[Posted Monday night, prior to end of Sugar Bowl.]
College Basketball Quiz: Basketball-reference.com has individual college stats since the 1993-94 season. So for 1993-2017, only two D-I players have averaged 30 points per game for a season, with Charles Jones of LIU-Brooklyn at No. 2 (30.10, 1996-97). No. 1 at 30.29 was a big-time Player of the Year, 1993-94, who then went on to have a very good NBA career. Name him. 2) For career rebounds since 1993, Tim Duncan is No. 2 with 1,570 (1994-97). Who is No. 1? [Hints: He played from 2008-11, Ohio Valley Conference, and is now in his sixth NBA season.] Answers below.
NFL Playoffs Set
Sat., Jan. 7
Oakland at Houston…4:35 p.m. ET…Texans favored by 2.5
Detroit at Seattle…8:15…Seahawks favored by 7.5
Sun., Jan. 8
Miami at Pittsburgh…1:05…Steelers favored by 10
Giants at Green Bay…4:40…Packers favored by 4.5
Sat., Jan. 14
Highest NFC seed at Atlanta…4:35 p.m. ET
Lowest AFC seed at New England…8:15
Sun., Jan. 15
Highest AFC seed at Kansas City…1:05
Lowest NFC seed at Dallas…4:40
*New England and Dallas have their respective conference’s home-field advantage.
**Sadly, according to the early weather forecasts, while it will be cold (below 20) in Green Bay and Pittsburgh (below 30) next Sunday, no precip is in the picture, which really sucks for those of us watching at home. But it looks like it will be a raw, rainy night in Seattle.
Hopefully we get some weather the following weekend in New England and Kansas City.
Of the wild-card contests, Giants-Packers has a lot of potential, but Oakland at Houston, with both teams having major quarterback issues, is kind of intriguing, even if the actual play might bore us to tears.
–So a few game notes from Sunday. The Giants, who were locked into the 5-slot and you’d think would have rested a few of their players, instead basically played the starters the entire contest in a kind of shocking 19-10 win at Washington, thus ruining the Redskins’ season as all they needed to do was win and they were in.
But the Giants, particularly their outstanding defense, had other thoughts, led by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s two picks of Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins (22/35, 287, 1-2, 74.3).
The Giants’ offense was once again nothing to write home about, though promising running back Paul Perkins rushed for 102 yards, but give New York and rookie coach Ben McAdoo a ton of credit…and thank the football gods, Giants fans, that none of the starters appear to have suffered a serious injury.
The problem was the Giants win ruined Sunday night’s Lions-Packers contest, where, barring a tie, the loser was out. Instead, they both knew they were in with the Washington loss and the game was just about getting a home contest in the first round. [Ergo, your editor bagged that game early.]
But, oh, now the questions begin down in D.C.
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post
“In pro sports, never overlook the importance of hate. Memories are long, the same families own teams for decades, and snits among the filthy rich, bless ‘em, can last an eternity.
“Take the case of the New York Giants’ season-splattering 19-10 win over Washington on Sunday at FedEx Field, which knocked the Redskins out of a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season even though the game was meaningless – for postseason implications, at least – for the Giants.
“Sports has plenty of animosity. But there are few examples as out in the open as the feud between Giants President and CEO John Mara, who headed the NFL committee that crippled Washington with $36 million in salary cap penalties in 2012, and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who despises him for it.
“At the time, Mara said the penalty should have been even tougher – ‘they’re lucky they didn’t lose draft picks’ – which nearly prevented Washington from trading up in the 2012 draft to take Robert Griffin III.
“The Redskins retaliated by putting that quote on their bulletin board before their next game against the Giants. After a one-point Washington win, Snyder was overheard by several media members saying to staff, ‘I hate those [expletives].’
“Every player on the Washington side should have seen this coming. Coach Jay Gruden should have spelled it out. When Giants Coach Ben McAdoo said, several days before the game, that all his starters would play, including quarterback Eli Manning, rather than rest on the safe sideline, every Redskins fan should have taken him at his word.
“When McAdoo was asked how long his starters would play and answered ‘They’re going to play the game,’ it should have felt like an intimidating finger being pointed in Washington’s face.
“ ‘We’re looking to build a physical, heavy-handed, tough road team,’ McAdoo added. In other words, the Giants were coming to Washington to practice their manhandling….
“The Redskins’ response? They must have been napping. Too busy being happy or planning for a likely wild-card weekend against the Seahawks in lovely Seattle. Hey, aren’t we in control of our own destiny again? How could there be any problem?”
Now the Redskins have to decide what to do with Cousins, who had a very good season but is a free agent. They aren’t going to find anyone better. But he has lost some big ones.
—As for Packers-Lions, Green Bay prevailed in Detroit, 31-24, to win their sixth in a row…from 4-6 to 10-6. Once again, Aaron Rodgers was outstanding, 27/39, 300, 4-0, 126.0.
In the winning streak, Rodgers has played as well as any QB in history, frankly. I mean you find a six-game stretch where the quarterback posted the following ratings….116.7, 108.9, 150.8, 87.0, 136.6, 126.0. Over the six games he has 15 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The week before the streak started, Rodgers was 115.0 in a 42-24 loss to Washington with three more TDs and no picks…ergo, 18-0 his last seven. [40 TDs, 7 INTs for the year.]
On Oct. 9, Green Bay defeated the Giants, 23-16, in Green Bay, though Rodgers did not play well and it was a different Giants ‘D’ than they have today.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy has now become just the fourth coach in NFL history to take the same team to the playoffs at least eight years in a row, the others being Tom Landry, Chuck Noll and Bill Belichick.
A word on Detroit…they are stumbling, heading into the playoffs having lost three in a row, though they were to the Giants, Cowboys, and Packers.
—Denver spoiled Oakland’s attempt at home-field advantage in the playoffs with a 24-6 win, the defending Super Bowl champs finishing 9-7, while Oakland dropped to 12-4.
Afterwards, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak announced he was stepping down, citing health reasons. Back in 2013, he suffered a mini-stroke during a game and had to be rushed to the hospital. This year he left the team for a week in October for what was called a “complex migraine condition.” We wish Kubiak the best.
Meanwhile, Oakland has serious problems next week in its wild-card at Houston, with Matt McGloin, starting at QB in place of injured Derek Carr, hurting his shoulder. McGloin was replaced by Connor Cook, the former Michigan State star, and it’s not known yet if McGloin can return next weekend. [Houston has a similar situation, see below.]
–In Kansas City’s win at San Diego, 37-27, wrapping up the AFC West title at 12-4 after the Raiders lost, Chargers tight end Antonio Gates caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers, giving Gates 111 touchdowns for his career, tying Tony Gonzalez for all time among tight ends. Last I saw, Gates said he’d be back.
San Diego lost its last five to finish 5-11, and afterwards they fired coach Mike McCoy, who went 27-37 in his four seasons, going 9-7 the first two.
The Chargers are probably headed to Los Angeles this offseason.
—San Francisco cleaned house after finishing 2-14, the last a 25-23 loss to Seattle (10-5-1). Coach Chip Kelly was fired after one season, as well as general manager Trent Baalke.
Kelly has three years remaining on his contract and Baalke two.
—Pittsburgh (11-5) won its seventh straight, beating Cleveland (1-15) 27-24 in overtime, even though the Steelers rested Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Cleveland, who is bringing back coach Hue Jackson, thus captured the first pick in the draft. The Brownies are 15-49 the last four seasons. Good grief.
–Talk about sucking wind, the Rams lost their last six to finish 4-12, 0-7 with Jared Goff at quarterback, the last a 44-6 shellacking at the hands of the disappointing Cardinals, who finished 7-8-1. For AZ, David Johnson went out with a knee injury, though word Monday is it’s just a sprain, no surgery.
—Dallas rested some of its starters, including Ezekiel Elliott, and played Dak Prescott for just two series in a meaningless 27-13 loss to the Eagles in Philly, Dallas having wrapped up home-field advantage earlier. Tony Romo did get in and engineered a scoring drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams in the second quarter. [Then Mark Sanchez came in and he really sucked.]
I do have to note that while Carson Wentz was 27/43, 245, 2-0, 93.7, the real star was tight end Zach Ertz, who had 13 catches for 139 yards and two TDs.
—New England showed everyone something in wanting to ensure it got home-field advantage as it went down to Miami and blasted the Dolphins 35-14 to finish 14-2, while Miami goes 10-6. Tom Brady played virtually the entire way, posting 25/33, 276, 3-0, 130.4, with Julian Edelman catching 8 for 151 and a score.
—Houston had wrapped up the AFC South so its game against rival Tennessee meant nothing, but in the Titans’ 24-17 win, both teams finishing 9-7, Texans quarterback Tom Savage suffered a concussion, misdiagnosed at first, which blows, and thus Houston doesn’t know yet if he’ll be available for Saturday’s game against Oakland, or whether it will be Brock Osweiler, who was 21/40, 253, 1-0, 80.5 after coming in for Savage.
–There is no reason for me to write about Cincinnati’s 27-10 win over Baltimore; except for Wake Forest fans, Demon Deacon Michael Campanaro had one carry for 10 yards.
Campanaro, who was out due to injury until the final few weeks, ended up his short campaign with three carries for 72 yards! [39, 23, 10] Pretty funny. Last season he had 2 carries for 17. Not a bad career average. Campanaro also returned three punts for 38 on Sunday. Hopefully he can stay healthy. He deserves a shot at being a regular slot receiver (where he was awesome at Wake) as well as a return man in this league.
—In losing to the Vikings, 38-10, the Chicago Bears finished 3-13, the worst record in franchise history since the adoption of the 16-game schedule in 1978.
But for Minnesota, Vikings QB Sam Bradford went 25/33 and thus finished the season with an amazing 71.6 percent completion percentage, surpassing Drew Brees’ mark of 71.2 set in 2011.
Brees, though, had a chance later Sunday to exceed his own mark, and Bradford’s, but finished 29 of 50 against the Falcons, thus ending the year at 70.0%. Brees has an amazing career completion mark of 66.6%.
But despite Bradford’s and Brees’ efforts this year, Minnesota finished 8-8 and New Orleans 7-9.
— Do I have to write about the Jets? In a beyond-meaningless affair at the Meadowlands, the Jets finished the season 5-11 after a 30-10 win over the Bills (7-9), who were playing their first game under interim coach Anthony Lynn, who replaced fired Rex Ryan and is expected to get the full-time job. The Bills looked atrocious and Ryan Fitzpatrick was FitzMagic, cough cough, going 20/30, 210, 2-0, 109.0 in his last appearance in a Jets uniform.
As for the status of coach Todd Bowles, the Daily News’ Gary Myers was the first in these parts to say definitively that Bowles would be back (ditto GM Mike Maccagnan), “Even though Bowles is trending towards being as disliked by Jets Nation as Rich Kotite.”
But owner Woody Johnson can be a bit mercurial “and prone to listen to the last person to have his ear,” which sounds Trump-like (and The Donald and Woody are good friends).
So the preceding was written before the game and afterwards the team issued a statement saying both coach and GM would indeed be back.
Johnson is also preparing to turn the day-to-day operations over to his younger brother, Christopher Wold Johnson, as it seems Johnson is going to be named ambassador to the United Kingdom under Trump. Woody would remain the owner. [He is hardly qualified for the ambassadorship, but he raised a ton of money for Trump’s campaign, after initially supporting Jeb Bush.]
Under Johnson, the Jets have made the playoffs six times in 17 years, with a record of 132-140. The team is currently in a six-year playoff drought – their longest since 1992-97. Over this time they are 41-55.
I do just have to note the comments of Manish Mehta / New York Daily News on cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has not just been awful this season, but he’s said some incredibly dumb things to piss off the fan-base.
“Darrelle Revis has slipped into a special kind of delusion reserved for entitled players clinging to past glory.
“He lives in a warped reality. He spews illogical nonsense whenever he opens his mouth.
“He’s a cut-throat businessman whose feelings are hurt now that he has no leverage in the twilight of his career. He has become an excuse-maker and a punchline.
“It’s time for the Jets to officially desert Revis Island.
“The cornerback has cashed in like few others over the past decade, holding the Jets hostage for every last penny, but it’s time to end this marriage.
“The Jets must move on and cut Revis after this season.
“He should never wear a Jets uniform again.
“There’s no room for an expensive, unproductive relic who gives selective effort in an organization trying to build a new culture with hungry and motivated young players.
“His excuses are embarrassing. Revis has blamed his surgically repaired wrist for his poor production. He’s taken subtle jabs at teammates for being out of position when he’s gotten beat.
“Revis has a grand total of four passes defensed and no interceptions entering the season finale against the Bills on Sunday….He strikes fear in exactly no one anymore….
“Revis has made no positive on-field impact this season. He’s been a pricey ghost.
“He has set the exact wrong example for teammates with his questionable effort. He has repeatedly shied away from contact. He has appeared disinterested and disengaged as the team’s highest paid player.
“He looks like he’s moving in quicksand….
“He’s 31 going on 41.
“ ‘The film doesn’t lie,’ former teammate Antonio Cromartie told the Daily News. ‘That’s the only thing I can say.’”
Revis is a future Hall of Famer, no doubt, but as Mehta points out, he “collected $17 million this year playing his own version of two-hand touch.”
‘Only’ $6 million of Revis’ $13 million base salary in 2017 is fully guaranteed, and he’s due a $2 million roster bonus on the second day of the 2017 league year in March, so if the Jets want him to stick around, transitioning to safety, the Jets would ask him to take a pay cut to the $6 million.
Revis, due to his smarts in negotiating, has cashed $125 million thus far, holding out twice to get his way. As a Jets insider told Manish Mehta, “This guy’s been a pig in terms of his money.”
I totally concur with Mehta, who concludes: “It’s time for him to disappear.”
Ironically, Revis did finally get an interception on Sunday.
[I do have to note running back Bilal Powell had an outstanding year, rushing for 722 yards and a 5.5 average, after playing sparingly until the final four weeks, when starter Matt Forte went down with an injury.]
—Buffalo’s Reggie Bush entered the Jets contest with 12 carries for -3 yards and then didn’t play. No pure running back in NFL history has ever had a season with negative yards and at least 10 carries, according to various sources. There were some 1930s and 40s running backs who also passed and lost yardage while attempting to pass, but Bush is the only one in the modern era.
–Former Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons player, Keion Carpenter, died in Miami at the age of 39, the victim of a tragic accident while on vacation with his family in South Florida.
Carpenter fell while playing with his son, with a cousin telling the Baltimore Sun: “They were running to the car when [Carpenter] slipped, fell, hit his head and slipped into a coma. It was just a freak accident. He was always healthy.”
In seven seasons in the NFL, Carpenter, a safety, played in 83 games (61 starts) with 14 interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown.
At Virginia Tech, he was a special teams phenom, blocking a school-record six punts.
Reading about his work in his native Baltimore after his career ended, Carpenter sounded like a terrific guy. He is survived by his wife, Tonia, and four children.
College Football
–Well we got the game we should have wanted…though Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer is always intriguing. Next Monday night, it’s Alabama vs. Clemson, a rematch of last year’s terrific national championship game, the 45-40 classic won by ‘Bama.
The first semifinal Saturday gave us 4 Washington and 1 Alabama trading three and outs, then the Huskies (12-2) mounted a 64-yard TD drive on their second possession, with Jake Browning throwing a 16-yard TD pass, and it was suddenly 7-0, Washington. For a very brief moment, all of us were thinking, ‘Huh, this might be a ball game.’
But I was also thinking, ‘There’s a reason why Alabama is a record 14-point favorite for a College Football Playoff game’ and ‘Bama came right back with a nine play, 78-yard drive of its own, capped by Bo Scarbrough’s 18-yard TD run to make it 7-7 and that was the game.
Washington, after the initial drive of 64 yards, finished with just 194 for the game (to Alabama’s 326) as Browning and Co. were smothered, while Bo Scarbrough rumbled (and he’s a guy that is the definition of “rumble”) for 180 yards on just 19 carries and two scores, including the final nail in the coffin, a 68-yarder to make it 24-7.
Which also means Alabama beat the spread! And at the end of the day, boys and girls….
Meanwhile, we all thought the next game, 2 Clemson vs. 3 Ohio State, would be a good one.
Wrong! Clemson (13-1) annihilated OSU (11-2) 31-0, handing Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer his first shutout in 194 games at the helm. Clemson’s defense was much like Alabama’s against Washington, truly smothering. Ohio State was outgained 470-215, they had just nine first downs (to Clemson’s 24), were sacked three times and the ‘D’ had 11 TFLs. Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett was a miserable 19/33, 127, 0-2.
For the Tigers, Deshaun Watson was his usual spectacular self, if you forget the mistakes, throwing for 259 yards and a TD, while rushing for two scores. Yes, he was picked off twice, but his defense had his back and he got the production he needed from his two stars; Wayne Gallman rushing for 85 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, while the best receiver in college football, Mike Williams, contributed six receptions for 96.
Against Alabama, if Clemson gets the exact same numbers from Gallman and Williams, with the defense Clemson brings to the table I think we’re talking a 20-17 Tigers victory. And, yes, that is my official prediction. [‘Bama is an early touchdown favorite…expect the line to go down.]
This is assuming Watson doesn’t have more than two turnovers in the contest.
David Wharton / Los Angeles Times
“It was pretty much a given that Deshaun Watson would make a few mistakes on Saturday night.
“An interception or two seemed inevitable for the Clemson quarterback prone to occasional bad decisions and wayward throws this season.
“But, once again, Watson proved more than explosive enough to overcome any setbacks, making big plays with both his arm and his legs…
“The victory cemented his reputation as highly dangerous if not a bit erratic.”
Well, Monday there was a sudden development as we learned ‘Bama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who is taking the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic, was told by Nick Saban to take a hike now, before the title game. These two just never really got along, despite their success, and according to many sources, Kiffin had worn out his welcome, ticking off his fellow coaches for showing up late to meetings recently, for starters.
So this is weird. Steve Sarkisian, who was already tabbed to be the new OC, will take over. Kiffin said the decision was “mutually” agreed upon.
I’m posting before looking at the new line on the game but it has to go down a point. I should add, though, that Sarkisian has been observing the offense all season, just not in an official capacity.
–Monday, in the Cotton Bowl, 8 Wisconsin finished the season 11-3 with a 24-16 win over 15 Western Michigan; Cinderella finishing 13-1. I was praying WMU didn’t get blown out, thus making it harder for future Group of Five teams to gain respect.
But the Broncos hung in there. It was 17-10 Badgers after three and then Wisconsin got the decider on a Troy Fumgalli reception to make it 24-10; Fumagalli the MVP with six catches for 83 yards, though it seemed like much more.
I must say, I respect the hell out of Wisconsin’s program, and Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck, just 36, has a helluva future as well. There are still a few job openings, and potential ones, like Minnesota with its issues (see below). But Fleck will do just fine even if he has to wait another year or two. [And other programs won’t care if the Broncos drop off some, which seems inevitable.]
Also, WMU receiver Corey Davis, not that we didn’t already know it, is the real deal. Top 15 pick in the first round for sure.
–Then there was the Rose Bowl. I love this game. More times than not it delivers and this one was no exception….to say the least!!!
9 USC vs. 5 Penn State. Us aficionados of the college game were totally thrilled to get this matchup, knowing these were two of the four best teams in the nation down the stretch.
But goodness gracious! It was 13-0 USC after the first quarter on a Sam Darnold touchdown pass and two field goals.
Then Penn State scored 21 in the second, USC 14, to make it 27-21 Trojans at the half, with the incredible freshman Darnold throwing two more scoring strikes.
So in the third, Penn State’s Saquon Barkley ripped off a 79-yard TD run, while the Nittany Lions’ Trace McSorley threw two TD passes and ran for another to make it 49-35 Penn State after three.
49 points for Penn State in two quarters, in other words.
But the Trojans came back to win the fourth, 17-0, and after a late McSorley interception and return gave USC the ball around the Penn State 33 with less than 30 seconds to play and no timeouts, USC showed amazing confidence in their kicker, Matt Boermeester, who while making two, had missed two earlier, but he booted the winning 46-yarder as time expired.
Final score in one of the all-time great bowl games: USC 52…Penn State 49.
Some stats: Darnold was 33/53, 453, 5-1. McSorley was 18/29, 254, 4-3, plus a TD on the ground. Saquon Barkley rushed for 194 yards and two TDs, plus he had five receptions for 55 and another score, while teammate Chris Godwin had nine receptions for 187 and two touchdowns. For USC, Deontay Burnett caught 13 passes for 164 and three touchdowns, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had seven for 133 and a score. Amazing stuff.
USC outgained Penn State 575-465.
The Trojans finish 10-3, the Nittany Lions 11-3; both no doubt in the final AP top seven. And both programs with great futures, starting next fall. They’ll be preseason Top 5.
—The bowl game of the season, taking into consideration the quality of the two teams (until the Rose Bowl!), was clearly 6 Michigan vs. 11 Florida State in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles had a 20-6 halftime lead against the Wolverines, but after a 9-0 third quarter, Michigan trailed 20-15 entering the fourth, and then it was non-stop action. [Confession time…I was following this one online only as I was finishing up a rather lengthy column elsewhere on this site…but caught the last quarter live.]
Florida State started the fourth quarter with a 3-yard TD run by quarterback Deondre Francis to make it 27-15, but Jim Harbaugh’s boys came back with two scores and a two-point conversion for a 30-27 Wolverines lead with 1:57 to play.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Keith Gavin took it 66 yards to the Michigan 34, and four plays later, Francis threw a 12-yard scoring strike to Nyqwan Murray for the winning TD with 0:36 left, only the extra-point was blocked and taken back all the way by Michigan for the final 33-32 score. Just a terrific last 15 minutes.
FSU outgained Michigan 371-252, but Michigan was helped by an interception return for a TD in the third quarter as the Seminoles’ Francis was just 9 of 27 through the air, but for 222 yards and a TD, with receiver Murray getting the two TDs on his only two receptions, good for 104 yards.
And there was my favorite college running back this year, Dalvin Cook, who everyone knows was heading out for the draft and could’ve been a jerk like Leonard Fournette or Christian McCaffrey, choosing to sit out, but as he said after his 145 yards and a TD on 20 carries, there was no way he was doing that. [Cook then declared the day after. He is generally ranked No. 2 behind Fournette. Hope the Jets draft him.]
Both teams end up 10-3 and FSU will no doubt be in the AP’s final top ten. It was also just another example of underrated coach Jimbo Fisher’s excellence.
I do have to mention that Michigan played without All-American Jabrill Peppers, who couldn’t go because of a bad hamstring, but when you get down to bowl season, there’s no playing “what if?” when it comes to personnel.
–Another game with meaning at some level was 18 Stanford (10-3) prevailing over North Carolina (8-5) 25-23 in the Sun Bowl. While it was the end to a highly-disappointing season for the Tar Heels after a promising start, the game probably marked the end of quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s career, a man some NFL scouts are drooling over, namely Cleveland.
Trubisky, a junior, was 23/38, 280, 2-2, but some of his good plays were the kind scouts love and he has major potential.
For Stanford, with Christian McCaffrey wimping out because he didn’t want to hurt his draft standing (he seems to forget he is a very nice college player, one of the best ever…but he is not going to be a high draft pick), Bryce Love rushed for 115 yards and caught a 49-yard TD pass.
–Thursday, 13 Oklahoma State finished the season 10-3 with a decisive 38-8 win over 10 Colorado (10-4) in the Alamo Bowl. Mason Rudolph threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns. For the Cowboys’ solid program, it was their fifth 10-win season in seven years.
And with Rudolph and receiver James Washington (9 catches, 171 yards) announcing they would return for their senior seasons, we might be talking six years in eight at 10 wins.
Also Thursday, great win for No. 22 Virginia Tech, which finishes 10-4, after a stirring comeback. Down 24-0 at the half to Arkansas (7-6), the Hokies scored all 35 in the second half for a 35-24 win in the Belk Bowl.
Hours before the game, though, Arkansas star tight end Jeremy Sprinkle was arrested for shoplifting in, you guessed it, a Belk’s store in Charlotte, even though players from both teams were each given $450 to spend in 90 minutes at Belk as part of their bowl-game swag. Police said that while Sprinkle was on his shopping spree he attempted to heist eight items worth $260, including a Ralph Lauren shirt, Nike crew socks and two wallets. He did this because he was trying to exceed the $450. [I’ve had the same wallet myself for like 20 years, but I digress…]
The kid is considered the No. 7 tight end available in the draft, according to ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
—Crappy performance by 13 Louisville as it finishes up 9-4 after a 29-9 loss to 20 LSU (8-4…a game wasn’t made up on the Tigers’ schedule after Hurricane Matthew forced a rejiggering of it) in the Citrus Bowl.
For LSU, playing without star running back Leonard Fournette, sophomore Derrius Guice filled in more than ably with 138 yards on the ground, including a 70-yard TD scamper.
For Louisville, Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson sucked. 10/27, 153, with 33 yards rushing on 26 carries. Just total blowdom.
Maybe failed Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein can raise some money for a Heisman recount. Surely, Deshaun Watson won it.
—Minnesota defeated Washington State in the Holiday Bowl 17-12 last Tuesday, playing without 10 suspended players after the team threatened to boycott the contest if they weren’t reinstated.
But then on Friday, we learned the ten players will not face charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault near campus, as announced by prosecutors after taking a second look at the case.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman initially declined to charge the players for the September incident, but then the school’s investigation unearthed details that led to suspensions.
So after reviewing the school’s report, Freeman stood by his decision, saying the school’s investigation didn’t add sufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges. Freeman said, “That report shined a light on what can only be described as deplorable behavior,” but he would have no further comment.
The university then said it respects Freeman’s decision, but that their own suspensions of the players stem from different standards and policies than the criminal process Freeman worked through.
Several players face expulsion, while others face a year-long suspension. This is far from over. The school can ill-afford another huge scandal. It took a long time for Minnesota to get over a 1999 cheating debacle that enveloped the Gophers’ basketball program. More recently, a former athletic director resigned last year after admitting to groping female employees, while the wrestling coach was fired amid an investigation into the team’s alleged sale and use of illicit drugs.
–The ACC was 8-3 in bowl season, with Clemson defending the conference one last time.
—LaVell Edwards, who coached Brigham Young for 29 seasons and led the Cougars to a national title in 1984, died Thursday at the age of 86.
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Edwards led the program to prominence with a passing attack that featured the likes of Gifford Nielsen, Jim McMahon, Marc Wilson, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco and Ty Detmer.
Edwards’ offenses had a big impact on future college and NFL coaches, speaking of which, the likes of Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick and Andy Reid were either players under Edwards or assistants.
Edwards finished up 257-101-3 at BYU from 1972-2000, including the 13-0 record in 1984 capped by a Holiday Bowl defeat of Michigan. It’s the last national championship won by a team outside the Power 5 conferences.
Prior to his last game, the school named the stadium in his honor.
College Basketball
[Comments written before release of Jan. 2 AP Poll]
–The real season is officially underway with the start of conference play after Christmas and No. 21 Oregon moved to 13-2, and will no doubt soar in the polls, following home wins against No. 2 UCLA, 89-87, on preseason All-American Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left, and then two days later, Friday, the Ducks handed 22 USC its first loss of the season, Oregon walking away with a 84-61 victory behind Brooks’ 28 points.
Oregon has now won 35 straight on their weird looking home court at Matthew Knight Arena (yes, Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s place, named after his late son who died tragically while diving off the coast of El Salvador, where he was doing terrific charity work).
–Then we had upset Saturday in the ACC….
Unranked Virginia Tech (not for long) moved to 12-1 at Blacksburg with an 89-75 win over 5 Duke, playing its first game without suspended Grayson Allen. The Hokies had six players in double figures, while for Duke, Luke Kennard scored 34, but it wasn’t enough. [Kennard is having an outstanding year.]
As for Allen, Coach K. stripped him of his captainship, but still no word on how many games the jerk will sit out. Krzyzewski said after: “Right now I don’t want to talk about Grayson. He was part of the loss today by not being there and we’ve also – instead of tri-captains, we’ve eliminated him from being a captain of the team.”
Monday, we then learned that Coach K is undergoing back surgery and will be about a month.
Assistant coach Jeff Capel will take over while Krzyzewski recovers.
When Coach K stepped away in January 1996 for back issues, Duke was 9-3 at the time and then went 4-15 under Pete Gaudet the rest of the season.
No. 9 North Carolina fell to 12-3 as it lost at Georgia Tech (9-4), 75-63.
And 20 Florida State, which like Oregon will surge in the next poll, is now 14-1 after a very nice road win at 12 Virginia (11-2), 60-58.
6 Louisville (who I swear, I have a mental block against realizing these guys are in the ACC) is 12-2 after beating 16 Indiana (10-4) 77-62 in Indianapolis.
And No. 1 Villanova (14-0) held serve, handing No. 10 Creighton its first loss in Omaha, 80-70, the Bluejays now 13-1. For the Wildcats, Jalen Brunson had 27 points.
But then there is Wake Forest, 2-16 last year in the ACC, though I’ve been telling you there was cause for optimism from us fans. After watching us in the non-conference portion of the schedule, I was beginning to think 9-9, 8-10 at worst, in conference, was possible.
So Wednesday we traveled to play tough Florida State in Tallahassee and we were up 66-61 with 9:00 to play, only to get blitzed 27-6 the rest of the way.
OK, no problem. We’ll win the next two against Clemson and Boston College at home and be fine, I wrote after.
Except Saturday, Wake had a 64-51 lead over the Tigers with 6:46 left, 68-58 with 4:51 to play, and we proceeded to miss our last nine shots from the field, with Clemson winning 73-68. As Wake’s Keyshawn Woods said, this is not on the coaching staff, this is on the players. We have talent. But this team just can’t close.
–Thursday, 13 Butler traveled to New York for a Big East opener against St. John’s and the Storm (7-7) pulled off the biggest win of the Chris Mullin era, 76-73, over the Bulldogs (11-2).
But then the fun started, using the term loosely. Butler had the flight home from hell, a true near-death experience.
The charter was flying from New York’s LaGuardia to Indianapolis when about 25 minutes into the flight, the cabin lights went out, as coach Chris Holtmann told ESPN.
“It started to get really cold, and the plane went completely dark. Then all the oxygen masks came flying down, and the flight attendant told everyone to put the masks on. She kept repeating it.
“We had a really rapid descent. In the span of 10 or 12 minutes, we went from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet.”
The team eventually landed in Pittsburgh and stayed at a local hotel. When a planned charter flight didn’t materialize in the time they wanted, they opted to take a bus back.
Holtmann said he heard players yelling and that staff members were texting their wives.
“I was shook. It was scary, we had guys crying.”
The pilot told Holtmann, “that was some of the longest minutes of my life.”
No word on what the problem was mechanically.
On Sunday, back home, Butler whipped Providence 78-61, to get to 12-2, while the Friars fell to 10-5. [St. John’s won on the road at DePaul, 79-73, to start off Big East play 2-0, after going 1-17 in the conference last season.]
Also on Sunday, Minnesota (13-2) upset No. 15 Purdue (12-3), 91-82.
–And now the new AP Poll (Jan. 2)….
1. Villanova 14-0 (59)
2. Baylor 13-0 (6)
3. Kansas 12-1
4. UCLA 14-1
5. Gonzaga 14-0…very cool…good for the sport…
6. Kentucky 11-2
7. West Virginia 12-1…wow…
8. Duke 12-2
9. Louisville 12-2
10. Creighton 13-1…that’s respect…not slipping…
12. Florida State 14-1…zoom!
15. Oregon 13-2
21. Virginia Tech 12-1
Meanwhile, ahem ahem…my “Pick to Click,” San Diego State, is 8-5 after a terrible loss at home to New Mexico…though the Aztecs have been playing without Malik Pope, again. I don’t know if it’s the players aren’t listening to Grandpa anymore (Steve Fisher) or what it is.
NBA
–Goodness gracious, did you see what Houston’s James Harden did Saturday night against the Knicks? I caught snippets of it, but not the end or I would have watched (was watching Clemson, too, of course) because Harden had an historic night…53 points, 16 rebounds, and 17 assists in the Rockets’ 129-122 win over New York.
Harden became the first in the league to ever have a 50-15-15 game, and he tied Wilt Chamberlain for most points in a triple-double. The Knicks’ Brandon Jennings said after, “It was like NBA 2K numbers.”
Boy, give Houston ownership credit for taking a flyer on coach Mike D’Antoni, who has had his good moments, and not so good ones, on the bench over the years, but the Rockets installed him this season and the man known for his up-tempo offenses, and little defense, put Harden at point guard and he’s the MVP in the league (along with Russell Westbrook). Harden is averaging 28.5 ppg (4th), 8.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 12.0 assists.
After a 15-2 December, Houston is suddenly 26-9. Do you think Harden likes playing for D’Antoni?
My problem is I never liked Harden. Oh well.
I do have to add, so much for the Knicks’ good run. They have now lost 4-in-a-row to fall to 16-17*, with Carmelo Anthony leaving the Houston game early with a sore knee, after Kristaps Porzingis and Courtney Lee were held out with seemingly minor injuries. And then backup center Kyle O’Quinn, stayed back in the hotel with the flu.
*Make it 16-18 after a home loss to Orlando tonight.
–Being partial to Wake Forest alums, I glance at the box scores of our few players in the league and couldn’t help but mention Jeff Teague’s performance on Friday for Indiana, a 111-101 win over the Bulls. I’m reading his numbers and see 2-13 from the field (eegads, I muse), 7 points overall, but then I espy a career-high 17 assists! I mean that is as bizarre a stat line as you’ll ever see.
—Charles Barkley has decided he hates everything about the NBA right now.
On 3-pointers:
“Threes are great if you have a Steph Curry, a Klay Thompson, guys like that. And these guys can live by threes….but if you look around the NBA everybody’s trying to go small. You have a bunch of guys shooting threes who are not good shooters.” [Like the few Wake alum playing the game today.]
Parity: “The NBA to me is the worst it’s ever been top to bottom. We have one, two, three, four good teams and the rest of these teams stink.” [Nina Mandell / USA TODAY]
Premier League
In big games Saturday….
Manchester United was down at home to 16 Middlesbrough 1-0 with minutes to play when Anthony Martial (85’) and Paul Pogba (a minute later on a sweet header) gave United a 2-1 win at Old Trafford to keep their winning streak going, now at five….
As I’ve said before the sport is more interesting with Man U near the top.
Meanwhile, table-leading Chelsea tied Arsenal’s consecutive win streak with its 13th in a row, 4-2 over a game Stoke club.
And in the match of the weekend, Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0, the only goal from Georginio Wijnaldum’s header eight minutes in.
Sunday…
My Tottenham Hotspurs traveled to Watford and scored 4 goals in the span of 20 minutes (two by Harry Kane, two by Delle Alli) and went on to win 4-1. Watford was dreadful, but the Spurs did what they had to do.
[Kane now has 59 goals in his first 100 Premier League, the eighth best start to a career in league history.]
Tottenham can’t beat the elite, but they stay in the picture because they’ve been able to take care of business when they play the teams below them…so they have four straight over Watford, Southampton, Burnley and Hull City…though they lost to Chelsea on Nov. 26 and Man U on Dec. 11 prior to the run.
Now Tottenham has a huge return match against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Also Sunday, Arsenal beat struggling Crystal Palace 2-0.
So we’re halfway through the 38-match season, 19 played.
1. Chelsea 49
2. Liverpool 43
3. Arsenal 40
4. Man City 39
5. Tottenham 39
6. Man U 36
7. Everton 27…to give you a sense of how the top six have broken away.
Last season at the halfway point…
1. Arsenal 39
2. Leicester 39
3. Man City 36
4. Tottenham 35
5. Crystal Palace 31…it has been downhill for them since…awful calendar year
6. Man U 30
14. Chelsea 20
Monday, there were then a bunch more matches, Game 20, and Manchester City defeated Burnley 2-1, but Sunderland drew with Liverpool 2-2, a huge disappointment for the Reds, and a big, big point for 18-place Sunderland.
Manchester United went to West Ham and came away with a 2-0 ‘W’…now six consecutive.
Following Wednesday’s Chelsea-Tottenham match, the Premier League takes off until the weekend of Jan. 14/15, with FA Cup and EPL play in between. I’ll update the standings next chat after my Spurs’ contest. Just get a draw, boys! [I already sent my $1 to Dr. W., Chelsea fan, not being optimistic in the least.]
NHL
–There was an historic contest in the NHL on Saturday night, as the Columbus Blue Jackets took on the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul: a regular-season matchup of two teams with winning streaks of at least 12 games. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this was the first time in the history of the four major North American men’s professional leagues – including the NBA, NFL and MLB – that teams with such winning streaks faced each other.
Well, Columbus prevailed 4-2 to stretch their streak to 15 games, just two shy of Pittsburgh’s record 17 in a row set in 1993. Minnesota’s 12 straight was a franchise record.
Columbus, coached by former Rangers coach John Tortorella, is now a league-leading 26-5-4.
As of Monday’s results, the Metropolitan Conference of the NHL had the league’s three best teams.
1. Columbus 26-5-4 (OTL)…56 points
2. Pittsburgh 25-8-5…55
3. Rangers 26-12-1…53
I have to admit, I knew Tortorella was at Columbus but I had to look up his record. Last season the Blue Jackets got off to a 0-7 start, after which he was named coach and they went 34-33-8 the rest of the way (34-40-8 overall). Quite a job he’s doing now, wouldn’t you say?
—In the Winter Classic, which I have to admit I watched only about ten minutes of because I was focused on the Cotton Bowl, host St. Louis defeated Chicago 4-1 with three in the third. I kind of wish this was always played in Canada…like just Montreal-Toronto every year. Then again you’d have riots and possibly a surge in the waning separatist movement.
Stuff
—Ronda Rousey’s return to mixed martial arts after a 13-month layoff lasted a whopping 48 seconds as she lost at UFC 207 Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, getting knocked out in the first by defending champion Amanda Nunes.
It was Nov. 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia, that Rousey lost to Holly Holm for her first defeat and she went into a suicidal funk (by her own admission).
Rousey then negotiated a contract for her return that didn’t require her to speak to the media, and not to attend the traditional fight-week workout and press conference.
The only thing she did was speak briefly on a video for FOX Sports 1 on Thursday night, wherein she said, “I don’t care how this pay-per-view does. I don’t care how much money I make. I don’t care about interviews, and I don’t care how I look. All I care about is winning my belt back on Friday night and that’s it.”
Whatever. You had your run, Ronda, and all of the readers know I barely know anything about the UFC anyway.
–I haven’t been giving updates on the FIS World Cup Alpine season because Lindsey Vonn isn’t involved, which is selfish on my part.
American Mikaela Shiffrin, though, continues to kick butt and is the overall WC points leader thus far over Switzerland’s Lara Gut (Vonn’s friend/rival). Shiffrin is 4 of 4 in slaloms and has won the last two giant slaloms. At age 21, she already has 26 World Cup victories (23 slalom, 3 GS). Amazing. Shiffrin still says she wants to master the downhill.
Meanwhile, the American men blow. Austria’s Marcel Hirscher is way ahead of the competition; Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud second in the overall standings.
—China announced on Friday it was banning all commerce in ivory amid growing international and domestic pressure, which looks good on paper but it’s all about compliance.
Hopefully, as Carter Roberts, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, said in a statement, “China’s announcement is a game changer for elephant conservation.”
You know, I write these numbers in this space a bunch of times every year but it’s still staggering…more than 100,000 elephants wiped out in Africa over the past 10 years in the scramble for ivory driven by Chinese demand.
So say a prayer for the elephant, No. 2 on the All-Species List.
–Speaking of the Animal Kingdom, Johnny Mac alerted me to a Telegraph story by Nick Squires that should scare the crap out of you. Scientists are attempting to bring back the fabled auroch, giant wild cattle driven to extinction by the 17th century. “Its curved horns, huge bulk and irascible temperament made it a formidable foe for prehistoric hunters.”
But the creature, which roamed from Britain to the Balkans and beyond, disappeared over time, with the last specimen dying in Poland in 1627.
“Now researchers are working to bring it back to life through a process known as back-breeding, which entails selectively mating existing breeds of ‘primitive’ cattle which retain much of the ancient aurochs’ DNA.”
If we get word scientists are successful, lock your doors and ground-floor windows. Better yet, turn your ground floor into a large garage and live upstairs. Maybe buy some of that survival food.
–From the CBC: “A brave Canadian man miraculously survived a brawl with a cougar – after he punched the big cat to save his dog.
“William Gibb, of Alberta, told CBC that the harrowing ordeal unfolded after he and his brother went to meet a friend for coffee at Tim Horton’s and he let his dogs Sasha and Mongo out of the car for a bathroom break in a wooded area near the parking lot.
“Moments later, Sasha, a Husky, began yelping and Gibb instinctively sprinted towards her.
“ ‘She (Sasha) was crying out in pain and distress so I went running,’ Gibb told CBC.
“ ‘And I saw something wrapped around her so I ran up and punched it in the side of the head. At that point I realized it was a cougar.’
“Gibb kept on swinging at the cougar with his right hand, and attempted to scoop up his trembling dog with his left. The wounded pooch was so alarmed by the cougar attack that she dug her teeth into Gibb’s hand, possibly because she mistook him for the feisty feline.”
Well, Gibb eventually managed to get both of his dogs safely in his car, and luckily there was a veterinary clinic just a block away.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived minutes later and decided to kill the cougar.
Sasha, despite wounds near her neck and tears on her belly, was released Wednesday, according to the Alberta Star.
Gibb just had a few claw marks. Mountain Lion/Cougar remains No. 10 on the ASL.
–Johnny Mac first passed on the story of the Mitchell County, North Carolina hunter who came face to face with a bear.
From WLOS: “A bear swiped Mike Wilson’s face and neck, just missing his jugular vein. Wilson said he was able to get up, and get out of the woods, and friends took him to the hospital. He was released after receiving nearly 30 stitches.”
Mike and his cousin, Calvin, were bear hunting with dogs when Mike recalled, “The bear was coming up the hill, and I was coming down the hill.”
Mike shot at the bear, “But trying to get another shell in my gun, it just overrun me and knocked me down the hill.”
“The bear got him and got away. It hid in a hole, but not before injuring two dogs and killing another. Quickly, another hunter in Mike’s group arrived and put the bear down….
“A person with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission advised when you see a bear, face it and slowly walk away. You don’t want to turn your back to a bear.” [It helps if you’re built like The Rock.]
–We already have an Idiot of the Year contender. A tourist was bitten by a crocodile after she attempted to take a selfie with it, according to reports.
The 41-year-old French woman was exploring Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park with her husband when they came across the giant female reptile. [Not sure how they knew it was a female, but we continue…]
“According to the Bangkok Post the couple squatted to take a picture with the animal after finding it lurking in waters but it bit her in the thigh.
“Pictures from the scene show the woman being taken away from the area by rescuers.” No word on her condition.
–Jere Longman in the New York Times had a piece on the incredible Ed Whitlock, 85 years old, who in October, completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 3 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds, thus becoming the oldest person to run 26.2 miles in under four hours.
He has set dozens of age-group records from the metric mile to the marathon, and as Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic said, “He’s about as close as you can get to minimal aging in a human individual.”
At the Toronto Marathon, he raced in 15-year-old shoes and a singlet that was 20 or 30 years old. He has no coach. Follows no special diet. Doesn’t chart his mileage.
Dr. Joyner compared Whitlock to Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic marathon champion who has continued to run sub-three hour marathons into her late 50s.
–Debbie Reynolds was to be buried with daughter Carrie Fisher, together, in a private ceremony.
–New Year’s Eve we lost actor William Christopher, best known for playing Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H*. He was 84. Christopher was on the show from 1972 to 1983 and the follow up series, “After M*A*S*H*”. He also had parts on “Hogan’s Heroes” and lent his voice to the “Smurfs” in the 1980s.
In real-life, Christopher was a Methodist priest.
–I didn’t see Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve disaster on ABC (I actually went to bed right after the Clemson game ended…a record for me on NYE, like 10:30! No wonder why I felt great Sunday morning and was the first person out shopping …funny how that works…)
The performance by Carey on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” was billed as “the last big performance of 2016 by Mariah Carey,” who in 2005 was the show’s first act to go live from Times Square.
Well disaster struck right at the start as Carey was unable to hear the music she was supposed to be singing along with. She called for audio technical help, which never came.
Christie D’Zurilla / Los Angeles Times
“A few hours before midnight, the West Coast got the warning: Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve debacle on ABC was headed this way, and it wasn’t going to be pretty….
“Ultimately, as the backing track finally ended, the singer turned on a heel, amid a frame of feathers, and booked it offstage as fast as she could in heels that high….
“At least Mariah appeared to know how badly it had gone, signing off in true diva fashion and putting a fork in 2016 along with the rest of us.” [Great writing, Ms. D’Zurilla!]
Sunday, Carey’s “people” said her performance was “sabotaged” by the show’s producers. Her manager, Stella Bulochnikov, wrote to Mark Shimmel, whose company produced the broadcast live on ABC: “You know her inner ears were NOT working and your entire production team did not set her up to win.”
Did you know Mariah’s inner ears weren’t working? No one told me. Then again, I was asleep.
Top 3 songs for the week 1/4/69: [Once a year I have to skip a year or else I’d be repeating basically the same list] #1 “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (Marvin Gaye) #2 “For Once In My Life” (Stevie Wonder) #3 “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (Diana Ross and the Supremes & The Temptations)…and…#4 “Soulful Strut” (Young-Holt Unlimited) #5 “Wichita Lineman” (Glen Campbell…in my top 10 all time) #6 “Cloud Nine” (The Temptations) #7 “Love Child” (Diana Ross and the Supremes) #8 “Stormy” (Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost…in my top 40) #9 “Who’s Making Love” (Johnnie Taylor) #10 “Hooked On A Feeling” (B.J. Thomas…great week…little did baseball fans know the Mets would win the Series ten months later…)
College Basketball Quiz Answers: 1) Since 1993, Glenn Robinson of Purdue has the best single-season scoring average at 30.29 for the ’93-’94 season, CBB’s Player of the Year, but the Boilermakers were eliminated in the regional finals by Duke. 2) Kenneth Faried is the all-time rebound leader with 1,673 while playing at Morehead State. Faried, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, is in his sixth season at Denver.
Next Bar Chat, Mon., Jan. 9.
