MONDAY RESULTS – December 30
(college football)
FIRST RESPONDER BOWL – Western Kentucky 23, Western Michigan 20
DALLAS — Cory Munson’s 52-yard field goal with no time remaining after a rules review gave Western Kentucky a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Munson was awarded the final play after a five-yard defensive substitution penalty against Western Michigan for having 12 players on the field as it switched between its field goal unit and regular defense. Munson had kicked two other field goals and missed one.
MUSIC CITY BOWL – Louisville 38, Mississippi State 28
NASHVILLE — Louisville capped coach Scott Satterfield’s debut season by beating Mississippi State 38-28 in the Music City Bowl. Micale Cunningham threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards more for the Cardinals. Louisville rallied from a 14-point deficit early by scoring 31 straight to finish their big turnaround from last season. The Cardinals also finally beat Mississippi State on the field for the first time in six tries, though the series now is tied at three apiece thanks to a pair of forfeits by the Bulldogs in the 1970s. Mississippi State lost its second straight bowl.
REDBOX BOWL – California 35, Illinois 20
SANTA CLARA, CA. — Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois in the Redbox Bowl. Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for season-high 105 yards as Cal (8-5) won its first bowl game since 2015.
ORANGE BOWL – (6) Florida 36, Virginia 28
MIAMI, FL — Bryce Perkins’ final game at Virginia was a loss. It should not be how the Cavaliers’ quarterback gets remembered. Perkins and the Cavs lost to No. 6 Florida 36-28 in the Orange Bowl. But Perkins overcame much to get to this game, including a broken neck that could have ended his football career. He wound up throwing for more than 6,000 yards in his two seasons running Virginia’s offense. And he’s hoping his next stop is the NFL.
(college basketball)
Top-10 results:
(1)Gonzaga 93 Detroit 72
(6)Baylor 83 Jackson St. 57
(9)Memphis 84 Tulane 73
(10)Villanova 68 Xavier 62
TUESDAY RESULTS – December 31
(college football)
BELK BOWL – Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30
CHARLOTTE, NC — Lynn Bowden Jr. threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Ali with 15 seconds left and Kentucky rallied to beat Virginia Tech 37-30 in the Belk Bowl. Bowden, a converted wide receiver, did most of his damage on the ground before the game-winning TD pass. He ran for 223 yards on 34 carries and scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats. Trailing 30-24, Bowden drove his team 85 yards in 18 plays taking more than eight minutes off the clock before finding Ali in the end zone down the seam. The Wildcats added a final touchdown as time expired when Jordan Wright returned a failed lateral attempt by the Hokies 28 yards for a score.
SUN BOWL – Florida State 20, Arizona State 14
EL PASO, Tx. — Willie Harts returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead Arizona State to a 20-14 victory against Florida State in the Sun Bowl. Harts, a freshman cornerback, halted a 14-0 surge by Florida State and helped the Sun Devils hang on for their fourth Sun Bowl victory, despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. James Blackman threw a 91-yard touchdown pass, the longest pass play in Sun Bowl history, to Tamorrion Terry to give Florida State its first lead, 14-9, in the third quarter. The Seminoles trailed 9-0 at halftime.
LIBERTY BOWL – (21) Navy 20, Kansas State 17
MEMPHIS, Tn. — Bijan Nichols kicked a 23-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and No. 21 Navy capitalized on a fourth-down gamble in the final minute to beat Kansas State 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl. A Navy team with the nation’s top-ranked rushing attack set up the winning score by completing a halfback option pass with less than 30 seconds left. The Midshipmen snapped the ball on fourth-and-3 from the Kansas State 46. Quarterback Malcolm Perry pitched to CJ Williams, and he threw downfield to a wide-open Chance Warren for a 41-yard gain. Nichols then connected for the winning kick.
ARIZONA BOWL – Wyoming 38, Georgia State 17
TUCSON, Az. — Xazavian Valladay ran for 204 yards and scored two touchdowns, Levi Williams accounted for four scores and Wyoming rolled over Georgia State 38-17 in the Arizona Bowl. Wyoming started slow before scoring two quick touchdowns late in the first quarter and early in the second. The Cowboys built a 14-point lead by halftime and racked up 524 total yards to win a bowl game after being left out of the postseason last year. Williams made his first career start after Tyler Vander Waal entered the transfer portal but remained with the team for bowl practices.
ALAMO BOWL – Texas 38, (12) Utah 10
SAN ANTONIO, Tx. — Sam Ehlinger passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Texas rolled over No. 12 Utah in the Alamo Bowl 38-10. The Longhorns excised the frustrations of a disappointing regular season with a dominant win over a Utes team that just missed a chance at the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns ran for 231 yards against the nation’s No. 1 rush defense. Texas coach Tom Herman improved to 4-0 in his career in bowl games. His three wins at Texas came with the Longhorns the underdog each time.
(college basketball)
Florida A&M 70, Iowa State 68
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Rod Melton Jr. scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, D.J. Jones added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Florida A&M beat Iowa State 70-68. The Rattlers have won back-to-back games after opening the season with nine consecutive losses. The Cyclones were without leading-scorer Tyrese Haliburton (17.3 points per game). The sophomore guard, who leads the Big 12 in assists (7.7) and steals (2.6) per game, missed the game due to a wrist injury suffered in practice and is expected to play in the Big 12 opener on Saturday.
Top 10 results:
(2) Duke 88, Boston College 49
WEDNESDAY RESULTS – January 1
(college football)
OUTBACK BOWL – (16) Minnesota 31, (9) Auburn 24
TAMPA, Fl. — Tyler Johnson had 12 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns to become Minnesota’s career receiving leader and propel the 16th-ranked Gophers to a 31-24 victory over No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Johnson broke Eric Decker’s school record for receiving yards on his second catch of the day and became Minnesota’s all-time leader for scoring receptions on a one-handed, 2-yard TD catch that put the Gophers up 24-17 at halftime. His 73-yard catch-and-run put Minnesota ahead for good early in the fourth quarter. Minnesota finished 11-2, its first season with more than 10 wins since 1904. Auburn wound up 9-5.
CITRUS BOWL – (9) Alabama 38, (17) Michigan 16
ORLANDO, Fl. — Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Jerry Jeudy became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game as the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide topped No. 17 Michigan 35-16 on Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl. Jeudy finished with six catches for 204 yards. Najee Harris ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama. Shea Patterson completed 17 of 37 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown for Michigan.
ROSE BOWL – (7) Oregon 28, (11) Wisconsin 27
PASADENA, Ca. — No. 7 Oregon held off No. 11 Wisconsin 28-27 to win its third straight trip to the Rose Bowl. Justin Herbert scored his third rushing touchdown on a 30-yard run with 7:41 to play. Brady Breeze returned a fumble 31 yards for an early touchdown for the Ducks. Herbert then made his go-ahead rambling run on the next snap after Breeze forced another fumble in yet another frenetic edition of this venerated bowl game. Aron Cruickshank returned an early kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown as the Big Ten runner-up Badgers lost in their fourth consecutive trip to Pasadena over the last 10 years.
SUGAR BOWL – (5) Georgia 26, (8) Baylor 14
NEW ORLEANS, La. — George Pickens caught 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, and No. 5 Georgia defeated eighth-ranked Baylor 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter when the back of his head appeared to hit hard on the turf as he was taken down by two defenders along the sideline. Brewer was coming back from a concussion in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 7. Georgia’s Jake Fromm passed for 250 yards and two TDs.
AP-SportsMinute
NEW YORK (AP) – Longtime NBA Commissioner David Stern has died at 77, less than three weeks after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. Stern had been involved with the NBA for nearly two decades before becoming its fourth commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984. By the time he left his position exactly 30 years later, the league had grown to a more than $5 billion a year industry as Stern helped make NBA basketball perhaps the world’s most popular sport after soccer.
NEW YORK (AP) – Former New York Yankees pitcher and World Series hero Don Larsen has died of esophageal cancer at age 90, according to his agent. Larsen was just 81-91 during his 14-year major league career from 1953-67, but he is best known as the only pitcher in major league history to toss a perfect game in the World Series. Larsen pitched his gem in Game 5 of the 1956 Fall Classic against the Brooklyn Dodgers, three seasons after leading the American League with 21 losses while playing for Baltimore.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) said on Twitter that he will announce Monday whether he will enter the NFL draft or return to college for another season. Tagovailoa is recovering from season-ending hip surgery and has not played since being injured at Mississippi State on Nov. 16. He seemed a likely top-five NFL draft pick before the injury made his value more uncertain, though doctors who have treated him have said a full recovery is expected.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Redskins have announced the hiring of Ron Rivera as their new head coach as the team continues to rebuild after three straight losing seasons, including a 3-13 mark in 2019. Rivera spent eight-plus seasons as head coach of the Carolina Panthers and was fired last month with the team sitting 5-7. He went 76-63-1 with Carolina, making the playoffs four times and reaching the Super Bowl after the 2015 season.
THURSDAY RESULTS – January 2
(high school basketball)
LE MARS — Unity Christian completed a season sweep of their home-and-away series with Gehlen Catholic, handing the Lady Jays a 79-52 thumping and the Knights won the boys game 71-53. In the girls game, Unity Christian rattled off a 16-0 run midway through the first half to break away from an 8-all tie and take a 24-8 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter. The lead grew to 47-22 by halftime and 67-35 after three quarters. Freshman Gracie Schoonhoven had 24 points to lead the Knights scoring attack with Janie Schoonhoven adding 15 and Jenna Bouma 13. The Lady Jays leading scorer, Lauren Heying, returned to the lineup after missing the final three games before Christmas and dropped in 15 points to lead the Lady Jays in scoring. Sydney Livermore added 14 and Josie Kolbeck had a career-best 11. Gehlen falls to 5-3 while Unity Christian improves to 4-2.
In the boys game, Unity Christian sprinted out to a 28-8 lead in the opening eleven minutes and led 40-16 by halftime. The lead grew to 27 in the third quarter before Gehlen fought back to within 15 with 1:44 to play in the game. The Jays could get no closer though as they fall to 2-6 for the season. Ethan Klompien led the Knights with 19 points while Brody Rens added 13 and Tyrell Hulshof and Clayton Bosma had ten each. Freshman Keaton Bonderson had 22 for Gehlen to lead all scorers. Payton Rochford chipped in with 11 for the Jays. Unity Christian improves to 6-2 for the season. Gehlen travels to Remsen St. Mary’s Friday night for a War Eagle Conference match-up with the Hawks. Coverage on KLEM begins at 5:55.
(G) Unity Christian 79, Gehlen Catholic (5-3) 52
(B) Unity Christian 71, Gehlen Catholic (2-6) 53
(G) George-Little Rock 77, Harris-Lake Park 22
(B) George-Little Rock 46, Harris-Lake Park 45
(college football)
BIRMINGHAM BOWL – (23) Cincinnati 38, Boston College 6
BIRMINGHAM, Al. — Desmond Ridder ran for 105 yards and three touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to lead No. 23 Cincinnati to a 38-6 victory over Boston College in the weather-delayed Birmingham Bowl. The Bearcats reached 11 wins for the second straight season and fourth in program history, bouncing back from two straight losses to No. 15 Memphis. The Eagles were outgained 459-164 in total yards to finish a turbulent postseason. Coach Steve Addazio was fired after seven seasons and star tailback A.J. Dillon declared for the NFL draft and skipped the bowl game. Wide receivers coach Rich Gunnell led the team through the bowl game, while newly hired Jeff Hafley was on hand as a spectator after finishing his duties as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator.
GATOR BOWL – Tennessee 23, Indiana 22
JACKSONVILLE, Fl. — Tennessee scored two touchdowns in a span of 30 seconds, using an onside kick to help erase a double-digit deficit, and then held on to stun Indiana 23-22 in the Gator Bowl on Thursday night. The Volunteers closed out coach Jeremy Pruitt’s second season with their sixth consecutive victory and won their fourth straight bowl, first since 2016. Indiana’s Logan Justus missed an extra point in the third quarter that turned out to be costly and was wide right on a 52-yard field goal attempt with 2:12 remaining. Justus’ kick had the distance but sailed just outside the right upright.
(college basketball)
(M) Morningside (15-0) 91, Mount Marty 87 — former Bulldogs, Tyler Borchers (22 pts/8 reb.) and Will Pottebaum (11 pts.) for Morningside
(M) Concordia 88, Northwestern (13-4) 65 — former Hinton Blackhawk, Jay Small (17 pts./7 reb.) and former Bulldogs, Trent Hilbrands (7 pts./5 reb.) for NW
Top-25 results:
(1) Gonzaga 85, Portland 72
Colorado 74, (4) Oregon 65
(14) Michigan State 76, Illinois 56
(20) Dayton 84, La Salle 58
FRIDAY RESULTS – January 3
(high school basketball)
REMSEN — Top-rated (1A) Remsen St. Mary’s fought off an upset bid by Gehlen Catholic Friday to remain unbeaten at 6-0 with a 53-47 victory in a War Eagle Conference match-up in Remsen. The Jays drew to within 48-47 with 2:24 to play on Dylan Lehmann’s three-pointer from the left corner. Gehlen had a chance to take the lead with a little over a minute to play but a turnover led to a pair of free throws by Austin Jensen and a three-point deficit. St. Mary’s would close the game on a 5-0 run to escape a serious challenge heading into a showdown for the War Eagle Conference lead Tuesday night against No. 4 (2A) West Sioux (4-0) in Remsen. Spencer Schorg led the Hawks Friday night with 13 points with Brady Homan and Austin Jensen scoring ten each. Keaton Bonderson led Gehlen with 23 points before fouling out with 36-seconds to play. Carter DeRocher chipped in with 11. The Jays record falls to 2-7 and 1-4 in the W-E-C.
In the girls game, Gehlen Catholic took charge after halftime with a 15-3 third quarter run that extended a nine-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage entering the fourth quarter. The Lady Jays led by as many as 29 in the final period before settling on a 57-31 victory over Remsen St. Mary’s. Injuries have reduced St. Mary’s to just five healthy players to start the New Year. Tori Galles had 14 points for the the Hawks to lead all scorers. Rachel Langel had ten points for the Lady Jays, who improve to 6-3 for the season and 3-2 in the conference. St. Mary’s slips to 1-7 and 1-4 in league play. Gehlen may have lost two of their top players for next Tuesday’s game at Hinton. Leading scorer Lauren Heying reinjured a sprained ankle and Sydney Livermore suffered a mild concussion on fall in the second quarter of Friday’s game. Both were unable to return to play and will be questionable for next week.
WAR EAGLE CONFERENCE
(G) Gehlen Catholic (6-3/3-2) 57, Remsen St. Mary’s 31
(B) (#1-1A)Remsen St. Mary’s 53, Gehlen Catholic (2-7/1-4) 47
(G) Akron-Westfield 58, Hinton 34
(B) Hinton 92, Akron-Westfield 57
(G) South O’Brien 55, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 30
(B) South O’Brien 70, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 46
(college football)
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL – Ohio Univ. 30, Nevada 21
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Nathan Rourke accounted for 241 yards of offense and ran for a touchdown to help Ohio University beat Nevada 30-21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. De’Montre Tuggle rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown to spark a ground attack that finished with 285 yards on 50 carries spread among five players.
SATURDAY RESULTS – January 4
(high school basketball)
LE MARS — Sioux Center and Le Mars split a non-conference basketball doubleheader Saturday evening at the Le Mars Competition gym. Sioux Center claimed the girls victory 48-34 while the Le Mars boys earned their third straight win with a 70-31 romp over the Warriors. In the girls game, Sioux Center led 28-22 at halftime and 38-30 going into the final period. The Warriors scored the first eight points of the final quarter to take a 16-point lead with 3:26 to play before settling on a 14-point victory. Dana Den Herder had 14 points for Sioux Center while Hope Arends added 10. Shaniah Temple produced the only double figure scoring for Le Mars with 14. Le Mars slips to 4-4 for the season while Sioux Center improves to 5-4.
In the boys game, Le Mars scored the first ten points while racing to a 29-3 first quarter lead. The lead was expanded to 48-16 by halftime with the game clock going to continuous mode shortly after halftime as Le Mars won by 39 points. The Bulldogs were led by Trevor Smith and Spencer Mackey with 13 each with Aisea Toki and Brady Williams hitting ten each. Le Mars improves to 4-3 for the season and Sioux Center falls to 2-6. The Bulldogs host Unity Christian Tuesday night in a girl/boy doubleheader.
(G) Sioux Center 48, Le Mars (4-4) 34
(B) Le Mars (4-3) 70, Sioux Center 31
(N-F-L Playoffs)
AFC WILD CARD — Houston 22, Buffalo 19, OT
AFC WILD CARD — Tennessee 20, New England 13
HOUSTON (AP) — Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed a 28-yard field goal with 3:20 showing on the clock in overtime to complete the Houston Texans’ rally in a 22-19 victory over Buffalo in the AFC wild-card game. DeShaun Watson threw four passes for more than 10 yards during the winning drive, including a 34-yard completion to Taiwan Jones that put the Texans at first-and-goal. The Bills led 16-0 late in the third quarter until Watson ran for a 20-yard TD and cracked the end zone on the two-point conversion.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Derrick Henry rushed for 182 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as the Tennessee Titans eliminated the New England Patriots, 20-13 in the AFC wild-card game at Foxborough. Tennessee trailed 13-7 until Henry scored on a one-yard plunge with 35 seconds left in the first half. The score remained 14-13 until former Patriot Logan Ryan intercepted Tom Brady and returned it for a 9-yard TD in the closing seconds.
(college football)
ARMED FORCES BOWL – Tulane 30, Southern Mississippi 13
(college basketball)
(M) Morningside 74, Dakota Wesleyan 60 — former Bulldogs, Tyler Borchers (10 pts./4 reb.) and Will Pottebaum (6 pts./3 reb.) for Morningside
(M) Northwestern 97, Doane 95, 2 OTs — former Bulldog, Trent Hilbrands (26 pts.) and former Hinton Blackhawk, Jay Small (20 pts./10 reb.) for NW
(W) Luther 91, Buena Vista 75 — for Lady Bulldog, Jenn Schneider (15 pts.) for BV
(W) Pittsburg State 88, Nebraska-Kearney 74 — former Lady Bulldog, Madison Dreckman (6 pts./6 reb. in 12 min.) for UNK
(21) Penn State 89, (23) Iowa 86
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Izaiah Brockington scored 23 points to lead No. 21 Penn State to its fifth straight win, 89-86 over No. 23 Iowa at the Palestra. Luka Garza scored 34 points for the Hawkeyes. Penn State turned the Philly trip into a home game and chants of “We Are!” echoed throughout Philly’s most famous basketball haven. Penn State is trying to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in coach Pat Chambers’ nine seasons.
T-C-U 81, Iowa State 79, OT
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — R.J. Nembhard scored the first four points of overtime after forcing the extra period with a 3-pointer from near the center court logo, lifting TCU to an 81-79 win over Iowa State in a Big 12 opener. Nembhard scored a career-high 31 points. The tying shot in regulation came with 1.7 seconds left after he missed a free throw that would have tied the score with 10 seconds to go. Tyrese Haliburton had a triple-double for Iowa State with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Top 10 results:
(1) Gonzaga 75, Pepperdine 70
(2) Duke 95, Miami (Fl) 62
(3) Kansas 60, (16) West Virginia 53
(4) Oregon 69, Utah 64
(6) Baylor 59, Texas 44
(18) Florida State 78, (7) Louisville 65
(8) Auburn 80, Mississippi State 68
Georgia 65, (9) Memphis 62
Marquette 71, (10) Villanova 60
SUNDAY RESULTS – January 5
(N-F-L Playoffs)
NFC WILD CARD — Minnesota 26, New Orleans 20, OT
NFC WILD CARD — Seattle 17, Philadelphia 9
NEW ORLEANS — Kirk Cousins hit tight end Kyle Rudolph with a 4-yard fade on third-and-goal in overtime, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled out a 26-20 victory over the Saints in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. Dalvin Cook gained 130 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns. Cousins finished with 242 yards and one TD passing, highlighted by his 43-yard completion to Adam Thielen on the opening possession of overtime to give Minnesota the ball on the Saints 2-yard line and set up the winning score. Saints quarterback Drew Brees passed for 208 yards and a touchdown, but had two turnovers.
PHILADELPHIA — After Jadeveon Clowney knocked out Carson Wentz, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles. Wilson threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, Marshawn Lynch had a rushing score and the Seahawks beat the Eagles 17-9 in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. Wentz lasted two series in his first postseason start before exiting with a head injury following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Clowney. Forty-year-old Josh McCown stepped in and became the oldest quarterback to make his playoff debut. He couldn’t lead Philadelphia into the end zone.
