2B Monday, November 19, 2018
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
SPORTS
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
Former LSU coach
Les Miles taking
over at Kansas
Les Miles walked confi
dently to the podium and
slipped on a familiar white
hat.
This one had “KU”
embroidered across the
front.
The quirky and energetic
coach who led LSU to the
2007 national title, after
building a consistent winner
at Oklahoma State, is back in
the Big 12. His task this time
is to turn around a long-suf
fering program at Kansas,
where years of losing have
left fan apathy at histori
cally high levels.
“When I first came to Kan
sas,” Miles recalled during
his introductory news con
ference Sunday, “I looked
around and said, ‘Man, it’s
beautiful. It’s green. It’s a
spectacular place. I said,
‘Why aren’t they more suc
cessful?’ I promise you, I
carried that thought with me
as we went.”
It was a thought that
accompanied him to Law
rence once more.
Miles signed a five-year
contract that will pay
him $2,775,000 annually
with retention bonuses of
$775,000 due in November
2020 and $500,000 in Novem
ber 2022. The deal includes
several other incentives in
a sign that athletic director
Jeff Long plans to invest
heavily in the program.
“Even though I knew
Coach Miles, in the end you
don’t know until they sign
on the dotted line,” Long
said. “You have a number
of coaches you’re talking to
because you have to talk to
them. You don’t know who
is going to jump in the boat
with you to tackle this proj
ect until they do.”
The 65-year-old Miles
was considered the front
runner for the Jayhawks’
job from the moment David
Beaty was told he would not
be retained two weeks ago.
Miles has a close relation
ship with Long dating to
their days together at Michi
gan, and Miles made it clear
he wanted back in coaching.
The path toward a deal
became much easier last
week, when LSU announced
Miles had agreed to a lump
sum of $1.5 million of the
remaining $6.5 million he
was owed under terms of his
buyout.
“Absolutely,” Miles said,
when asked whether he
always planned on coach
ing again. “The further I
got away from it the more
I desired it. I was prepared
for a lifetime to be a coach,
and 10,000 hours supposedly
makes you an expert. I think
I’m closing in on that 10,000
hours.”
The Jayhawks, who lost to
sixth-ranked Oklahoma on
Saturday to leave Beaty with
a 6-31 record in three-plus
seasons, will finish out their
year under their former
coach Friday against Texas.
“I’m around,” Miles said,
“but I’m not going to be a
distraction.”
Associated Press
POLLS
■ Continued from 1B
1963-2017, there have been
only two seasons in which
the Black Knights appeared
in the AP Top 25. In 1985,
Army was No. 19 for one
week on its way to a 9-3
season. In 1996, Army went
10-2 and was ranked in four
of the final five polls of the
season. The Cadets finished
25th that season.
Army managed just one
winning record from 1997-
2015. But under coach Jeff
Monken, who took over in
2014, Army has had three
straight winning seasons.
The Black Knights head
into the Navy game looking
for a third straight victory
against the Midshipmen and
a second consecutive 10-win
season.
The Cadets are on a seven-
game winning streak since
losing in overtime at Okla
homa on Sept. 22.
POLL POINTS
Army and Pitt became
the 52nd and 53rd teams to
be ranked this season, set
ting a record for the most
ranked teams since the poll
expanded to 25 in 1989. The
previous high was 51 teams
ranked in 2008.
The Panthers, who were
3-4 and 0-3 vs. ranked teams
on Oct. 7, are ranked for the
first time since Dec. 4,2016.
They have won four straight
to capture the Atlantic Coast
Conference Coastal Division
and earn a trip to the league
championship game for the
first time.
DOWN
No. 19 Syracuse and No.
25 Iowa State dropped seven
spots after lopsided losses to
other ranked teams on Sat
urday. No. 12 West Virginia
fell five spots out of the top
10 after losing at Oklahoma
State.
OUT
■ Cincinnati dropped out
of the ranking after being
soundly beaten by UCF.
■ Boston College fell out
of the Top 25 after losing at
Florida State.
CONFERENCE CALL
■ SEC: 6 teams (1, 5, 8t,
it 17 991
■ BIG TEN: 4 (4, 10, 15,
20).
■ BIG 12:4 (6,11,12,25).
■ ACC: 3 (2,19,24).
■ P AC-12:3 (7,16,18).
■ INDEPENDENT: 2 (3,
23).
■ MOUNTAIN WEST: 2
(14,21).
■ AMERICAN: 1 (8t).
RANKED vs. RANKED
■ NO. 6 OKLAHOMA AT
NO. 12 WEST VIRGINIA,
FRIDAY: The winner
makes the Big 12 champion
ship game. Maybe the loser,
too.
■ NO. 16 WASHINGTON
AT NO. 7 WASHINGTON
STATE, FRIDAY: Apple
Cup winner wins the Pac-12
North.
■ NO. 4 MICHIGAN AT
NO. 10 OHIO STATE: The
Big Ten East goes to the
winner.
■ NO. 14 UTAH STATE
AT NO. 21 BOISE STATE:
The winner captures the
Mountain West’s Mountain
Division.
GOLF
Thompson closes on top
ALEX DRIEHAUS I The Associated Press
Lexi Thompson lines up a putt during the final day of the CME Group Tour Championship,
the season-ending event of the LPGA Tour on Sunday in Naples, Florida.
Jutanugarn wins LPGA Tour title for season
Associated Press
Lexi Thompson was the
best this week, and Ariya
Jutanugarn was the best
all season. Neither left any
doubt about that Sunday.
Thompson shot a 2-under
70 to finish at 18-under
270 and win the LPGA’s
season-ending CME Group
Tour Championship by four
strokes over Nelly Korda.
The win makes this the
sixth consecutive year that
Thompson has won at least
once, extending the longest
such active streak on the
LPGA Tour.
Jutanugarn took the other
two big prizes up for grabs,
clinching the yearlong Race
to the CME Globe prize —
and the $ 1 million bonus that
comes with that — as well as
the Vare Trophy for winning
the season’s scoring title.
The world No. 1 already had
wrapped up player of the
year honors, and finished
2018 with a 69.415 scoring
average to edge Minjee
Lee (69.747) for the top spot
there.
Jutanugarn shot a 66 on
Sunday, finishing the week
tied for fifth at 12-under 276.
Korda closed with a 71.
PGA TOUR: Charles
Howell III made a 15-foot
birdie putt on the second
hole of a playoff with Pat
rick Rodgers in the RSM
Classic to end an 11-year vic
tory drought.
The 39-year-old Howell
dropped to his knees and
buried his head in his hands,
then tearfully embraced
his wife and two children.
He earned $1,152,000 and a
return trip to his hometown
of Augusta, Georgia, in April
to play in the Masters for the
first time since 2012.
After Rodgers sent a
birdie attempt of 21 feet
past the cup on the second
extra hole, Howell’s putt
died in the cup and capped
a comeback in which he
went bogey-double bogey on
his first two holes to lose the
lead he had held through the
first three rounds.
Howell closed with a
3-under 67, birdieing Nos.
15-17, to match Rodgers at
19-under 263 in the final
PGA Tour event of the year.
After making the 36-hole
cut on the 2-under number,
Rodgers shot 61-62 on the
weekend. Rodgers’ 17-under
123 weekend was one shot
off Troy Matteson’s PGA
Tour record for consecutive
rounds of 122 set the 2009
Frys.com Championship.
Howell had a 22-foot
birdie attempt on the final
hole to win in regulation,
but the ball turned away
from the cup inches from
the edge. Both players had
birdie looks on the first play
off hole, with Rodgers miss
ing from 27 feet and Howell
from 14 feet off the front
fringe.
Howell won for the first
time since the 2007 at Riv
iera. He also won in 2002 at
Kingsmill.
EUROPEAN TOUR:
Danny Willett won the Euro
pean Tour’s season-ending
DP World Tour Champion
ship by two shots for his
first victory since the 2016
Masters.
The 31-year-old English
man closed with a 4-under
68 to finish at 18-under 270.
Francesco Molinari tied
for 26th to take the Race
to Dubai prize. The British
Open champion secured
the title when Tommy
Fleetwood failed to win the
tournament.
England’s Matt Wallace
(68) and American Patrick
Reed (70) tied for second.
Football/college
Golf
Racing/NASCAR
Record
Pts
Pv
1. Alabama (61)
11-0
1525
1
2. Clemson
11-0
1455
2
3. Notre Dame
11-0
1412
3
4. Michigan
10-1
1327
4
5. Georgia
10-1
1288
5
6. Oklahoma
10-1
1182
6
7. Washington St.
10-1
1149
8
8. LSU
9-2
1064
10
8. UCF
10-0
1064
11
10. Ohio St.
10-1
1019
9
11. Texas
8-3
856
13
12. West Virginia
8-2
822
7
13. Florida
8-3
707
15
14. Utah St.
10-1
667
14
15. Penn St.
8-3
659
16
16. Washington
8-3
631
17
17. Kentucky
8-3
508
20
18. Utah
8-3
491
21
19. Syracuse
8-3
427
12
20. Northwestern
7-4
307
24
21. Boise St.
9-2
287
23
22. Mississippi St.
7-4
260
25
23. Army
9-2
176
NR
24. Pittsburgh
7-4
129
NR
25. Iowa St.
6-4
123
18
Basketball/college
Women’s Top 25
Sunday
1. Notre Dame (3-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Gonzaga, Thursday.
2. UConn (2-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Mississippi, Thursday.
3. Oregon (3-0) vs. Buffalo. Next: vs. UC
Riverside, Friday.
4. Baylor (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. South
Dakota State, Friday.
5. Louisville (2-0) did not play. Next: at Boise
State, Monday.
6. Mississippi State (4-0) beat Coppin State
110-38. Next: vs. Furman, Wednesday.
7. Stanford (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. Florida
Gulf Coast, Friday.
8. Oregon State (3-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Western Kentucky, Thursday.
9. Maryland (3-0) at No. 10 South Carolina.
Next: vs. Morgan State, Friday.
10. South Carolina (2-0) vs. No. 9 Maryland.
Next: vs. ETSU, Thursday.
11. Texas (3-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Quinnipiac, Friday.
12. Tennessee (3-0) beat Florida A&M 96-31.
Next: vs. Clemson, Thursday.
13. Iowa (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. West
Virginia, Friday.
14. Georgia (2-2) lost to Georgia Tech 63-53.
Next: vs. Morgan State, Thursday.
15. DePaul (1-1) did not play. Next: vs.
Princeton, Thursday.
16. Missouri (2-1) did not play. Next: vs. SIU
Edwardsville, Monday.
17. N.C. State (4-0) beat Radford 75-58. Next:
vs. Michigan State, Thursday.
18. Syracuse (3-1) beat Bucknell 70-56. Next:
vs. Kansas State, Thursday.
19. Marquette (3-1) did not play. Next: vs.
UIC, Saturday.
20. Texas A&M (2-1) did not play. Next: at
Little Rock, Tuesday.
21. South Florida (4-0) beat Oklahoma 87-70.
Next: vs. Kentucky, Thursday.
22. Arizona State (1-1) at Arkansas. Next: vs.
No. 5 Louisville, Friday.
23. California (3-0) vs. Pacific. Next: vs.
Tulane, Friday.
24. Miami (4-1) lost to Iowa State 75-52.
Next: vs. Nebraska, Friday.
25. Minnesota (3-0) did not play. Next: vs.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Tuesday.
Sunday’s scores
At Sea Island Golf Club
Sea Island, Ga.
Purse: $6.4 million
s-Seaside Course: 7,005 yards, par-70
p-Plantation Course: 6,907 yards, par-72
Last two rounds played on Seaside
Course
Final
Charles Howell (500), $1,152,000 64p-64s-
68-67—263 -19
Patrick Rodgers (300), $691,200 70s-70p-
61-62—263 -19
Webb Simpson (190), $435,200 68s-68p-
63-65—264 -18
Ryan Blaum (123), $281,600 69p-65s-
65- 66—265 -17
Luke List (123), $281,600 69p-68s-
63-65—265 -17
Cameron Champ (100), $230,400 68p-63s-
66- 69—266 -16
Zach Johnson (83), $192,800 70s-66p-
65-66—267 -15
Kevin Kisner (83), $192,800 70p-69s-
63-65—267 -15
Peter Uihlein (83), $192,800 66s-71 p-
67- 63—267 -15
Chase Wright (83), $192,800 67p-69s-
67-64—267 -15
Dominic Bozzelli (63), $140,800 71 s-66p-
65-66—268 -14
Austin Cook (63), $140,800 66p-73s-
65- 64—268 -14
Lucas Glover (63), $140,800 69s-67p-
67-65—268 -14
Graeme McDowell (63), $140,800 67s-68p-
67-66—268 -14
Anders Albertson (48), $92,960 70s-66p-
66- 67—269 -13
Ryan Armour (48), $92,960 72s-66p-
67- 64—269 -13
Matt Every (48), $92,960 69s-69p-
65- 66—269 -13
Jason Gore (48), $92,960 68p-63s-
66- 72—269 -13
David Hearn (48), $92,960 68s-66p-
67- 68—269 -13
Patton Kizzire (48), $92,960 68p-72s-
63-66—269 -13
Hunter Mahan (48), $92,960 71 s-67p-
67-64—269 -13
Sunday’s scores
At Jumeirah Golf Estates
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Purse: $8 million
Yardage: 7,675; Par: 72
Final
Danny Willett, England 67-67-68-
68—270
Patrick Reed, United States 69-66-67-
70—272
Matt Wallace, England 68-65-71 -
68— 272
Dean Burmester, South Africa 71-65-68-
70—274
Adrian Otaegui, Spain 66-68-71 -
69— 274
Jon Rahm, Spain 67-70-69-
68— 274
Dylan Frittelli, South Africa 70-73-66-
66— 275
Tom Lewis, England 69-69-67-
70— 275
KiradechAphibarnrat,Thailand 70-66-71 -
69— 276
Sergio Garcia, Spain 71-68-67-
70— 276
Alex Noren, Sweden 69-71-67-
69— 276
Alexander Bjork, Sweden 72-65-70-
70— 277
Thomas Pieters, Belgium 68-70-72-
67— 277
Sunday’s results
At Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
Lap length: 1.5 miles
(Starting position in parentheses)
1. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 267.
2. (3) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 267.
3. (12) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 267.
4. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267.
5. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267.
6. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 267.
7. (14) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267.
8. (26) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 267.
9. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267.
10. (6) Kurt Busch, Ford, 267.
11. (16) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.
12. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267.
13. (11) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267.
14. (19) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267.
15. (8) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267.
16. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 267.
17. (15) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267.
18. (21) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267.
19. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266.
20. (25) David Ragan, Ford, 266.
21. (23) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 266.
22. (31) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 266.
23. (27) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 266.
24. (28) William Byron, Chevrolet, 266.
25. (22) Paul Menard, Ford, 265.
26. (29) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 264.
27. (7) Erik Jones, Toyota, 264.
28. (24) Michael McDowell, Ford, 263.
29. (13) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 263.
30. (18) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 262.
31. (32) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 262.
32. (33) JJ Yeley, Ford, 261.
33. (39) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 259.
34. (34) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 259.
35. (36) BJ McLeod, Ford, 256.
36. (35) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 256.
37. (38) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 254.
38. (37) Tanner Berryhill, Toyota, 254.
39. (30) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 240.
RACE STATISTICS
Average Speed of Race Winner: 133.056 mph.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 0 minutes, 36 sec
onds. Margin of Victory: 1.725 seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps.
Lead Changes: 22 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 1-36; M. Truex Jr.
37-39; M. McDowell 40-41; D. Hamlin 42; K.
Harvick 43-82; K. Larson 83; K. Harvick 84-86;
K. Larson 87-90; J. Logano 91-104; K. Larson
105-117; K. Harvick 118-119; M. Truex Jr.
120; D. Hamlin 121-124; K. Larson 125-147; K.
Harvick 148-159; K. Larson 160-163; J. Logano
164-166; K. Harvick 167; J. Logano 168-218; M.
Truex Jr. 219-230; K. Busch 231-251; M. Truex
Jr. 252-255; J. Logano 256-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps
Led): J. Logano 4 times for 80 laps; K. Harvick 5
times for 58 laps; K. Larson 5 times for 45 laps;
D. Hamlin 3 times for 41 laps; K. Busch 1 time
for 21 laps; M. Truex Jr. 4 times for 20 laps; M.
McDowell 1 time for 2 laps.
Transactions
HOCKEY
National Hockey League
LOS ANGELES KINGS — Recalled F Austin
Wagner from Ontario (AHL). Assigned G Cole
Kehler to Ontario.
NEW YORK RANGERS — Assigned F Vinni
Lettieri to Hartford (AHL).
COLLEGE
COLORADO — Fired football coach Mike
MacIntyre.
KANSAS — Named Les Miles football coach
and signed him to five-year contract.
TODAY ON TV
BASKETBALL
■ Xavier vs. Auburn, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
■ San Diego vs, Duke, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
■ California vs. Saint John’s, 7 p.m.,
ESPN2
■ Loyola vs. Richmond 6:30 p.m., FS1
■ Missouri State vs. Nebraska, 7 p.m.,
ESPNU
■ Iowa State vs. Arizona, 9 p.m., ESPNU
■ Wyoming vs. Boston College, 9 p.m.,
FS1
■ Southern California vs. Texas Tech,
9:30 p.m., ESPN2
■ Arizona State vs. Mississippi State,
11 p.m., ESPNU
■ Gonzaga vs. Illinois, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2
FOOTBALL
■ NFL: Chiefs at Rams 8:15 p.m., ESPN
NASCAR
Looking to shake it up
Wholesale changes expected
with hopes to bring back fans
Associated Press
NASCAR is open to
wholesale changes for
2020 that could include
everything from double-
headers, midweek races, a
tightened schedule, shorter
races, and even a potential
shared event schedule with
IndyCar.
Steve Phelps, named pres
ident of the sanctioning body
last month, insisted NAS
CAR can weather its current
decline and work out of its
downturn. But it’s going to
take changes that are being
discussed among the sport’s
stakeholders.
The first significant
change comes next season
with a rules package that
NASCAR is adamant will
dramatically improve the
on-track product. The next
big fix would be to the 2020
schedule.
“We’ve heard from our
fan base that they would like
to see more short-track rac
ing, they want to see more
road courses, they want
to see less cookie-cutter
tracks,” Phelps said Sun
day. “We are looking with
our broadcast partners and
with our tracks and with
our teams and drivers to
get input on what each of
them thinks would be an
ideal schedule, and then
we’re obviously doing fan
research.
“Do I believe that every
thing is on the table? I do.”
Phelps held his first news
conference as NASCAR
president just hours before
the championship-deciding
season finale at Homestead-
Miami Speedway. Brian
France had typically rep
resented NASCAR at the
annual event, but France
took leave as chairman and
CEO following his August
arrest on drunk driving
charges.
Jim France stepped in
as interim chairman and
CEO following his neph
ew’s arrest, but the word
“interim” was dropped
from his title shortly after
the change. NASCAR also
replaced Brent Dewar as
president with Phelps, and
the leadership group for the
family owned business is
clearly in transition.
“I can’t speak to if Brian
is coming back or not,”
Phelps said. “I do know that
Jim France is our chairman
and CEO. I do know that
Jim France is incredibly
involved in this sport, at the
racetrack, off the racetrack.
I can assure you that Jim
France is talking to a lot of
people. He’s talking to Roger
Penske and he’s talking to
Jack Roush and he’s talking
to racetrack owners. He’s
talking to drivers. He’s talk
ing to sponsors.
“That’s what Jim does,
and he is driving this sport.
As we look to 2019, we are
going to execute against
Jim’s vision.”
LOGANO
■ Continued from 1B
contenders followed each
other across the finish line.
“We weren’t even close,”
said Busch, who used strat
egy to keep up with the other
title contenders.
“We were so bad tonight
on the racetrack and on pit
road that nothing was kind of
going our way. So it was just
not all there the way that we
needed it to, and sometimes
it all falls into place and falls
your way, and other times
you’ve got to be able to go
out there and go earn it, and
we didn’t have either.”
In fact, Busch’s crew had
one of its worst races of the
year on pit road as the front
tire changer had hiccups on
several stops.
It negated any advantage
Busch gained when team
owner Gibbs forced Denny
Hamlin not to take the first
pit stall and leave it open so
Busch would have an easier
exit back onto the track. But
he lost six positions during
one stop, four in another,
and his team had to gam
ble on strategy to stay in
contention.
It was Busch who said los
ing the title would be most
disappointing if it went to
Logano because Logano
wasn’t in the same league as
the Big Three all season.
But Logano was adamant
he was the favorite, in part
because he wasn’t even sup
posed to make the final four
after just one regular season
victory. Busch and Harvick
ended the season with eight
wins each, while Truex had
four.
The title is redemption
for Logano, who could have
washed out of the sport
when Gibbs cut him from
the team. But he reinvented
himself under Penske and
became comfortable as
an aggressive driver, even
when it cost him.
Logano was the favor
ite to win the 2015 title but
missed the finale because a
feud with Matt Kenseth cost
him on the track. He was the
championship runner-up in
2016, and a penalty kept his
No. 22 out of last season’s
playoffs.
Logano this season had to
move Truex out of his way in
the final turn at Martinsville
Speedway last month to earn
his berth in the champion
ship race.
Logano The 28-year-
old Connecticut racer was
criticized for his aggres
siveness, and Truex prom
ised he’d prevent Logano
from winning the Cup, but
Logano insisted he made
the necessary move to win a
championship.
And in the final 15-lap
shootout to the finish,
Logano simply drove around
the outside of Truex and
pulled away. If Truex had
any intention of stopping
Logano he had to catch him
first, he couldn’t and fin
ished 1.725 seconds behind.
