No. 5 Oregon beats No. 19 James Madison 51-34 in College Football Playoff opener
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dante Moore threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 5 Oregon beat No. 19 James Madison 51-34 on Saturday night in a College Football Playoff opener. The Ducks (12-1) advanced to face Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. Oregon won a playoff game for the first time since 2014, when the Ducks beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinal before losing to Ohio State. James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP games. No. 17 Tulane fell 41-10 at No. 6 Mississippi as well Saturday. Oregon led 34-6 at the half.
Bears stun Packers 22-16 with improbable rally as Williams finds Moore for winning score in OT
CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime, and the Chicago Bears overcame a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter for a 22-16 win over the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay lost quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion. The Bears extended their lead in the NFC North to 1 1/2 games over the Packers with two left to play and got some payback for a loss at Lambeau Field two weeks earlier. It was Chicago’s sixth win this season after trailing in the final two minutes and its most incredible — Green Bay had a win probability of 99%.
Chambliss and No. 6 Ole Miss ace their test without Kiffin and beat No. 17 Tulane 41-10 in the CFP
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Trinidad Chabliss and Mississippi have aced their first test without former coach Lane Kiffin. The sixth-ranked Rebels beat No. 17 Tulane 41-10 on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Chambliss passed for 282 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores. Kewan Lacy also ran for a TD for Ole Miss. Recently promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding had a triumphant debut as Kiffin's replacement, and Ole Miss moves on to face No. 2 Georgia in a CFP quarterfinal. The game was coach Jon Sumrall's last with Tulane. He's been hired as Florida's coach.
Miami freshman Malachi Toney redeems himself with winning touchdown in 10-3 victory over Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Malachi Toney’s tiebreaking 11-yard touchdown reception with less than two minutes left lifted No. 10 seed Miami to a 10-3 win over No. 7 Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff. Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 yards rushing to help the Hurricanes (11-2) advance to the Cotton Bowl to face No. 2 seed Ohio State on Dec. 31.
Luka Doncic exits Lakers game with leg injury
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic suffered an injury and didn't return after halftime of the Lakers' game against the Clippers. The Lakers say the NBA's leading scorer sustained a left leg contusion. Doncic had 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes during the first half. The visiting Lakers trailed 54-39 at the break. Doncic missed his first six shots and picked up a technical foul. His absence left the Lakers even more short-handed. Rui Hachimura missed his first start of the season with a sore groin, while Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves have been out.
Packers QB Jordan Love departs with a concussion after helmet-to-helmet hit
CHICAGO (AP) — Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love has left the Packers' NFC North showdown against Chicago because of a concussion. Love was shaken up after he absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit by defensive lineman Austin Booker on a second-quarter sack. Booker was flagged for roughing the passer. Love eventually jogged off the field and went into the blue injury tent on Green Bay’s sideline. Then he walked to the visiting locker room. The Packers said Love had a concussion and would not return to the game.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win their second NFC East title in a row by beating the Commanders 29-18
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles have won their second straight NFC East title. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley led the Eagles to a 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday night. The game included a late brawl after Barkley tacked on a 2-point conversion to increase the Eagles’ lead to 19 points. Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Barkley had a 12-yard TD run as part of his 21-carry, 132-yard performance. It wasn't a terrific performance by the Eagles, who had a fumble on the opening kickoff and a pair of penalties on the tush push.
Miami's fierce defense dominates Texas A&M to advance to Cotton Bowl
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Miami brought a nasty defense into Texas A&M Saturday to down the seventh-seeded Aggies in the College Football Playoff. The No. 10 seed Hurricanes forced Marcel Reed into three turnovers and sacked him seven times in the 10-3 victory. “The defense was off the charts the entire day,” coach Mario Cristobal said. They move on to face No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
No. 19 Texas Tech rallies from 17 down in 2nd half to stun No. 3 Duke 82-81 at MSG
NEW YORK (AP) — Christian Anderson scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking free throw with 3.4 seconds left, and No. 19 Texas Tech rallied from 17 down to beat third-ranked Duke 82-81 at Madison Square Garden. Anderson was fouled by Caleb Foster and made the front end of a 1-and-1 before missing his second attempt. Isaiah Evans grabbed the rebound with 1.6 seconds remaining, and Duke called a timeout to set up a play. Foster inbounded near the Texas Tech bench, but Cameron Boozer’s 3-point try bounced off the rim — and the shot might have come just after the final horn, anyway.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham signs 5-year extension averaging $7.5M a year
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kenny Dillingham insisted he had no interest in leaving Arizona State. All he wanted was for his program and assistant coaches to get the resources they needed to be successful. Dillingham got his wish, signing a five-year contract extension that will raise his salary to an average of $7.5 million per year and increase the salary pool for his assistants to $11 million, one of the highest in the Big 12. Dillingham had been reportedly in the mix for numerous high-profile jobs. The 35-year-old coach’s name popped up when Michigan fired Sherrone Moore last week.
