Quick quiz: There are currently two FBS teams with double-digit winning streaks, with top-ranked Clemson, at 16 in a row, one of them; who’s the other? If you answered San Diego State, collect your fake monopoly money and move on.
After jumping out to a larger-than-it-looked 21-0 lead at the half, SDSU eventually doubled that lead over the final 30 minutes before settling for a 42-7 pasting of Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl. The win is the Aztecs’ 10th in a row, one more than College Football Playoff semifinalist Alabama’s nine.
It’s also SDSU’s 11th win on the season, tying the school record set back in 1969 under the legendary Don Coryell. This year’s squad, the Mountain West Conference champions, had already become the fifth team in school history to reach double digits in wins and the first to do so since 1977.
From the opening kickoff — literally — there was little doubt that Rocky Long‘s crew would add to its historic season, with Rashaad Penny racing 100 yards in the first 15 seconds to give the Aztecs a lead they would never relinquish. SDSU’s defense, which came into the game 10th nationally in points allowed (17 points per game), bookended the special teams touchdown on Alex Barrett‘s interception return for a touchdown to extend the lead to 42-0 with 9:04 remaining.
In between, running back Donnel Pumphrey, who may or may not have played his final game in an Aztec uniform, ran and passed for a touchdown, the latter being the first of his career. Pumphrey’s backfield mate, former walk-on fullback Dakota Gordon, rushed for and caught a touchdown, the latter coming off the arm of Pumphrey.
SDSU’s defense, in addition to pitching a shutout for the first 56½ minutes, forced three turnovers, with all three being interceptions thrown by Hayden Moore. In just his third career start, the freshman Moore, pressed onto the field because of personal issues involving starter Gunner Kiel, passed for 202 yards. The Bearcats’ lone touchdown came on Mike Boone‘s one-yard touchdown run.
UC finishes the year 7-6, its first time winning nine or fewer games since 2010.
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Jamauri Bogan rushed for 215 yards and four
touchdowns Thursday, powering Western Michigan past Middle Tennessee
45-31 in the Bahamas Bowl for its first bowl victory.
Western
Michigan (8-5) had lost its previous six bowl games. The Broncos ended a
four-game winning streak by Middle Tennessee (7-6).
Bogan broke a
tie game with a 1-yard touchdown with 6:12 left, setting up the score
with a 61-yard burst. He added another 1-yard score with five minutes
remaining after Rontavious Atkins’ 29-yard interception return to the
Middle Tennessee 4. Bogan also had a 62-yard touchdown and a 46-yard
score. He averaged 11.3 yards per carry.
Western Michigan’s Corey
Davis finished with eight catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. Daniel
Braverman had five receptions for 101 yards and a score.
Richie
James had two touchdown catches and one touchdown run for Middle
Tennessee. Brent Stockstill threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns to
go with his interception.
Stockstill was 26 of 39 and finished his
redshirt freshman season with 327 completions to break the NCAA
freshman record held by Jared Lorenzen, who completed 321 passes for
Kentucky in 2001. Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell was 18 of 26 for 297
yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
One year after
Western Kentucky and Central Michigan combined for 12 touchdown passes
in the inaugural Bahamas Bowl — a 49-48 Western Kentucky victory —
Western Michigan and Middle Tennessee produced a similar shootout.
Thursday’s matchup featured six touchdowns of 40-plus yards. The game already was tied 17-all by the end of the first quarter.
James capped Middle Tennessee’s first two possessions with a 46-yard touchdown run and a 44-yard touchdown catch.
Bogan
had a 62-yard touchdown run to end Western Michigan’s first series. In
the closing seconds of the first quarter, Davis caught a pass about 5
yards downfield, made a move past one defender and stiff-armed another
before racing down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown.
After a scoreless second quarter, the big plays resumed.
Bogan
gave Western Michigan its first lead with a 46-yard touchdown on the
opening drive of the second half. Middle Tennessee tied it when
Christian Collis turned a short completion into a 17-yard touchdown with
18 seconds left in the third period.
Western Michigan went back
in front when Braverman caught a pass about 15 yards downfield and raced
along the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown with 12:47 left.
Middle Tennessee tied it again with 9:41 left on Stockstill’s 29-yard
touchdown pass to James, who ended up with eight catches for 126 yards.
But when Bogan scored a couple of more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Middle Tennessee couldn’t respond.
The
Blue Raiders failed to capitalize on early opportunities. With the
score 17-17 in the second quarter, Middle Tennessee’s Shane Tucker was
stuffed by Grant DePalma and Austin Lewis on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
On Middle Tennessee’s next series, a holding penalty nullified an
85-yard touchdown completion from Stockstill to Collis.
The third quarter did not go Bowling Green's way in Wednesday's GoDaddy Bowl.
The Falcons headed into halftime with a 27-23 lead over Georgia Southern. When the third quarter was over, Georgia Southern had a 44-27 lead on the way to a 58-27 win.
Bowling Green had the ball three times in the quarter. The first, after Georgia Southern took the lead 30-27, ended on a failed fourth down conversion in Eagle territory. On the very next play, GSU quarterback Favian Upshaw sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown.
On the next drive, BGSU quarterback Matt Johnson fumbled as he went to throw. Another Georgia Southern TD made it 44-27. Then, with less than a minute remaining in the third, Johnson dropped the ball again as he faked a handoff.
The fumbles were likely a product of a wet football from the driving rainstorms in Mobile, Alabama, that plagued the game. But it's of no consolation to Johnson, who was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football in 2015. After racking up nearly 300 yards in the first half, Bowling Green had 70 in the second.
Upshaw, a redshirt junior, didn't start. But he had four touchdowns on 12 carries for 199 yards and his performance sets up an intriguing quarterback competition for 2015. Both he and starter Kevin Ellison will be redshirt seniors. Incoming coach Tyson Summers has said the Eagles will retain the option offense that now-Tulane coach Willie Fritz installed at the school. He could do far worse in looking for a leader for it.
Before the game got out of hand in the third quarter, the first half was all sorts of fun. Bowling Green's first touchdown came when Johnson ad-libbed a broken play on 4th and 1 and found Roger Lewis behind the defense for a 45-yard touchdown. The PAT after the score was blocked and Georgia Southern returned it for a 9-6 lead.
Ellison provided some magic of his own later in the half. He scrambled out of the pocket and to his left on a 4th and 5 play and heaved a 31-yard touchdown pass to Montay Crockett for a 23-20 lead.
The bowl win comes in Georgia Southern's second season at the FBS level and in its first season of bowl eligibility. The Eagles are the second such team to do so this season. Fellow Sun Belt Conference member Appalachian State won the Camellia Bowl in its first bowl game (and second season in FBS) on Saturday.
Boise State dominated from start to finish Wednesday at the
Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, taking less than a minute to get on the
board, and never trailed in a 55-7 hamering of the Northern Illinois
Huskies.
The Broncos (9-4) held a 654-33 advantage in total
yardage, with the defense allowing the second-fewest yards in school
history, and the least since Oct. 19, 1968 against Whitworth, when they
allowed 30 yards.
Freshman quarterback Brett Rypien was the game’s
offensive MVP after he completed 29-of-39 passes for 377 yards with
three touchdowns and an interception. Junior defensive end Kamalei
Correa, who is expected to leave for the NFL Draft, was the defensive
MVP after he had two sacks and forced a fumble.
The 654 yards of
offense were ninth-most in a single game in school history. Sophomore
running back Jeremy McNichols scored three touchdowns, rushing for 93
yards and adding 96 yards receiving, both team-highs.
SCORING SUMMARY
BOISE STATE
21
10
10
14
—
55
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
0
7
0
0
—
7
FIRST QUARTER
BSU—Jeremy
McNichols 29 run (Tyler Rausa kick), 14:02. Key plays: Quarterback
Brett Rypien hit McNichols on a streak down the right side of the field
for 39 yards — the first deep ball the Broncos had hit since October.
McNichols jogged into the end zone through a mammoth hole on the next
play. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, :58. Boise State 7, Northern Illinois 0 BSU—McNichols
4 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 7:38. Key plays: Wide receiver Thomas
Sperbeck broke a tackle attempt for a 23-yard gain on the first play.
McNichols added an 11-yard run. The drive was set up by a fumble
recovery by linebacker Tyler Gray. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:18. Boise State 14, Northern Illinois 0 BSU—McNichols
1 run (Rausa kick), 3:28. Key plays: Rypien dropped a beautiful throw
over an underneath defender to tight end Jake Roh for a 23-yard gain.
Wide reciever Shane Williams-Rhodes broke a tackle to gain 21 yards on
third-and-3 at the NIU 24-yard line. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:36. Boise State 21, Norhern Illinois 0
SECOND QUARTER
BSU—Rausa
20 field goal, 9:44. Key plays: Gray stripped wide receiver Aregeros
Turner and cornerback Jonathan Moxey recovered on the NIU 15. A holding
penalty on first-and-goal at the 5 stalled the drive. Drive: 7 plays, 12
yards, 3:01. Boise State 24, Northern Illinois 0 NIU—Aregeros Turner 96 kickoff return (Christian Hagan kick), 9:32. Boise State 24, Northern Illinois 7 BSU—Chaz
Anderson 16 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 1:51. Key plays: Defensive
end Kamalei Correa stripped quarterback Ryan Graham and Gray crawled to
the loose football at the Boise State 40. Williams-Rhodes gained 21
yards on an end-around and McNichols fought and reached to gain a yard
on third-and-1. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:35. Boise State 31, Northern Illinois 7
THIRD QUARTER
BSU—Rausa
27 field goal, 7:30. Key plays: Williams-Rhodes dominated the drive
with a 12-yard catch, a 10-yard run and an 11-yard catch. Drive: 12
plays, 51 yards, 4:49. Boise State 34, Northern Illinois 7 BSU—Alec
Dhaenens 18 pass from Rypien (Rausa kick), 3:29. Key plays: Sperbeck
and Anderson also had 18-yard catches. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:06. Boise State 41, Northern Illinois 7
FOURTH QUARTER
BSU—Kelsey
Young 24 run (Rausa kick), 14:52. Key plays: Rypien hit Williams-Rhodes
for 13 yards and McNichols for 18. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:07. Boise State 48, Northern Illinois 7 BSU—Stuart 1 run (Rausa kick), 9:52. Key plays: Ryan Wolpin bustsed a 49-yard run. Stuart had a 9-yard run. Boise State 55, Northern Illinois 7
Read
more here:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/college/mountain-west/boise-state-university/bronco-beat-blog/article51316405.html#storylink=cpy
The Toledo Rockets won a sloppy, rain-soaked Boca Raton Bowl over the Temple Owls 32-17 Tuesday night. The result hinged in large part on an onside kick recovery. Down by just eight points and with less than three minutes remaining, Temple kicker Tyler Mayes apparently recovered an onside kick that would have given the Owls a chance to tie.
However, a Toledo defender came out of the pile with the ball, and the referee declined to overturn the call on the field, giving the Rockets possession and an eventual victory.
The onside controversy threatened to overshadow a stellar performance from Toledo senior quarterback Phillip Ely. Ely, who played his first two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Toledo and missed almost all of last season after a Week 2 knee injury, was making a homecoming of sorts: The Tampa prep product was playing for the first time in his home state of Florida. He finished his last collegiate game with 285 yards and two touchdowns on 20/28 passing. It was Ely's fourth consecutive game with more than 200 passing yards and seventh multiple-touchdown game this year. An 80-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Ely to wide receiver Cody Thompson gave the Rockets a ten-point lead, a lead which Toledo never relinquished. Ely froze the safeties with a play action fake, and Thompson beat his defender on a post route.
Running back Kareem Hunt converted a subsequent Temple interception into another touchdown. Temple scored its only touchdown of the game with less than three minutes left to play, but Toledo's onside kick recovery led to another Hunt touchdown run that cemented the Rockets' tenth victory of the season.
Toledo finishes its postseason with a new head coach, vacancies left to fill at offensive coordinator and two other positions, and a veteran quarterback graduating. But the Rockets also have their second consecutive bowl win and third bowl victory in the last six seasons. And a once-promising collegiate career shortened to a single season by transfer and injury came to a successful end.
For the first time in Akron’s 30-year history at college football’s top level, it won a bowl game.
The 8-5 Zips shut down Utah State’s offense and
capitalized on a few mistakes en route to a 23-21 win in the Famous
Idaho Potato Bowl Tuesday afternoon in Boise. It was only the second
bowl game in Akron history, with the first was the 2005 Motor City Bowl,
a 38-31 loss to Memphis.
The win over Utah State was the culmination of an
impressive turnaround engineered by fourth-year coach Terry Bowden.
Akron had back-to-back-to-back 1-11 seasons from 2010-2012, a stretch
which includes Bowden’s first year at the helm. After going 5-7 in both
2013 and 2014, Bowden steered Akron to seven regular-season wins, and
the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win gave the Zips a program-best eight
victories.
It’s remarkable Bowden is the one leading this turnaround,
too. The former Auburn coach — he was there from 1993-1998 and led the
Tigers to five top-25 finishes in six seasons, including a No. 4 final
ranking in 1993. But he hadn’t worked as an FBS head coach in 14 years
when Akron hired him before the 2012 season, and his last bowl win came
18 years ago.
Utah State took a one-point lead early in the third quarter when quarterback Kent Myers found receiver Hunter Sharp
for a 19-yard touchdown. After forcing a three-and-out on Akron’s next
possession, Utah State had a chance to pull away a bit, but receiver Andrew Rodriguez
lost a fumble at the Aggies’ 40-yard line. Akron promptly marched into
the end zone in eight plays, and in the fourth quarter added a field
goal that proved to be necessary late in the game.
With Chuckie Keeton
back at quarterback — Kent Myers also played — Utah State drove into
the end zone with 72 seconds remaining, cutting Akron’s lead to two. The
Zips recovered an onside kick, though, and successfully stuffed a few
last-ditch Aggie laterals to seal their victory.
Akron quarterback Thomas Woodson completed 14 of 29 passes
for 168 yards, rushed 16 times for 47 yards and caught a touchdown from
receiver Tyrell Goodman on a slick gadget play in the first quarter.
The bowl game was the final one on the Utah State
sidelines for offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, who was hired as
Mizzou’s offensive coordinator earlier this month.
The Miss Universe 2015 contest has ended in confusion and disarray
after the host mistakenly named the wrong woman as the winner.
Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo from Colombia had already been crowned and was standing on stage to cheers from the Las Vegas audience when mortified host Steve Harvey returned to announce the error.
“OK, folks, um, I have to apologise,” he said, walking back on stage
while Arevalo was proudly waving to fans, holding the winner’s bouquet
and wearing the Miss Universe sash. “The first runner-up is Colombia,”
he went on, “Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.”
The camera panned straight to a stunned Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo
Wurtzbach, who started slowly walking to the front of the stage. For a
few awkward moments the two women stood side by side, in front of a TV
audience of millions from around the world, before Harvey explained that
he read the card naming the winner and runner-up in the wrong order.
“It is my mistake, but it’s still a great night.”
“Please don’t hold it against the ladies, please don’t. I feel so badly but it’s still a great night.”
As he spoke, a former Miss Universe winner quickly removed the crown
from Arevalo and placed it on Wurtzbach. The broadcast ended moments
later.
The reaction on social media was swift, with viewers expressing dismay at the “fail of the decade”.
Later, Wurtzbach told reporters that she wished Arevalo well.
“I’m very sorry. I did not take the crown from her,” she said. “None of this was done on purpose. It was an honest mistake.”
Harvey’s mistake is not the first time the wrong woman has been named
the winner of a high-profile beauty pageant. In 2010 during a live
television broadcast, Australian host Sarah Murdoch read out the wrong name in the finale of Australia’s Next Top Model.
The competition started with women representing 80 countries between
the ages of 19 and 27. For the first time, viewers at home weighed in,
with their votes being tallied in addition to four in-person celebrity
judges.
NBC Universal and Donald Trump co-owned the Miss Universe
Organization until earlier this year. The real-estate developer offended
Latin Americans in June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in
announcing his Republican presidential run.
That led Spanish-language network Univision to pull out of the
broadcast for what would have been the first of five years airing the
pageants and NBC to cut business ties with Trump.
The former star of the Celebrity Apprentice reality show sued both
companies, settling with NBC in September, which included buying the
network’s stake in the pageants.
That same month, Trump sold the organisation that includes the Miss
Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to entertainment company
WME-IMG. Associated Press contributed to this report
MIAMI -- A feel-good Western Kentucky football season ended in heartbreak, but for the Hilltoppers, the good kind.
South Florida led by two touchdowns early in Monday's Miami Beach Bowl, weathered a run of 24 straight WKU points and pulled to within one possession during the fourth quarter.
WKU hit back each time in a 45-35, season-ending victory at Marlins Park. Just when the Bulls had hope, it often vanished.
Heartbreaking, really. It's what the great teams do, and after finishing 12-2, matching the program record for victories first set during the 2002 I-AA national title season, this bunch will go down as one of WKU's best.
Second-year coach Jeff Brohm's squad likely secured spots in the final Associated Press and coaches polls, adding to a Conference USA championship won earlier this month. The Louisville native Brohm's also due for a raise, and perhaps one more spin through the coaching carousel should it start again.
Credit goes to an up-and-down day by Brohm's offense, which received few favors from its defensive counterparts.
Brandon Doughty completed 32 of 44 passes for 461 yards in his final college game, and that was after a 10 of 19 start that included an early interception. The performance made the sixth-year senior the first WKU quarterback to top 5,000 yards passing in a season and third in C-USA history.
Top Miami Beach Bowl target Nicholas Norris pushed him over the mark.
Doughty in the third quarter hit the junior Norris for back-to-back touchdowns, one for 69 yards and another for 55. His catches moved the Hilltoppers ahead for good, with a 9-yard Nacarius Fant rush, acrobatic Jared Dangerfield catch and 42-yard Anthony "Ace" Wales rush enough to hold on late.
But there was plenty of doubt as USF quarterback Quinton Flowers danced in open field for most of the afternoon, rallying the Bulls from a 38-21 deficit at the end of the third quarter. On the opening play of the fourth, Flowers threw 53 yards to Rodney Adams for a score. And on USF's next drive, his 8-yard keeper made it a 38-35 game.
From there, however, the Bulls were stopped twice on fourth down and missed a 54-yard field that would have, at the time, tied the score.
One last quick-strike scoring drive put WKU over the top. A play before the Louisville native Wales raced up the right sideline for a touchdown, Doughty set it up with a flea-flicker completion to Antwane Grant.
Playing in his home state, Doughty was near perfect after the Hilltoppers' opening five drives ended with two punts, a turnover on downs and his interception. From there, he completed 22 of 25 passes, going out on a high note and against the coach who signed him, WKU graduate Willie Taggart.
Football players constantly state that victory can only be achieved by teamwork. The way in which that victory is celebrated, however, is a very individual thing, as the emotions on display tend to depend on the player’s personality and past experiences. Following their FIFA World Club Cup Japan 2015 triumph on Sunday, Barcelona’s players all reacted in distinct ways as they received their winners’ medals.
To understand the great joy visible on the face of Neymar, it is crucial to wind the clock back four years. In December 2011, the skilful forward was part of the Santos side that, as South American champions, earned its place at the global tournament.
Prior to the final, where they were to face Barcelona, the media built it up as duel between the Brazilian and Lionel Messi. However, instead of creating a tight contest, Santos fell to a comprehensive 4-0 defeat, during which Messi scored a brace and Neymar put in a somewhat anonymous performance.
“They were so much better than us,” the then 19-year-old admitted to FIFA.com. “They gave us a footballing lesson.” One image in particular made its way around the world after the match, that of Neymar exchanging a few words with Messi and Pep Guardiola. While the exact details of that conversation may never be known, could it be that La Pulga was advising his now team-mate to join him in Catalonia as soon as possible?
By the following year, Neymar had put pen to paper with the Blaugrana and would soon begin to amass a considerable number of prestigious trophies, the latest of which was held aloft on Sunday in Japan. “Today, I’m on the other side of the fence, and I’m glad about that. I’m very happy to be a world champion,” he said to FIFA.com.
Isolation and concentration His obvious delight contrasted with the contained joy exhibited by Javier Mascherano in the corridors of International Stadium Yokohama after the match. But rather than demonstrating nonchalance about his team’s victory, the robust defender was struggling with conflicting emotions.
“This final was a difficult one for me to deal with,” explained the San Lorenzo native, who turned professional with River Plate in 2003. “I came through the ranks with them, and they’re from my home country. Unfortunately, in situations like that you just have to cut yourself off. I tried to be as professional as I could about it. I don’t know if it was the right thing to do, but I have to think about the team that I currently represent.”
Proof of this approach came when fans of Los Millonarios, who had travelled in large numbers and noisily supported their heroes throughout the encounter, cheered his name when the teams were presented to the public. The Barcelona stalwart decided to keep a low profile and held back from recognising the Argentinian contingent.
“Maybe they took it badly, but I didn’t mean anything disrespectful by it,” he said. “Ever since I found out that we would be facing River, I’ve tried to shut myself away from everything and stay completely focused on the task at hand.”
And that he certainly did, repelling the Argentinians’ attacks and marshalling a defence that performed superbly in front of an on-song Claudio Bravo, even if the Catalans were willing to admit that River made life tough for them at times.
“River’s commitment and pressure caused us a few problems during the first 35 minutes, until we got the breakthrough,” said the Argentinian, who starred for his nation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Final. “It wasn’t easy, but we knew that they would fight hard, and it was that style of play that got them to this level in the first place.”
Titanic trio Unfortunately for the South American giants, their battling qualities were not sufficient against an on-form Barcelona, driven forward by their highly effective and harmonious attacking triumvirate. Messi struck first and Luis Suarez added a brace, while Neymar contributed two assists.
“I don’t know if we’re the best frontline in football history, but we’ve got a great understanding and we’re in the process of making history,” said Neymar, responding to a question that is often brought up by fans of the beautiful game. “But 150 goals is certainly not something to be sniffed at. We’re playing some great stuff and we’re delighted to be doing so.”
That happiness is clearly shared by every player in the Barcelona squad. “Getting to this stage involves putting in a huge amount of work and achieving important objectives. We’ve managed to cap off this year in the best way possible,” concluded Mascherano with understandable self-control and the hint of a winning smile.
It was quite the career
capper for Louisiana Tech's seniors, as the Bulldogs rode a huge second
half to a 47-28 New Orleans Bowl win over Arkansas State.
Louisiana Tech jumped out to a
big 17-3 lead behind the arm of former Florida Gators quarterback Jeff
Driskel and the legs of NCAA record-setting running back Kenneth Dixon.
However, Arkansas State came back and tied the game up at 17 by
halftime, and the Red Wolves answered the Bulldogs' first touchdown of
the second half, as well.
But after that, Louisiana Tech
pulled away, thanks in large part to Driskel. He threw for three
touchdowns and over 450 yards in a dominating performance, as the
Arkansas State secondary had no answer for the Bulldogs' passing attack.
It was a tough ending of the
year for the Red Wolves, who went undefeated in Sun Belt play, including
an impressive 40-27 win over Appalachian State. Quarterback Fredi
Knighton rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled as a
passer, completing just half of his passes. The defense just couldn't
keep up with that kind of production.
Here are three things we learned from the game.
1. Jeff Driskel got his redemption
Driskel really struggled while
at Florida under Will Muschamp, and he ended up transferring to
Louisiana Tech. Driskel's decline with the Gators really began in the
2013 Sugar Bowl, when his team lost to Louisville, 33-23, despite coming
in heavily favored. This New Orleans Bowl, also at the Superdome, gave
him a chance at redemption.
"It's amazing how life works, I
get another chance at making a memory at the Sugar Bowl," Driskel said,
according to the announcers.
He certainly delivered, with
three touchdowns and over 400 yards passing. It was a nice career
capper, even if it was unexpected.
2. NCAA record for Kenneth Dixon
Dixon had himself a day,
setting the career NCAA rushing and receiving touchdowns record with 87.
He also set a New Orleans Bowl record with four touchdowns, and he did it while running out of his jersey number.
Dixon might lose the record to
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who plays Pitt in the Military Bowl,
but this was Dixon's day to cherish.
3. Bad experience for the Sun Belt
The Sun Belt got a nice win
from Appalachian State over Ohio, but the league had a chance to show
that its champion could hang with a simply above average Conference USA
team. Instead, Arkansas State, which laid an egg in the New Orleans Bowl
after going through the Sun Belt slate unscathed. Bowl games really
shouldn't determine how we think of conferences, but they do, and this
isn't great for the Sun Belt.
The Cure Bowl, not
even the No. 2 bowl on Orlando's depth chart, is a first-year endeavor
that pitted 6-6 Georgia State against 5-7 San Jose State, which was only
bowling because of good academic progress by previous SJSU teams.
There are probably too many bowls, in part because players are not paid money for these things. They instead get minor bowl gifts
in addition to their other non-monetary compensation. That means all
revenue rushes freely throughout the system, uninhibited by the kinds of
natural market things* that tend to limit artificial sprawl in all other forms of labor-dependent entertainment.
If we were to start slashing
bowls, this would be one of the very first to go. If we required winning
records to make bowl games, this would've certainly been the easiest one to slash this year. If I were capable of feeling shame about enjoying a sporting event, it would've been while watching this game.
As Josh Oliver scored with 2:40
left in the fourth quarter to put the Spartans up by two scores, SJSU's
players looked pretty happy. They were miming jump shots on the
sideline when an Andre Chachere interception clinched a 27-16 win and
6-7 record. They surrounded retiring defensive coordinator Greg
Robinson, who joined them in dancing.
I don't know how much longer
this market can bear expanding until things change. But as long as
players still feel good about participating in these things, we might as
well keep adding them.
Despite taking
the two middle quarters off, Appalachian State won its first ever bowl
game in its first ever bowl appearance, beating Ohio, 31-29, in the
Camellia Bowl, with a last-second field goal from Zach Matics, who
missed his first two field goal attempts on the day.
The Mountaineers were ecstatic.
Appalachian State dominated the
first quarter and most of the second quarter, scoring a touchdown and
missing two field goals that could have put the Mountaineers up 13-0,
but they were down by 10 at halftime after Ohio scored 17 unanswered
points in the final 1:11 of the first half. After an Ohio field goal,
the Bobcats got a pick-six to go up, 10-3. Then, five plays after the
next kickoff, Ohio forced a fumble, then took two more plays to get into
the endzone again.
Things kept going south for the Mountaineers in the second half, as Ohio linebacker Jovon Johnson just flat out took the ball from Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb for a touchdown.
Then the Mountaineers came
back, scoring a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and turning two
straight interceptions into touchdowns.
Ohio came back with five
straight points to take the lead again, but with the game on the line,
Lamb stepped up, using both his feet and his arm to get the Mountaineers
in field goal range. Then, Zach Matics hit a field goal to win it.
1. Appalachian State won its first bowl game
Appalachian State was an FCS
team just two years ago, and despite being bowl eligible last season,
the Mountaineers couldn't go to a bowl game because they were still a
"transitional" team. However, they got to go this year after going 7-1
in the Sun Belt and 10-2 overall. Now, they end the season with 11 wins.
The future is certainly bright
for App State, which will be among the Sun Belt favorites again next
year, but this will be a memory to cherish for a long time. Winning a
bowl game is the ultimate "we're here" moment for a former FCS team.
2. This was a game of runs.
This was essentially a basketball game, with lots of runs. Here's a closer look:
RUN 1: Appalachian
State dominated the beginning of the game, scoring a touchdown and
missing two field goals that could have made it 13-0. Ohio gained just
four yards on its first four drives, and the Bobcats had -3 yards on
their first three drives.
RUN 2: Everything
changed quickly when Ohio scored 17 unanswered points in 1:11 before
halftime. That came with a field goal, a pick-six, then a touchdown off a
fumble. After halftime, the Bobcats returned a strip for a touchdown to
go up 24-7
RUN 3: Appalachian State roared back with a touchdown, then two straight touchdowns off interceptions to go up 28-24.
Run 4: Ohio got a safety to make it a two-point game, then drove down the field to get a field goal and go up by one.
Run 5: Appalachian State drove back down the field to win the game.
3. There are not too many bowl games
Why aren't there too many bowl
games? Because the Camellia Bowl was an awesome game. It featured two
teams that absolutely deserved to be there, and two teams that got to
face opponents in similar leagues. Moreover, it was an entertaining
game, with big plays and huge momentum swings. This game won't be
remembered forever, but it was a lot of fun for everyone involved.
The Southern Oregon Raiders fell to Marian of Indiana 31-14 in the NAIA football title game in Daytona Beach, Florida.
It was a rematch of the 2014 championship that saw the Raiders win 55-31.
What: No. 7 Southern Oregon Raiders (11-2) vs. No. 6 Marian (Indiana) Knights (11-2) in NAIA championship game When: 3 p.m. PST Saturday Where: Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, Florida. Capacity: 9,600 TV channel: None Live stream: Cable, satellite and internet customers who subscribe to ESPN can stream the game at ESPN3.com or via the Watch ESPN app. Forecast at kickoff: Clear, 57 degrees Second half updates:
Ryan Retzlaff's scores his second touchdown of the game on a 10-yard
pass from Tanner Trosin. Southern Oregon cuts Marian's lead to 31-14
with 50 seconds left in the game.
Marian kicker Matt Plesac connects on a 37-yard field goal and makes it 31-7 with 5:39 remaining in the game.
Krishawn Hogan drags a couple Raiders into the end zone for a 55-yd
touchdown. He's up to 147 receiving yards, his 12th straight 100-yard
game. Marian leads Southern Oregon 28-7 with 7:57 left in the game.
Tanner Trosin bounces a backward pass to Jeremy Scottow, who fires 32
yards into the end zone to Ryan Retlzaff. Southern Oregon narrows
Marian's lead 21-7 with 11:28 left in the game.
Maurice Woodard runs in another touchdown, this time from 18-yards
out. Marian went 69 yards on eight plays during the scoring drive and
leads Southern Oregon 21-0 with 14:20 left in the game. First half updates:
Krishawn Hogan scores on a 2-yard keeper to extend Marian's lead to 14-0 with 1:05 remaining in the second quarter.
Marian's Maurice Woodward strikes first with a 19-yard touchdown rush
to cap a 13-play, 76-yard drive. The Knights lead the Raiders 7-0 with
4:55 left to play in the first half.
It
was 35 years ago to the day that BYU trailed SMU 45-25 with only four
minutes remaining in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. On that day, Jim McMahon and
the Cougars responded with 21 points in the final 240 seconds to win
46-45 in one of the most memorable bowl games in college football
history.In 2015, the Cougars came up just a bit short in their comeback attempt.
Thanks
to five BYU turnovers on their first five possessions of the game, the
Cougars fell behind Utah 35-0 in the first 11 minutes as Utah turned
each turnover into a touchdown -- two directly via pick sixes. The
deficit proved to be seven points too many for the Cougars. Story of the game:
It has to be the turnovers. Based on how the final three quarters of
the game went, if not for the horrid start to the game, BYU probably
wins this one. The fact of the matter is Utah's offense was not good on
Saturday. Of the Utes touchdown drives, none of which occurred outside
the first quarter, the longest was 39 yards. Utah only had one drive
longer than that the entire game, and it ended with a turnover on downs
early in the fourth quarter.
All in all, BYU actually out-gained
Utah 386-197 in the game, as the Utes averaged only 3.1 yards per play.
In essence, BYU handed Utah a 35-0 lead early, and then the Utes held on
for dear life. Player of the game: I'm actually
going to go with Utah punter, and Ray Guy award winner, Tom Hackett. As I
said, Utah's offense was basically non-existent during this game. If
not for Hackett averaging 49.5 yards on his six punts -- three of which
were over 50 yards, four of which pinned BYU inside its own 20-yard line
-- the Cougars may have been able to pull off this comeback.
Oh,
and then there was Hackett running this fake punt in the second half to
pick up what seemed like a pivotal first down at the time. BYU had
scored two touchdowns to open the half and steal all the momentum, and
for a moment you thought this fake punt would put the final nail in
BYU's coffin. It didn't, though, because Hackett then came off the field
and was replaced by Utah's impotent offense.
Highlight of the game: This was the second BYU
turnover, which is also the first pick-six. Utah's Tevin Carter snagged
this ball out of the air after the deflection and took it 28 yards to
the house.
Tweet of the game:
There were a lot of good tweets during this game, particularly early
when Utah jumped out to that 35-0 lead, but my favorite was actually a
quote of something Brent Musberger said while calling the game.
Brent is a national treasure. Grade:
This game was a lot more exciting than anybody thought it would be
after the first couple minutes of action, but even so, I just can't give
it an "A." The fact is that while there was nearly an epic comeback,
it's not like either team played very well. I mean, BYU did have five
turnovers after all, and as I mentioned earlier, Utah's offense averaged
only 3.1 yards per play. B+
Northwest
Missouri State is the Division II Champion for the second time in three
years, beating Shepherd, 34-7, in Kansas City. The Bearcats finished the
season 14-0, dominating nearly everyone in their path. Up to this
point, they'd outscored opponents by an average of 41.9-12.7. They
didn't stop in this one, by blowing out the Rams, who had never been to
this stage.
It was a banner day for
Northwest Missouri State quarterback Brady Bolles, who was
ultra-efficient in shredding the Shepherd defense. He finished by
completing almost 75 percent of his passes for 233 yards and a
touchdown. This was the 13th time this season that Bolles has thrown for
more than 200 yards. He's thrown for 300 on four occasions and threw
for 400 once. The Bearcats got solid rushing help from Phil Jackson and
Cameron Wilcox, who combined for 170 yards on the ground.
Shepherd couldn't get anything
going on offense all game, and when Northwest Missouri State went up
24-0 in the second half, the game was essentially over. The Rams
couldn't throw the ball more than a few yards down the field —
quarterback Jeff Ziemba's longest pass was 34 yards — and the running
game couldn't get doing at all, as they finished with -39 rushing yards,
including sacks.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
(AP) — Anu Solomon threw two touchdown\ passes and ran for another score
to help Arizona hold off pesky New Mexico 45-37 on Saturday in a wild
New Mexico Bowl. Arizona (7-6) and its quick
offense overwhelmed the Lobos (7-6) in a game that saw New Mexico surge
late after being down as many of 18 points.
Jared Baker ran for 107 yards and
three touchdowns, and Cayleb Jones had 182 yards receiving and a
touchdown. Linebacker Scooby Wright III, who battled injures all season,
came back for the bowl game and made two sacks.
New Mexico quarterback Lamar
Jordan ran for three touchdowns and passed for another before leaving
the game in the third quarter with an injury. The Lobos then turned to a
committee of running backs to get back in the game.
North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in a wild debut for the Celebration Bowl.
Wait.
If you're wondering what
exactly the Celebration Bowl is, you're not alone. Rather than
participate in the FCS Playoffs, the SWAC and MEAC champions are meeting
in the Celebration Bowl, with the winner claiming the crown of
historically black college and university (HBCU) national champion. It's
the first matchup of this type for HBCUs since 1999, which the Heritage
Bowl ceased operations. The Heritage Bowl ran from 1991-1999, and
previously, the Pelican Bowl was held in 1972, 1974, and 1975.
Aside from the fun plays on the field, there's lots of reasons this game is a good thing.
It's great exposure.
And with the national TV
coverage and early time slot, it's great exposure for schools and
conferences that don't normally get much. The FCS Playoffs have gotten
more coverage in recent years, but those games don't start appearing on
cable until fairly late in the tournament. The Celebration Bowl kicks
off on the first Saturday of bowl season on a major network, before any
other bowls are there to soak up the attention.
Unlike most HBCU's past forays
into the FCS Playoffs, this game should actually be pretty close. The
last HBCU team to win the FCS title was in 1978, and they haven't gotten
particularly close since. To play in this game, the MEAC gave up its
automatic bid just to play in this game, and the SWAC didn't have an
automatic bid into the Playoffs anyway.
And this year's game was great
from the first whistle. There were four touchdowns in the first eight
minutes of the game, and the shortest of them was 74 yards. Each team
had a long punt return for a touchdown in the first half. North Carolina
A&T running back Tarik Cohen ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns
in the first half alone. And then there was the case of Alcorn State's
Marquis Watford, who took out some frustrations by punching clean through a dang whiteboard.
The second half wasn't quite so
explosive, but Alcorn State made up a two touchdown deficit to tie the
game in the fourth quarter, with the game-tying touchdown pass coming from wide receiver Tollette George to
quarterback Lenorris Footman. They would tie the game again later in
the quarter on a fake field goal that went for a touchdown.
But despite all that
craziness, it wasn't enough. Tarik Cohen scored the game-clinching
touchdown on a 73-yard run right up the gut that was only his
third-longest run of the game. Alcorn State drove all the way to the
A&T nine yard line with 13 seconds left, but their final chance to
tie the game fell incomplete in the end zone.
Cohen was absolutely
sensational for the Aggies, and finished with 295 yards and three
touchdowns on only 22 carries. Before this game, Cohen was probably best known for catching footballs while doing backflips.
He was also their leading receiver in the game with 53 yards. A&T
more than doubled Alcorn State's total yardage figure, 544 to 260, and
it was the repeated big plays that made the difference for the Aggies.
SALEM, Va. (AP) — Mount Union is back on top of Division III football, and coach Vince Kehres finally has one of his own.
Taurice
Scott threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and Mount
Union won its NCAA-best 12th football title, beating St. Thomas of
Minnesota 49-35 on Friday night in the Division III championship game.
It
was the Purple Raiders' 11th consecutive appearance in the game, but
the first time in the last three years with Kehres as the coach that
they came out on top.
"It means a lot," Kehres said after adding
to the family lore that saw his father, Larry, guide the Purple Raiders
to the first 11 titles. "I had the great mentor and a lot of mentors to
get to this point. ... I think it feels great for a lot of us."
Logan
Nemeth ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns for Mount Union (15-0),
which took over by scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter,
turning a 21-14 deficit into a 35-21 lead in a span of just over five
minutes. And they did it while working against a wind that had limited
them to 30 yards in the first quarter.
"The offensive staff wanted
to be able to run the football in the third quarter going into that
wind," said Kehres, who was part of 10 titles as a player and assistant
coach under his father.
They did it with a fast-paced approach, something they haven't used much in the playoffs.
"The offensive line did a great job and I think all that speed flying around had to mess with them a little bit," Nemeth said.
Jordan
Roberts ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns for St. Thomas (14-1),
which was appearing in the game for only the second time. The Tommies
also played for the title in 2012, losing 28-10 to Mount Union.
"I've said it now for many years," coach Glenn Caruso said. "They are the standard in Division III."
The
Purple Raiders took command with three four-play touchdown drives
sandwiched around a turnover and a three-and-out by the Tommies. St.
Thomas rallied with a fluky touchdown, but the Tommies had no answer for
the big-play capabilities of the Purple Raiders.
"Three of the
four times that we scored, they came right back and scored," Caruso
said. "That's the sign of a championship team."
In the 21-0
third-quarter burst, Scott hit Roman Namdar for 63 yards to highlight
the first drive, a fumble recovery set up the second, and Nemeth had a
42-yard run on the third drive before Scott's 18-yard scoring run.
St.
Thomas got within 35-28 when Nick Waldvogel fumbled on run up the
middle, and the ball bounced sideways and into the hands of quarterback
John Gould, who outran the defense 55 yards.
Mount Union let Nemeth do most of the heavy lifting in the final quarter as it chewed time off the clock.
Unable
to generate any offense moving into the stiff wind in the first
quarter, Mount Union scored on its first two possessions of the second
quarter with the wind at its back. Nemeth set up the first score with a
40-yard run, and Scott hit Lane Clark from 7 yards out for the
touchdown. It was the 42nd touchdown pass of the season for Scott. He
later hit Clark for another, from 13 yards, to make it 21-all.
After
a three-and-out for the Tommies, Nemeth had runs of 15 and 3 yards, and
Scott hit Namdar for 29 yards and the touchdown, his 20th scoring catch
of the season.
The Tommies got help from a pass-interference call
in converting a fourth-and-6 play from the Mount Union 30. After a
holding call, Gould hit Charlie Dowdle for 25 yards. Dowdle initially
bobbled the ball as he passed through the end zone, but a review ruled
he gained possession in time for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
It
was the largest deficit the Purple Raiders have faced this season, and
the Tommies doubled it in the second quarter, again with help. It came
in the form of a fake punt by Mount Union that failed, giving St. Thomas
the ball at the Purple Raiders 34. Eight runs later, Jordan Roberts ran
it in on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
It was Roberts' 33rd rushing touchdown, tops among NCAA players at all levels this season.
Behind two goals from Jordan Morris and a staunch defensive effort, Stanford men’s soccer (18-2-3) won its first national championship with a 4-0 rout over Clemson (17-3-4) Sunday afternoon at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
The victory marked Stanford’s 108th NCAA Championship and was its 129th national title, adding a year to the school’s now-40-year streak of winning at least one NCAA championship each year. It was also the first time a men’s team has won a title for The Farm since 2011 and the first time a men’s fall team has since 2003.
But to the team, the title was more the result of what it set out to do at the beginning of the year — the result of years of program-building and individual work, all leading to exactly where it had every right to be: hoisting the NCAA championship trophy.
“It’s a special thing,” head coach Jeremy Gunn said. “It’s a great moment, and we are all super excited, but it pales in comparison to the journey we take as a group. You get to see us all celebrating, but the cool thing is the staff that has all worked together so hard… The whole experience, the whole journey is what’s special. Seeing the excitement on their faces is pretty cool as well.”
The Cardinal led for all but the first 86 seconds of the game, gaining the lead for good with the first of Morris’ brace of goals. The play started with a fast break from sophomore Corey Baird, who then sent a cross towards Eric Verso at the top of the box. The fifth-year senior tapped it to Morris, who shot it in past the Clemson’s keeper’s near side.
After struggling to convert Friday in the semifinal match, Morris stepped up when it mattered most, scoring his 12th (and later 13th) goal in his last 14 games.
“Whenever we go out, we want to score first,” Morris said. “Scoring early helps to not only give me confidence, but the rest of the team as well. It was good to get one early.”
After Morris’ early goal, the rest of the half was mostly a Clemson show. Using their skilled passing, the Tigers maintained most of the possession and got off 6 shots, and though none of them were on goal, Cardinal keeper Andrew Epstein remained fairly active. By the end of the afternoon, Stanford would only give up one shot on goal.
Though Clemson had some chances in the second half to get on the board, the Cardinal were better at maintaining possession and creating possession than they were in the first half.
“We adjusted well at halftime and said, ‘Guys, we can’t just sit here defending because we are going to be holding on clock watching. We have to go at them and be assertive the rest of the game,’” Gunn said. “And that’s what we ended up doing.”
“They got their chances; they’re a quality team, so you expect that, but we did a good job of holding them back,” said defender Brandon Vincent. “We kept going after it, keeping up the intensity and finishing it out strong.”
“It’s a testament to the back line and the keepers. The front six as well,” he added. “Everyone doing their job defensively. The front six make it tough on them to get through in the first place, and then when they do, we are there to pick up the scraps and make sure they don’t get a look on goal. If they do, Andy [Epstein] is there to come up big with the save.”
For the third time in its five tournament games, Stanford’s second half featured its most productive offensive showings: Morris’ second goal of the night came quickly — not even six minutes — after play resumed in the second half, and from there the entire game opened up for the Cardinal. Receiving a feed from Baird, Morris drew two defenders on him. The Clemson keeper stepped out to try to contest the shot, but the junior, off-balanced, was able to finesse the ball into the far post.
Midway through the second half, Morris got fouled inside the box, leading to Stanford’s third goal off a penalty kick from Vincent. Three minutes later, Verso sent a ball past his defender and the diving Tigers keeper to score Stanford’s fourth and final goal.
Having scored his second goal of the season, Verso proceeded to rip off his jersey — under which he was wearing a sports bra to carry the Cardinal’s assortment of heart-rate monitors and mileage trackers — and slid on his knees toward the Stanford sideline. The move paralleled Brandi Chastain’s famous celebratory action from the 1996 World Cup Final.
“Probably not the best look with the sports bra underneath, but I was just so excited in the moment,” Verso said. “I had only one goal on the year. I was just so happy that I had finally scored, especially in the final. I wasn’t thinking at that point, just really excited.”
Despite the pressure of it being the tournament’s final matchup, Sunday’s match was by far Stanford’s most dominant performance in the tournament, and indeed the season.
In the Second Round, and its first game, of the NCAAs, Stanford went down 1-0 in the 28th minute, but for the rest of the tournament, that would be the only point when the team trailed. Stanford came back to score three goals against Santa Clara and beat Ohio State in the next round by the same 3-1 margin, thanks to the first of Morris’ two braces of the tournament.
Over its next three games, Stanford would proceed to take down the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 2 seeds by a 6-1 margin: Wake Forest in overtime off a game-winner from Foster Langsdorf, the win sending the program to its first College Cup since 2002; Akron in a scoreless tie that ended with 10 rounds of dramatic penalty kicks that, at one point, Stanford was inches away from losing; and then Sunday, when Morris scored in the first 87 seconds, and the team never looked back.
“It’s unbelievable,” Gunn said. “Going into the tournament, the thing that I felt good about was the great balance we have. We are a great attacking team; we showed that today; and we’ve shown it all season. We are also tremendous at the back, so to win at any sport, you’ve got to be scoring and stopping scoring. You have to have that balance, and I think that was really the key for us.”
Stanford also scored all the goals of the College Cup, as both semifinal games ended in scoreless ties before going into penalty kicks, and did not let in a goal in all 200 minutes of game time it played in this weekend. Vincent was named the tournament’s defensive MVP, while Morris was named the offensive MVP.
While Vincent and fellow seniors Ty Thompson, Slater Meehan, Eric Verso and Adrian Alabi have definitely played their last games as Stanford Cardinal, time will tell whether the same will hold true for USMNT player Jordan Morris. With many offers from his hometown Seattle Sounders, he has not announced whether he will leave The Farm to pursue his professional career.
But on Sunday, none of that mattered. In one of the most emphatic College Cup Final victories in history, the Cardinal accomplished what they’ve had their eyes on all season — perhaps all their lives — and were able to pull off what the program never could do before in its 102 years of existence: They had became national champions.
“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Gunn said.
Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu.
NEW YORK -- Hand it to Derrick Henry. Alabama's
bulldozer of tailback with the super-sized workload won the 81st
Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, capping a junior campaign that saw him
rush for an SEC-record 1,986 yards -- previously held by 1982 Heisman
winner Herschel Walker -- on 339 carries and score a conference
record-tying 23 touchdowns.
"I'm just so thankful to have this trophy," Henry said. "It's just a blessing and an honor."
In voting, Henry finished with 1,832 points, followed by Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey (1,539), making it four second-place finishes for Cardinal players in seven seasons. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson (1,165) finished third. Henry won five of six voting regions, with McCaffrey winning the Far West.
Henry was considered the favorite going in, though it didn't make it any easier for him.
"I
didn't know at all," he said. "Them two guys were great contenders for
the trophy. Deshaun, with how consistent and efficient he is at the
quarterback position, all the success he had, I was kind of worried.
Christian, breaking Barry Sanders' record, doing all the things he does,
he's just unbelievable."
The moment right before the winner was announced was the toughest for Henry.
"My heart was about to bust out my chest. I thought I was going to have a heart attack," he said. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who some thought should have been among the finalists sent to New York, finished fourth with 334 points. Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds finished fifth with 180 points, the highest service academy finisher in 52 years, since Roger Staubach.
Henry
is the first running back to claim the Heisman since 2009, when Crimson
Tide running back Mark Ingram became the first Alabama player to win
the award. In 2009, Ingram edged runner-up Toby Gerhart -- a Stanford
running back -- by a single percentage point, the narrowest margin of
victory in the history of the award.
"I
know that our entire organization is really happy, happy, happy for
Derrick Henry tonight, winning the Heisman Trophy," Alabama coach Nick
Saban said.
Since Ingram won the award in 2009, it had gone to five straight quarterbacks.
On
Thursday night, Henry also beat McCaffrey for the Doak Walker Award as
the country's top running back, and became the first running back since
2002 to win the Maxwell Award, which is given to college football's
player of the year. He is the first running back to win the Maxwell
Award and Heisman Trophy since Ron Dayne in 1999.
He choked up during his speech, thanking his family and coaches, and was effusive in his praise of his teammates.
"Coming
in to Alabama from Florida, they all accepted me, they all loved me and
all supported me," he said. "And this season, they've seen me as a
leader, taken me as a leader. [The offensive line] takes pride in
controlling the line of scrimmage, making sure I have success, and
through this year, looking at these guys, the courage they had in me,
the faith they had in me, I knew I couldn't let them down.
"Everybody
always asks me about carries, what I thought about it, how I felt, but
when you got teammates like that who love you and care for you, it don't
matter how you feel or how bad it hurts, you've got to make sure you're
making those guys happy by helping them win, getting a victory."
He also mentioned former Alabama teammate Altee Tenpenny, who was killed in a car crash two months ago.
The
6-foot-3, 242-pound junior led the country in carries, rushing yards,
rushing touchdowns and yards after contact. He was second among Power 5
backs in carries of 25 yards or more.
He's a key cog in the
Crimson Tide's offense, representing more than 36 percent of its total
yards and 42 percent of its total touchdowns.
Henry was born to
teenage parents and raised with the strong influence of his grandmother,
Gladys, in the small north Florida town of Yulee, which is just outside
of Jacksonville, but very much country living.
Gladys Henry has
been hospitalized for weeks in Florida with heart and respiratory
problems. Derrick Henry said his grandmother was with him in spirit as
his childhood dream of winning the Heisman came true.
"I love you so much," he said.
Henry
came to Alabama as a five-star recruit. Before the Heisman came a dose
of humility. For the first time football wasn't easy. Being bigger,
stronger and faster wasn't enough in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
"One day
I said something to him and he said, 'Coach, all this stuff is new to
me. All they did in high school was turn around and toss me the ball and
I ran with it,'" Saban said. "I really appreciate his hard work at
becoming a complete player."
He
was a backup on a crowded depth chart as a freshman and thought about
transferring, but with the encouragement of his family decided to stay
put.
As a sophomore he shared carries with T.J. Yeldon and ran for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns, showing signs of big things to come.
This
season as a junior, with Alabama breaking in a first-time starting
quarterback and inexperienced receivers, coach Nick Saban and the Tide
decided to hook the offense to Henry and let him lead the way.
The
Tide hammered away with Henry and he set a school record for carries
with 339, including an astounding 90 in Alabama's last two games against
Auburn and Florida. He had four 200-yard games in the second half of the season. He went for 210 against LSU to move to the front of the Heisman race, and had 271 yards in the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
Weary
defenses got plenty of looks at big No. 5 from behind, his long bundled
locks sticking out of the back of his helmet. The Crimson Tide's
Predator.
After Ingram won the Heisman in '09, he helped Alabama
win the national championship about a month later. Henry will try to do
the same. He will power No. 2 Alabama into the College Football Playoff
semifinals against No. 3 Michigan State.
They meet Dec. 31 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas, and the Tide will try
to earn a fourth national championship in nine seasons under Saban.
Henry has not announced his intentions yet, but a jump to the NFL seems likely after this season.
ESPN's Alex Scarborough, ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) — Regional points breakdown of the top three finalists in balloting for the 2015 Heisman Trophy:
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ISML 2015: Kanade Tachibana Re-Elected Saimoe Leader Of The Free World Accelerator elected Deputy Saimoe Leader, Nao Tomori overall Diadem winner
By Jo-Ryan Salazar The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue December 7, 2015 In a decisive scoreline that surprised no one, and in a turnout that was underwhelming, Kanade Tachibana of the Angel Beats! Party was re-elected Saimoe Leader Of The Free World for a second term after routing Ruri Gokou 6217-4813. Despite losing to Hachiman Hikigaya in his consolation match 5587-5146, Kanade's husband Yuzuru Otonashi had nothing but praise for his wife.
"My wife was a great leader before and she will do it all over again next year," Otonashi said. "She has my full support and the support of the world. Our world, now more than ever, needs united, and today, you saw that the world stands united in electing an angel as the Saimoe Leader Of The Free World. She will not disappoint you. I guarantee it, because I will see to it that happens as her husband."
"I want to thank all the people who missed seeing me compete in this competition," said Tachibana, holding her son Kazero. "I owe it to you all to keep faith alive, keep hope alive, and to never give up when the going gets tough. Love the ones you're with, the ones who love you back. Solidarity is the ultimate strength and the key to overcoming your darkest hours. Don't be afraid of the future. Embrace it and take flight. I love you all and I look forward to leading the new Saimoe Government next year. We'll do our best."
Mikoto Misaka was third place after defeating Eru Chitanda 5906-5364 and in the other Scepter Ranking matches, Archer defeated Sora 5784-4865 and Seiya Kanie rolled past Edward Elric 5516-4863. Accelerator will be the Deputy Saimoe Leader of the Free World after defeated Koyomi Araragi 5643-5433.
"It feels good to be the king of the world and be a great assistant and right hand person to an angel," a victorious Accelerator said, being doted by Last Order, his fiancee (she is not old enough to marry Accelerator yet). "Last Order said that I hold all the cards, and I believed her. Now that I am on top, I hope I won't have to do this stupid tournament anymore and I can try my hand at stopping terrorism around the world.
"Thanks for your support. It's going to be a hella good time bringing hell to those who want to send hell on the innocent! Hell yeah!"
A further Tiara Ranking round was made to classify the best eight not to win the Heavenly Tiara. Kosaki Onodera won one of the rounds with 4346 votes. Yui Yuigahama won 3231 votes, Kurisu Makise won 2354 votes and Saber won 2197 votes. In the other Tiara Ranking round, Chiyo Sakura won 3245 votes to finish first. Asuna Yuuki was second with 3124 votes, Nanami Aoyama was third with 2929 votes and Yoshino held up the rear with 2803 votes.
In a series of exhibitions, Nodoka Haramura routed Saki Miyanaga 5142-3819, Killua Zoldyck won the closest race of the round, a 4928-4845 decision over Sougo Okita, Kyouko Kirigiri belted Akane Tsunamori 5441-4798 amd Rurutia slaughtered Yuriko Kougami 5428-4042.
In the Seasonal Runners-Up Final, Iroha Isshiki recorded the Upset Of The Round, a 5473-2951 win over Umaru Doma. Kougou was third with 2464 votes and Sakurako Kujou held up the rear with 1968 votes. Nao Tomori was the overall Seasonal Champion, earning 5301 votes. Megumi Katou was second with 2813 votes, Isla was third with 1966 votes and Mitsuki Nase was last with 1696 votes. Tomori is projected to be an early favorite to contend for honors in the Nova Division next season.
This concludes the 2015 International Saimoe League Season. Keep it right here on The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue for continuing coverage of the International Saimoe League, the world's premier anime character competition, and be sure to debate on next year's edition on InternationalSaimoe.com. This is the ISML on the Bedlam!
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Before the 2015 MLS Cup final, Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter wrestled with the question of whether he believed in destiny, ultimately deciding that hard work begets success.
As it turned out, his team's hard work earned them their first-ever
MLS Cup in thrilling – and, at times, controversial – fashion.
After opening with the fastest goal in the event's 20-year history,
the Timbers held on to a 2-1 advantage on Sunday against Columbus Crew
SC at MAPFRE Stadium to become the 10th MLS team and first Cascadia club
to win MLS Cup. Portland joined MLS as an expansion team in 2011,
becoming champions in their fifth season in the league. The Timbers completed an incredible run to raise MLS Cup, ascending
from below the red line on Oct 3 to finish third in the Western
Conference. They then survived an 11-round penalty shootout against
Sporting KC in the Knockout Round, blanked the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-0,
in the conference semifinal and handled No. 1 seed FC Dallas in the
Conference Championship.
A stunning misplay by Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark
in the opening minute, a bad touch taking him across his own goal under
pressure, put Columbus behind just 27 seconds into the game as Diego Valeri,
who was named MLS Cup MVP, slid in to redirect the Clark's clearance
into an empty net. The home team spent more than 89 minutes desperately
trying to recover.
It took just six minutes for Portland to double their lead, via a
play that Crew SC players and fans believed should have been blown dead. In an attempt to find Alvas Powell on the right sideline, Diego Chara appeared to play a pass out of bounds. The ball popped out to Tony Tchani, who took a few touches toward the sideline, ostensibly to set up a Columbus throw-in. But the whistle didn’t blow, and Darlington Nagbe chased the ball down, reversing direction in front of Tchani before playing wide to Lucas Melano, whose one-touch cross found Rodney Wallace for a diving header past Clark in the center of the box.
In the 17th minute, Crew SC got one back. Justin Meram crossed to Kei Kamara, who bodied defender Nat Borchers and screened Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey. With Kwarasey on the ground, Kamara fought for the loose ball, pivoted and shot through Powell’s legs on the goal line.
The game proved an up-and-down affair thereafter, with both teams
creating chances, though Portland had a pair of heart-stopping hits off
the woodwork.
In the 60th, a Timbers corner found Wallace on the right side of the box, where his shot snuck through. Michael Parkhurst
headed it off the line – into Kamara, who flailed while falling
backward, kicking the ball against the underside of the crossbar,
hitting Parkhurst's arm and the right post before Columbus cleared.
Just 10 minutes later, Jorge Villafana arced a cross to Fanendo Adi,
who headed the ball while moving back and to his left, sending the ball
into the right post. It ricocheted into a trailing Clark, who couldn't
corral ball but knocked it out along the end line.
Columbus' best chance of the second half came in the 77th minute, when Harrison Afful chipped a cross toward Federico Higuain in the area, where the Argentinian one-touched it over his head out of the air – just past Jack McInerney's attempted header.
Clark kept Crew SC's late hopes alive with a reflex save in the 81st
minute, trapping a Borchers header between his legs just in front of the
line. Columbus pressed forward for an equalizer, but couldn't put any
threatening attempts on target.
Crew SC become the second MLS team to lose the Cup final while
playing at home, joining the 2002 New England Revolution, who fell to
the LA Galaxy at Gillette Stadium.
The Timbers are the third expansion team to win MLS Cup, following in
the footsteps of the Chicago Fire (1998) and Real Salt Lake (2009).
