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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
SPORTS
2B
Thursday, November 29, 2018
GOLF
Healthy Tiger expected
to compete in Bahamas
Associated Press
Justin Thomas is paired
with Tiger Woods in the
Hero World Challenge for
the second straight year, and
just like last time, he has an
idea what to expect
from him.
By now, so does
everyone else.
Woods was a mys
tery a year ago. He
was No. 1,199 in the
world ranking when
he returned from a
fourth back surgery,
having competed in
only one PGA Tour
event since August 2015.
Thomas had played golf
with him at home in Florida
and thought he looked great,
a tough sell to those
who hadn’t seen
Woods.
“The consistency
wasn’t there,”
Thomas said
Wednesday after
his pro-am round at
Albany Golf Club.
“But the great shots
— the ones that
made you stop and
think a second — were. The
more we played, the more
we saw it. I wasn’t going to
say anything because you
don’t know what’s going to
happen and how he’s going
to feel. But I thought if he
stays healthy, I think he’s
going to win this year.
“First off, it’s him. You
always feel like he’s going to
do what people don’t expect,
because that’s what he loves
to do.”
There are no surprises
this year.
Woods now is No. 13 in the
world as he hosts this holi
day tournament for the 20th
time. It’s his first
72-hole tournament
since he ended his
remarkable come
back by winning the
Tour Championship
in late September
for his 80th career
PGA Tour victory.
He twice con
tended at majors,
taking a brief lead
Sunday in the British Open
and challenging Brooks
Koepka to the end at the
ampionship.
“Just being able
to win a golf tourna
ment again, consid
ering where I was at
this point last year
and (before) that
point, I think what
I’ve accomplished
this year has been
pretty special,”
Woods said.
It’s another
strong field at Albany with
six of the top 10 in the world
among the 18 players. Miss
ing is Koepka, the U.S. Open
and PGA champion who
returned to No. 1 in the
world this week, along with
Jordan Spieth, who got mar
ried over the weekend in
Texas. Francesco Molinari,
the British Open champion
and Ryder Cup star, also
First round
When: 1:30 p.m. today
TV: Golf channel
chose to take this year off,
leaving Masters champion
Patrick Reed as the only
major champion in the field.
The unofficial event
offers world ranking points,
which matters most to Jus
tin Rose because he has a
chance to return to No. 1
in his see-saw battle with
Koepka. The winner gets
$1 million — everyone in
the field earned at least $2.6
million on the PGA Tour
this season. For Woods, it’s a
chance to build on momen
tum going into 2019.
“A guy like Tiger, just give
him a speck of confidence
or a speck of just feeling
good, anything can happen,”
said Keegan Bradley, a late
entry at the Bahamas when
Tommy Fleetwood with
drew. “You can see that with
Tiger, where he’s just such a
good player. He’s going to
get some momentum and
he’ll do great.”
Henrik Stenson was
among those who hadn’t
seen Woods in nearly a
year when he arrived at the
World Challenge last year.
They were paired in the sec
ond round, and Woods was
hitting his drives alongside
and often past the Swede.
“I thought he was having a
lot of speed when I saw him
coming back here a year
ago,” Stenson said.
Thomas
Woods
BUFORD
■ Continued from 1B
the 2016 Class 5A champion
ship at the Georgia Dome.
“Obviously, being the
head football coach at
Buford is quite a task, and
it’s a little different than at
most high schools,” Wolfe
said. “There’s high expecta
tions .. But I do think (coach
Ford) enjoyed his time here
greatly, and had an impact
with our kids.”
Wolfe did acknowledge
the next coaching search
briefly came into discussion
Wednesday, but indicated
that the mental well-being
of the players is always first
priority. Wolfe said Ford
met and spoke with the
team early Wednesday to
announce his decision.
“No matter what school
you’re at, what your record
was or sort of how it went...
the head coach is an impor
tant figure in student ath
letes’ eyes,” Wolfe said. The
second step was checking on
the kids to make sure they
were fine.”
The hiring process is offi
cially in the “infant stages,”
said Wolfe, but will be car
ried out with great care as
the school year progresses.
“We want to make a great
hire, and we feel like it’s a
very attractive job that we’ll
get a number of applicants
for,” Wolfe said. “We’ll take
time to go through those
applications and pick the
absolute best person for our
program and for our kids. ”
Football/NFL
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
W
East
L T
Pet
PF
PA
New England
8
3 0
.727
307
249
Miami
5
6 0
.455
223
283
Buffalo
4
7 0
.364
161
272
N.Y. Jets
3
8 0
.273
221
281
W
South
L T
Pet
PF
PA
Houston
8
3 0
.727
273
222
Indianapolis
6
5 0
.545
325
273
Tennessee
5
6 0
.455
195
223
Jacksonville
3
8 0
.273
197
243
W
North
L T
Pet
PF
PA
Pittsburgh
7
3 1
.682
316
249
Baltimore
6
5 0
.545
271
198
Cincinnati
5
6 0
.455
276
347
Cleveland
4
6 1
.409
253
283
W
West
L T
Pet
PF
PA
Kansas City
9
2 0
.818
404
294
L.A. Chargers
8
3 0
.727
307
219
Denver
5
6 0
.455
252
252
Oakland
2
9 0
.182
187
327
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
W
East
L T
Pet
PF
PA
Dallas
6
5 0
.545
234
213
Washington
6
5 0
.545
220
229
Philadelphia
5
6 0
.455
230
253
N.Y. Giants
3
8 0
.273
237
288
W
South
L T
Pet
PF
PA
New Orleans
10 1 0
.909
409
256
Carolina
6
5 0
.545
287
282
Atlanta
4
7 0
.364
280
307
Tampa Bay
4
7 0
.364
294
338
W
North
L T
Pet
PF
PA
Chicago
8
3 0
.727
317
211
Minnesota
6
4 1
.591
265
246
Green Bay
4
6 1
.409
264
267
Detroit
4
7 0
.364
238
286
W
West
L T
Pet
PF
PA
L.A. Rams
10 1 0
.909
389
282
Seattle
6
5 0
.545
276
243
Arizona
2
9 0
.182
155
293
San Francisco
2
9 0
.182
239
293
Today’s Game
New Orleans at Dallas, 8:20 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
L.A. Rams at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Arizona at Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Denver at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Chicago at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Houston, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
San Francisco at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Minnesota at New England, 4:25 p.m.
L.A. Chargers at Pittsburgh, 8:20 p.m.
Monday’s Games
Washington at Philadelphia, 8:15 p.m.
Football/college
Today’s games
SOUTH
Charleston Southern at The Citadel, 7 p.m.
Friday’s game
MIDWEST
MAC Championship: Buffalo (10-2) vs. N. Illinois
(7-5) at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Pac-12 Championship: Utah (9-3) vs. Washing
ton (9-3) at Santa Clara, Calif., 8 p.m.
Saturday’s games
SOUTH
Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6) at Appalachian St.
(9-2), Noon
East Carolina (3-8) at NC State (8-3), Noon
Akron (4-7) at South Carolina (6-5), Noon
Marshall (8-3) at Virginia Tech (5-6), Noon
C-USA Championship: UAB (9-3) at Middle
Tennessee (8-4), 1:30 p.m.
Norfolk St. (4-6) at Liberty (5-6), 2 p.m.
AAC Championship: Memphis (8-4) at UCF
(11-0), 3:30 p.m.
SEC Championship: Georgia (11-1) vs. Alabama
(12-0) at Atlanta, 4 p.m.
SWAC Championship: Southern U. (7-3) at
Alcorn St. (8-3), 4:30 p.m.
ACC Championship: Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Clem-
son (12-0) at Charlotte, N.C., 8 p.m.
MIDWEST
Drake (7-3) at Iowa St. (7-4), Noon
Big Ten championship: Northwestern (8-4) vs.
Ohio St. (11-1) at Indianapolis, 8 p.m.
SOUTHWEST
Big 12 Championship: Texas (9-3) vs. Oklahoma
(11-1) at Arlington, Texas, Noon
FAR WEST
MWC Championship: Fresno St. (10-2) at Boise
St. (10-2), 7:45 p.m.
FCS Playoffs
Saturday’s games
Second Round
Jacksonville St. (9-3) at Maine (8-3), Noon
James Madison (9-3) at Colgate (9-1), 1 p.m.
Wofford (9-3) at Kennesaw St. (10-1), 2 p.m.
Montana St. (8-4) at N. Dakota St. (11-0), 3 p.m.
Duquesne (9-3) at S. Dakota St. (8-2), 3 p.m.
SE Missouri (9-3) at Weber St. (9-2), 4 p.m.
Nicholls St. (9-3) at E. Washington (9-2), 5 p.m.
N. Iowa (7-5) at UC Davis (9-2), 7 p.m.
Division III schedule
Second Round
Saturday, Nov. 24
Mount Union 51, Centre 35
Muhlenberg 35, Randolph-Macon 6
RPI21, Brockport 13
Johns Hopkins 58, Frostburg State 27
Mary Hardin-Baylor 75, Berry 9
St. John’s (Minn.) 45, Whitworth 24
Wisconsin-Whitewater 54, St. Norbert 21
Bethel (Minn.) 27, North Central (III.) 24
Quarterfinals
Saturday’s games
Muhlenberg (11-1) at Mount Union (12-0), Noon
RPI (10-1) at Johns Hopkins (11-1), Noon
St. John’s (Minn.) (12-0) at Mary Hardin-Baylor
(12-0), 1 p.m.
Bethel (Minn.) (11-1) at Wisconsin-Whitewater
(11-0), 1 p.m.
Transactions
BASEBALL
MLB PLAYERS ASSOCIATION — Extended
the contract of executive director Tony Clark
through 2022.
American League
BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Assigned SS Engelb
Vielma outright to Norfolk (IL).
NEW YORK YANKEES — Traded INF Ronald
Torreyes to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be
named or cash.
National League
ATLANTA BRAVES — Traded LHP Adam Mc-
Creery to the L.A. Dodgers for cash.
CHICAGO CUBS—Agreed to terms with LHP
Kyle Ryan on a one-year contract.
CINCINNATI REDS — Named Freddie Benavides
bench coach, Delino DeShields first base coach,
Lee Tunnell bullpen coach and Jeff Pickier
game planning & outfield coach.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Designated SP
Pat Venditte for assignment. Named Robert
Van Scoyoc hitting coach, Dino Ebel third base
coach, Aaron Bates assistant hitting coach and
Chris Gimenez game planning coach.
MIAMI MARLINS —Assigned RHP Ben Meyer
outright to New Orleans (PCL) and OF Braxton
Lee outright to Jacksonville (SL).
BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association
NBA — Announced the retirement of executive
vice president and chief marketing officer Pam
El, effective at the end of December.
PHOENIX SUNS — Waived G Isaiah Canaan.
FOOTBALL
National Football League
ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed DE Cameron
Malveaux from Miami’s practice squad.
ATLANTA FALCONS — Placed DE Derrick Shelby
on injured reserve. Signed S Ryan Neal from
the practice squad and RB Jeremy Langford to
the practice squad.
GREEN BAY PACKERS — Released LB Korey
Toomer. Placed G Anthony Coyle on the practice
squad/injured list. Signed S Eddie Pleasant.
Signed FB Malcolm Johnson to the practice
squad.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed TE Clive
Walford.
MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed WR Jakeem Grant
on injured reserve. Signed WR Isaiah Ford from
the practice squad.
NEW YORK JETS — Placed G James Carpenter
on injured reserve. Signed OL Ben Braden from
the practice squad and RB Mark Thompson to
the practice squad.
OAKLAND RAIDERS — Released WR ArDarius
Stewart from the practice squad. Signed LB
James Cowser and WR Johnny Holton to the
practice squad.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed CB David
Rivers from the practice squad and TE Donnie
Ernsberger to the practice squad.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Signed LB Josh
Carraway to the practice squad.
Canadian Football League
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS — Agreed to terms
with 0T Jermarcus Hardrick on a one-year
contract extension.
TODAY ON TV
NFL
NICK WASS I The Associated Press
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, tries to break free from Oakland Raiders
linebacker Nicholas Morrow in the first half of the game Nov. 25 in Baltimore.
Playing in Atlanta is
bad memory for Jackson
Baltimore QB played first
college game at Ga. Dome
BY JOSEPH SHAFFER
Baltimore Sun
The Georgia Dome is
gone, demolished a little
over a year ago, but Lamar
Jackson still remembers
it “vividly.” Or at least he
remembers one play there.
One very bad play.
Three years ago, as a
true freshman at Louisville,
Jackson lined up behind
starter Reggie Bonnafon on
the first play of the Cardi
nals’ season opener against
No. 6 Auburn.
Just before the snap of
the ball, Bonnafon motioned
left, and Jackson took the
ball as if he were in the
shotgun. He faked a hand-
off, scrambled right. He
could’ve stepped out for a
5-yard loss. He should’ve
thrown the ball away.
Instead, he tossed a
prayer downfield to a wide
receiver about to take a prat
fall and a defensive back
who probably didn’t expect
the easiest interception of
his career to come against
a future Heisman Trophy
winner.
“I hate ’em,” Jackson said
of interceptions. “Every
thing bad that happens, I
remember.”
If the site of his next game,
his first possible road start,
awakens a sense of deja vu
in Jackson, well, it ought to.
Just down the street from
where the Georgia Dome
once stood is Mercedes-
Benz Stadium, the home of
the Atlanta Falcons (4-7),
whom the Ravens (6-5) face
in another crucial game
Sunday.
They have won two
straight with Jackson as
starter, and coach John Har-
baugh gave every indication
Wednesday that the rookie is
in line for his third straight
start. Harbaugh declined
to say whether Flacco,
who saw a specialist for his
injured right hip Monday,
has been cleared to prac
tice, offering only that the
longtime starter is “pro
gressing very well.” For the
seventh practice in a row,
Flacco was absent Wednes
day, a period that dates to
before the Ravens’ Week 9
game against the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
“He’s doing well, and it’ll
be another step today and
tomorrow and the day after
that,” Harbaugh said, refer
ring to the team’s three days
of practice this week. “And
we’ll see where we’re at. ”
Jackson has played in all
five Ravens road games this
Falcons vs.
Ravens
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
TV: CBS
season, but almost exclu
sively in cameo roles, com
ing on for exotic packages
with Flacco and the occa
sional late drive in games
already well in hand.
M&T Bank Stadium
opened its doors to Cincin
nati Bengals and Oakland
Raiders fans in Jackson’s
first two starts, but they were
specks in a crowd of tens of
thousands clad in purple,
their cheers and jeers never
much of a bother.
It is not like Jackson
will be entering uncharted
territory in Atlanta. Jack-
son played that first game
against Auburn before an
announced crowd of 73,927,
more than M&T Bank Sta
dium’s capacity.
The next season, he
passed for 295 yards and a
touchdown in a prime-time
quarterback duel against
Deshaun Watson at Clem-
son Memorial Stadium, aka
“Death Valley,” where the
attendance surpassed by
nearly 2,000 the venue’s
listed capacity (81,500).
Last year, he ran wild in a
win against Florida State at
Doak Campbell Stadium,
doing what he could to
silence Seminoles fans’ sig
nature war chants.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL I Mens top 25
No. 4 Virginia strong
shooting in 76-71 win
Associated Press
Kyle Guy scored 18 points
and No. 4 Virginia combined
effective outside shooting
with its usual stout defense
to slip past 24th-ranked
Maryland 76-71 Wednesday
night in the ACC/Big Ten
Challenge.
The Cavaliers (7-0) blew
most of a 17-point lead
before making six free
throws in the final 37 sec
onds to hand Maryland its
first loss.
Ty Jerome scored 17 and
De’Andre Hunter had 15 for
Virginia, which improved
to 121-35 in nonconference
games under coach Tony
Bennett.
Guy nailed five 3-pointers
and the Cavaliers went 10
for 22 beyond the arc.
Virginia committed only
two turnovers and had
assists on 15 of its 28 baskets.
Bruno Fernando had 14
points and 11 rebounds, and
Anthony Cowan Jr. scored
15 for the Terrapins (6-1).
After trailing 48-31 with
16:29 left, Maryland closed
to 63-59 before Jerome
popped a 3-pointer and Jack
Salt added a dunk to quell
the comeback.
No. 6 TENNESSEE 95,
EASTERN KENTUCKY
67: Grant Williams had 21
points and 11 rebounds as
No. 6 Tennessee bounced
back from its first loss of
the season with a victory
over Eastern Kentucky on
Wednesday night.
Tennessee (5-1) was play
ing for the first time since
falling 87-81 in overtime to
No. 2 Kansas on Friday at
the NIT Season Tip-Off in
New York.
This game didn’t have
nearly as much suspense.
Eastern Kentucky (3-4)
and Tennessee were tied
11-all seven minutes into the
game before the Volunteers
scored 13 straight points to
pull ahead for good.
SYRACUSE 72, No. 6
OHIO STATE 62: Tyus Bat
tle scored 20 points and Eli
jah Hughes added 18 to help
Syracuse upset No. 16 Ohio
State 72-62 in the Big Ten/
ACC Challenge on Wednes
day night for the Orange’s
second straight victory.
Syracuse improved to 4-2
on the season by shooting 49
percent from the field and
46 percent from 3-point land.
C.J. Jackson had 19 points
for Ohio State, and Kaleb
Wesson contributed 13, as
the Buckeyes (6-1) lost for
the first time this season.
Much of the game was a
battle of fouls and foul shots,
as the Orange finished with
nearly as many personal
fouls (28) as it did rebounds
(29), with Bourama Sidibe,
Frank Howard and Marek
Dolezaj all fouling out.
BASKETBALL
■ Iowa women at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2
■ Alabama at UCF, 7 p.m., ESPNU
■ NBA: Warriors at Raptors, 8 p.m., TNT
■ High School: Coronado (California) at Bishop Gorman (Nevada), 9 p.m., ESPNU
■ NBA: Clippers at Kings, 10:30 p.m., TNT
SOCCER
FOOTBALL GOLF
■ Atlanta United vs. New
York Red Bulls. 7:30 p.m.,
FS1
■ Sporting KC vs.
Portland Timbers, 9:30
p.m., ESPN
■ Saints at
Cowboys, 8 p.m.,
FOX
■ European Tour:
Mauritius Open,
3:30 am, GOLF
■ PGA Tour: Hero
World Challenge,
1:30 p.m., GOLF
WOMEN’S TOP 25
No. 2 UConn rolls
past DePaul 96-63
Napheesa Collier scored
24 points and grabbed 10
rebounds as No. 2 UConn
passed its first test of the
season against a ranked
opponent by routing No. 16
DePaul 99-63 on Wednesday
night.
Katie Lou Samuelson
added 23 points for the Hus
kies (6-0), who have a show
down Sunday at top-ranked
Notre Dame.
Any questions about
whether UConn would over
look the Blue Demons were
answered in the opening 10
minutes.
The Huskies scored the
final 16 points of the first
quarter to stretch a 16-15
lead to 32-15. They extended
that run to 24-0 led by Samu
elson, who hit her first four
3-point shots and finished 5
of 6 from behind the arc.
No. 18 SOUTH CARO
LINA 65, DAYTON 55:
Tyasha Harris scored 12 of
her season-high 24 points in
the third quarter and No. 18
South Carolina beat Dayton
65-55 on Wednesday night.
Harris made South Caro
lina’s first 3-pointer of the
game with 1:29 left in the
third quarter and she fin
ished with 12 of the Game
cocks’ 23 points in the
quarter.
South Carolina allowed
just four points over the final
10 minutes.
Associated Press
