NCAAFB – College Football – Bowls
Yesterday
(10) Michigan State 31, (12) Pittsburgh 21 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
South Carolina 38, South Carolina 21 Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
Purdue 48, Tennessee 45 – OT TransPerfect Music City Bowl – Nissan Stadium – Nashville, TN
Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 13 SRS Distributing Las Vegas Bowl – Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
(10) Michigan State 31, (12) Pittsburgh 21 – Thorne leads No. 11 Spartans past No. 13 Pitt in Peach Bowl
Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. Linebacker Cal Haladay’s 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville’s bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett. Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied. Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the second half for Pittsburgh (11-3). The Panthers lost fill-in starting quarterback Nick Patti to an injury in the first quarter.
Today – Other Bowls
(17) Wake Forest vs. Rutgers, 11:00 a.m. Taxslayer Gator Bowl – TIAA Bank Field – Jacksonville, FL
Central Michigan vs. Washington St., 12:00 p.m. Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl – Sun Bowl – El Paso, TX
Tonight – College Football Playoff Semifinals
(1) Alabama vs. (4) Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. Goodyear Cotton Bowl – AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
(2) Michigan vs. (3) Georgia, 7:30 p.m.* Capital One Orange Bowl – Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL *News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30
NCAAFB – CFP – Harbaugh: Michigan DB Hill questionable for Orange Bowl
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says defensive back Dax Hill is not yet in Miami with the team and is questionable to play in the Orange Bowl against No. 3 Georgia. Harbaugh did not provide details of what kept Hill from traveling with the team nor what could keep him out of the College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday night, saying only the junior is "working through something.” Harbaugh added that Hill could be joining the team in Florida later Thursday.
NCAAFB – CFP – Before Harbaugh, Smart play Orange Bowl they shared birthday
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Georgia’s Kirby Smart share a birthday, just two days before Christmas. They were born 12 years apart — Harbaugh in 1963, Smart in 1975 — on Dec. 23. Harbaugh was born in Ohio. Smart was born in Alabama. The day before their teams were set to meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl, Harbaugh and Smart talked about how having a birthday so close to Christmas wasn’t so great when they were younger. One gift for two occasions. But they agreed as they have gotten older, not having much attention paid to the birthday isn’t the worst thing.
Saturday
Penn State vs. (21) Arkansas, 12:00 p.m. Outback Bowl – Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
(5) Notre Dame vs. (9) Oklahoma State, 1:00 p.m. Playstation Fiesta Bowl – State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ
(15) Iowa vs. (22) Kentucky, 1:00 p.m. Vrbo Citrus Bowl – Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
(6) Ohio State vs. (11) Utah, 5:00 p.m. Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One – Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
(7) Baylor vs. (8) Ole Miss, 8:45 p.m. Allstate Sugar Bowl – Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, LA
NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball
Last Night
UCF 85, Michigan 71
UCF 85, Michigan 71 – UCF makes 8 straight 3s, beats Michigan, 85-71, for 1st time
Darin Green Jr. scored a career-high 27 points, Brandon Mahan added 26 and the duo combined to make 12 3-pointers to help UCF beat Michigan 85-71. UCF made eight straight 3-pointers in the second half — with four coming during an 18-2 run to erase a 12-point deficit and get the crowd back into it. Green made UCF’s 11th 3-pointer, tying a season high, with 3:22 left to extend the lead to 72-63, and Mahan’s steal and pass to Cheikh Mbacke Diong on a fast break made it 79-69. Mbacke Diong finished with nine points and seven rebounds for UCF. Eli Brooks led Michigan with 18 points.
NFL – National Football League – Week 17
Sunday
New York Giants at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m.
Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. Rock 107 WIRX 3:15
NFL – Monday could be Big Ben’s finale at Heinz Field
Ben Roethlisberger could be making his final start at Heinz Field when the Steelers host Cleveland on Monday night. The Pittsburgh quarterback says he never speaks “in definites or guarantees,” but adds "looking at the bigger picture, I would say that all signs are pointing that this could be it.” The 39-year-old insists he won’t make any final decisions until after the season, but the comment stands as his first public acknowledgement that Monday could be his final home game.
NFL – Hall of Fame’s finalists for class of 2022
DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 all in their first year of eligibility. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered on Jan. 18 by the selection committee include tackle Tony Boselli and defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Other finalists announced Thursday are safety Leroy Butler, wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, linebackers Sam Mills and Zach Thomas. They are all finalists for the third time. Defensive linemen Jared Allen and Bryant Young and cornerback Ronde Barber are two-time finalists. Tackle Willie Anderson and linebacker Patrick Willis are first-time finalists.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Today
Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers, 3:00 p.m.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball
Last Night
Michigan State 72, Nebraska 69
(17) Notre Dame at Virginia, PPD
Today
(25) Ohio State at (9) Michigan, 12:00 p.m.
AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Milwaukee Admirals at Grand Rapids Griffins, 6:00 p.m.
ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Tonight
Tulsa Oilers at Kalamazoo Wings, 6:00 p.m.
Indy Fuel at Toledo Walleye, 6:00 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Bridgman 64, River Valley 63
Marshall 78, Otsego 50
Romulus Summit Academy North 48, Kalamazoo Central 42 at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids
Schoolcraft 61, Pewamo-Westphalia 32 at Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids
Girls Basketball
Otsego 51, Marshall 34
