with 1:50 left, but Quinn Maretzki’s 39-yard field goal was wide left. Josh Chandler ended Army’s final possession with an interception, and led the Mountaineers with 13 tackles. Simmons also scored on a 5-yard pass from starting quarterback Jarret Doege. Army quarterback Tyhier Tyler had three rushing touchdowns – from 1, 6, and 2 yards – to tie a Liberty Bowl record.
January 1, 2021 1:36 am
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Mississippi State beat No. 22 Tulsa 28-26 in the Armed Forces Bowl, which was played in steady rain and ended in a massive brawl. Jo’quavious Marks and Will Rogers scored rushing touchdowns, Rogers threw one touchdown pass and Emmanuel Forbes scored on a 90-yard interception return for Mississippi. Deneric Prince and Corey Taylor II had rushing touchdowns, Zach Smith threw a touchdown pass to Keylon Stokes and Zack Long kicked two field goals for Tulsa. Minutes after the game ended following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Mississippi State on a late onside kick as Tulsa tried to make a comeback, the teams became involved in a large melee on the field. Tulsa coach Greg Montgomery said safety Kendarin Ray was treated for “some sort of concussion.”
December 31, 2020 2:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Cleveland Browns’ number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow as they prepare for a huge game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns have added a player and an assistant coach to the COVID-19 list, though the team declined to identify them. The team closed its facility for a few hours on Wednesday after being informed of the test results and held virtual meetings. The Browns already had nine players on the list, including their top four wide receivers. Those players and some others are eligible to return Thursday as long as they test negative. Cleveland will make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 if they beat the Steelers, who will rest starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The NFL is monitoring the Browns’ situation to determine whether the game needs to be moved. And the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said the league is investigating the rise in cases within the Browns.
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.
