95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Tuesday, January 02, 2018
NCAAFB – College Football Playoffs
Last Night
Rose Bowl – Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA – CFP Semifinal 1
(3) Georgia 54, (2) Oklahoma 48 – 2 OT
(3) Georgia 54, (2) Oklahoma 48 – 2OT – Dawgs run wild: Georgia beats Oklahoma 54-48 in Rose Bowl
Sony Michel burst through the line for a 27-yard touchdown run to give No. 3 Georgia a 54-48 victory Monday night against No. 2 Oklahoma, winning the first overtime Rose Bowl and sending the Bulldogs to the College Football Playoff championship game. Michel, who had a fumble in the fourth quarter returned for a go-ahead Oklahoma touchdown, ran for 181 yards and three scores for the Bulldogs (13-1), but none bigger than the last one in the second overtime. In the final game of one of the great college careers, Baker Mayfield threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a touchdown pass that gave the Sooners a 17-point lead with 6 seconds left in the first half. But the Heisman Trophy winner could not get the Sooners into the end zone in the first overtime when a touchdown would have ended the game.
Sugar Bowl – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA – CFP Semifinal 2
(4) Alabama 24, (1) Clemson 6
(4) Alabama 24, (1) Clemson 6 – No. 4 Alabama dominates No. 1 Clemson 24-6 in Sugar Bowl
A pair of Alabama defensive players scored touchdowns 13 seconds apart in the third quarter, and the No. 4 Crimson Tide dominated top-ranked Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game Monday night to give coach Nick Saban another shot at his record sixth national title. The third straight playoff meeting between the college football powerhouses was a dud compared to their previous two meetings, both high-scoring classics with the national championship on the line. Clemson (12-2) simply has no answer for Saban’s latest group of defensive standouts, sending Alabama (12-1) to an all- SEC showdown against Georgia next Monday in Atlanta. Da’Ron Payne, a 308-pound defensive lineman, hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass to put the Tide ahead 17-6.
Next Monday – CFP National Championship – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
(3) Georgia vs. (4) Alabama, 8:00 p.m.
NCAAFB – Other Bowls
Yesterday
Outback Bowl – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
South Carolina 26, Michigan 19
South Carolina 26, Michigan 19 – Bentley leads South Carolina past Michigan 26-19 in Outback
Jake Bentley threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns Monday to help South Carolina overcome a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Michigan 26-19 in the Outback Bowl. The sophomore tossed scoring passes of 21 yards to Bryan Edwards and 53 yards to Shi Smith, the latter giving the Gamecocks (9-4) a 23-19 lead early in the fourth quarter. Michigan (8-5) finished with its first three-game losing streak under coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines turned the ball over five times, including an end zone interception that denied them an opportunity to regain the lead with just under eight minutes to go.
Citrus Bowl – Camping World Stadium, Orlando FL
(14) Notre Dame 21, (17) LSU 17
(14) Notre Dame 21, (17) LSU 17 – Boykin rallies Notre Dame to Citrus Bowl win over LSU
Myles Boykin turned an acrobatic catch into a go-ahead, 55-yard touchdown with 1:28 remaining to send 14th-ranked Notre Dame past No. 16 LSU in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando. Ian Book threw the go-ahead scoring pass and was 14 of 19 for 164 yards and two touchdowns after entering the game for an ineffective Brandon Wimbush in the second quarter. Boykin’s TD came followed Jack Gonsoulin’s 17-yard field goal, which gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead after LSU coach Ed Orgeron declined to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal near the end zone.
Peach Bowl – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
(12) UCF 34, (7) Auburn 27
NFL – Lions fire coach Jim Caldwell after missing playoffs
Jim Caldwell may have been the Detroit Lions’ most successful coach in the Super Bowl era. That was not enough to save his job. The Lions fired Caldwell on Monday after a season in which the team raised hopes before fading and missing the playoffs. A person familiar with the team’s coaching search says Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will interview for the job Tuesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not identified any candidates. Austin has interviewed with many NFL teams in recent years. Caldwell was 36-28 in four seasons and 0-2 in two postseasons with the Lions.
NFL – Bears fire coach John Fox after a 5-11 season
The Chicago Bears have fired John Fox after a 5-11 season, ending one of the least successful coaching stints in team history. The Bears announced the move Monday, one day after a loss at NFC North champion Minnesota. Fox was 14-34 in his three years with Chicago, a .292 winning percentage that ranks as the second lowest for the Bears. Only Abe Gibron was worse _ 11-30-1 (.274) from 1972-74. Chicago has four consecutive losing seasons _ each with 10 or more losses. The Bears haven’t finished above .500 since they let Lovie Smith go following a 10-6 finish in 2012 and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Michigan at Iowa, 7:00 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 6:30
Ohio at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Ball State, 7:00 p.m.
Akron at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
NCAAMBB – Michigan State tops poll
Michigan State is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. The Spartans received 43 of 65 first-place votes to earn the top spot for the first time in two seasons. Second-ranked Duke received 21 first-place votes and Villanova dropped from first to third. The Wildcats were 101-93 losers to Butler on Saturday. Arizona State fell one spot to fourth, while Xavier moved up one place to fifth. West Virginia, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wichita State and Kansas fill out the top 10.
NHL – National Hockey League
Yesterday
2018 NHL Winter Classic – Citi Field, New York, NY
New York Rangers 3, Buffalo Sabres 2 – OT
Rangers 3, Sabres 2 – OT – Rangers win NHL’s 10th Winter Classic
J.T. Miller scored a power-play goal 2:43 into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s Winter Classic at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. Miller also set up a goal by Michael Grabner, which gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead 8:20 into the game. Kyle Okposo assisted on goals by Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, the last one tying the game 27 seconds into the third period.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Portland Trailblazers 124, Chicago Bulls 120 – OT
Trailblazers 124, Bulls 120 – OT – McCollum scores 32, leads Blazers over Bulls 124-120 in OT
C.J. McCollum scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime, including the tiebreaking basket with 56.5 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Chicago Bulls 124-120 on Monday night. Al-Farouq Aminu added a season-high 24 points and Evan Turner also had his season best with 22 for Portland, which was without leading scorer Damian Lillard for a fifth straight game. Kris Dunn scored 22 points and Nikola Mirotic had 18 points off the bench for Chicago, which blew a late lead for a second straight game. The Bulls lost for only the fourth time in 14 games since Mirotic returned to the lineup. Lauri Markkanen finished with 19 points, including a jumper from the corner that tied it at 120 with 1:14 left in overtime.
NCAAHKY – Men’s College Hockey
Yesterday
Great Lakes Invitational – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Michigan Tech 5, Michigan State 2
Bowling Green 6, Michigan 4
Today
Great Lakes Invitational – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Michigan State vs. Michigan, 2:30 p.m. 3rd place game
Bowling Green vs. Michigan Tech, 6:00 p.m. Championship Game
Olympics – Men’s Ice Hockey – Gionta named captain as US unveils Olympic roster
Veteran winger Brian Gionta will serve as captain of the U.S. Olympic hockey team at the Winter Olympics, which will be the first without NHL players since 1994. USA Hockey announced its roster Monday at the Winter Classic in New York. It includes college players Troy Terry, Jordan Greenway, Will Borgen and Ryan Donato. Without the ability to name NHL stars like Patrick Kane, Johnny Gaudreau, Auston Matthews and Jonathan Quick, the U.S. roster is a mix of players from the NCAA ranks, European professional leagues and the American Hockey League. AHL star Chris Bourque and a handful of former NHL players now in Europe, including Mark Arcobello, Jim Slater, James Wisniewski and Bobby Sanguinetti, are expected to help Gionta on the leadership front. Ryan Zapolski, who plays for Jokerit in the Kontinental Hockey League, is the only goaltender on the roster so far, with two more to be added later in January.
Olympics – Women’s Ice Hockey – Duggan among 6 3-time Olympians on US women’s roster
The U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team will be led by captain Meghan Duggan, one of six two-time silver medalists, on a roster that features four other silver medalists from 2014. USA Hockey announced the 23-woman roster Monday during the second intermission of the Winter Classic in New York. Forward Alex Carpenter and defenseman Megan Bozek are 2014 silver medalists who did not make the cut from the national team that had been training since September in Florida. Joining Duggan on a third Olympic roster are Kacey Bellamy, Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Gigi Marvin. Kendall Coyne, Lee Stecklein, Brianna Decker and Amanda Kessel made their second Olympic team. The U.S. women open Olympic play Feb. 11 against Finland.
AHL – American Hockey League
Yesterday
Chicago Wolves 2, Iowa Wild 1
NBAGL – NBA ‘G’ League
Tonight
Grand Rapids Drive at Westchester Knicks, 7:00 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
LaGrange-Lakeland (IN) at Sturgis, 7:15 p.m.
