The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, November 02, 2018, Image 13

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The times., November 02, 2018, Image 13

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Newspaper Page TextSPORTS The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, November 2, 2018 3B Standings Southeastern Conference East Conference All Games W l . PF PA W L PF PA Georgia 5 1 I 215 124 7 1 309 131 Kentucky 5 1 I 122 74 7 1 205 104 Florida 4 ; l 157 136 6 2 258 152 South Carolina 3 • l 151 164 4 3 200 179 Vanderbilt 1 i \ 106 160 4 5 230 226 Tennessee 1 t \ 108 194 3 5 205 237 Missouri 0 ' \ 88 134 4 4 284 231 West Alabama 5 ( ) 269 92 8 0 433 127 LSU 4 1 I 141 83 7 1 243 121 Texas A&M 3 ; l 106 127 5 3 239 172 Auburn 2 • l 119 94 5 3 227 132 Mississippi St. 2 • 1 67 82 5 3 217 108 Mississippi 1 • l 76 171 5 3 307 277 Arkansas 0 ' j 115 205 2 7 237 303 Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division Conference All Games W L PF PA W L PF PA Clemson 5 0 239 64 8 0 353 104 Boston College 3 1 129 96 6 2 304 196 Syracuse 3 2 181 156 6 2 349 229 NC State 2 2 111 136 5 2 213 176 Florida St. 2 4 113 182 4 4 186 227 Wake Forest 1 3 110 177 4 4 267 294 Louisville 0 5 113 215 2 6 178 290 Coastal Division Virginia 4 1 123 86 6 2 226 150 Virginia Tech 3 1 105 85 4 3 225 196 Pittsburgh 3 1 157 139 4 4 224 261 Miami 2 2 102 80 5 3 276 154 Georgia Tech 2 3 169 160 4 4 311 226 Duke 1 3 101 127 5 3 251 188 North Carolina 1 4 125 175 1 6 161 240 Associated Press Clemson freshman QB poised beyond experience Clemson quarterback Trevor Law rence has been poised and in control, artfully becoming a pivotal cog in the second-ranked Tigers’ latest champion ship run. Lawrence, the long-haired, 6-foot-6 freshman , has lived up to the hype sur rounding him since enrolling at Clemson (8-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, CFP 2). He’s thrown for more than 300 yards in wins over then No. 16 North Carolina State (41-7 ) on Oct. 20 and at Florida State (59-10) last week. And he gracefully handled a potentially locker-room-dividing situation for the Tigers after popular starting quarterback Kelly Bryant left the program after his demotion last month. Lawrence feels he’s grown as Clem- son’s unquestioned starter since. “Yeah, I mean that helps just knowing I’m the definite starter and knowing I can lead these guys,” Lawrence said. Lawrence has been groomed to lead whatever team he was on. Cartersville High coach Joey King scrapped his guideline about eighth grad ers practicing with high schoolers when he saw the then 6-2 Lawrence’s skill. The result was two Georgia state cham pionships , along with breaking the state prep records for passing yards and touchdown throws by Clemson’s national championship winning quarterback Deshaun Watson. When he arrived at Clemson in Janu ary, four quarterbacks including Bryant and former five-star pros pect Hunter Johnson chose to leave. For Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, ele vating Lawrence was a no-brainer with what he’s shown at practice and on the field. “We always say game knows game,” Swinney said. “I think they all quickly realized, ‘Man, this guy can play.’” Lawrence’s leadership skills were almost as essential after Bryant’s depar ture in mid-September. That same week, Lawrence took his offensive lineman out to eat, letting them know he appreciated their work and would do what he could to make their effort count. “He didn’t come in with a mantra of ‘Oh, I was a great player. I’m going to run this,”’ Clemson offensive lineman Gage Cervenka said. “He is just very humble. ” Along with talented. Lawrence has 16 touchdown passes, four from the school’s freshman record set by Kyle Parker in 2010. Lawrence is just 139 yards away from breaking Wat son’s total offense mark (1,666 in 2014) for a Clemson freshman. A third consecutive 300-yard passing performance would — a likely occur rence with struggling Louisville (2-6, 0-5) up Saturday — match Tajh Boyd’s school record. Lawrence’s tenure got off to a rocky start as the Tigers struggled early offen sively in a come-from-behind win over Syracuse in his first start. Lawrence left with a neck strain before halftime and did not return. He found his footing a week later at Wake Forest, throwing for two touch downs as the Tigers relied heavily on their run game (three rushers with 100 yards or more) in a 63-3 win. Lawrence has blossomed in Clem son’s biggest games with 308 yards pass ing against North Carolina State and 314 yards a week ago at Florida State. “When I’m looking across the field I feel like I can make any throw or put the ball where it needs to be,” he said. Lawrence’s fast rise and steady approach has amazed both teammates and his coaches. “For a young guy, just his decision mak ing. How fast he’s able to process. And then the skill set to execute it with preci sion, with quickness, with velocity, with timeliness. Just all of it,” Clemson defen sive coordinator Brent Venables said. “He knows exactly what to do.” Tigers receiver Amari Rodgers still feels the sting from two jammed fingers he got on one of Lawrence’s hard-thrown passes. Another time, Rodgers turned to look for a practice pass when he conked him the facemask. “It got on me quicker than I thought,” Rodgers chuckled. Associated Press Lawrence COLLEGE FOOTBALL BRYAN W00LS0N I Associated Press Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen (41) rushes South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley (19) during the second half of the game Sept. 29 in Lexington, Kentucky. No. 11 Wildcats’ defense facing versatile Georgia Associated Press No. 11 Kentucky has been domi nating opponents defensively this season. The Wildcats will face possibly their stiffest challenge Saturday against No. 6 Georgia with the SEC East division title on the line. Kentucky (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 9 CFP) hosts the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1, No. 6 CFP) on Saturday in a nationally televised showdown that will decide the SEC Eastern division. The Wild cats have the nation’s top scoring defense, giving up 13 points per game and just 12.3 in league play. They haven’t allowed more than 20 points all season, though the Wildcats are facing a Bulldogs offense averaging 38.6 points per outing. “They’re just bailers up front,” senior linebacker Josh Allen said of Georgia. “They can run the ball really well, and their quarter back’s real efficient. They’re real balanced on everything. “We’re going to have a good challenge up front, but I like our odds, I like how we’ve been prac ticing and I like the scheme we have to affect them.” Kentucky’s multiple looks from a 3-4 alignment have worked all season and particularly after half time, when it has allowed just 33 points. Those defensive shutdowns have either preserved slim leads or created opportunities for the Wildcats’ offense to overcome slow starts and close strong, which they first showed in their 27-16 upset at Florida in September. While that victory jump-started Kentucky’s best start in 41 years, last week’s impressive defensive effort at Missouri is why it’s play ing for a possible trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship. Trailing 14-3 at halftime and sputtering on both sides of the ball, the defense regrouped to hold the high-octane Tigers without a first down on eight second-half pos sessions. Kentucky was finally able to rally in the fourth quarter with Lynn Bowden’s 67-yard punt return for a touchdown before quarterback Terry Wilson drove the team 81 yards and throw his game-winning 2-yard TD pass on an untimed down with time expired for the improbable 15-14 Georgia at Kentucky When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Lexington, Kentucky TV: CBS victory. “We held ourselves to a stan dard that we gave up too much in the first half and I’ll take a lot of blame for that,” junior linebacker Kash Daniel said. “We came out in the second half and said we’ve got to stop this, stop that and play our defense. We did that and the results speak for themselves.” Though Kentucky expected its veteran defense to lead its quest toward becoming a league contender, several players have gained attention for turning the unit into the SEC’s second best at 295.3 yards per game. Allen (56 tackles) returned for a final season to boost his NFL draft prospects and has become argu ably the SEC’s most disruptive defender. His 10 sacks — includ ing two last week — and 14.5 stops for loss lead the conference, while his handful of pass breakups dem onstrate his all-over-the-f ield play. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Allen is the “total package” this week, adding, “You’ve got to know where he is at all times. He’s what you want when you design a 3-4 defense. He’s your prototype guy, and he has been disruptive to everyone in this conference.” Free safety Darius West is tied for second with three interceptions and 12th with 58 tackles. Daniel (54 tackles) and senior Jordan Jones (46) have complemented Allen with similarly aggressive play. Slowing Georgia’s balanced attack will require increased intensity by Kentucky. The Bull dogs feature a strong-armed quarterback in sophomore Jake Fromm (16 touchdowns, 67 per cent completion rate) along with their latest impressive rushing tandem in Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift. That duo has com bined for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. It’s a potent mix to contain, but the Wildcats feel up to the challenge. Said Kentucky senior safety Mike Edwards, “We’ve got to come out and play as best we can.” Tua, No. 1 Alabama ready for No. 4 LSU Associated Press Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the nation’s most elec tric quarterbacks, flinging one touchdown pass after another without a single interception. Grant Del- pit and the LSU defensive backs welcome the challenge. “I think we match up well with them,” the Tigers safety said. In a bruising SEC West rivalry known more for stout defense and running games, the most delec table matchup for Saturday night’s game in Baton Rouge is Tua vs. the Tigers. Tagovailoa has led the top- ranked Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) on an offensive onslaught starting in January with the sec ond half of the national champion ship game and only building from there. No. 4 LSU (7-1, 4-1, No. 3) has bedeviled opposing quarterbacks with a nation’s best 14 intercep tions and ranks fifth in pass defense efficiency. And LSU hasn’t faced a hotter quarterback. Tagovailoa is the nation’s high est rated passer while directing the top scoring offense. Most nota bly, facing such a thieving defense, he has thrown for 25 touchdowns without a pick. Tagovailoa has passed for 2,066 yards, including a number of deep balls to Jerry Jeudy and a talented group of receivers. This might just present his first chance to play an entire game since high school in Hawaii. Alabama has built up such big leads in every game that he has only taken 57.9 percent of the Tide’s snaps and has been a spec tator by the fourth quarter each time. Tagovailoa also hasn’t faced a secondary like LSU’s. Delpit leads the SEC with five interceptions and Greedy Williams is one of the league’s top cornerbacks. Both are among the 14 semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back. The Tide passing game typically hasn’t been LSU’s biggest concern. An Alabama quarterback has only topped 200 passing yards against LSU once in the last eight meetings, and Blake Sims needed overtime to get to 209 yards in 2014. Tagovailoa KINGS 146, HAWKS 115 Struggles in the third quarter hinder Atlanta Associated Press De’Aaron Fox set career highs with 31 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Atlanta Hawks 146- 115 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win. Buddy Hield scored 27 points and Nemanja Bjel- ica had 19 for the Kings (6-3), whose winning streak includes four straight against Eastern Conference teams, including the last three on the road. The Kings averaged 110.8 points over the first four games of the streak. They moved past that number with a full period remaining, carrying a 115-87 lead into the final quarter. After leading by only five points at halftime, the Kings outscored the Hawks 46-23 in the third. Fox had 21 points in the period. Sacramento maintained its up-tempo pressure in the final period. Fox, Hield and other starters didn’t leave for good until the final few minutes. The Kings scored at least 31 points in every quarter. Jeremy Lin scored 23 points for the Hawks, who have lost four straight. Atlanta rookie Trae Young recovered from a slow start to post a double double with 14 points and 10 assists. Young had four turnovers with two points in the first period and finished with eight of the Hawks’ 22 turnovers. Atlanta closed to 65-64 when Tyler Dorsey’s bas ket capped an 8-0 run in the second quarter. The Kings answered with back-to-back baskets from Hield and Mar vin Bagley III to close the half. Hawks guard Kevin Huerter departed after he sprained his right ankle with 4:27 remaining in the first period. The rookie got hurt when Hield crashed into the back of his leg while diving for a loose ball. NUGGETS 110, CAVA LIERS 91: Juancho Hernan- gomez scored 23 points, Paul Millsap added 16 and the Denver Nuggets rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. The Nuggets won their third straight to improve to 7-1. On Wednesday night in Chicago, they beat the Bulls 108-107 in overtime on Mill- sap’s put-back with 0.1 sec onds left. Jordan Clarkson led Cleveland with 17 points, and Cedi Osman added 13. Collin Sexton, the No. 8 over all pick, had 12 points. The Cavaliers dropped to 1-7. They have split two games under “acting” coach Larry Drew. Denver shot 6 for 17 in the first quarter and fell behind 29-17. After cutting it to 38-34, the Nuggets finished the second period on 16-4 run that included 13 straight points. Hernangomez had 12 points in the quarter, includ ing three 3-pointers. Denver led 50-42 at half time and dominated the second half. The Nuggets’ biggest lead was 26 points at 106-76. The Nuggets won going away despite an off-night from leading scorer Nikola Jokic, who had averaged 21.6 points. The 7-footer scored four points in 22 min utes and didn’t play in the fourth quarter. 76ERS 122, CLIPPERS 113: Joel Embiid had 41 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. It was Embiid’s sixth game already this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Simmons added 14 points and 11 assists, bounc ing back nicely from one of his worst games as a pro. Markelle Fultz provided a spark late in the third quar ter and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists while helping Philadelphia improve to 5-0 at home. Lou Williams scored 26 points for the Clippers, and Danilo Gallinari had 25. Tobias Harris finished with 24 points. Philadelphia led by as many as 11 in the final quar ter on Embiid’s follow dunk, but the advantage was just three with 6:16 remaining. Embiid then scored nine of the next 12 points, includ ing an emphatic dunk over Boban Marjanovic with 1:39 remaining that gave Philadelphia a 117-109 lead. After Embiid made the sec ond of two free throws with 1:14 to play, Philadelphia fans began chanting “MVP! MVP!” THUNDER 111, HOR NETS 107: Russell West brook had 29 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 19-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. Alex Abrines had 25 points on five 3-pointers for the Thunder, who won their third straight. Malik Monk and Kemba Walker each had 21 points to lead the Hornets, who shot 11 of 41 from 3-point range. The Thunder made a con certed effort to slow down Walker, who came in aver aging 30 points per game. Walker failed to make a field goal before the break and had just three points, although the Hornets still led 48-44 at halftime. Walker came to life in the third with 10 straight points to help the Hornets push their lead to 19. Westbrook led the Thun der back. With 1:12 left, Westbrook drove and found an open Dennis Schroder with a crosscourt pass for an open 3-pointer. NORTH ■ Continued from 1B North Hall coach said. “He had the ability to pass a lot more than what they’re doing this year, run the ball and also adlib. If someone’s not open he had that unique ability to scramble around and make plays. It made things real tough, whereas right now, they are a real run-heavy football team.” Dawson County’s tan dem of ball carriers is a group, Bishop said, they have not faced before based on their size and speed. Senior running back Ahmad Kamara (no relation to NFL back Alvin Kamara) has accounted for 871 yards and 11 scores on the ground. And the Tiger rushing attack has combined for 36 touchdowns. All the reason why one of North Hall’s big focuses at practice this week has involved the fundamentals of wrapping up. “We have faced some pretty good (players), but nothing like those two (Clark, Kamara),” Bishop said. Both of them are over 200 pounds and can prob ably run a 4.6 (40-yard dash). They have a good mixture of size and speed that we’ll have to be able to keep in check.” Dawson County also matches the experience of North Hall’s defense with a number of three-year start ers on that side of the ball, according to Bishop. Outside the X’s and O’s, Bishop identified the exter nal factors as the biggest keys for Friday night. “Turnovers and mental mistakes, the team that can limit those and be success ful in those areas will be the one who moves on to have a home playoff game,” he said. Regardless of the out come Friday, it wouldn’t sur prise Bishop if his current group makes more history moving forward. “This team has done some things in my 18 years here no one has ever done,” Bishop said. “It would be fun to be able to play a game away from home, and be able to do something nobody has ever done in 61 years at North Hall, which is win on the road. ...Either way, I want our kids to be able to do something special. This has been a special group. ”