About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2018)
2B Wednesday, November 14, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS BLUFF AUSTIN STEELE I The Times Cherokee Bluff’s Maddie Thomas goes for a rebound during a game against Lanier Christian Academy on Tuesday in Flowery Branch. ■ Continued from 1B cruise through the final quarter, finishing off the 89-54 win and going to 1-0 to start off their inaugural bas ketball season. “It really means a lot to the community,” Norman said of the win. “Hopefully they come to more games and see us win some more games. It’s going to be a show this year.” CHEROKEE BLUFF GIRLS 71, LANIER CHRIS TIAN 19: While the boys team took a quarter to settle into its game against Lanier Christian Academy, the girls team jumped all over the Lady Lightning in their con test to open the night. The Lady Bears scored all 29 first-quarter points. Cherokee Bluff was led by freshman Timber Gaither, who scored 21 points, and senior Chelsea Reece who put in 10 along with a hand ful of steals. “I think it was good for us to have this game to get some confidence and get a good feel for the game,” Cherokee Bluff coach Lind say Justice said. “I was able to get everybody in, which is a positive thing for every body to kind of see how that feels to be in their first bas ketball game. So for that, it was good. But we still have a lot of things that we need to clean up and get better at. ” NFL Game scheduled for Mexico City moved to LA The NFL moved the Rams’ Monday night show down with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium. The league announced the extraordinary decision six days before one of the most- anticipated regular-season games of the year. In a news release, the league said it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City’s his toric stadium “does not meet NFL standards for playabil ity and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday.” The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coli seum instead. The much- anticipated game is just the fifth meeting since 1970 between teams with one or fewer losses in Week 11 or later. The decision creates a morass of logistical con cerns for the teams and fans traveling to Mexico, and it disappoints thousands of Mexican fans eager to see a marquee matchup in North America’s most populous city. But the league con sulted with the players’ asso ciation and local officials before deciding it couldn’t risk the players’ health on a damaged field. “The combination of a difficult rainy season and a heavy multi-event calen dar of events at the stadium have resulted in significant damage to the field that presents unnecessary risks to player safety and makes it unsuitable to host an NFL game,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international.” Azteca officials changed the playing surface from natural grass to a hybrid in May, but the turf hasn’t been ideal for several months. Concern about the field grew in recent days when aerial photos of the stadium showed serious damage to the grass, particularly on the end of the stadium recently used for a major concert. Cruz Azul, the Liga MX soccer club that shares the stadium with Club America, played a tournament game on the field last Saturday in noticeably poor condi tions. Coach Pedro Caixinha expressed concern, and the NFL continued working with groundskeepers to improve the field. The Rams are required to keep the Coli seum available as a backup in case of a problem with international games. They immediately announced plans for ticket sales start ing Wednesday, with season ticket holders allowed to buy their own seats and up to four more. The Rams also will give away thousands of seats to first respond ers and people affected by recent tragedies in Southern California. Deadly wildfires have ravaged several areas near the Rams’ training complex in Thousand Oaks for the past week, and 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks last Wednesday night. The move also creates big logistical obstacles for “Monday Night Football” broadcaster ESPN, which will have to shift its opera tions back to the West Coast. “We have been in commu nication with the NFL and we understand the league’s decision,” the network said in a statement. “We are already in the process of adjusting our plans and will be ready to present this much-anticipated matchup on Monday Night Football from Los Angeles. We also remain committed to iden tifying future opportunities with the league to engage its already strong fan base in Mexico.” Associated Press Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA New England 7 3 0 .700 280 236 Miami 5 5 0 .500 199 256 Buffalo 3 7 0 .300 137 251 N.Y Jets 3 7 0 .300 208 254 South W L T Pet PF PA Houston 6 3 0 .667 216 184 Tennessee 5 4 0 .556 168 151 Indianapolis 4 5 0 .444 260 239 Jacksonville 3 6 0 .333 160 199 North W L T Pet PF PA Pittsburgh 6 2 1 .722 279 209 Cincinnati 5 4 0 .556 235 288 Baltimore 4 5 0 .444 213 160 Cleveland 3 6 1 .350 218 263 West W L T Pet PF PA Kansas City 9 1 0 .900 353 240 L.A. Chargers 7 2 0 .778 240 186 Denver 3 6 0 .333 205 213 Oakland 1 8 0 .111 147 272 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA Washington 6 3 0 .667 176 175 Dallas 4 5 0 .444 181 171 Philadelphia 4 5 0 .444 198 183 N.Y Giants 2 7 0 .222 177 228 South W L T Pet PF PA New Orleans 8 1 0 .889 330 232 Carolina 6 3 0 .667 241 232 Atlanta 4 5 0 .444 244 254 Tampa Bay 3 6 0 .333 232 291 North W L T Pet PF PA Chicago 6 3 0 .667 269 175 Minnesota 5 3 1 .611 221 204 Green Bay 4 4 1 .500 223 216 Detroit 3 6 0 .333 202 244 West W L T Pet PF PA L.A. Rams 9 1 0 .900 335 231 Seattle 4 5 0 .444 219 192 Arizona 2 7 0 .222 124 225 San Francisco 2 8 0 .200 230 266 Monday’s Games N.Y. Giants 27, San Francisco 23 Thursday’s game Green Bay at Seattle, 8:20 p.m. Sunday’s games Houston at Washington, 1 p.m. Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Dallas at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1 p.m. Carolina at Detroit, 1 p.m. Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Denver at L.A. Chargers, 4:05 p.m. Oakland at Arizona, 4:05 p.m. Philadelphia at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago, 8:20 p.m. Open: Buffalo, San Francisco, Miami, New England, Cleveland, N.Y. Jets Football/college Wednesday’s games MIDWEST Buffalo (9-1) at Ohio (6-4), 7 p.m. Miami (Ohio) (4-6) at N. Illinois (7-3), 8 p.m. Thursday’s games SOUTH SE Louisiana (4-6) at Nicholls (7-3), 7 p.m. MIDWEST Toledo (5-5) at Kent St. (2-8), 6 p.m. SOUTHWEST Northwestern St. (4-6) at Stephen F. Austin (2-7), 7 p.m. North Alabama (7-3) at Incarnate Word (6-4), 7:30 p.m. Tulane (5-5) at Houston (7-3), 8 p.m. FAU (5-5) at North Texas (7-3), 9:30 p.m. Friday’s games SOUTHWEST Memphis (6-4) at SMU (5-5), 9 p.m. FAR WEST Boise St. (7-2) at New Mexico (3-7), 9 p.m. E. Washington (8-2) at Portland St. (4-6), 10:05 p.m. Saturday’s games EAST Colgate (9-0) at Army (8-2), Noon Fordham (1-9) at Bucknell (1-9), Noon Duquesne (7-3) at CCSU (6-4), Noon Villanova (4-6) at Delaware (7-3), Noon Yale (5-4) at Harvard (5-4), Noon Elon (6-3) at Maine (7-3), Noon San Diego (8-2) at Marist (5-5), Noon New Hampshire (4-6) at Rhode Island (5-5), Noon Wagner (3-7) at Robert Morris (1-8), Noon Penn St. (7-3) at Rutgers (1 -9), Noon St. Francis (Pa.) (4-6) at Sacred Heart (6-4), Noon South Florida (7-3) at Temple (6-4), Noon Holy Cross (4-6) at Georgetown (5-5), 12:30 p.m. Lehigh (2-8) at Lafayette (3-7), 12:30 p.m. Cornell (3-6) at Columbia (5-4), 1 p.m. Penn (6-3) at Princeton (9-0), 1 p.m. Brown (1-8) at Dartmouth (8-1), 1:30 p.m. James Madison (7-3) atTowson (7-3), 2 p.m. Notre Dame (10-0) vs. Syracuse (8-2) at Bronx, N.Y, 2:30 p.m. Stony Brook (7-3) at Albany (NY) (2-8), 3:30 p.m. Tulsa (2-8) at Navy (2-8), 3:30 p.m. SOUTH The Citadel (4-5) at Alabama (10-0), Noon Idaho (4-6) at Florida (7-3), Noon Middle Tennessee (7-3) at Kentucky (7-3), Noon Ohio St. (9-1) at Maryland (5-5), Noon Arkansas (2-8) at Mississippi St. (6-4), Noon Pittsburgh (6-4) at Wake Forest (5-5), Noon NC State (6-3) at Louisville (2-8), 12:20 p.m. Butler (4-6) at Davidson (5-5), 1 p.m. Samford (5-5) at ETSU (8-2), 1 p.m. St. Andrews (2-6) at Hampton (6-3), 1 p.m. Bryant (5-5) at Howard (4-5), 1 p.m. Dayton (5-5) at Jacksonville (2-7), 1 p.m. Drake (6-3) at Morehead St. (3-7), 1 p.m. Morgan St. (3-7) at Norfolk St. (4-5), 1 p.m. Valparaiso (2-8) at Stetson (7-2), 1 p.m. Monmouth (NJ) (7-3) at Gardner-Webb (3-7), 1:30 p.m. Savannah St. (2-7) at SC State (4-5), 1:30 p.m. Presbyterian (2-7) at Wofford (7-3), 1:30 p.m. Florida A&M (6-4) vs. Bethune-Cookman (7-5) at Orlando, Fla., 2 p.m. Charleston Southern (4-5) at Campbell (6-4), 2 p.m. FIU (7-3) at Charlotte (4-6), 2 p.m. Va. Lynchburg (2-6) at Delaware St. (2-8), 2 p.m. Alabama A&M (5-5) at MVSU (1-8), 2 p.m. NC A&T (8-2) at NC Central (4-6), 2 p.m. VMI (1-9) at Old Dominion (3-7), 2 p.m. Richmond (3-7) at William & Mary (4-5), 2 p.m. Georgia St. (2-8) at Appalachian St. (7-2), 2:30 p.m. UTSA (3-7) at Marshall (6-3), 2:30 p.m. E. Kentucky (6-4) at Tennessee Tech (1-9), 2:30 p.m. Jackson St. (5-4) at Alcorn St. (7-3), 3 p.m. Jacksonville St. (8-2) at Kennesaw St. (9-1), 3 p.m. Furman (5-4) at Mercer (5-5), 3 p.m. W. Carolina (3-7) at North Carolina (1-8), 3 p.m. UT Martin (2-8) at Tennessee St. (3-5), 3 p.m. Boston College (7-3) at Florida St. (4-6), 3:30 p.m. Virginia (7-3) at Georgia Tech (6-4), 3:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech (7-3) at Southern Miss. (4-5), 3:30 p.m. Missouri (6-4) at Tennessee (5-5), 3:30 p.m. Texas St. (3-7) at Troy (8-2), 3:30 p.m. Miami (5-5) at Virginia Tech (4-5), 3:30 p.m. Liberty (4-5) at Auburn (6-4), 4 p.m. UMass (4-7) at Georgia (9-1), 4 p.m. Lamar (6-4) at McNeese St. (6-4), 4 p.m. Murray St. (5-5) at Austin Peay (4-6), 5 p.m. Georgia Southern (7-3) at Coastal Carolina (5-5), 5 p.m. South Alabama (2-8) at Louisiana-Lafayette (5-6), 5 p.m. Duke (7-3) at Clemson (10-0), 7 p.m. UConn (1 -9) at East Carolina (2-7), 7 p.m. Rice (1-10) at LSU (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga (6-4) at South Carolina (5-4), 7:30 p.m. Mississippi (5-5) at Vanderbilt (4-6), 7:30 p.m. UTEP (1-9) at W. Kentucky (1-9), 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati (9-1) at UCF (9-0), 8 p.m. MIDWEST Northwestern (6-4) at Minnesota (5-5), Noon Michigan St. (6-4) at Nebraska (3-7), Noon Youngstown St. (4-6) at Illinois St. (5-5), 1 p.m. E. Illinois (3-7) at SE Missouri (7-3), 2 p.m. Indiana St. (7-3) at W. Illinois (5-5), 2 p.m. South Dakota (4-6) at S. Dakota St. (6-3), 3 p.m. Bowling Green (2-8) at Akron (4-5), 3:30 p.m. Iowa (6-4) at Illinois (4-6), 3:30 p.m. Texas Tech (5-5) at Kansas St. (4-6), 3:30 p.m. S. Illinois (2-8) at N. Dakota St. (10-0), 3:30 p.m. Wisconsin (6-4) at Purdue (5-5), 3:30 p.m. Indiana (5-5) at Michigan (9-1), 4 p.m. Missouri St. (3-6) at N. Iowa (5-5), 5 p.m. SOUTHWEST TCU (4-6) at Baylor (5-5), Noon Alabama St. (3-6) at Prairie View (3-6), 2 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (5-5) at Abilene Christian (6-4), 3 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe (6-4) at Arkansas St. (6-4), 3 p.m. Sam Houston St. (5-5) at Houston Baptist (1-9), 3 p.m. West Virginia (8-1) at Oklahoma St. (5-5), 3:30 p.m. TODAY ON TV BASKETBALL FOOTBALL ■ Michigan at Villanova, 6:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1 ■ NBA: Pelicans at Timberwolves, 8 p.m., ESPN ■ Marquette at Indiana, 8:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1 ■ Trail Blazers at Lakers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN ■ Buffalo at Ohio, 7 p.m., ESPN2 ■ Miami (Ohio) at Northern Illinois, 8 p.m., ESPNU HOCKEY ■ St. Louis at Chicago, 8 p.m., NBC Sports ■ Anaheim at Las Vegas, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports COLLEGE FOOTBALL I Playoff poll No changes at the top BUTCH DILL I The Associated Press Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) hands off to Alabama running back Damien Harris (34) during the first half against Mississippi State on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama, Clemson remain in top two spots Associated Press The College Football Playoff rankings held steady at the top, with Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan an unchanged first four from last week. The third rankings of the season were drama-free Tuesday night after every top-10 team won last week end. In fact, the selection committee’s entire top 10 stayed the same, the first time that has happened in the five seasons since the CFP was born. With three weekends left until the final selections are made on Dec. 2, Geor gia was fifth and Oklahoma was sixth. LSU, Washington State, West Virginia and Ohio State rounded out the top 10. UCF moved up one spot to No. 11 and remained the highest-ranked team from outside the Power Five con ferences. The Knights on Saturday play Cincinnati, which is ranked or the first time by the selection com mittee this season at No. 24. DON’T COUNT ON STABILITY In the four-year history of the College Football Playoff, the four teams at the top of the rankings after three weeks have never all made it to the semifinals. As much as it might feel as if the field is well set, it would be best to expect an unexpected result or two over the next three weeks. Three not-so-outlandish upsets that could create confusion for the selection committee: 1. Alabama loses the SEC championship game to Georgia. This could lead to the most controversial call in CFP history. The Crim son Tide is the defending national champion and Tua Tagovailoa and Co. have been stomping everyone in their path. The Tide is not losing this week to The Citadel. The chances are slim Auburn beats ‘Bama at home. But even if that were to hap pen, Alabama could quickly redeem itself by beating Georgia to win the SEC on championship weekend. A 12-1 SEC champion Ala bama is not getting left out of the playoff, nor should it under any available circum stances this season. But 12-1 without an SEC championship? The com mittee has already twice sent teams that did not reach their conference title games to the playoff. Last year it was Alabama and the year before, Ohio State got there. In Ohio State’s case, the body-of-work argument was strong enough to overcome being bumped from the Big Ten title chase by Penn State, a team the Buckeyes had lost to in a close game at Happy Valley. Last year, Alabama seemed like a default pick at 11-1 over Ohio State and USC. Both were 11-2 with conference titles, but ugly losses on their ledgers. Could the committee squeeze in the Tide after a loss to Georgia, which would obviously get in, if Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan (and maybe even Okla homa) all won out? It’s not as if Alabama would have a loaded resume, with victo ries against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn at the top. But there is also little doubt Alabama would be favored on a neutral field against any team in the country. The committee has to be rooting for the Tide to keep it out of this mess. 2. Ohio State beats Michi gan and wins the Big Ten. Big 12 fans will disagree, but Michigan at 12-1 looks like a good bet to sail into the playoff — especially if Notre Dame finishes unbeaten, therefore making the Wol- Playoff ranking Record 1. Alabama 10-0 2. Clemson 10-0 3. Notre Dame 10-0 4. Michigan 9-1 5. Georgia 9-1 6. Oklahoma 9-1 7. LSU 8-2 8. Washington St. 9-1 9. West Virginia 8-1 10. Ohio St. 9-1 11. UCF 9-0 12. Syracuse 8-2 13. Florida 7-3 14. Penn St. 7-3 15. Texas 7-3 16. Iowa St. 6-3 17. Kentucky 7-3 18. Washington 7-3 19. Utah 7-3 20. Boston College 7-3 21. Mississippi St. 6-4 22. Northwestern 6-4 23. Utah St. 9-1 24. Cincinnati 9-1 25. Boise St. 8-2 Associated Press verines’ only loss a one-score game in the opener at South Bend. The Buckeyes have nice road victories against Penn State and Michigan State. Add Michigan and Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game to that resume, and suddenly a sea son of struggles in Columbus, Ohio, won’t look so bad at all. The stain of that blowout loss at Purdue won’t come off easy, though, and choos ing between Ohio State at 12-1 and Oklahoma at 12-1 or West Virginia at 11-1 or Washington State at 12-1 won’t be such an easy chore for the committee. 3. Notre Dame loses, espe cially to Southern California. Any loss for the Irish looks problematic if the rest of the contenders win out. Michigan could help Notre Dame by finishing 12-1. The Irish could make the case the committee can’t put the Wolverines in and leave out the one team that beat them. Don’t let anyone tell you the Irish are out with one loss. That’s shortsighted and doesn’t take into account that Big 12 contenders Okla homa and West Virginia and Washington State could easily pick up a second loss before they even reach their conference title games. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Georgia falls on the road to Temple Temple’s Shizz Alston needed 11 points to reach the 1,000-point career mark entering Tuesday’s home game against Georgia. The Owls received more than double that amount from the 6-foot-4 senior and all of them were needed to hold off the late-surging Bulldogs. Alston and Quinton Rose each scored 25 points as Temple posted an 81-77 win at the Liacouras Center. The Owls (3-0) and avenged last year’s 84-66 loss at Georgia. Georgia, under first-year head coach Tom Crean, was picked to finish 13th among 14 Southeastern Confer ence teams in the preseason media poll, but beating an SEC team still carries weight. Georgia, which trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, cut the lead to 79-77 when Rayshaun Hammonds hit a three-pointer with 27.3 seconds left. Temple then threw the ball away on the inbounds pass. Georgia’s Derek Ogbeide missed a turnaround jumper inside and Temple’s Ernest Aflakpui was fouled on the rebound, It was only the sixth team foul, so Temple inbounded and Alston was fouled with 3.5 seconds left. Alston hit both ends of a one-and-one and the Owls had survived. He hit all four of his free throws for the night and has begun the sea son 15-for-15 from the foul line. Ogbeide and junior guard Tyree Crump each scored 16 points for the 1-1 Bulldogs. GEORGIA STATE 62, MERCER 60: Jeff Thomas scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers and five assists as Georgia State survived a late cold spell to edge Mercer on Tuesday night. Georgia State (2-1) shot 43 percent from the floor (23 for 54), but scored 15 3-point baskets to seven for Mercer. Mercer (1-2), which had trailed 57-41 with a little more than seven minutes remaining, scrapped back with a 19-5 run, cutting the gap to 62-60 with 1:04 remaining and had a Djordje Dimitrijevic 3-pointer rim out at the buzzer. Dimitrijevic scored seven of his nine points and had three of his five assists in the rally. Associated Press Transactions BASEBALL American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Agreed to terms with RHP Michael Ynoa on a minor league contract. National League MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Agreed to terms with LHP Angel Perdomo on a minor league contract. FOOTBALL National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Placed OL Justin Pugh on injured reserve. Released S Eddie Pleasant. Released WR Montay Crockett from the practice squad. BUFFALO BILLS — Released WR Terrelle Pryor. Signed CB Denzel Rice to their practice squad. CINCINNATI BENGALS — Named Hue Jackson special assistant to the head coach. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed WR Steve Ishmael to the practice squad. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Activated DB Duke Dawson. Released RB Kenjon Barner and LB Nicholas Grigsby. OAKLAND RAIDERS — Waived DE Kony Ealy. Waived LB James Cowser from the practice squad. TENNESSEE TITANS — Waived FB Jalston Fowler. Signed RB Dalyn Dawkins from the practice squad and DB Mike Jordan to the practice squad. WASHINGTON REDKSINS — Waived CB Joshua Holsey. Placed OT Geron Christian Sr. on injured reserve. Terminated the practice squad con tract of RB Mack Brown. Signed C Casey Dunn to the practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League NHL—Announced the 20-game suspension of Washington FTom Wilson has been reduced to 14 games. ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled D Andy Welinski from San Diego (AHL). ARIZONA COYOTES — Signed D Jakob Chych- run to a six-year contract extension. CAROLINA HURRICANES — Assigned F Valentin Zykov to Charlotte (AHL) for conditioning. DALLAS STARS — Reassigned D Ben Gleason to Texas (AHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS — Placed G Jack Camp bell on injured rerserve. NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Placed F Brian Boyle on injured reserve. Recalled C Pavel Zacha from Binghamton (AHL). WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Loaned F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby to Djurgardens (Swedish Hockey League). American Hockey League BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS — Loaned F Ryan Hitchcock to Worcester (ECHL). COLLEGE NCAA — Granted immediate eligibility to Geor gia Tech men’s basketball F James Banks. EARLHAM — Suspended its football program for the 2019 season. THIEL—Announced the resignation of football coach Dan Blume. Associated Press
