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Showing posts from December, 2019

New on Sports Illustrated: Sam Ehlinger Leads Texas's Alamo Bowl Romp Over No. 12 Utah

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Sam Ehlinger passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Texas dominated No. 12 Utah 38-10 in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. SAN ANTONIO — Sam Ehlinger passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Texas excised the frustrations of a disappointing regular season with a dominant 38-10 win over No. 12 Utah in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. After a 10-win season in 2018 set up a Top 10 ranking to start 2019, Texas underwhelmed in a season the Longhorns expected to contend for the Big 12 title. Instead, they ended the year with both the offensive and defensive coordinators getting replaced. For one game at least, Texas (8-5) wiped all that away with a bruising and convincing win over a Utah team that only a month ago was on the verge of making the College Football Playoff. The Utes (11-3) didn't get there after they were swamped in the Pac-12 title game by Oregon and perhaps struggled to shake off the heartbreak of what could have been. Texas physically handled

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Zion Williamson Could Make Season Debut in January

Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson had surgery on a torn meniscus in October and has yet to make his regular season debut. Zion Williamson may be getting closer to making his NBA regular season debut. Williamson is reportedly expected to join the Pelicans in practice on Wednesday. Both New Orleans and the rookie are "hopeful" he will return to the court in January after recovering from surgery on a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee,  according to Stadium's Shams Charania . "Williamson is expected to return to his first practice shortly after the New Year on Wednesday and I'm told both sides are hopeful of a January season debut for Williamson," Charania said.  Williamson  underwent surgery on Oct. 21  before ever playing a regular season game once it was confirmed he tore his meniscus. The Pelicans have been very cautious with Williamson during his recovery process. Last week, ESPN's Jorge Sedano reported that his rehab process from surgery h

New on Sports Illustrated: Wyoming Rolls Over Georgia State in Arizona Bowl

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Wyoming built a 14-point lead by halftime and racked up 524 total yards to beat Georgia State 38-17 in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. TUCSON, Ariz. — Xazavian Valladay ran for 204 yards and scored two touchdowns, quarterback Levi Williams accounted for four scores and Wyoming rolled over Georgia State 38-17 in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. Wyoming (8-5) started slow before scoring two quick touchdowns late in the first quarter and early in the second. G 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. The freshman was poised under the bowl spotlight, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. Valladay had three catches for 91 yards and a touchdowns. Georgia State (7-6) jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter but had a hard time stopping the big-play Cowboys. The Panthers twice turned the ball over on downs deep in Wyoming's en

New on Sports Illustrated: Trick Play, Field Goal Lift No. 21 Navy Over Kansas State in Liberty Bowl

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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. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — 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 on Tuesday. 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 C.J. Williams, and he threw downfield to a wide-open Chance Warren for a 41-yard gain. Perry, who rushed for 213 yards, spiked the ball with 5 seconds left to set up Nichols' field goal. Nichols had missed a 38-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter. The victory enabled Navy (11-2) to tie a program record for wins and e

New on Sports Illustrated: Arizona State Defeats Florida State in Sun Bowl

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Willie Harts returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead Arizona State to a 20-14 victory against Florida State in the Sun Bowl. EL Paso, Texas — 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 on Tuesday in the Sun Bowl. Harts, a freshman cornerback, halted a 14-0 surge by Florida State (6-7) and helped the Sun Devils (8-5) 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. Cristian Zendejas kicked a Sun Bowl record-tying four field goals for Arizona State, including a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter to cut the FSU lead to 14-12. Then Blackman's fourth interception of the game was returned by Harts to pu

New on Sports Illustrated: Kentucky QB Lynn Bowden Involved in Pre-Belk Bowl Altercation With Virginia Tech Players

High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl as ESPN's cameras appeared to show UK quarterback Lynn Bowden punching Virginia Tech defensive tackle DaShawn Crawford.  Dick Gabriel, the sideline reporter for the UK Radio Network, also reported a punch had been thrown toward Bowden. No penalty or team discipline was assessed following the pregame incident. The incident comes just days after Bowden refused to discuss his opponent on multiple occasions during a Belk Bowl media event on Monday.  “I ain’t talking about them, I ain’t talking about them," he said. Those comments seemingly stem from another incident from last Friday, when a video posted on social media appeared to show a small group of Virginia Tech players yelling obscenities at Kentucky players including Bowden, at

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Best Bets: Clippers, Rockets Will Close Out the Year With Wins

Several playoff contenders are in action on New Year's Eve, and two of the NBA's best should close out the year with wins. The last day to bet on hoops in 2019 brings us an interesting slate that starts at 3 p.m. ET. Yesterday I didn't really have a strong lean on many games, today there are three positions I really like on this seven-game slate. Four of today's game feature favorites of seven points or more, the other three games have spreads of a single point. It should be a fun day and night of hoops. Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers: Pacers +102 It was all good just a week ago for the 76ers, when they earned their most impressive victory of the season by blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks on their home court. To Sixer fans that may seem like a while ago, as Philly has lost the first two games of a four-game road trip. The Pacers haven't fared much better over their past two games, both road defeats, but one of them was a 22 point loss to the Pelicans. Today

New on Sports Illustrated: Penguins Star Jake Guentzel Out 4-6 Months After Having Shoulder Surgery

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Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel will likely miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery on his right shoulder. PITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Penguins leading scorer Jake Guentzel is out at least four months after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday. The 25-year-old Guentzel injured the shoulder in the third period of a 5-2 victory over Ottawa on Monday night when he slammed into the boards shortly after tapping in his team-high 20th goal of the season. Guentzel slowly made his way to the bench clutching his right arm. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, and Dr. Ivan Tarkin performed the surgery. Guentzel is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins. He helped Pittsburgh thrive despite missing captain Sidney Crosby, who has been out since Nov. 9 after abdominal surgery. The Penguins are 14-5-3 during Crosby's absence thanks in large part to Guentzel's playmaking. Guentzel was named to the All-Star team

New on Sports Illustrated: Bears GM Ryan Pace Says Mitchell Trubisky Will Be Chicago's Starting QB in 2020

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace said Tuesday that the team plans on having Mitchell Trubisky be its starting quarterback at the beginn of next season. Bears general manager Ryan Pace said the team plans on starting Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback next season.  Both Pace and head coach Matt Nagy told the media they still believe in Trubisky, saying that the young quarterback just needs “more consistency." The duo added that the UNC product showed both the highs and the lows this season.  "Patience with a quarterback is hard, but a lot of things pay off if you're able to get through these tough times," Pace told reporters. Pace noted, however, that the Bears have not decided whether to pick up Trubisky's fifth-year option for 2021. One year after making the Pro Bowl, Trubisky threw for 3,138 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions this season. He failed to throw a score in seven of his 15 starts. In mid-November, Trubisky's future with the team became a

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA DFS Daily Plays - Tuesday, 12/31 (DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo)

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Expert NBA DFS DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo DFS daily plays for Tuesday, December 31 NBA DFS (Tuesday, December 31) Welcome to the New Year's Eve edition of SI Fantasy's NBA DFS daily plays. We have a split slate for NBA DFS on New Year's Eve. There is a two-game slate that starts at 3 pm ET, and we also have a four-game main slate that begins at 7 pm ET. FanDuel and Yahoo also have an option to compete in an all-day slate, which includes every game. DraftKings has a showdown slate option for the Clippers/Kings and Mavericks/Thunder games. Here are five plays for tonight's main slate:   James Harden, Houston Rockets  DraftKings: $10,500 , FanDuel: $11,500, Yahoo: $59   James Harden is my top play on the main slate. Harden missed the Rockets last game with a toe injury, but he should go this evening. I don't see him missing a game versus the current second seed in the West. The Rockets have the highest team total on the slate in a game that could go to

New on Sports Illustrated: NFL Coaching Rumors: Jerry Jones to Meet Jason Garrett Again Tuesday

Check out the latest coaching news and rumors around the NFL. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is meeting again with head coach Jason Garrett on Tuesday. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two are scheduled to meet at noon CT and while a resolution is "likely," it is "not definite."  "Expectation continues to be Garrett and Dallas will part ways," Schefter notes. "But the Cowboys are run as a family, Garrett has been a part of family, and it’s hard to part ways." A number of other teams have already made decisions regarding their futures. Since the conclusion of Week 17, the Browns have fired Freddie Kitchens and the Giants have dismissed Pat Shurmur.  The Jaguars have decided to retain Doug Marrone and the Redskins have reportedly hired Ron Rivera to be their next head coach.  The coaching rumors mill was swirling on Monday and is expected to remain busy as the calendar turns over to 2020.  Check out the latest coaching news and rum

New on Sports Illustrated: Florida State vs. Arizona State Live Stream: How to Watch, TV Channel, Start Time

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Find out how to watch Florida State vs. Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday. He may not be on the Florida State sideline Tuesday when the Seminoles face Arizona State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tx., but it will be new coach Mike Norvell’s first opportunity to judge the scale of the rebuild he faces in restoring one of college football’s most storied teams to national prominence. How to Watch When: Tuesday, Dec. 31 Time: 2:00 p.m. ET TV: CBS Live Stream: fuboTV ( try for free ) Norvell was hired earlier this month from Memphis after guiding the Tigers to a 12-1 record and American Athletic Conference title this season, which earned them a spot in the Cotton Bowl. The 38-year-old Norvell, who went 38-15 in his four seasons in the Mid-South, did not win a bowl game in his previous three seasons and was not around for Memphis’ loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday since he is building his new staff in Tallahassee. While he goes about that task, the Seminoles

New on Sports Illustrated: Doug Marrone Returning to Jaguars For 2020 Season

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Despite finishing 6-10 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2018, the Jaguars are keeping HC Doug Marrone a heading into next season. Despite finishing 6-10 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2018, the Jaguars are keeping Doug Marrone as their head coach heading into next season. GM Dave Caldwell will also be retained. "I have met on several occasions over the past few days with Dave Caldwell, Doug Marrone and their staffs to fully understand their plans to reverse our coursee and compete for a postseason berth in 2020," owner Shad Kahn said in a statement on Tuesday morning.  Less than 24 months ago, Marrone and the Jaguars took a lead into the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. But since winning 10 games in 2017-18 and being one quarter away from a Super Bowl appearance, the Jags have gone 11–21 over the past two seasons.  On Saturday, it was reported that the Jaguars informed Marrone that he would be dismissed following the regular season finale against the Colts.

New on Sports Illustrated: Hiring Ron Rivera a Good Look For Washington Right Now—But What About Long-Term?

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As Washington’s new head coach, Rivera will be tasked with reviving this franchise going through a tumultuous time. Rivera can help in the short-term, but it will be up to Dan Snyder to see that the team stays on course. People’s actions in the past dictate the amount of credit they get in the future, which is why we’re all sitting here today applauding Washington owner Daniel Snyder for doing the first sensible thing for his organization in a decade. Letting go of Bruce Allen , who presided over a chaotic stretch of football in Washington, was the kind of thing someone not interested in fortifying their own stubbornness would have done years ago. But the fact that it was done at all is notable. Bringing in Ron Rivera , a highly-regarded head coach with a 76-63 career record, a Super Bowl appearance and four postseason appearances in seven years, just as the dust began to settle on the NFL’s Black Monday , was also the kind of move that a capable and decisive franchise might make. T

New on Sports Illustrated: The Best of Men's International and Club Soccer in the 2010s

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Who ran the 2010s in the club and international game? We look back on the decade with a series of superlatives. The 2010s were loaded with international competitions, outlandish transfer fees and a rise of the superclubs across Europe, and as the decade comes to a close, it's time to look back and filter out the best of the best in the men's game. There were three World Cups, all won by European nations (Spain, Germany, France), with the Germans breaking through for the continent on South American soil. There were two European championships, with Spain cementing its international domination with a third straight major title in 2012 and Portugal breaking through for its first major European title in 2016 in an expanded event. In South America, there were four Copa America competitions–with another slated for 2020–as CONMEBOL tweaks its formula to get it on the same schedule as the Euros. Chile's first two major trophies were sandwiched by victories in 2011 by Uruguay and

New on Sports Illustrated: The 10 Most Significant NBA Legal Controversies of the 2010s

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The 2010s were an exciting decade in the NBA, but the league wasn't clear of some of the most notable legal controversies in sports. The 2010s were an exciting decade for the NBA, but the league and its players encountered major legal controversies along the way. Sports Illustrated legal analyst and writer Michael McCann breaks down his list of the 10 most significant NBA legal controversies of the 2010s. 10. The sexual assault trial of Derrick Rose The 2010s were a turbulent period for Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and the youngest player to win the league’s MVP award. The former Memphis star began the decade by starring for the Chicago Bulls. He will end it as a solid sixth man for the Detroit Pistons. In between were rocky times. In 2012, Rose tore the ACL in his left knee, an injury that would cost him a season and altered the way he would play. Later in the decade Rose went AWOL while on the New York Knicks. He also abruptly left the Clevela