When Ohio State upset Alabama in the semifinals of the first College Football Playoff on the way to the Buckeyes’ last national title, it seemed like the start of budding postseason rivalry between the two traditional powers. Instead, Clemson became the Crimson Tide’s nemesis and the biggest challenger to Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty over the next five years. Six years later, Ohio State and Alabama meet again, the Tide still rolling and the Buckeyes again looking for an upset. After the SEC champion Crimson Tide rolled past Notre Dame 31-14 in a Rose Bowl played deep in the heart of Texas, the No. 3 Buckeyes of the Big Ten beat Clemson 49-28 in the other CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night behind Justin Fields’ six touchdown passes. How Fields is feeling will be the main story line heading into the title game. He took a hard short to the side in the second quarter against Clemson, but managed to play through the pain.
Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t expected to take another snap this season for the San Francisco 49ers as a pair of high ankle sprains derailed most of his campaign. Despite the lost season, the 49ers remain publicly committed to Garoppolo as their quarterback for 2021, even tough he has remained healthy only once in three seasons as starter.
The winter sports season was scheduled to begin with practices and tryouts allowed to begin on Jan. 2, and contests permitted as early as Jan. 14. Indeed, regular practices and try-outs for the winter season sports of skiing and flag football were permitted to begin this Saturday with competitions to follow as scheduled. These practices and competitions are to be in compliance with the guidance issued for these sports. However, per Emergency Directive 034 issued by Governor Sisolak on Oct. 2, 2020, neither unmodified practice nor competition in the winter season sports of basketball or wrestling are permitted.
Sarah Fuller was a goalie on the Vanderbilt women’s soccer team when a chance at history tapped her on the shoulder. The Commodores football team was down a kicker because of COVID-19 issues, so coach Derek Mason reached out to soccer coach Darren Ambrose to see if Fuller might be a good option. Turns out she was.
Frustration boiled over for star J.J. Watt after the Houston Texans dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday. Samaje Perine ran for two touchdowns, including a 3-yard score late, to give the Cincinnati Bengals their first road win in more than two years with a 37-31 victory over the Texans.
The last time Alabama and Notre Dame played each other, it was a BCS championship blowout won by the Crimson Tide. The last time Clemson and Ohio State faced off — just last year — they played one of the best semifinals in the College Football Playoff’s 6-year history.
Auburn hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as its head coach on Tuesday, luring him away from his alma mater and into the powerful Southeastern Conference. The 44-year-old Harsin is 69-19 with three Mountain West titles in seven seasons at Boise State, but winning in the SEC affords greater chances for playoff berths and national titles.
Nevada coach Jay Norvell had plenty of reasons to be emotional as he challenged his team before it took the field in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. And his players responded. Carson Strong threw for 271 yards and five touchdowns, Devonte Lee and Toa Taua each rushed for over 100 yards, and Nevada’s defense recorded eight sacks for the first time in 17 years as the Wolf Pack beat Tulane 38-27 on Tuesday.
Seven years into its existence, the postseason system that replaced the Bowl Championship Series is starting to produce levels of frustration, and in some cases contempt, among fans and competitors that ultimately crushed the BCS. Texas A&M is upset about not making the final four. Indiana is mad about being left out of the New Year’s Six. Group of Five teams are more disrespected than ever as it has become abundantly clear they are not even given serious consideration for the College Football Playoff.
The Nevada football team placed a school-record 15 players on the 2020 All-Mountain West team, led by sophomore quarterback Carson Strong earning Offensive Player of the Year honors, the league announced Tuesday. Strong is the first sophomore to ever win the league’s top offensive honor. He is the second Wolf Pack player to take home one of the Mountain West’s top “Of The Year” awards in school history, joining Toa Taua, who was the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2018.
Nevada offensive coordinator Matt Mumme has been named a candidate for the 2020 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches. The 56 nominees in this year’s class were selected from approximately 1,270 assistant coaches representing 127 Division One programs across the country.
Every now and then, an event occurs that serves as a wake-up call and reminds us that we have some work left to accomplish. We are aware of two such events recently that were rather disturbing, and the issues behind those events need our full attention. Understandably, school leaders have been focused on simply getting high school athletics programs restarted – or rallying teams on Zoom calls in some parts of the country until restarts are possible. However, once those programs are up and running, the core messages of education-based activities must take center stage.
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has released the 20 semifinalists for the 2020 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl with Nevada sophomore Brandon Talton earning a spot on the list. Given the unique nature of this college football season, the committee considered all FBS kickers who had played in at least six games and attempted at least 10 field goals through the games of Week 14.
Nevada senior defensive lineman Sam Hammond has been named a nominee for the 2020 Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Hammond is one of 67 student-athletes nominated from Division I FBS schools from across the country and is one of nine from the Mountain West. In the award’s 11th year, the trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman.
The Nevada football team accepted an invitation from the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and will take on Tulane in the Dec. 22 game on at Albertson’s Stadium in Boise, Idaho.