Clemson pummels Ohio State to earn rematch with Alabama

Clemson QB Deshaun Watson (4) and RB Ray-Ray McCloud celebrate a touchdown. (Getty)

Clemson made no one doubt it deserved a second chance to beat Alabama for the national championship with a 31-0 drubbing of Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Hours after the Tide dominated Washington in the Peach Bowl, Clemson’s performance against Ohio State was even more suffocating. As the Clemson defensive front ravaged Ohio State’s offense, the Clemson offense hit the Ohio State defense with a couple of uppercuts to earn a College Football Playoff National Championship Game rematch on Jan. 9.

Nearly a year ago, Alabama beat Clemson 45-40 in the same stadium where the Tigers beat the Buckeyes for the national title. News of the rematch was apparently news to Clemson players as the clock wound down. ESPN cameras caught Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware asking those around him who won the game between Alabama and Washington and what the final score was.

It’s the first time since the advent of the BCS in 1999 that the same teams have played for the championship in back-to-back seasons. And it’s the first time that a team coached by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has been shut out.

The game started off well-enough for Ohio State. After punting to start the game, OSU defensive back Gareon Conley picked Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson off on the Tigers’ first possession. But Buckeyes kicker Tyler Durbin missed a field goal. And things just kept going downhill from there.

The Tigers went up 17-0 with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter thanks to an eight-play, 84-yard drive that culminated with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Watson to fullback C.J. Fuller, who snuck out of the backfield on a wheel route and made an incredible catch with a defender draped all over him.

The incline didn’t flatten out for Ohio State in the second half either. After a weird sequence that led to a missed field goal by Clemson following an Ohio State fumble to start the half, Ohio State had a chance to pull within two possessions in the third quarter. OSU’s ensuing drive was a crisp three plays and four yards before punting.

And then when Ohio State got down inside the Clemson 20 for the first time all game in the fourth quarter while trailing 24-0, things went really badly too. The Buckeyes were forced into a 4th and 27 after Carlos Watkins sacked quarterback J.T. Barrett and Barrett’s Hail Mary fling towards the end zone on fourth down was returned 86 yards (plus seven more for a penalty on Barrett) after an interception by Clemson defensive back Van Smith.

Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett, the potential No. 1 pick, declares for NFL draft

As expected, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is heading to the NFL.

The junior, who is expected to be a high first-round pick — perhaps No. 1 overall — in the upcoming NFL draft, announced Saturday night he will forgo his senior season and declare for the 2017 draft.

“After talking with my family and my coaches, I feel it is in my best interest to declare for the 2017 NFL draft,” Garrett said in a statement. “I would like to thank my teammates for always supporting me, encouraging me and holding me accountable. We are a family, and I will be close with these guys forever.

“I look forward to the challenges that are ahead and I am excited about the opportunity to play at the next level. I will play for any NFL team that gives me a chance and they will get my very best effort.”

Garrett was the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, and he has certainly lived up to his lofty recruiting ranking. As a true freshman, Garrett registered 53 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. His numbers were better as a sophomore, when he totaled 59 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.

This season, Garrett’s statistics dipped a bit as he dealt with various injuries, but he still consistently performed at a high level. With A&M’s bowl game — a 33-28 Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State — in the books, Garrett finished the year with 33 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 11 games.

“We wish Myles all the best in the upcoming NFL draft and with his professional football career,” said A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. “Not only is he an exceptional talent, but he is an even better person and teammate. He has the desire, heart and character to achieve greatness on and off the football field. Thank you to Myles and his family for all they have done for Texas A&M University.”

Alabama snuffs out Husky hopes, heads to yet another championship game

Of all the ways that Nick Saban can break an opponent — on the ground, through the air, via lethal defense — the worst is this: he offers up hope. He dangles hope in front of his hapless opponents, giving them the faint belief that their early touchdowns will stand up. They shake off Alabama’s first shots and begin thinking, “Hey, we’re hanging with the Tide! We can do this!”

And then, as inexorable and inescapable as the sunset, Alabama crushes the life out of the opposition. The Tide are seeking their fifth national championship in the last eight years, and their mission took a large step forward Saturday with a thorough 24-7 dismantling of Washington in the first game of the 2016 College Football Playoff.

The script that has defined so many Alabama victories — 119 now under Saban, to just 18 losses — played out to perfection in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Washington, the Pac-12 upstart, sneaked in an early punch — a pretty 16-yard touchdown pass from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis — and then didn’t get anywhere close to the end zone while Alabama steamrolled forward.

Beautiful throw from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis to give Washington a 7-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/5IaNB4z2y6

— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) December 31, 2016

The Huskies, in theory, had a chance. Alabama’s offense, aside from running back Bo Scarbrough, was a woeful and uncharacteristically jittery lot, scrambling loose and drawing two delay-of-game penalties that had Saban’s veins bulging in rage. Perhaps that was due to outgoing offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin already considering how to decorate his office at Florida Atlantic University, but whatever the reason, the door was open.

Unfortunately for Washington, the door was guarded by Alabama’s defense, which is tougher than battleship steel. Aside from the single early touchdown, Browning looked overmatched and out of control, and could never establish any rhythm other than three-and-out, three-and-out, repeat ad infinitum. Combine that suffocation with a pick-six that Alabama’s Ryan Anderson snared with just over a minute left in the first half, and hope, for the Huskies, vanished before the sun even went down back home.

Washington’s last, best chance came with 6:30 left in the third quarter — yes, really — when Hurts tried to get too fancy and lost the handle on the football. Washington linebacker Psalm Woodching couldn’t reel in the loose ball, and the Huskies saw what would have been their best starting field position of the game slip away. After its first-quarter touchdown, Washington didn’t get any more than two yards into Alabama territory all game. The Huskies didn’t even get a first down in the second half until there was just over a minute left in the third quarter.

Bo Scarbrough, running all over Washington. (Getty)

And even the one Washington play of the second half that actually worked — a Jake Browning quick-kick that pinged out of bounds at the 2 — quickly vanished in a crimson mist. Alabama proceeded to march out of the shadow of its own goalpost, and then turned Scarborough loose for an acrobatic, slashing 68-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach:

Bo Scarbrough long td

Ohio State or Clemson, whichever team wins the Fiesta Bowl, will watch the tape of this game, observe Hurts’ erratic play and Kiffin’s peculiar play-calling and the O-line’s inattention to detail, and see what they believe are openings to exploit. They’ll start to plan. They’ll start to dream. They’ll start to hope.

They’d better be careful. That’s exactly what Alabama wants.

49ers to clean house, will fire GM Trent Baalke and coach Chip Kelly

As 2013 dawned, then-Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly was the hottest name on the market. Now, he may never be a head coach in the NFL again.

According to Saturday night reports by NFL Network and ESPN, the San Francisco 49ers are firing both Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke, in a housecleaning Niners’ top brass must hope will turn around a franchise that has gone from NFC Champion and Super Bowl XLVII appearance to a three-win season at best in just five years.

Baalke has made a mess of the 49ers in his six years as GM. While the team had an unprecedented offseason in early 2015, with several top players opting to retire, Baalke did little to replace them – he had roughly $60 million in salary cap space heading into free agency earlier this year, and did nothing with it.

Add in sub-par drafts, and it’s a big part of the reason San Francisco is where it is.

But perhaps Baalke’s biggest misstep was shoving head coach Jim Harbaugh out the door after the 2014 season.

Harbaugh turned the 49ers around almost immediately upon being hired in 2011, taking a 6-10 team in 2010 to a 13-3 record and spot in the NFC title game in his first year. In four seasons under Harbaugh, San Francisco totaled 44 regular-season wins; the team had 46 wins over the eight seasons before his hiring.

And they’ve had just seven (possibly eight if the Niners win Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks) since his departure.

Baalke’s firing seemed like a necessary move at this point, and it stood to reason that Kelly might be collateral damage, despite being hired just a year ago – a new general manager almost always wants to pick his own coach.

Whoever San Francisco hires, he will be the fourth head coach the team has had in four years.

Kelly inherited a team that was a mess; after Baalke got rid of Harbaugh, he turned to the untested Jim Tomsula for 2015, and Tomsula was a disaster nearly from Day One. He, however, did manage to win five games.

The Niners’ roster is thin; they ended last season with Blaine Gabbert as starting quarterback, almost lost Colin Kaepernick in the offseason, and then had to wait for him to rehab from offseason surgeries before seeing if he’d thrive under Kelly, one of the more creative offensive coaches of the last several years.

But with Kelly as head coach, San Francisco lost 11 straight games. After shutting out the Rams in Week 1 to open his tenure as head coach, the 49ers did not win again until Christmas Eve, again against the Rams, who had by then fired their own head coach, Jeff Fisher.

San Francisco was near the bottom of the league in terms of points scored and offensive yards gained; Kaepernick kept his mistakes to a minimum, with 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions in 10 starts, but was throwing to one of the worst receiving groups in the league: Jeremy Kerley, Quinton Patton and Garrett Celek were the top three targets.

As much as they struggled on offense, the Niners had bigger problems on defense. They were last in the league in terms of yards allowed per game, at over 400, and were dead last – by a long shot – against the run, giving up over 170 yards per game.

It’s hard to know what’s next for Kelly. His old job at Oregon came open in December, but Kelly says he has a firm rule: if he has a job, and he’s working that job, he’s not talking about a new job. So with the Niners still in season, he didn’t take any calls about college openings, whether back with the Ducks or anywhere else; Oregon filled its job weeks ago.

Perhaps, where Kelly bounced through two NFL jobs – his record is now 28-34 with one playoff appearance, in his first year with Philadelphia – he’ll take a year off to decompress (his father, Paul, died in early December) and start anew in 2018.

Ronda Rousey speaks out for first time after devastating UFC 207 loss

Ronda Rousey released a statement to ESPN Saturday saying she needs “to reflect and think about the future,” after her loss to Amanda Nunes Friday at UFC 207. (Getty Images)

Less than 24 hours after being stopped by Amanda Nunes in 48 seconds in their fight for the women’s bantamweight title before a sell-out crowd of 18,533 at T-Mobile Arena in the main event of UFC 207, Ronda Rousey has broken her silence.

In a statement released to ESPN, Rousey said, “I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future.”

Rousey, the former unbeaten champion, has had a precipitous fall in the last 13 months. She was stopped by Holly Holm in the second round at UFC 193 in a fight in which she was dominated. After more than a year off, she returned Friday but was no match for Nunes‘ powerful strikes.

She took the bout against Nunes after negotiating a deal with UFC president Dana White in which she didn’t have to do any media. She did an interview with ESPN the Magazine and appeared on “Conan” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” But she did not speak at all before the fight and failed to attend the post-fight news conference.

 

Rousey’s statement:

I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me.

Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes — even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly — it doesn’t work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women’s division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda.

I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.

Her mother, former star judoka Ann Maria DeMars, told TMZ on Friday she hoped her daughter would retire, but said it would be Rousey’s decision.

DeMars told TMZ that as a parent, she wanted her daughter to retire because she didn’t want to see her get injured. But she said Rousey needed to think of it dispassionately after the emotion wears off.

“I think making snap decisions like that is probably not the best idea, so I don’t know,” DeMars told TMZ. “I would like to see her retire. I would have liked to have seen her retire a long time ago. Who wants to see their kid get hit? She’s got a lot of talent to do other things. Movies, writing, producing. She’s really, really smart. I told her at the very beginning when she started this. I said, ‘You’re smart and beautiful. Let the stupid people get punched in the face.’ ”

If this is it for Rousey, who turns 30 in February, she’ll leave as the biggest star in the sport. She was 12-2 and won six UFC title fights before losing to Holm.

Concussion issues sideline Bruins’ David Backes indefinitely

The Boston Bruins won both games of their back-to-back set against the Buffalo Sabres, yet Thursday presented a significant injury loss in David Backes.

Backes is out indefinitely due to a concussion suffered thanks to a hit by William Carrier, which you can view in the video above. The 32-year-old dealt with at least one concussion stemming from 2014. (Let’s not forget his exchanges with Duncan Keith, either.)

John-Michael Liles has been sidelined with his own concussion issues since late November, with sparse updates in his regard as well.

Carrier seemed to hurt his hand in a fight with Adam McQuaid as a response to the hit that injured Backes:

TODAY IN HISTORY - DECEMBER 31ST

1790 – Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today, is published for the first time.

1796 – The incorporation of Baltimore as a city.

1831 – Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.

1862 – American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.

1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River begins near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

1878 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman, founded Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (d. 1966) is born.

1878 – Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine, and he was granted the patent in 1879.

1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

1907 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in Manhattan.

1946 – President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.

1955 – General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.

1983 – The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.

1992 – Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

1995 – Gabby Douglas, American gymnast is born.

1999 – The United States Government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.

2004 – The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).

2011 – NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.

 

Jabrill Peppers injured, ruled out of Orange Bowl

Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers (5) runs drills during NCAA college football practice, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Miami. Michigan plays Florida State in the Orange Bowl Friday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Jabrill Peppers gave Michigan a little of everything this season.

He had nothing to give the Wolverines in the Orange Bowl.

The star linebacker - one of 15 positions the school gives him credit for playing this season - was a late scratch from No. 6 Michigan's lineup when the Wolverines faced No. 10 Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Friday night. The school said Peppers was injured during the week, though he was on the field warming up about an hour before the game.

And now the question becomes whether he has played his last game for the Wolverines. Peppers is widely tabbed as a potential first-round pick if he decides to enter the NFL draft early.

''He's the ultimate team player,'' Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier in December when asked about Peppers. ''Our teammates appreciate him for that and we're really happy for his success.''

Michigan did not disclose the nature of Peppers' injury, but ESPN cameras in the Wolverines' locker room captured footage of him grabbing at his left hamstring before the game. Peppers also moved somewhat gingerly at times in warmups, favoring his left leg while trying to move around as coaches kept a close eye on him.

A pair of marquee college players - LSU's Leonard Fournette and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey - decided to sit out their teams' respective bowl games this season, protecting themselves from injury before embarking on their pro careers. It was unclear if that was a factor in the decision to keep Peppers out of the Orange Bowl, or if his leg problem simply was severe enough to keep him off the field.

Peppers was fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting this season. He won Big Ten player of the year honors as its top defensive player, top linebacker and top return specialist.

But he was kept out of the spotlight in the days leading up to the bowl game, which was peculiar given that he was one of the country's top players this season. Peppers was not made available to reporters during the week, including at a Wednesday news conference when the school told Orange Bowl officials shortly before that session that he was not coming.

It's the second straight year that Peppers has missed a Michigan bowl game because of injury. He had 72 tackles this season, returned 21 punts and 10 kickoffs, had 27 carries and even caught two passes.

''Somebody asked me the other day how to describe Peppers. He's a football player,'' Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. ''When you look up the definition in the dictionary, you see football player. The guy can run, he can tackle, he can throw, he can catch, he can block, there's nothing he can't do. Be a special teams threat, be an offensive threat, be a defensive threat, all phases.''

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio disappointed that Aldon Smith won't be reinstated

The Oakland Raiders seemed to be expecting a late-season boost from pass rusher Aldon Smith, but the NFL won’t reinstate him this season.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio didn’t understand that decision.

Smith was given a one-year suspension last year after an arrest for DUI, hit and run and vandalism last August. Multiple reports Friday, including Pro Football Talk, said commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to not reinstate Smith this season. Goodell will revisit the case on March 15.

“Little disappointed, honestly,” Del Rio said, in his press conference that was posted by 95.7 The Game. “Feel like, from everything I’ve gathered, obviously it’s not my job to make a ruling, but from everything I’ve gathered he’s done his duty to take of all the things he needs to take care of. I see some of the guys that have been allowed back and my question is, what’s the difference?”

The NFL has long had a problem with the perception of uneven punishments, and one can understand why Del Rio would be frustrated.

“When a guy has a chance, he should have a chance to make a living,” Del Rio said. “I don’t really agree with what’s going down, but it’s not my job.”

When the NFL decided to not reinstate Smith, it meant he will go from Week 9 of the 2015 season to at least Week 1 of 2017 between playing a game.

If the Raiders figured on a few snaps from Smith in the playoffs – and judging by Del Rio’s comments, they did – it won’t be happening.

49ers players vote Colin Kaepernick as winner of team's most prestigious award

Once Colin Kaepernick started his national anthem protest in the preseason, he became a huge national story. And there was a lot of speculation about what his teammates thought of him and his stance.

We have a good idea how the 49ers players feel about Kaepernick now. They voted him the winner of the team’s most prestigious award.

The 49ers announced that Kaepernick won the Len Eshmont Award. The team says the award is its “most prestigious annual honor … given each year to the 49er who best exemplifies the ‘inspirational and courageous play’ of Len Eshmont.” Eshmont was a member of the 49ers’ first team in 1946, and he died in 1957. The 49ers players vote on the award every year.

While winning that award doesn’t necessarily tell us what 49ers players thought of his protest, it’s a good indication that he still has respect among his teammates. It’s also noteworthy with Kaepernick likely to hit free agency next offseason. Kaepernick can opt out of his contract, or the 49ers can cut him with no penalty on the salary cap. While we’re not sure yet how NFL owners and front offices will react to Kaepernick’s political views when it comes time to evaluate him as a free agent, it doesn’t seem like he’d be a divisive presence in the locker room. It seems as though he wasn’t divisive in San Francisco during a turbulent season.

Kaepernick has had an uneven year on the field, and he has handled a lot of criticism off the field. To get that kind of recognition from his teammates at the end of a trying season has to feel pretty good.

Derek Carr knew his leg was broken immediately after sack

Derek Carr was wearing a microphone during the Raiders' Week 16 win over the Colts when the Pro Bowl quarterback suffered a fractured right fibula. And Carr was immediately aware of the severity of his injury after his right leg twisted underneath his body during a sack by 270-pound linebacker Trent Cole.

“It's broke!" he yelled, waving to the sideline for medical assistance. "It's broke! It's broke! It's broke! It's broke! It's broke!”

Moments later as he was helped off the field, Carr offered words of encouragement to backup quarterback Matt McGloin as he was taking the field.

"Finish it off, Matty," he said.

Carr appeared to be talking about the game against Indy, which McGloin did finish off, 33-15, but Carr might as well have been referring to the Raiders' promising 2016 season.

Carr underwent surgery Tuesday morning in LA and is expected to be shelved for six to eight weeks. In his absence, McGloin will lead Oakland into its first playoff appearance since 2002.

Serena Williams’ New Tech Exec Fiancé Tweets His Gratitude for Being ‘The Luckiest Nerd of Us All’

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian knows he’s one lucky nerd.

News broke Thursday that the 33-year-old tech guru is engaged to tennis great Serena Williams. And in the early morning of Friday, Ohanian told his fans just how grateful he for their support.

“Thank you all for the kind words,” Ohanian wrote on Twitter, before referencing his Armenian heritage. “Especially from all my Armenian brothers and sisters debating when they can claim Serena as Armenian.”

Thank you for all the kind words–esp from all my Armenian brothers & sisters debating when they can claim Serena as Armenian. GL
— Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) December 30, 2016 

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

He also pinned a retweeted post to his account page, where sports reporter Lindsay Gibbs shared an edit to his official Wikipedia page.

“Ohanian is engaged to the tennis great Serena Williams,” it read. “In other words, Ohanian is now the luckiest nerd of us all.”

Great edit to @alexisohanian's wiki page. pic.twitter.com/EKOrMopoRQ
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) December 29, 2016 

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

Williams announced their engagement on Thursday — in a poem she wrote on Reddit.

“I came home. A little late. Someone had a bag packed for me. And a carriage waited. Destination: Rome,” the 35-year-old, 22-time Grand Slam title winner wrote on her verified Reddit account.

“To escort me to my very own ‘charming.’ Back to where our stars first collided. And now it was full circle. At the same table we first met by chance.”

She continued: “But by choice. Down on knee. He said 4 words. And I said yes.” Ohanian shared the Reddit announcement on Facebook, simply writing, “She said yes.”

He also commented on Williams’ Reddit post, writing, “And you made me the happiest man on the planet.”

Their engagement comes as a surprise to many as the two have kept their love private since beginning dating in 2015.

They did show off their silly sides in an Instagram photo around Halloween — with Ohanian posing in a bear costume and Williams flaunting her booty in pajamas that read “BEAR CHEEKS” on the bottom.

“Bear necessities,” Williams captioned the shot.

Saban, Petersen just really ready to get this whole Peach Bowl thing going

Washington’s Chris Petersen and Alabama’s Nick Saban. (Courtesy Peach Bowl.)

They were as polite as they could be, the legend and the legend-in-training, answering all the questions about bowl-week pomp and circumstance with appropriate respect and gratitude. But you didn’t have to look hard at Alabama’s Nick Saban and Washington’s Chris Petersen, the coaches leading their teams into Saturday’s college football playoff at the Peach Bowl, to see that both of them were just ready to be done with all the preliminary silliness and get to the business of knocking helmets.

“The week’s been great,” Petersen said of a hype-week period that’s run from the day after Christmas right on through to kickoff, and has included everything from solemn visits to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Ebenezer Baptist Church to milkshake-making competitions. “Our kids have really enjoyed it. But I think everybody here is to play well and try to win a game. At the end of the day, that’s the things you remember the most.”

“The thing you’re going to remember most about these games, any bowl game,
actually, but most especially a playoff game is what happened in the game,” Saban added. “You know, how did we play in the game. I think that’s what people need to zero in on and try to focus on and that’s what’s going to be remembered most.” So, with all due respect to bowl officials and their gift baskets and team-building outings … the team and the players have their minds on the field. (Well, most of them.)

At this point, there’s not much that either Saban or Petersen is going to say that would make news; both have their sidestep moves down pat. Petersen played matador on a question about a possible college football commissioner by suggesting that Saban would make a “great” one; amid the laughs, Saban played his usual role of Dad at Thanksgiving going along with all these shenanigans, and downplayed his ability to do such a job.

Saban did take the high road when discussing the exit of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, he of the frequent missed buses. Kiffin had hinted that the Alabama atmosphere around Saban wasn’t exactly sweetness and light, but Saban didn’t even hint at any dissension. He concluded a long, complimentary answer with “I’m happy for him that he got an opportunity to be a head coach again, and we’ll help him every way that we can.”

Asked whether they had any final motivational slogans for their team, both coaches went with the expected route. “I think at this point, there’s not a ton of talking,” Petersen said. “We’ve talked to these guys for a long time and now it’s just, they know the plan and got to go play.”

And then, after the requisite photo op, both coaches shook hands and parted ways. They’ll next meet on the Georgia Dome turf, sometime around 7 p.m. Saturday evening, and one’s likely to be much less happy than he is right now.

Lane Kiffin was left behind by an Alabama bus — again

Lane Kiffin was named Florida Atlantic’s head coach earlier this month. (Getty)

Lane Kiffin really has a tough time with bus schedules this time of year.

The Alabama offensive coordinator infamously was left behind at the stadium after the Tide won the College Football Playoff national championship last year. And according to ESPN.com, it happened again on Thursday after a Peach Bowl media session.

 

From ESPN.com:

Kiffin was the last person from the Alabama contingent doing interviews after the hourlong session ended, and by the time he got out of the Georgia Dome locker room to where the buses were supposed to be, they were already headed back to the team hotel in downtown Atlanta.

“Yep, got left again,” cracked Kiffin.

Kiffin, who recently accepted the head-coaching job at Florida Atlantic but will finish the season with Alabama, was still talking to reporters last year after the Tide beat Clemson for the title in Phoenix.

The Alabama team buses aren't here anymore. Lane Kiffin is. pic.twitter.com/CoerIM49VA

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 12, 2016

In that instance, Kiffin was able to hitch a ride back to the team hotel with head coach Nick Saban. This time, Kiffin told ESPN he got a ride to the hotel from a Peach Bowl official.

Saturday’s game against Washington starts at 3 p.m., so you’d think the team bus wouldn’t be as antsy to leave the stadium (last year’s title game ended late at night). Or maybe they will just have to specifically check to see if Kiffin is aboard before departing this time.

TODAY IN HISTORY - DECEMBER 30TH

1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.

1865 – Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936) is born.

1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5.

1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.

1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell.

1914 – Bert Parks, American actor and singer (d. 1992) is born.

1919 – Lincoln's Inn in London, England, UK admits its first female bar student.

1928 – Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008) is born.

1934 – John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and astronomer, co-developed the Hubble Space Telescope (d. 2005) is born.

1936 – The United Auto Workers union stages its first sitdown strike.

1948 – The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate (1,077 performances), opens at Broadway's New Century Theatre in midtown Manhattan, New York, and becomes the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.

1957 – Matt Lauer, American television journalist and anchor is born.

1965 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.

1970 – Sonny Liston, American boxer (b. 1932) dies.

1977 – For the second time, Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

1981 – In the 39th game of his third NHL season, Wayne Gretzky scores five goals, giving him 50 on the year and setting a new NHL record previously held by Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy, who earlier had each scored 50 goals in 50 games.

1984 – LeBron James, American basketball player and producer is born.

1986 – Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter and producer is born.

2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.

UConn women's basketball win streak reaches 87, and it isn't ending anytime soon

Katie Lou Samuelson (33) led No. 1 UConn to an 87-81 win over No. 4 Maryland, the program’s 87th consecutive victory.

One of the most remarkable streaks in sports is alive and well. No. 1 UConn used a third-quarter blitz and some clutch fourth-quarter buckets to hold off No. 4 Maryland Thursday night, 87-81, and in doing so casually extended its winning streak to 87 games, three away from tying its own college basketball record.

In fact, the streak is thriving, as healthy as its ever been. The Huskies (12-0) have aced every test that’s been built up as a challenge. Geno Auriemma scheduled tough; his team has played tougher.

“I set the schedule up so that this wouldn’t happen,” Auriemma told ESPN’s Kara Lawson after the game. “And it’s happened. I’m flabbergasted.”

Maryland (12-1), which ran roughshod over its non-conference schedule and could do similarly to the Big Ten, gave the Huskies all they could handle. But UConn repelled every Terps charge, and showed its superiority during a 14-0 run to open the second half. Katie Lou Samuelson scored 23 points despite a severe illness that had her barfing in the locker room.

Barring a stunning upset in American Athletic Conference play, the Huskies will complete the greatest multi-year run in college hoops history, one that began in November 2014, continued with national championships in 2015 and 2016, and could very well lead to another one. Along the way, they’ve beaten powerhouses and minnows, offensive machines and defensive juggernauts, perimeter-oriented attacks and dominant centers. They’ve won in conference and outside it, in November and March, in conference tournaments and the Big Dance.

And they’ll continue to win. The Huskies’ toughest game on paper between now and February is at home against No. 23 South Florida on Jan. 10. A win there could tie the record. A victory at SMU four days later could surpass it. The biggest obstacle between now and the end of the season is a Feb. 13 non-conference matchup with No. 6 South Carolina. A win over Dawn Staley’s team would bring the streak to triple digits.

Back in early November, many thought the streak could be on its last legs. Auriemma’s 2015-16 team had sent three players to the WNBA draft. They were taken first, second and third overall. Without Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, the Huskies seemed vulnerable. That feeling was reinforced when UConn got a scare from Florida State in its season opener. But it beat the Seminoles by two, 78-76, then proceeded to win its next 10 games — five of them against ranked teams and two against No. 2 — by an average of 25.7 points.

The streak on its own doesn’t even tell the entire story of the program’s dominance either. It hasn’t just won 87 in a row; it has won 134 of its last 135 games, the only loss to Stanford in November 2014. And it not only holds the longest and second-longest streaks in women’s college basketball history. It holds the third-longest too, a 70-game run in the early 2000s.

The 90-game streak, which spanned parts of three seasons and which was snapped by Stanford on Dec. 30, 2010, bested UCLA men’s basketball’s 88-game run in the 1970s. UConn can equal that as the second-longest of all-time with a win at Central Florida on Wednesday.

After that, it will feel like only a matter of time before 90 falls as well.

Virginia Tech overcomes 24-0 halftime deficit to shock Arkansas in Belk Bowl

Bret Bielema is 25-26 in four seasons at Arkansas. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

What a difference a half can make.

In the Belk Bowl against Arkansas Thursday night, Virginia Tech trailed 24-0 at halftime. From there, the Hokies scored 35 unanswered points to shock the Razorbacks, 35-24.

Arkansas completely controlled things early on, but the Hokies looked like a different team coming out of the locker room for the third quarter. The Virginia Tech defense forced turnovers on three of Arkansas’ first four second half possessions (a fumble and two interceptions) and scored touchdowns after all three of them.

All three turnovers gave the Hokies and quarterback Jerod Evans a short field. Evans accounted for all three of those third quarter touchdowns — a four-yard run and short passes to Sam Rogers and Chris Cunningham.

Rogers’ catch was a beauty:

And even when the Razorbacks weren’t turning it over, the offense went nowhere. After a punt late in the third, the Hokies drove straight down the field to take their first lead. On the tenth play of the drive, Travon McMillian took it in from five yards out to give Tech a 28-24 lead.

Any chance of a comeback was quickly thwarted by the swarming Hokies defense. Tech sacked Arkansas’ quarterback Austin Allen six times in the second half, and later intercepted him for a third time to set up another short Evans touchdown run to put the game out of reach with 6:41 to go.

When the dust finally settled, Arkansas gained a total of 34 yards in the second half. That was after the Razorbacks had everything going their way in the first half.

Virginia Tech fumbled on its first offensive play, giving Arkansas a short field for a field goal. The Razorbacks had an impressive nine-play, 90-yard scoring drive later in the first quarter to go up 10-0. And Evans threw an interception on the ensuing possession, leading to yet another Arkansas score and a 17-0 lead after one quarter.

That lead jumped to 24-0 on an Allen touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher midway through the third. Allen had a hot start, completing 12 of his 14 passes, but those early second half turnovers and the aggressive Hokies front turned things for him in the second half. He finished 18-of-31 for 278 yards.

The win is a great end to Justin Fuente’s first season as Hokies head coach. With the win, Tech (10-4), which won the ACC Coastal this year, reached double-digit wins for the first time since 2011. It also marks the first time in program history the Hokies have won a bowl in three consecutive seasons. With Evans, who threw for 243 yards, ran for 87 and had four combined TDs, returning for his senior season, the Hokies should generate a lot of hype entering next season.

The loss puts an end to an up-and-down year for Bret Bielema and the Razorbacks. After a 3-0 start, the Hogs alternated wins and losses the rest of the regular season before Thursday night’s loss dropped their record to 7-6. Don’t be surprised if Bielema, now 25-26 in his four seasons, is connected with some hot seat talk leading up to the 2017 season.

Oh, and if you were wondering: the ACC is now 5-1 in bowl play. The SEC is 1-4.

USF holds off South Carolina comeback attempt, wins Birmingham Bowl in OT

South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers combined for five TDs in the win. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

South Carolina put up a valiant fight to come back from a three-score second half deficit against South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl, but turnovers would cost the Gamecocks in a 46-39 overtime loss.

USF, behind a huge game from star quarterback Quinton Flowers, built up a 39-21 lead midway through the third, but South Carolina was able to chip away and tie the game 39-39 with 1:11 to go, forcing overtime.

The Bulls opened overtime with a touchdown on the first play when Flowers found Elkanah Dillon behind the defense for a 25-yard score. It was Flowers’ fifth touchdown (two passing, three rushing) of the game, and South Carolina needed a score of its own to extend the game.

True freshman quarterback Jake Bentley moved the offense inside the 10, but he was strip-sacked by USF’s Mike Love on fourth down, ending the game. It was the fifth turnover of the game for the Gamecocks and the third that occurred inside the USF 10-yard line.

Though South Carolina was able to claw its way back, the outcome could have been different if not for two fumbles inside the five. Rico Dowdle lost a fumble at the one late in the third when the Gamecocks trailed 39-21. In the fourth, after the lead was cut to 39-31, A.J. Turner also fumbled at the one — this time with 4:19 left in regulation.

With the Bulls pinned against their own goal line after Turner’s fumble, the Gamecocks quickly forced a punt. That punt was fielded by Chris Lammons and returned all the way to the two. This time, there would be no fumble. On third-and-goal from the one, Turner punched it in to cut the lead to 39-37. Bentley, who threw for 390 yards, found tight end Hayden Hurst for the two-point conversion to tie the game and force overtime.

In the end, Flowers and the explosive USF offense was just too much to keep up with. Even after the Bulls were held scoreless in the fourth, Flowers did what he does best to open the extra frame. He used his legs to extend the play and find a wide open Dillon for what proved to be the winning score.

And though things got dicey at the end, USF really controlled things most of the way. Flowers rushed for three first half touchdowns to open up a 22-7 lead. That lead grew to 29-14 at halftime when Flowers found D’Ernest Johnson for a 37-yard score on a fourth down play with just seven seconds left before the break.

South Carolina opened the second half with a Deebo Samuel touchdown run, but it looked like USF would run away with things after Bentley threw a pick-six to Tajee Fullwood late in the third. But Bentley wouldn’t go away. He and Samuel, who caught 14 balls for 190 yards, picked apart the Bulls secondary to lead a comeback effort, but it wasn’t enough.

The win puts the bow on the winningest season in USF history. The Bulls (11-2) played without head coach Willie Taggart, who is now at Oregon, but showed new head coach Charlie Strong he has plenty to work with in 2017.

South Carolina finishes with a losing record (6-7), but a performance like this — from Bentley, especially — against a good USF team has to be encouraging heading into Will Muschamp’s second season.

Colts nation must be patient with these Peyton Manning rumors

By now Indianapolis Colts fans have realized the season is essentially over. And after the game Sunday against the Jaguars; many fans will want to know the future. Will Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson stay? Can Jim Irsay honestly keep this duo around for another .500 type season?

Well, after Bob Kravitz appeared on a local radio show yesterday afternoon, rumors started swirling around. And quickly. Those rumors? Peyton Manning and Jon Gruden could be headed to Indy next season to take over.

If Manning returned to Indianapolis he would be received like a Messiah. For a longtime now it has been speculated that Manning would want to get into a front office job after his playing days. Similar to the likes of his last GM, John Elway. But could Manning really be interested in restoring the Colts to greatness? That is a tricky question.

Manning still operates his Children’s Hospital here in Indianapolis and has several other ties here. But, the bigger part here is that Manning might want a stake in ownership if he were to come “home”. That is something that Irsay might not be willing to give into.

The second part of this rumor is that Jon Gruden would be interested in leaving the MNF booth to return to the sideline. Yes, he has been in love with both Manning and Andrew Luck, but is he willing to get back into coaching? And this is where Manning and Gruden might clash.

Gruden would likely want some, if not all, personnel decisions. Making him essentially coach and GM. Both have stubborn personalities and would likely clash together. Now I still believe they could co-exist here in Indy. The problem is what it would take from all three parties to comes to a solid agreement to land the two here.

Is it worth it? Of course it is, but can Irsay, Gruden and Manning all come to the same agreement? If these are more than rumors, we will see.

The post Colts nation must be patient with these Peyton Manning rumors appeared first on Cover32.

If Bills' Reggie Bush doesn't run for 4 yards Sunday, he could make some sad history

Everything has been blown up with the Buffalo Bills in the past 24 hours, which has hidden a few other sad things there beneath the surface.

One is that Reggie Bush — once one of the biggest stars in college football, the former No. 2 overall pick in the draft and twice a 1,000-yard rusher — is having a historically bad season by running back standards.

Hat tip to ESPN.com’s Jeff Duncan on this one. Bush currently sits at minus-3 rush yards heading into the season finale at the New York Jets and could become the first back since 1955 (per Pro Football Reference) to have 10 or more carries in the season and finish with negative yards.

It has been that kind of season for Bush and the Bills. He has 12 runs on the season and one each in the past three games. Sunday’s run for minus-8 yards put him in this predicament. The play was really doomed from the start. It was an end around on which the Bills forgot to block, and Bush was a dead man running. It was his only rush attempt of the game, and two plays player the Bills missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt in the eventual loss.

For the season, Bush has five games with positive rushing yards and three with negative yards.

If interim head coach Anthony Lynn has a heart, he’ll give Bush a few cracks to get into the positive. Yes, Lynn is trying to win a game and show the bosses there he can be the man to replace Rex Ryan. We understand that. But it would be nice if Bush could avoid being the first back in more than 60 years to end up in the negative with double-digit carries and avoid that ignominy.

There’s also the possibility that this is Bush’s final NFL game. He turns 32 in March, has exactly 2,000 regular-season touches and received tepid interest at best before the Bills signed him. Overall, you can say his career has been disappointing, but it’s not as if Bush wasn’t a good player for an decade. He’s 127th all-time in yards from scrimmage and tied for 151st in all-purpose yards at 10,001. We certainly would hate to see him go even lower on that latter list and dip below the 10K mark, too.

It’s not as if Bush running once on Sunday for 4 yards is going to change his legacy. After all, only one player since 1955 has had 10-plus carries and finished with 1 or 0 yards rushing. And Bush’s rush average would still be at less than 0.1, which is, the fantasy folks will tell you, less than good. In fact, the lowest rush total for a back with 10 or more carries since the NFL merger is former Oakland Raiders RB Clarence Davis with 4 yards on 14 carries in 1978.

But for the man’s dignity, we say Bush should get a few cracks at knocking that negative sign off his stat sheet.

Ronda Rousey Makes Quick Work of Early Weigh-in (UFC 207 Weigh-in Results)

Following Thursday's early morning weigh-in, UFC 207 is now the official return of former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. She will challenge current champion Amanda Nunes on Friday in Las Vegas in the UFC 207 main event.

Rousey was the first person on the scale in Las Vegas. She made a beeline for the scale, hit 135 pounds on the mark, and then swiftly exited the room. She didn't even remain on the scale long enough to pose for photographers, keeping the “media blackout” storyline running.

The champion also stepped on the scale early, weighing 135 pounds a few minutes after Rousey exited the room.

A second bantamweight fight also dons the card, as men's 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz will put his belt on the line against Cody Garbrandt in the night's co-headliner.

Cruz and Garbrandt both weighed in within the first 20 minutes of the proceedings, as well, assuring that both championship bouts got the green light.

Johny Hendricks was one of the two final fighters to weigh-in on Thursday. He has struggled over the years to make the 170-pound limit. His struggles continued at UFC 207.

Expected to face Neil Magny in the FOX Sports 1 preliminary headliner, Hendricks stepped on the scale at 173.5 pounds. Although he had about 25 minutes left at the time to continue his weight cut, he was unlikely to make the 171-pound cutoff in that timeframe.

The final fighter on the scale was Ray Borg, who weighed in 3.5 pounds over the 126-pound limit for his flyweight fight with Louis Smolka. Their bout is slated to open the pay-per-view card.

If Magney and Smolka accept the bouts, Hendricks and Borg would be fined 20-percent of their show purses for missing weight, which would go to their opponents. There had been no word as of the time of publication whether or not either fight had been accepted or declined.

 

UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey Official Weigh-in Results

 

Main Card (on Pay-Per-View – 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)
Amanda Nunes (135) vs. Ronda Rousey (135)
Dominick Cruz (135) vs. Cody Garbrandt (135)
TJ Dillashaw (136) vs. John Lineker (135.25)
Dong Hyun Kim (171) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (171)
Louis Smolka (125.5) vs. Ray Borg (129.5)

 

Prelims (on FS1 – 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
Johny Hendricks (173.5) vs. Neil Magny (171)
Antonio Carlos Junior (186) vs. Marvin Vettori (186)
Mike Pyle (170) vs. Alex Garcia (170.5)
Brandon Thatch (170) vs. Niko Price (170)

 

Early Prelims (on Fight Pass – 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT)
Alex Oliveira (170.5) vs. Tim Means (170)

Former Bills, Falcons safety Keion Carpenter dies at 39 after accident on family vacation

Keion Carpenter during a 2005 game. (Getty Images)

Safety Keion Carpenter, who spent seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons, died on Thursday morning at a hospital in Miami. He was 39.

Carpenter was on vacation with his family in South Florida when he fell while playing with his son. A cousin, Jamila Smith, told the Baltimore Sun, “They were running to the car when [Carpenter] slipped, fell, hit his head and slipped into a coma. It was just a freak accident. He was always healthy; he went to the doctor, ate well and worked out.”

Listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, Carpenter entered the league in 1999 with the Bills as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech. He played three seasons with Buffalo, playing in 37 games, and starting 22 in his second and third seasons with the team. Buffalo traded Carpenter to Atlanta in 2002.

He spent four years with the Falcons, starting 39 of 46 games. Carpenter missed the entire 2004 season due to a torn ACL, but returned the next year to start 15 games. It would be his final NFL season.

In all, Carpenter played 83 games (61 starts), with 14 interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown, and 198 total tackles.

A Baltimore native, Carpenter was both the quarterback and star safety at Woodlawn High, known for his 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash, and was also a standout basketball player.

At Virginia Tech, Carpenter was a special teams phenom, blocking a school-record six punts, his final one coming in his last game with the team, the 1998 Music City Bowl.

In a statement, former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said of Carpenter, “Cheryl and I were saddened to learn of the passing of Keion Carpenter. Keion was the one of the rocks around which we built our program at Virginia Tech in the 1990s. He was a tenacious punt blocker and a relentless player on defense. More importantly, he had a heart of gold. His work with The Carpenter House and other charitable organizations to help those in need truly embodied the Virginia Tech spirit. Our condolences to Keion’s family on the loss of a great Hokie.”

After retiring from the NFL, Carpenter founded The Carpenter House in Baltimore; according to the foundation’s website, among its goals were “to support the development of healthy homes and environments for low income children to thrive and reach their highest potential for academic success … Our goal is to invest in, build and inspire communities of change.”

One of the programs at The Carpenter House is Shutdown Academy, which combined classroom instruction with football and cheerleading instruction. Carpenter founded Shutdown Academy with Aaron Maybin and Bryant Johnson, two other Baltimore natives who went on to the NFL.

Carpenter is survived by his wife, Tonia, and four children.

Serena Williams, Reddit co-founder announce engagement

Serena Williams has announced her engagement to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, via, naturally, a Reddit post. On the site’s “/r/isaidyes” forum, Williams wrote,

“I came home. A little late. Someone had a bag packed for me. And a carriage waited. Destination: Rome. To escort me to my very own ‘charming.’ Back to where our stars first collided. And now it was full circle. At the same table we first met by chance. But by choice. Down on knee. He said 4 words. And I said yes.”

Williams and Ohanian had been dating for about a year, and were relatively private about their relationship prior to this announcement. Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time and one of the premier athletes in American history, holds 38 Grand Slam titles, including 22 won in singles. Her most recent major victory was at Wimbledon earlier this year. Ohanian is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and in-demand speaker.

The happy couple did not disclose a wedding date. Williams is, at present, preparing for the Australian Open next month.