The Texas Longhorns went wire to wire for a win against Kansas State. Guard Sug Sutton closed out the game with eight straight points.
The Texas Longhorns came out firing early on in this matchup with an 8-2 run where guard Sug Sutton got the scoring started with a layup. Sutton would continue to push the scoring early and Texas opened up a 11-4 advantage with 5;54 to go in the first quarter. Celeste Taylor had a couple miscues with turnovers that allowed the Wildcats to make a run to get within two at 13-11 and then again at 15-13. Taylor immediately made up for it with a three to put them up 18-13, after Cymone Goodrich cut it to 18-17 a scoreless stretch of 1:21 gave the Longhorns the lead after one.
The second quarter was about limiting scoring for the Longhorns defense. Taylor hit back to back three pointers to increase the lead to 24-19. The Wildcats could only must nine points all quarter. Kansas State did pull within two points with 4:58 left in the half on a three pointer from Savannah Simmons. They wouldn’t score again in the half as Texas increased the lead to nine after Taylor found Jada Underwood for another three point shot.
In the second half the Wildcats would make their push outscoring Texas in the third quarter 20-17 to close the lead to just six. In the final 1:50 of the quarter, Kansas State scored five points without allowing Texas to answer to bring the score to 52-46.
In the final quarter the Wildcats would push the lead down to four but each time they came close the Longhorns would build the lead back up. They were resilient in the win over Kansas State. Late in the quarter, Sutton would take over the scoring to close out the victory. Sutton score eight of her game-high 16 points in the final four minutes to give Texas a 71-63 victory and their third Big 12 win.
Bob Shoop has been hired by the University of Michigan as a safeties coach.
Shoop served as the Vols’ defensive coordinator from 2016-17.
Following his tenure in Knoxville, the veteran coach was defensive coordinator at Mississippi State for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Shoop and the Bulldogs played at Tennessee during the 2019 season as the Vols defeated Mississippi State,
🚨 OFFICIAL COACHING NEWS 🚨
Brian Jean-Mary and Bob Shoop have been added to the defensive staff – and Jay Harbaugh has been named the Special Teams Coordinator.
Shoop also served as defensive coordinator at Penn State (2014-15) and at Vanderbilt (2011-13) before arriving at Tennessee.
“I am very appreciative to Coach (Jim) Harbaugh for the opportunity to join the football family at Michigan,” Shoop said in a Michigan press release. “I look forward to getting to work, contributing to a program that will continue to combine academic achievement and athletic excellence, while competing for championships. Go Blue!””
As Nasa Hataoka finished her round at the Tournament of Champions, Twitter was aflutter about the way she marked her ball on the 11th hole.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – As Nasa Hataoka finished up regulation play at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, Twitter was aflutter about the way she marked her ball on the 11th hole.
A viewer had taped part of what transpired on the green at Tranquilo Golf Course and questioned whether or not the 21-year-old had replaced the ball on the wrong side of the coin.
The LPGA confirmed there was no breach, saying that the rules official watching the telecast saw no violation. In fact, the fan’s video cut off part of Hataoka’s routine, in which she moves the ball from in front of the coin to behind the coin and then back to in front of the coin.
Hataoka, a three-time winner on the LPGA who is currently No. 6 in the world, was never questioned about it as the official said no rule was broken. The Japanese player went into a playoff against Inbee Park and Gaby Lopez. Park was the first to bow out after making a bogey on the par-3 18th.
The playoff was suspended at 6:04 p.m. due to darkness. Hataoka and Lopez will return at 8 a.m. on Monday to resume play.
The 49ers forced another punt thanks to their rookie defensive end, Nick Bosa.
Nick Bosa didn’t take long to make an impact in the NFC championship game. He whacked running back Aaron Jones for no gain on a second-and-7, then dropped Aaron Rodgers for a sack on the ensuing third down.
The Tennessee Titans simply weren’t able to get it done as their historical season was halted by the dominance of a Kansas City Chiefs team now on an eight-game winning streak as they prepare for a Super Bowl appearance.
The Titans struggled to get the ground attack going and couldn’t accomplish enough in the passing game, while Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes victimized the defense.
Here are five takeaways from the 35-24 loss.
1. The Chiefs tamed the beast that is Derrick Henry.
Hardly any team has been able to come up with an answer to a Titans ground attack led by Henry, who finished the 2019 regular season with the NFL’s rushing title and only seemed to improve over the postseason.
Kansas City limited the big back to just 69 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries in their home win Sunday.
That total doesn’t even begin to touch that of his last two outings, when he rushed for 195 yards on 30 carries in the 28-12 win over the Baltimore Ravens and 182 yards with a touchdown on the ground in a 20-13 victory over the New England Patriots to open the postseason.
The last time the Titans faced the Chiefs back in November was a totally different story, when Henry put up 188 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 23 carries.
Already playing without Joel Embiid, the Sixers may be without Al Horford when they lock horns with the Nets on Monday.
Thanks to some late-game heroics from Tobias Harris on Saturday night, the Sixers left Madison Square Garden with a hard-fought victory over the Knicks. The club will finish the New York challenge on Monday when they lock horns with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, but they may be forced to do so without the services of Al Horford.
During the third quarter of Saturday night’s game, Horford sustained the injury after he was fouled by Reggie Bullock with about 6:31 remaining in the period. After the contest, he admitted that his hand was a bit sore.
Considering the fact that Horford is questionable for the contest, it stands to reason that his sprain isn’t too serious. Because the Sixers have been somewhat conservative as it relates to injuries to their core players, though, it shouldn’t come as a surprise for him to eventually be ruled out of the contest.
His status will be updated prior to tip-off.
Al Horford is questionable with a left hand sprain for tomorrow’s game at #Nets.
With Saturday night’s win, the Sixers enter play on January 19 at 28-16 and in possession of the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ll be searching for their fourth consecutive victory when they square off against the Nets, who’ve been struggling themselves.
Boyz II Men surprised just about everyone when they popped up the screen to sing the national anthem at today’s NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and Green Bay Packers in San Francisco.
The legendary 90’s group did a masterful job singing the anthem, of course, showing everyone that they haven’t lost anything over all these years.
But it was a tad confusing to see them dressed in 49ers gear, seeing how the group is well known for being from Philadelphia. Remember their big hit “Mowtown Philly.”
Fans had some fun on Twitter wondering what happened to their Philly loyalty:
Boyz II Men and the Bay Area go hand-in-hand. I'll never forget their hit, Motown San Francisco.
How the heck do we have #BoyzToMen singing the national anthem at the 49ers NFC Championship game and reppin 9ers gear and not the #Eagles 2018 NFC Championship game at the #Linc Just felt so wrong!! IMO
Eagles fans having to see Boyz II Men at the NFC Championship Game in @49ers gear was a nice little bonus on a great day of football. pic.twitter.com/IjCkmplShF
Doesn’t get any better than Boyz II Men singing the National Anthem!!! 👋🏼❤️ Getting their Philly cards revoked definitely worth it! pic.twitter.com/5U1k5VSOqn
The 49ers drew first blood in the NFC championship game behind Raheem Mostert.
The 49ers drew first blood in the NFC championship game thanks to Deebo Samuel and Raheem Mostert.
San Francisco went 89 yards on six plays on their second series behind two catches for 46 yards for Samuel, and a 36-yard touchdown run by Mostert on a third-and-8 to cap the drive.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 246’s key winning fighters.
Those included [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who defeated Donald Cerrone (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) by first-round TKO in the welterweight headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
* * * *
Sodiq Yusuff
Josh Emmett
Should fight: [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] Why they should fight: Yusuff continued to be on a tear to begin his UFC tenure when he won an entertaining featherweight bout against Andre Fili by unanimous decision to improve to 4-0 inside the octagon.
Before and after the win, Yusuff said he felt this fight against Fili would propel him into a ranked matchup at 145 pounds. In a fair world, he’s absolutely right.
Emmett (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was recently forced to pull out of a fight due to injury, and while it’s unknown how long his timeline is for a return, he would be the perfect opponent if the timing lines up between his return and Yusuff’s next fight date. Both men hit very hard, and there’s a good chance this one ends in a knockout.
Roxanne Modafferi
Jessica Eye
Should fight: [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] Why they should fight: Modafferi shined brightest in one of the most important moments of her career when, as high as a 10-1 betting underdog, the cagey veteran temporarily derailed the hype of Maycee Barber with a bloody unanimous decision win.
The UFC has a habit of putting Modafferi in fights the world believes she will lose. Sometimes it has gone that way, but in recent years she’s surprised with wins over Barber and Antonina Shevchenko. How far can she take this trend? Why not find out against someone who just recently fought for the belt.
Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) may have been blown out of the water when she fought Valentina Shevchenko for UFC gold, but she rebounded with a win over Viviane Araujo at UFC 245 in December. “Evil” is looking to get back to another crack at UFC gold, and Modafferi would help her on the way. The fight could only happen, though, if Eye makes weight – something she was unable to do in her previous contest.
Diego Ferreira
Al Iaquinta
Should fight: [autotag]Al Iaquinta[/autotag] Why they should fight: Few saw this rise up the UFC lightweight pecking order from Ferreira, but after six consecutive wins, the Brazilian can only be taken seriously as a real contender.
Ferreira handled former UFC champ Anthony Pettis with relative ease, controlling the action before finishing the fight with a choke in the second round. It was the signature win Ferreira needed, and one that puts him in position for a top 10 fight at 155 pounds.
Given who is available in the weight class, Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is a name who could make for a solid fight. Iaquinta is coming off a pair of losses but he still holds the name value that could carry Ferreira forward into even bigger fights.
Holly Holm
Irene Aldana
Should fight: [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] Why they should fight: Holm got a very important victory for her career longevity when she once again beat Raquel Pennington on the scorecards in their rematch.
At 38, the former UFC champ said she’s determined to get back to the belt. She’s one fight removed from losing to Amanda Nunes, and given the number of generous title shots “The Preacher’s Daughter” has already received, she’s going to need more before getting another one.
The women’s bantamweight division is relatively barren on super interesting fights for Holm, but Aldana (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is an opponent she has yet to share the cage with. Aldana is coming off a thunderous knockout win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245 in December, and she’s the perfect foe for Holm at this point.
Conor McGregor
Jorge Masvidal
Should fight: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why McGregor should fight Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) next.
Long known for losing big games, Kansas City coach Andy Reid has a chance to shed that label with a Super Bowl win.
Andy Reid won one of the biggest games of his coaching career Sunday. But it wasn’t enough to fully validate him as a great coach.
Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs brought an end to a 50-year streak between Super Bowl appearances (we’re talking 800 games between regular season and postseason) with a 35-24 win against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game. For Reid, 61, it ranks as no worse than the second biggest win in a head coaching career that began in 1999.
The only other win that compares was when Reid was in Philadelphia and beat the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX, a game the Eagles lost to New England. But Reid has lost five conference championship games.
Although he has a .618 winning percentage in the regular season in time with Philadelphia and Kansas City. That’s very solid. But Reid is now 14-14 in the postseason. That’s not that good.
The league and fans are aware of Reid’s postseason woes and that’s why he’s viewed as a coach who chokes in the big games. That can’t be denied. It’s fact. Reid never has won the biggest of all games.
Maybe he made some mistakes along the way. Maybe he just ran into better teams. Or maybe it was a combination of both.
I say this was the biggest win of Reid’s career.
“It’s not done,’’ Reid said after the game.
Reid’s exactly right. It’s not done. He needs to win the upcoming Super Bowl to fully get the respect he should. If he loses, the “choker’’ label will stay and grow. If he wins, he’ll go down as one of the greatest coaches of his generation.
Tony Dungy used to carry the same reputation for not winning the big game, until he won it. His winning percentage wasn’t all that much better than Reid’s. But Dungy finally won a Super Bowl and that got him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Reid can do the same thing – and more. Let’s be real honest. Reid has a chance to win more than one Super Bowl. He has a chance to create a dynasty. He has a team that can win multiple Super Bowls.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
With apologies to the good Philadelphia teams Reid coached, the current Chiefs are the best team he’s ever coached. With apologies to Donovan McNabb, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback Reid has ever coached. Mahomes is in only his third year. The Chiefs are going to be a good team for a long time.
Reid already has a reputation as a good coach. Now, with a Super Bowl win (maybe wins), he’s got a chance to be considered as one of the best coaches in history.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
