About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2018)
SPORTS The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Sunday, December 23, 2018 3B Bowl glance Friday’s games Bahamas Bowl Nassau FIU 35, Toledo 32 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Boise BYU 49, Western Michigan 18 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Tall task at hand for Saturday’s games Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34 Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas Army 70, Houston 14 Dollar General Bowl Mobile, Ala. Troy 42, Buffalo 32 Hawaii Bowl Honolulu Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Hawaii (8-5), late Wednesday’s games SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Dallas Boston College (7-5) vs. Boise State (10-3), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Quick Lane Bowl Detroit Minnesota (6-6) vs. Georgia Tech (7-5), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Cheez-lt Bowl Phoenix California (7-5) vs. TCU (6-6), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Dec. 27 Independence Bowl Shreveport, La. Temple (8-4) vs. Duke (7-5), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Pinstripe Bowl Bronx, N.Y. Miami (7-5) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Texas Bowl Houston Baylor (6-6) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 28 Music City Bowl Nashville, Tenn. Purdue (6-6) vs. Auburn (7-5), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Camping World Bowl Orlando, Fla. West Virginia (8-3) vs. Syracuse (9-3), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl San Antonio Iowa State (8-4) vs. Washington State (10-2), 9 p.m. (ESPN) No. 3 Notre Dame CHUCK BURTON I Associated Press Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to pass against Wake Forest during the first half of the game Oct. 6 in Charlotte, N.C. Saturday, Dec. 29 Peach Bowl Atlanta Florida (9-3) vs. Michigan (10-2), Noon (ESPN) Belk Bowl Charlotte, N.C. South Carolina (7-5) vs. Virginia (7-5), Noon (ABC) Arizona Bowl TUcson, Ariz. Arkansas State (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5), 1:15 p.m. (CBSSN) Cotton Bowl Classic Arlington, Texas CFP Semifinal, Notre Dame (12-0) vs. Clemson (13-0), 4 p.m. (ESPN) Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, Fla. CFP Semifinal, Oklahoma (12-1) vs. Alabama (13-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Dec. 31 Military Bowl Annapolis, Md. Cincinnati (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6), Noon (ESPN) Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas Stanford (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (7-6), 2 p.m. (CBS) Redbox Bowl Santa Clara, Calif. Michigan State (7-5) vs. Oregon (8-4), 3 p.m. (FOX) Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tenn. Missouri (8-4) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6), 3:45 p.m. (ESPN) Holiday Bowl San Diego Northwestern (8-5) vs. Utah (9-4), 7 p.m. (FS1) Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. NC State (9-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Mississippi State (8-4) vs. Iowa (8-4), Noon (ESPN2) Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla. Kentucky (9-3) vs. Penn State (9-3), 1 p.m. (ABC) Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Ariz. LSU (9-3) vs. UCF (12-0), 1 p.m. (ESPN) Rose Bowl Pasadena, Calif. Washington (10-3) vs. Ohio State (12-1), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Sugar Bowl New Orleans Texas (9-4) vs. Georgia (11-2), 8:45 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 7 College Football Championship Santa Clara, Calif. Cotton Bowl winner vs. Orange Bowl winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Jan. 19 East-West Shrine Classic At St. Petersburg, Fla. East vs. West, 3 p.m. (NFLN) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. American vs. National, TBA (NFLN) Saturday, Jan. 26 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. North vs. South, 2:30 p.m. (NFLN) Associated Press No. 2 Clemson has offense that is strong on all fronts Associated Press Notre Dame All-American cornerback Julian Love already knows all about Clemson. Blame his roommate. Love’s roomie is Troy Pride Jr., another cornerback for the Fighting Irish, who will play Clemson on Dec. 29 in a playoff semifinal in Arlington, Texas. Pride is from Greer, South Carolina, a 50-mile drive from Clemson. “Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of their games this year,” Love said. “Sometimes they might play before us. So me and Troy like to watch them play. Troy is a South Carolina guy so that’s kind of his bread and butter.” Love, Pride and the rest of coordina tor Clark Lea’s unheralded Notre Dame defense will try not to lose their appetite preparing for the prolific Tigers. Clemson is ranked 10th or better nationally in total offense (No. 5, 529.8 yards per game), scoring (No. 5, 45.4 points per game) and rushing (No. 10, 259.8 yards per game). They have scored 41 or more points in eight of their 13 vic tories, including a season-high 77 against Louisville. Dabo Swinney’s offense, coordinated by Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott, features a stable of running backs led by of 5-foot- 10,200-pound sophomore Travis Etienne, a true freshman quarterback in 6-foot-6 Trevor Lawrence, a talented receiving corps led by wide receivers Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers and Hunter Renfrew, and an offensive line anchored by first-team AP All-America left tackle Mitch Hyatt. Etienne has 1,463 yards on 176 rushes (8.3 per carry) and 21 of Clemson’s 46 touchdowns on the ground. Higgins has 52 receptions for 802 yards (15.4 aver age) and 10 touchdowns while Rodgers and Renfrew have 47 and 43 receptions, respectively. “You put the film on and you know the challenge that exists,” Lea said. “But it’s why you want to be in the playoffs. At this point, you’re not expecting to see anything but the best. I know our players are going to be excited to compete on this stage.” Lawrence has completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards and 24 touchdowns against four interceptions. If he has any freshman nerves, he’s not showing them much as he preps for the Fighting Irish defense, lOth-best in points allowed per game (17.3) but only No. 20 overall. “All that stuff lessens and lessens the more you get prepared. We’re preparing the right way,” Lawrence said. “I’ll be a little nervous before the game because it’s a big game. I think it’s good to be a little nervous. It shows you’re excited and ready.” Rodgers praised the play of both Love and Pride. “They’re a smart group. They don’t get beat deep often. They’re physical, too,” he said. For his part, Love was really impressed with Lawrence, who Lea said “can throw the ball from the hash to the sideline without blinking an eye.” “(Lawrence) gets all the hype he deserves,” said Love, who finished fifth with 61 tackles, broke up 15 passe, had an interception and three fumble recover ies, one of which he returned for a touch down. “He’s young, but he’s shown this year that he is very talented.” Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tran- quill, who has overcome a broken hand and a sprained ankle this season, got to meet Etienne in Atlanta prior to an awards show earlier this month. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “We were chatting a little bit and I said to (Etienne), ‘You look a lot smaller in person that I thought you would be,”’ said Tranquill, who has 75 tackles and 3.5 sacks this season. “He runs bigger than he is. He will be the best overall guy we’ve seen this year in terms of running with power and running with finesse. ” Linebacker Te’von Coney, who led the Irish with 107 tackles, knows Notre Dame will have its hands full. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery said he was focused on beating Clemson and then seeking a goal that has eluded Notre Dame for 30 years — a national championship. Wake Forest rallies past Memphis to win Birmingham Bowl, 37-34 Associated Press Jamie Newman ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to cap a big performance and Wake For est’s comeback in a 37-34 victory over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday. The Demon Deacons (7-6) then had to wait to celebrate until Riley Patter son’s 43-yard field goal attempt went wide right as time expired. Both teams scored touchdowns over the final 1:15. Memphis (8-6) lost a big lead for the second straight game after jumping ahead by 18 points in the first half. Game MVP Newman ran for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth to lead Wake Forest, throwing for 328 yards and rushing 23 times for 91 more. He led the Demon Deacons on a 75-yard drive starting at the 1:15 mark, covering most of it with completions of 49 and 20 yards to Alex Bachman. The second catch was reviewed and the spot was upheld at the 1-yard line after Bachman’s right arm hit the pylon. Newman kept the ball for the go-ahead score. Memphis swiftly moved into posi tion to at least tie the game. Brady White found an open Joey Magnifico on the right sideline for a 44-yard gain, with the tight end battling for extra yards down to the 17. The Tigers went backward after that, including a false start penalty after Patterson lined up to attempt a game-tying kick. In their last outing, they had led by 17 points against No. 7 UCF in the American Athletic Conference cham pionship game, only to lose 58-41. Subbing for All-America running back Darrell Henderson, Patrick Taylor Jr. had given Memphis the lead with a 9-yard touchdown to cap a 14-play, 88-yard drive. Tony Pollard scored on a 97-yard kickoff return to tie the NCAA career mark with seven. ARMED FORCES BOWL Army quarterback ran for five touchdowns in 70-14 win over Houston Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. ran for 170 yards and an Armed Forces Bowl-record five touchdowns and the No. 22 Black Knights over whelmed Houston 70-14 on Saturday to reach 11 wins for the first time in program history. The Black Knights (11-2) won their ninth consecutive game since an over time loss at playoff team Oklahoma exactly three months earlier. Hopkins had a nifty 77-yard TD run on the last play of the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. The junior quarterback initially ran right before cutting back the other way and alluding one tack ier. He sent two other defenders slid ing to the ground when he switched directions again back toward the mid dle of the field. Houston (8-5) lost for the fourth time in five games since starting 7-1 and getting into the AP Top 25 poll for one week in late October. The Cougars suffered their most-lopsided loss in their 27 bowl games, and their biggest loss overall since a 66-10 loss at UCLA during the 1997 regular season. Along with his 11 rushing attempts before coming out of the game mid way through the third quarter when it was 49-7, Hopkins completed the first 1,000-yard passing season for Army since 2007. He was 3-of-3 passing for 70 yards, including a 54-yarder that set up one of his three 1-yard TD plunges. He also had a 2-yard TD run. On the first play of the second quar ter, Cameron Jones had a 23-yard fumble return for an Army touchdown after James Nachtigal forced the turn over when he sacked Clayton Tune. Army got 507 of its 592 total yards on the ground in its highest-scoring game this season — and the most points in the program’s nine bowl appearances. The Black Knights won a bowl for the third consecutive year, including last year’s Armed Force Bowl over San Diego State. DOLLWR GENERAL BOWL Troy’s offense shines in win against Buffalo Sawyer Smith threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, B.J. Smith and Sidney Davis ran for touchdowns and Troy beat Buffalo 42-32 in the Dollar General Bowl on Saturday night. Troy (10-3) secured the hard-fought win on Davis’ 20-yard touchdown run with 3:09 remaining, a play after Buf falo’s Tyree Jackson fumbled to give the Trojans possession. It was the Bulls’ third lost fumble. COLLEGE BASKCTBALL SHAWN MILLSAPS I Associated Press Tennessee guard Admiral Schofield (5) blocks the shot of Wake Forest guard Chaundee Brown (23) in the second half of Saturday’s game in Knoxville, Tenn. No. 3 Tennessee holds off Wake Forest, 83-64 Associated Press Grant Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds as No. 3 Tennessee trounced Wake Forest 83-64 on Satur day for its sixth consecutive victory. Kyle Alexander scored a career-high 19 points and had 8 rebounds to help Tennessee (10-1) extend its home winning streak to 15 games. The Volunteers haven’t lost at Thompson- Boling Arena since last sea son, falling 94-84 to Auburn on Jan. 2. The Vols improved to 3-0 against Atlantic Coast Con ference schools. Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 66-53 on Nov. 13 and defeated Louis ville 92-81 on Nov. 21. Chaundee Brown scored 19 points and Brandon Chil dress added 14 for Wake Forest (6-4). Jordan Bone had 18 points and Admi ral Schofield scored 12 for Tennessee. Williams had 17 points by halftime. The Southeastern Conference scoring leader showed his knack for mak ing baskets while drawing contact as he converted a trio of three-point plays in the first 14(4 minutes of the game. No. 4 MICHIGAN 71, AIR FORECE 50: Iggy Brazdei- kis scored 19 points and Charles Matthews added 17 to lead No. 4 Michigan to a victory over Air Force on Saturday. The Wolverines (12-0) went on a 19-3 run in the first half and never looked back. Michigan is 12-0 for only the third time in school history. The Wolverines also did it in 1985-86 and 2012-13. Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers scored 11 points each for Michigan. Lavelle Scottie led the Falcons (4-7) with 16. Air Force led 10-5 early, and the Wolverines seemed content to stay on the perimeter. Eight of Michigan’s first nine shots were from 3-point range, and only one of them went in. No. 5 VIRGINIA 72, WIL LIAM & MARY: De’Andre Hunter scored 18 points, Kyle Guy had 16 and No. 5 Virginia pulled away after halftime and beat William & Mary on Saturday. The Tribe (4-8) used a 14-3 run spanning halftime to trim a 17-point deficit to 34-28 early in the second half, but Mamadi Diakite’s basket sparked a 17-2 run that put Virginia (11-0) in command again. Guy had nine points in the run, including the last six to give the Cavaliers a 51-30 advan tage with 9:57 to play. Nathan Knight scored 22 points for William & Mary before fouling out. Virginia started quickly and led 25-8 as the Tribe missed 13 of 14 shots in one stretch. But William & Mary closed the first half on a 9-3 run, and then scored the first five points after halftime. Justin Pierce, the Tribe’s No. 2 scorer (17.6 points per game), capped the run with a 3-pointer, but it was his only basket. No. 7 AUBURN 93, MUR RAY STATE 88: Samir Doughty scored 20 points, Austin Wiley had 17 points and 10 rebounds and No. 7 Auburn held off Murray State on Saturday. Four days after being upset by North Carolina State, Auburn led 91-79 with 55 seconds remaining before getting a scare because of Murray State’s full-court press and turnovers by the Tigers. The Racers cut Auburn’s lead to three points with 19 seconds left, but Jared Harper’s free throws on the other end sealed the Tigers’ victory. Doughty and Wiley were two of five players to score in double figures for Auburn (10-2). Chuma Okeke had 17 points, Harper finished with 12 and Bryce Brown added 11. No. 11 FLORIDA STATE 81, SAINT LOUS 59: David Nichols scored a season- high 19 points off the bench and No. 11 Florida State shot a season-best 55 percent to beat Saint Louis on Saturday in the one-day Orange Bowl Classic. The Billikens shot only 30 percent — their season low, and the best effort yet for Florida State’s defense. The Seminoles (11-1) won their sixth game in a row and matched the best 12-game record in school history. Saint Louis (8-4) suf fered its most lopsided loss of the season. Nichols went 7 for 11, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half and give the Seminoles a 40-25 lead. The margin stayed in double digits the rest of the way, peaking at 71-43 late in the second half. Nichols helped the Flor ida State bench outscore Saint Louis’ reserves 43-13. Seminoles starter Terance Mann had 17 points, includ ing a pair of dunks in the final 30 seconds. No. 15 UCLA 80, UCLA 66: C.J. Jackson scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and No. 15 Ohio State handed UCLA its third con secutive loss with a victory Saturday. Caleb Wesson had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Buckeyes (11-1), who have won five in a row since its only loss of the season last month against Syracuse. Kyle Young scored 11 points, and Keyshawn Woods had 10 assists. Ohio State got its second win at the United Center this season in the opener of the CBS Sports Classic. The Buckeyes also beat Illinois 77-67 on Dec. 5 at the Chicago Bulls’ longtime home. Kris Wilkes had 18 points and seven rebounds for UCLA (7-5), which was com ing off consecutive losses to Belmont and Cincinnati. Jay- len Hands had 13 points and nine assists, and Cody Riley finished with 10 points. Ohio State struggled against UCLA’s 2-3 zone for much of the first half, but the Buckeyes started to find some holes in the Bruins’ defense after the break. After Prince Ali’s layup got UCLA within one with 18:35 left, Ohio State responded with an 8-0 run. No. 19 KENTUCKY 80, No. 9 NORTH CAROLINA 72: Keldon Johnson scored 23 points, Reid Travis added 20, and No. 19 Kentucky beat ninth-ranked North Carolina Saturday in a matchup between two of col lege basketball’s winningest programs.
