COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWLS
Ducks crushed ‘Noles in first national semifinal
UNDATED (AP) β The third-ranked Oregon Ducks will be playing in the first College Football Playoff title game.
The Ducks put together a 27-point third quarter to defeat No. 2 Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl today.
Oregon pulled away by scoring five straight touchdowns in an 11-minute span of the second half.
Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah) hit Darren Carrington for touchdown passes of 56 and 30 yards during a 2:22 span of the third quarter. Tony Washington padded the lead by returning a Jameis (JAY’-mihs) Winston fumble 58 yards for a touchdown with 1:36 left in the third period.
The Ducks scored three straight touchdowns off Florida State turnovers in the second half. Winston’s third-quarter interception set up Mariotta’s 23-yard scoring run with 13:56 left. Just 3:43 later, Thomas Tyner ran 21 yards for a touchdown following Jesus Wilson’s fumble.
Royce Freeman had two touchdown runs for Oregon.
The Ducks entered the game as the second seed in the semifinals, one spot ahead of the Seminoles.
Tonight in the Sugar Bowl, it’s top-ranked Alabama against Ohio State, which is No. 5 in the AP rankings but seeded fourth in the College Football Playoff.
In other New Year’s Day Bowls:
β Connor Cook threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keith Mumphery with 17 seconds to give seventh-ranked Michigan State a 42-41 victory over No. 4 Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. Jeremy Langford ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns for the Spartans, who trailed 41-21 entering the fourth quarter before ending the season 11-2. Bryce Petty completed 36 of 51 passes for a Cotton Bowl-record 550 yards and three touchdowns for the 11-2 Bears.
β Melvin Gordon ran for an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards and three touchdowns, and Rafael Gaglianone kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give 17th-ranked Wisconsin a 34-31 victory over No. 19 Auburn. Gordon finished with 2,587 yards in 14 games, second most in FBS history and 41 yards fewer than Barry Sanders’ mark in 1988. Nick Marshall threw for two touchdowns for Auburn, which also got a pair of TDs on the ground from Cameron Artis-Payne. Wisconsin finishes 11-3, while the Tigers end up 8-5.
β No. 16 Missouri rolled to a 33-17 triumph over Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl as Marcus Murphy ran for 159 yards. Russell Hansbrough added 114 rushing yards, including a 78-yard scoring run that put the Tigers ahead 26-17 in the fourth quarter. Maty Mauk settled down to throw two TD passes after interceptions on the Tigers’ first two possessions. Missouri winds up 11-3 with its third straight bowl game. The Gophers are 8-5.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Caps nip Blackhawks outdoors in D.C.
WASHINGTON (AP) β The Washington Capitals are the winners of the seventh edition of the NHL’s Winter Classic.
The Caps blew a 2-0 lead before Troy Brouwer (BROW’-ur) scored on a power play with 12.9 seconds left to lead Washington’s 3-2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks. Goals by Eric Fehr (fehr) and Alex Ovechkin (oh-VEHCH’-kihn) put the Capitals ahead 2-0 after 12 minutes, but Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad (sahd) countered to tie the game before Brouwer tallied against his former team.
The NHL considered delaying the start due to the sun’s glare on the white ice, making it difficult to see the puck. The team captains and goalies mutually decided the game should start on time, although Caps netminder Braden Holtby admitted it was tough to track the puck in the first period.
It’s the second Winter Classic victory in two games for the Capitals, who also beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field four years ago. The Blackhawks are 0-2 in the classic.
Chicago failed to move into a tie with Anaheim for the Western Conference lead.
Washington is six points behind the Penguins and New York Islanders, the Metropolitan Division co-leaders.
NHL-NEWS
Banged-up Leafs recall McKegg
TORONTO (AP) β The Toronto Maple Leafs are placing forward Joffrey Lupul (LOO’-pul) on the injured list due to the lower-body injury sustained in a shootout victory over Boston on New Year’s Eve.
The Maple Leafs recalled forward Greg McKegg from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
NBA-CAVS-JAMES
James out 2 weeks with knee, back problems
CLEVELAND (AP) β The slumping Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to spend another two weeks without LeBron James.
The NBA’s No. 2 scorer this season has been diagnosed with strains in his left knee and lower back. He underwent an MRI on Wednesday after missing two straight games. The Cavs say he will be treated with “anti-inflammatories, rehabilitation, training room treatments and rest.”
James is averaging 25.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists a game this season.
The Cavaliers have a three-game losing streak and are just 5-7 since an eight-game winning streak.
NFL-LIONS-FAIRLEY
Fairley back at practice
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) β Detroit defensive tackle Nick Fairley practiced today as he tries to return in time for Sunday’s NFC wild-card game against Dallas. Fairley hasn’t played since injuring his right knee in a win over Atlanta on Oct. 26.
The Lions listed Fairley as limited Thursday, but he looked trim and active during the portion of practice open to reporters.
NFL-BILLS-POLIAN
Polian to Bills: Thanks but no thanks
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) β Bill Polian has confirmed to The Associated Press that he has taken himself out of the running for a proposed front-office job with the Buffalo Bills and will remain at ESPN. Polian’s announcement comes a day after Bills head coach Doug Marrone left the Bills by exercising the opt-out clause in his contract. Polian previously had been the Bills’ general manager.
MLB-YANKEES-BRAVES TRADE
NEW YORK (AP) β The New York Yankees have picked up bullpen help by acquiring David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve from the Atlanta Braves for minor league left-hander Manny Banuelos.
Carpenter went 6-4 with three saves and a 3.54 ERA in 65 games with Atlanta last year. Shreve made his major league debut in July, and the left-hander allowed one earned run in 12 1/3 innings covering 15 games.
WINTER SPORTS
Jacobsen wins ski jump World Cup
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) β Anders Jacobsen of Norway defeated four-time Olympic champion Simon Ammann to win the second ski jumping World Cup of the Four Hills tour.
Jacobsen, who also won Wednesday’s qualifying event, soared 135.5 meters for the first-round lead and held his nerve with a second jump of 136.5.
