About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2018)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Unties gainesvilletimes.com Sunday, December 2, 2018 NFL GAIL BURTON I Associated Press Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looks for a receiver during a game against the Oakland Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 25 in Baltimore. Falcons to prepare for 2 Ravens QBs BY CHARLES ODUM Associated Press ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons must prepare for two quar terbacks as they await Sunday’s visit from the Baltimore Ravens. Of the two, rookie Lamar Jackson is the hot topic of the week in the Falcons’ locker room. The Falcons, who face Carolina and Cam Newton in the NFC South twice each sea son, have prepared for other mobile quarter backs. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett says Jackson belongs in a dif ferent category. “I don’t feel there’s a com parison to what we’ve seen in terms of the level of athlete that he is,” Jar rett said. “He’s a guy who can play any where, at any position, on the offensive side of the ball. I don’t think there’s a comparison to anybody in the league to what he can do athleti cally at the position of quarterback.” While the Ravens await the return of long time starter Joe Flacco from a right hip injury, Jackson has boosted the team’s playoff hopes. The former Louisville standout and 2016 Heis- man Trophy winner has led Baltimore (6-5) to l* Quinn Falcons vs. Ravens When: Today, 1 p.m. TV: CBS back-to-back wins over Cincinnati and Oakland. Jackson suddenly is the team’s second-leading rusher after leading the Ravens to more than 400 total yards in each of the two straight wins. Even coach John Harbaugh is stunned by the impact of Jackson’s unusual speed in games. “We all are sports fans, and ‘speed kills’ is what they say in any sport, really, so it’s fun to watch,” Har baugh said. “But, I do think it’s always more impressive to see it live than it is on tape, sure.” Jackson ran for 117 yards against the Bengals and 71 in last week’s 34-17 win over the Raiders. “It’s difficult to simulate, because he has such quickness and speed, like a wide receiver or a corner has, but he’s behind cen ter,” said Falcons coach Dan Quinn. The Falcons (4-7) have seen their play off hopes devastated by their second three- game losing streak of the season. ■ Please see FALCONS, 4B i COLLEGE BASKETBALL Ga. Tech falls to St.Johns in Miami BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press COLLEGE FOOTBALL I SEC Championship Tide stays perfect JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) celebrates his touchdown against Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday in Atlanta. Jalen Hurts replaces injured Tua Tagovailoa to lead Alabama to SEC Championship victory BY PAUL NEWBERRY Associated Press ATLANTA — In a dramatic twist on last season’s national championship game, Jalen Hurts came off the bench to pass for one touchdown and run for another in the fourth quarter, rallying No. 1 Alabama to a 35-28 win over No. 4 Georgia for the Southeastern Confer ence title Saturday. Heisman Trophy favorite Tua Tagovailoa had to be helped off the field with just over 11 minutes remaining after one of his own linemen stepped on the quarterback’s right ankle as he attempted to throw. Enter Hurts, who led Alabama to the national title game as a freshman but lost the starting job to Tagovailoa. Hurts calmly guided the Crimson Tide (13-0, No. 1 CFP) to a game-tying touchdown with a 10-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, capping a 16-play, 80-yard drive that consumed more than 7 minutes. After Georgia (11-2, No. 4 CFP) was stuffed on a fake punt near midfield, Hurts took matters into his own hands for the winning score. Spotting an opening up the middle, he took off on a 15-yard TD run with 1:04 remaining. “All year, I’ve kind of been waiting on my opportunity,” Hurts said. “My opportunity came today. I worked so hard this week with my team mates. We found a way to get it done today.” This was a reversal of the storyline from last season’s national title game, when Tagovailoa replaced an inef fective Hurts at the start of the second half with Alabama trail ing Georgia 13-0. The replace ment threw three touchdown passes, including a 41-yarder in overtime that gave the Tide a stunning 26-23 victory. Tagovailoa won the starting job in preseason practice and performed brilliantly during the regular season, throwing 36 touchdown passes with only two interceptions. The SEC title game took a different path. Georgia put quite a beating on Tagovailoa, who was picked off twice, spent much of his spare time in the medical tent and was largely ineffec tive as the Bulldogs built a pair of two- touchdown leads. This time, it was Hurts who bailed out the Crimson Tide. When he trot ted off the field after the winning TD, Tagovailoa was one of the first ones to greet him on the sideline . Afterward, they stood side-by-side on the podium in the middle of the field while Ala bama received its SEC championship trophy. Alabama coach Nick Saban summed it up best: “Wow.” Now, the Crimson Tide is headed back to the College Football Playoff, looking for its second straight national title and the sixth of the last decade under Saban. “I know at Alabama, there’s always an opportunity to win,” Hurts said. “We worked so hard in the offseason — blood, sweat and tears together. Today, we found a way to get it done. I’m so happy, so happy for everybody.” Georgia can make a pretty good case for the playoff, too, but the Bull dogs will likely get left out. Big 12 ■ Please see ALABAMA, 3B Tagovailoa HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD Buford girls basketball wins 5th straight MIAMI — Saturday marked the 28th anniver sary of one of St. John’s coach Chris Mullin’s great est NBA games: He didn’t miss a single shot in a game at Miami, going a perfect 11 for 11 from the field and 5 for 5 from the foul line to help Golden State win. Clearly, something about December 1, Mullin and Miami just works. Shamorie Ponds scored 37 points, including a personal 9-0 run in the second half, and St. John’s rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat Georgia Tech 76-73 on Saturday in the HoopHall Miami Invitational. Mullin still remembers his perfect night in Miami. He won’t forget Ponds’ effort on the Heat floor anytime soon, either. “He had a better game than me,” Mullin said. High praise, and it was deserved as the Red Storm (7-0) stayed unbeaten — extending their ■ Please see TECH, 2B The Buford girls basketball team took out Parkview on Saturday in a 54-46 deci sion that sent the team to 5-0 to start the year. The Lady Wolves were led by Tate Walters, who scored 18 points, and Pres ton Reid, who chipped in 12. Buford will play again next Saturday at 7:30 against Northview. BANKS COUNTY BOYS 83, COLLINS HILL 55: The Leopards got double-dou bles from Carl Cleveland (32 points, 12 rebounds) and Wes Ledford (10 points, 14 rebounds) as Banks County dismantled Collins Hill Saturday. Pierce Martin added 11 points and four boards for the Leopards. BANKS COUNTY GIRLS 53, DAW SON COUNTY 50: The Lady Tigers fell into a 13-5 first-quarter hole that the team could never climb out of as it fell to Banks County on Saturday. Kay- lee Sticker led Dawson County with 15 points, while Sophia D’Oliveira had nine and Marlie Townley had eight. The Lady Tigers will take on Fannin County on Tuesday at 6 p.m. JOHNSON BOYS 74, COMMERCE 52: Wade Pearce and Jesse Harbin scored 19 points each as the Knights took the win on the road. Johnson will be back in action on Tues day against Oglethorpe County. LAKEVIEW ACADEMY BOYS 59, WHITE COUNTY 43: Blake McIntyre led the way for the Lions, scoring 20, and Adam Cottrell had a 10 point, 10 rebound double-double. Arturo Varela added 12 points. The Lions are now 4-2 to start the year, and will take on Tallulah Falls next Sat urday at 7:30. WRESTLING The East Hall Varsity Wrestling team finished in 5th place out of 26 teams at the King of the Mountain Tournament in Hiawassee on Saturday. The Vikings got a second place finish from Blake Nix at 170 pounds, a third- place mark from Ramon Castillo at 195 pounds and a fourth-place result from Luis Garcia at 132 pounds. East Hall will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 4 when it travels to take on Hart County on the road. Compiled by Nathan Berg
