Month: December 2019

null

A late touchdown gave the Tigers the AAC title over the Bearcats.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Antonio Gibson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady White with 1:14 left and No. 16 Memphis defeated No. 21 Cincinnati 29-24 in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday.

The victory marked the first time Memphis (12-1, No. 17, CFP) has won the AAC title in its third straight conference championship game. The Tigers now wait for an invitation to the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.

Eight days after beating the Bearcats 34-24 at home in the regular-season finale, Memphis rallied for another win.

Along with scoring the go-ahead touchdown, Gibson ran for 130 yards, including a 65-yard TD dash.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who did not play last week against Memphis, passed for 233 yards and ran for 113 more.

The game became a back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter. Sam Crosa’s 33-yard field goal with 4:23 left gave the Bearcats (10-3, No. 20 CFP) a 24-23 lead.

On the Tigers’ next drive, Gibson caught two passes and ran five times, setting Memphis up at the Cincinnati 6. On the scoring play, Gibson was split right and caught White’s pass.

Cincinnati drove to the Memphis 26 on its final possession, but stalled.

TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: Ridder was key in giving the Bearcats a chance in the championship game. He was able to scramble more than backup Ben Bryant, who played in the first game between the two teams.

Memphis: White, a second-team all-conference selection, completed just 18 of 40 passes for 253 yards. Memphis was able to remain close with a pair of second-half field goals by Riley Patterson of 50 and 52 yards.

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: Awaits bowl invitation

Memphis: Awaits bowl invitation

Mike Norvell, who guided Memphis to a win in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday, has agreed to a deal to become Florida State’s next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low.

Anthony Cowan Jr.’s late-game heroics helped the No. 3 Terps storm back at home.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Anthony Cowan Jr. made a free throw with 2.1 seconds left and No. 3 Maryland erased a 15-point deficit in the second half to rally past Illinois 59-58 Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

The Terrapins (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) didn’t lead after halftime until Cowan’s free throw but still matched their best start since winning 10 straight to open the 1998-99 season.

Cowan collected a steal in the closing seconds of a tie game and was fouled in a scrum by guard Andres Feliz. Cowan made the first free throw and missed the second. Illinois (6-3, 0-1) failed to get a shot off in the remaining time.

Cowan had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Jalen Smith (14 points, 13 rebounds) recorded his sixth double-double of the season for Maryland.

Trent Frazier scored 13 points for Illinois, which nearly claimed its first road victory over a top-five team since 1989. The Fighting Illini have lost 15 consecutive road games against ranked teams and six straight conference openers.

Illinois led 39-25 at halftime and briefly pushed its lead to 15 in the second half, but Maryland gradually clawed back.

Donta Scott’s basket with 1:45 remaining got Maryland within 57-55, and Frazier split two free throws 2 seconds later. It remained a three-point game until Cowan hit a deep 3-pointer with 29.8 seconds remaining.

The 14-point halftime hole was the largest Maryland has erased since coming back from a 15-point deficit at the break in an 80-78 defeat of Bucknell on Nov. 18, 2017.

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: After allowing Miami to shoot 59.3% while dropping an 81-79 decision Monday, the Illini were far sharper on defense. It wasn’t enough to avoid enduring a second consecutive one-possession loss.

Maryland: The Terps once again turned in a stellar second half to remain perfect on the season. Maryland has defeated Marquette, Notre Dame and Illinois in a seven-day span.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Maryland avoided joining No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Virginia and No. 7 North Carolina as highly ranked teams to stumble this week. The Terps will likely remain in the top three when the next poll is released Monday.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini host Michigan on Wednesday for their Big Ten home opener. Illinois has lost four in a row and 14 of 16 to the Wolverines.

Maryland: The Terrapins travel Tuesday to Penn State, where they have lost in each of the last three seasons.

Quarterback Joe Burrow put on a Heisman-worthy show while throwing four TDs in the win over Georgia.

No. 2 LSU beat No. 4 Georgia 37–10 to win the SEC championship title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and make its case for the No. 1 spot in the playoff rankings on Saturday night.

Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow put on quite a show to make his final statement before next week’s Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York. Burrow, the Heisman frontrunner, quickly got to work by setting an SEC single-season record with his 45th touchdown pass. Missouri QB Drew Lock set the previous record (44) in 2017.

With Burrow’s pass to Ja’Marr Chase, LSU took an early 7–0 lead over Georgia with 9:09 remaining in the first quarter and remained dominant throughout the game.

Georgia’s only score of the first half came when Rodrigo Blankenship’s 39-yard field goal early in the second quarter barely put a dent in the Tigers’ 14–3 lead. Blankenship struggled throughout the night and missed a field goal late in the first quarter and again in the third.

The Bulldogs suffered a scare halfway through the second quarter when quarterback Jake Fromm was sacked by Grant Delpit and limped off the field. Fromm entered the medical tent as backup Stetson Bennett IV came in to throw an incomplete pass on third-and-17 to end Georgia’s six-play drive. On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Fromm returned to with his ankle heavily taped to hit two big completions totaling almost 40 yards before throwing a pick.

LSU entered halftime up 17–3, and Burrow continued to make his case for the Heisman in the second half. Late in the third quarter on first-and-10, he evaded defenders and connected with Justin Jefferson on a 71-yard pass to set up his touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall Jr. two plays later. The Bulldogs’ offensive woes continued when Fromm was intercepted for the second time on Georgia’s 25 on their next possession. Burrow set up his fourth touchdown with a one-yard run on second-and-six before throwing a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson.

Georgia added its first and only touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter to trail LSU 34–10.

Burow finished the SEC title game going 28-for-38 with 349 yards and four touchdowns. Fromm went 20-of-42 with 225 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

With the loss, the Bulldogs will fall out of the top four College Football Playoff rankings. The Tigers improved to 13–0 and will find out on Sunday who they will face in the Dec. 28 CFP semifinals.

For More Tigers Coverage, Visit LSU Maven

With one of its best performances of the season, Barcelona cruised to a 5-2 win over promoted Mallorca on Saturday.

MADRID— It was showtime for Barcelona at Camp Nou Stadium.

Lionel Messi had a hat trick. Luis Suárez scored with a superb backheel goal. There was even an assist by goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to Antoine Griezmann’s first goal in six Spanish league matches.

With one of its best performances of the season, Barcelona cruised to a 5-2 win over promoted Mallorca on Saturday, keeping pace with Real Madrid and regaining the league lead.

Madrid had beaten Espanyol 2-0 earlier Saturday to provisionally move to the top, but Barcelona’s win left the teams tied on points and the Catalan club ahead on goal difference.

The highlight of Barcelona’s win was Suárez’s 43rd-minute backheel goal, which came after a smart exchange of passes between Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto. De Jong made the final pass to Suárez who was near the corner of the six-meter (yard) box, and the Uruguay striker hit the ball with the back of his right foot, pressing it down and making it bounce off the ground over goalkeeper Manolo Reina.

“I knew I had a difficult angle, my only option was to backheel the ball firmly so it would bounce and make it harder for the goalkeeper,” Suárez said. “It wouldn’t be impossible for the ball to go through if it didn’t bounce. Luckily it worked and it was a beautiful goal.”

Barcelona’s dominant performance had started with Griezmann’s seventh-minute goal off a long pass by Ter Stegen, who quickly took a goal kick to set up the Frenchman’s run from behind the midfield line. Griezmann entered the area and niftly tapped the ball over Reina.

It was the second assist for Ter Stegen this season. He had also set up Suárez’s goal against Getafe in September.

Messi was at his best, scoring in the 17th with a superb curling left-footed shot into the top corner and then with another well-placed strike from outside the area in the 41st. He completed his record 35th league hat trick from inside the area in the 83rd after Suárez’s pass.

The goal also allowed Messi to take the league’s scoring lead with 12 goals, one more than Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.

Before the match, Messi was presented with the Ballon d’Or award which he won for best player of the year on Monday. Messi’s three young sons carried the trophy out to him as the Camp Nou crowd chanted his name.

Ante Budimir scored Mallorca’s goals in the 35th and 64th minutes.

Barcelona has won nine of its last 10 league matches, including four in a row. It has lost only once in its last 14 games in all competitions.

It was the seventh consecutive away loss for Mallorca, which stayed in 17th place, one point from the relegation zone.

With the Winter Meetings this week in San Diego, the Padres can put the finishing touches on their long rebuild and become a contender in 2020.

When the San Diego Padres signed one of the two most coveted free agents of last offseason, they made it clear to their fans and the rest of the league that their rebuild was almost over and they were nearing their window of contention.

Then, they finished 70-92, last in the NL West, and were one of the year’s most disappointing teams. They fired manager Andy Green and issued a stark ultimatum for next season. What happens if the Friars fail to contend for a playoff spot in 2020? “Heads will roll, beginning with mine,” said Padres chairman Ron Fowler when asked that very question in late September.

The Padres have not made the postseason since 2006, the second-longest drought in the majors (my condolences, Mariners fans). They haven’t cracked .500 since 2010, and general manager A.J. Preller, who took over in August 2014, is the owner of the next head bound to roll if San Diego does not improve soon.

With the guillotine sharpened and ready to fall should the 2020 Padres fail to meet expectations under new manager Jayce Tingler, let’s take a look at what Preller is working with and how he may leverage his roster and cap space to return San Diego to the postseason and save his job.

Current Roster

The Padres are projected to have the ninth-highest payroll in 2020, clocking in above the league average at $250 million. Much of that figure will go to three players, with Manny Machado taking home $32 million, Wil Myers making $22.5 million and Eric Hosmer earning $21 million, with everyone else outside of Garrett Richards and Kirby Yates set to collect under $6 million in 2020.

The largest albatross hanging over the Padres is Myers’ six-year, $83 million deal running through 2022. Though he appeared in 150 games and stepped to the plate 490 times for the Friars in 2019, Myers was a below-average hitter (95 OPS+). It will be a tough contract to move with Myers failing to replicate the All-Star form he found in 2016.

The Padres have already started upgrading their outfield, which outside their starting rotation, had the most room to grow entering the offseason. Thursday night, they sent rightfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Rays in a deal for outfielder Tommy Pham. Renfroe, a strong defender, led San Diego with 33 homers last year, but he strikes out a lot and doesn’t get on base much. Pham is an OBP machine, and quietly has been one of the more consistent outfielders in baseball since his breakout 2017 campaign when he was with the Cardinals. He doesn’t have as much power as Renfroe—he’s hit 21 homers in each of the last two seasons—nor is he as good a defender, but his intense personality and presence at the top of the order could help ignite an underwhelming Padres lineup.

San Diego also acquired Trent Grisham in a trade with the Brewers. He flashed plenty of promise after sticking in the starting lineup following an August call-up. He played all three outfield positions and got consistent playing time after Christian Yelich’s season-ending injury.

Assuming Myers stays in left, that leaves the oft-injured Franchy Cordero (virtually useless against lefties) and Manuel Margot (putrid first half but improved down the stretch) competing for the spot in center.

The infield appears a point of strength for the Padres, with Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting despite playing just 84 games, locked in on the left side and Hosmer stationed at first. With Luis Urias off to Milwaukee, new acquisition Jurickson Profar will get the first look at second with Greg Garcia and Ian Kinsler as the platoon infielders off the bench. Behind the plate, the Francisco Mejia-Austin Hedges tandem will likely continue to handle duties. Mejia is much better offensively than Hedges, who is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball.

Despite the starting rotation’s struggles, the bullpen was solid in 2019. Kirby Yates broke out in the closer role, posting an elite 1.19 ERA to pair with 41 saves and 101 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings. Matt Strahm found life in the ‘pen after struggling as a starter while the flame-throwing Andres Munoz impressed in 23 late-season innings. Luis Perdomo is coming off the most consistent year of his career and José Castillo figures to be in the mix after an injury-filled 2019. They will be aided by a familiar face; Drew Pomeranz returns to San Diego after finding unexpected success in the Giants and Brewers’ bullpens, striking out 50 of the 106 batters he faced as a reliver in 2019. A Pomeranz-Yates backend could be a dominant duo if Pomeranz can continue what he did last season.

As for the starting rotation, Chris Paddack leads an underwhelming, rag-tag group of arms. The lanky righty impressed in his rookie season, posting a 3.33 ERA, 153 strikeouts and a 0.981 WHIP in 26 starts as the de-facto ace. Joining him should be Garrett Richards, who will be looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled four years (31 starts since 2015) and rediscover some of his 2018 form where he posted a 3.66 ERA in 16 starts with the Angels. Dinelson Lamet appears best equipped to take a leap as an analytical darling coming off Tommy John surgery and sporting a mid-90s fastball and hard-spinning breaking pitches. The other two rotation spots appear to be up for grabs; Joey Lucchesi likely snags one as a 30-game starter last year with a 4.18 ERA and 158 strikeouts. Zach Davies, arriving in California after five steady seasons with the Brewers, certainly figures to slide into the middle of the rotation behind Paddack and Richards. A 31-game starter in 2019, Davies posted the best ERA of his career (3.55) and struck out 102 batters in 159 2/3 innings.

Farm System

Looking down the all-important starting pitching pipeline, top lefthanded prospect MacKenzie Gore (No. 3 overall) stands out as a player ready to take the jump to the majors in 2020. The 6’3” lefty features two plus pitches in a mid-90s fastball with late life and mid-70s breaking balls in addition to a hard slider and a changeup. As for other potential major league debutants, Luis Patino posted a 2.57 ERA between Advanced A and Double A, mostly using a lively fastball and hard slider. Michel Baez, a hulking figure at 6’8”, 220 pounds, features a powerful fastball-slider combo and did well in 29 2/3 innings last season. It remains to be seen if San Diego will start Baez or keep him in the bullpen.

As for the outfield, the Padres have three youngsters that could potentially fill the gaps in left and center. Josh Naylor, a former first-round pick by the Marlins in 2015, had a promising second half last season, recording a .787 OPS in 60 games after the All-Star break. At 5’11” and 250 pounds, the 22-year-old Naylor’s value is mostly limited to his bat. Edward Olivares, signed by Toronto out of Venezuela in 2014, made slow but steady progress through the minors with an above average arm, speed (stole 35 bases in Double A in 2019) and decent fielding splits. The 23-year-old could press for some outfield playing time if he cleans up his approach at the plate. Top outfield prospect honors go to Taylor Trammell, the No. 35 overall pick in 2016 who burst onto the scene in the 2018 Futures Game. Trammell uses his speed to great effect both in centerfield and on the base paths. He took a step back at the plate last season in Double A, but at 22 years old, he has plenty of time to grow. If he develops into the player most prognosticators expect, he should be a mainstay in their outfield for years to come, possibly starting as soon as this summer.

Free Agency

Despite a flurry of smaller deals, Preller still needs to get a top-of-the-line starter this offseason. The obvious move would be signing San Diego native Stephen Strasburg. A three-time All-Star, Strasburg was stellar for the Nationals during their World Series-winning season—a 3.32 ERA, a career-high 251 strikeouts and a 1.038 WHIP—and was even more dominant in the postseason, when he had a 1.98 ERA and won the World Series MVP. His price tag will be hefty; the deal he just opted out of was worth $175 million over seven years. He’ll almost certainly exceed the $100 million he would’ve earned in the final three years remaining on his deal with the Nats.

If Strasburg or Gerrit Cole, who is almost definitely going to earn more than $200 million, are out of San Diego’s price range, the Padres could go after Hyun-Jin Ryu, Madison Bumgarner or Dallas Keuchel. Ryu posted an MLB-best 2.32 ERA in his breakout 2019 campaign, but the lefty has a history of injuries and will be 33 next year. Bumgarner started 34 games and topped 200 strikeouts, but his price tag might be too steep for Preller. Keuchel pitched well in half a season with the Braves in 2019 but hasn’t regained the All-Star form he had in 2017.

The Padres could also look to trade for a starter. The potential combinations of prospect trade pieces are too numerous to explore in depth, but if Preller won’t pony up for Strasburg or Cole, manufacturing a trade to get a front-of-the-rotation starter and signing one of the secondary free-agent starts are his best bets.

Preller hasn’t been shy about making aggressive moves to get prized free agents to San Diego, doling out sizable contracts to Machado, Hosmer and Myers over the past three years. But he also hasn’t made that sort of free agent investment into his starting rotation, and the current staff is under-equipped to fulfill the franchise’s lofty goals. The Padres have the payroll to sign Strasburg or Cole, the two men best equipped to meet San Diego’s biggest need, but it will require a significant commitment in terms of capital and years. Banking on young talent coming through isn’t enough because the Padres are not in rebuilding mode anymore. For better or worse, they are in win-now mode, and that entails a certain level of risk Preller needs to be prepared to take if he wants to save his job.

Ole Miss confirmed Lane Kiffin has signed on to become the Rebels next coach on Saturday, shortly after he led Florida Atlantic to its second Conference USA championship in his three seasons as coach with a 49-6 win over UAB.