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Category: Sports

NFL Says Refs’ Fist Bump OK After Broncos TD

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DenverBroncosDENVER (AP) — After C.J. Anderson bulled in for his second touchdown of the day, the Broncos celebrated. So did the refs.

Moments after Anderson’s 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter of Denver’s 24-17 win over Buffalo on Sunday, line judge John Hussey and umpire Carl Paganelli fist bumped after making what turned out to be the correct call.

Bills safety Aaron Williams wasn’t amused. After the game, he linked the video of the officials’ reaction to a tweet that said he can’t win when the referees are against his team.

The NFL had no problem with the gesture.

League spokesman Michael Signora says the two officials were acknowledging good mechanics.

It was a tough call because Anderson bulled through the center of the line. Paganelli helped Hussey determine whether the ball had crossed the goal line.

Creighton Defeats Huskers 4th Year in Row, 65-55

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Nebraska-Huskers-Creighton-LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Austin Chatman scored 16 points, Isiah Zierden hit three big 3-pointers in the second half and Creighton defeated in-state rival Nebraska 65-55 on Sunday night.

The Bluejays (7-2) have won four straight over the Cornhuskers (5-2) — all by double digits — and handed them only their second loss in 21 all-time games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Zierden had all 13 of his points in the second half, and Chatman added seven rebounds and six assists.

Terran Petteway had 21 points to lead Nebraska, which shot 37.7 percent.

Creighton, down by 10 points late in the first half, was within 28-27 at half and then hit 3 of 4 3-pointers in the middle of the second half to go ahead.

Williams, Stanton lead Cardinals by Chiefs 17-14

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Kansas City Chiefs LogoGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kerwynn Williams rushed for 100 yards two days after being elevated from the Arizona practice squad and the Cardinals rallied to beat Kansas City 17-14 on Sunday in a matchup of teams that had lost two in a row.

The NFC West-leading Cardinals (10-3) took the lead when Drew Stanton threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown in the third quarter.

Jamaal Charles scored two first-half touchdowns on a 63-yard run and 18-yard pass from Alex Smith, but the Chiefs (7-6) were shut out in the second half.

Arizona won a crucial call reversal when it challenged that tight end Travis Kelci fumbled deep in Cardinals territory late in the fourth quarter.

Hawks Make Big, Early Lead Hold Up Against Denver

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Denver_NuggetsATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have moved into a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference.

But with 63 games left in the regular season, Kyle Korver isn’t getting too excited.

“Every NBA game is tough, but we’ve had a favorable schedule to this point,” he said. “We’ve gotten to play some teams that aren’t as high up in the standings as we’re going to play later.”

Paul Millsap scored 23 points, Korver added 15 and the Hawks won their sixth straight game with a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Wilson Chandler finished with a season-high 29 points and Timofey Mozgov had 14 points for the Nuggets. Chandler and Mozgov combined for 21 rebounds.

Denver began the season with a win over Detroit before losing seven of eight. A Nov. 17 victory at Cleveland started a 7-1 stretch, but the Nuggets have since dropped their last three.

Al Horford and DeMarre Carroll each had 11 points and combined for 17 Atlanta rebounds.

The Nuggets missed 23 of their first 32 field-goal attempts and trailed 45-26 after Mike Scott’s short turnaround jumper midway through the second.

Denver coach Brian Shaw, whose team was missing Kenneth Faried, Nate Robinson and JaVale McGee, needs less experienced players to fill the void.

Alonzo Gee scored a season-high 14 points in a reserve role, but the rest of the bench combined for just nine points.

“We’re down 10 guys,” Shaw said. “Guys have an opportunity to play, so they have to take advantage of those minutes. Guys have to step up.”

Atlanta took its biggest lead at 24 when Millsap hit a 3 early in the third. Denver went on a 28-14 run to cut the lead to 10 late in the period, and baseline jumper by Mozgov made it a nine-point lead in early in the fourth.

The Nuggets were 5 for 32 on 3-point attempts before Chandler’s made it 87-78. He followed with a layup on Denver’s next possession, cutting the lead to seven, but Korver’s 3 and Teague’s layup put the Hawks back up by 12.

Atlanta never trailed after Korver’s 3 midway through the first.

“We’re starting to figure out how to play,” Horford said, “and build those habits to play the same way every night.”

Denver point guard Ty Lawson had four points and 10 assists to snap his streak of six consecutive double-doubles.

Dennis Schroder gave Atlanta its first double-digit lead with a free throw late in the first, and his straightaway 3 made it 41-24 midway through the second.

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Faried, Denver’s fourth-leading scorer, has a lower back strain and missed his first game this season. J.J Hickson started in his place and had four points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes. …. Robinson (back) missed his first game. He and McGee (left leg) have combined for a 10.9 scoring average this season.

Hawks: Atlanta, which began the game with no major injuries, has won six of seven against Denver at Philips Arena. The Hawks improved to 32-7 against the Nuggets at home.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Visit Toronto on Monday.

Hawks: Visit Indiana on Monday.

Broncos Beat Bills 24-17 Behind Anderson’s 3 TDs

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DenverBroncosDENVER (AP) — C.J. Anderson ran for three touchdowns and the Denver Broncos overcame a rare unsteady outing by Peyton Manning to beat the Buffalo Bills 24-17 Sunday.

Manning’s streak of 51 straight games with a touchdown throw — three shy of Drew Brees’ NFL record — ended on a sun-splashed, almost still afternoon in Denver, where the game-time temperature was a balmy 63 degrees.

Despite three turnovers, the Broncos (10-3) won their third straight game since changing from a pass-oriented attack to a run-heavy approach.

Manning finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards with two interceptions. His top receiver, Demaryius Thomas, was held to two catches for 11 yards, and tight end Julius Thomas (ankle) was active but didn’t play for the third straight week.

Buffalo is 7-6.

Big Ten Matches Conference Record with 10 Bowl Teams

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Big-Ten-LogoROSEMONT, Ill. – For just the second time in conference history, 10 Big Ten schools were selected for bowl competition on Sunday night, including two teams earning berths in one of the six College Football Playoff bowls. The Big Ten’s total of 10 bowl teams equals the conference record for most bowl berths in a season, matching the 10 postseason teams following the 2011 campaign.

Big Ten Champion Ohio State earned a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Michigan State is headed to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, another College Football Playoff bowl. In addition, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin collected bids as part of the largest and most diverse postseason lineup in conference history.

After winning the Big Ten Football Championship Game, Ohio State was granted the No. 4 seed and will take on top-seeded Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The game will be contested at 8:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in New Orleans, La. The Buckeyes will be making their 44th official appearance in postseason competition, having last appeared in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Ohio State will take part in the Sugar Bowl for the second time, following a victory over Texas A&M in 1999. Big Ten programs have played in six Sugar Bowls, most recently following the 2011 season.

Michigan State heads to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl where it will face Baylor at 12:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Arlington, Texas. The Spartans will be making their first appearance in the Cotton Bowl and only the second by a Big Ten team, as Ohio State earned a Cotton Bowl win following the 1986 season. Michigan State has advanced to a program-record eight straight postseason contests and is making its 25th bowl appearance in team history.

Minnesota will take part in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., against Missouri. The Gophers will be making their 17th postseason appearance and third straight bowl trip. The game will mark Minnesota’s first appearance in the Citrus Bowl, the Big Ten’s second-oldest current bowl partner behind only the Rose Bowl Game. Big Ten teams have played in 24 Citrus Bowls, including each of the last 22 seasons.

Wisconsin will play in the Outback Bowl for the first time since the 2007 season in a game that will take place at Noon ET on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla., against Auburn. The Badgers are taking part in postseason play for a school-record 13th straight season and are making their 26th bowl appearance. Wisconsin will make its fifth trip to the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl is the Big Ten’s third-oldest current bowl partner and has been affiliated with the conference since the 1993 season. Big Ten schools have played in 25 Outback Bowls, including each of the last 21 seasons.

Nebraska earned an invitation from one of the conference’s newest bowl partners, the National University Holiday Bowl, which will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 27 in San Diego, Calif., against Southern California. The contest will mark the Huskers’ fourth appearance in the Holiday Bowl and first since the 2010 campaign. Nebraska will be making its 51st bowl appearance and eighth straight postseason contest. Big Ten squads have played in the Holiday Bowl on nine occasions, most recently after the 1994 campaign.

Iowa makes its sixth bowl appearance in the last seven seasons and will take on Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl at 3:20 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Hawkeyes will play in their 28th postseason outing overall, the 10th appearance by a Big Ten school in this bowl game and fifth straight. Iowa will participate in the TaxSlayer Bowl for the second time and first since the 1983 season, when it was called the Gator Bowl.

Penn State will make the Big Ten’s debut in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 27 against Boston College. Played at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., the Big Ten’s partnership with the Pinstripe Bowl marks the conference’s first bowl game tie-in on the East Coast. The Nittany Lions will be making their 39th official appearance in postseason play and first since taking part in the TicketCity Bowl following the 2011 campaign.

Following its first season as a Big Ten member, Maryland makes a bowl appearance for the second consecutive season and will face Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl, one of the Big Ten’s newest bowl partners. The 2014 Foster Farms Bowl will be held at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 30 in Santa Clara, Calif. The contest will mark the third time that a current Big Ten team will pay in the Foster Farms Bowl, including a 2007 appearance by the Terrapins in what was then called the Emerald Bowl. The Terrapins will participate in their 26th postseason contest.

Fellow Big Ten newcomer Rutgers also earned a bowl berth in its first season in the conference and will face North Carolina in the inaugural Quick Lane Bowl at 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 26 in Detroit, Mich. The Scarlet Knights will be making their ninth bowl appearance in the last 10 years and taking part in their 10th postseason game overall. Rutgers has won five of its last seven bowl games.

Illinois will make its first bowl appearance since the 2011 season against Louisiana Tech in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, to be held at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 26 in Dallas, Texas. The Illini have won their last two bowl games and will be making their 18th postseason appearance overall. The Big Ten has taken part in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in three of the last four seasons.

No. 12 Huskers Fall at Buzzer at Alabama

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Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballTuscaloosa, Ala. – The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team got a school-record-tying seven three-pointers from Tear’a Laudermill, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Alabama from beating the Big Red, 53-51, on a last-second putback at Foster Auditorium on Sunday.

Nikki Hegstetter’s putback with 2.5 seconds left allowed Alabama to improve to 8-3 on the season, while the Huskers slipped to 7-1 on the year.

Laudermill hit six of her career-high-tying seven threes in the second half to help Nebraska overcome a five-point halftime deficit. Her final three came from well beyond the top of the key with 18.1 seconds left to tie the game at 51. Laudermill’s shot allowed Nebraska to overcome a 50-42 deficit with four minutes left.

The senior from Moreno Valley, Calif., finished with a game and season-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Laudermill hit 9-of-20 shots from the floor, including 7-of-15 threes. While Laudermill went 7-of-14 in the second half, including 6-of-11 from long range, the rest of the Huskers went just 3-of-15 in the half.

Laudermill was the only Husker to reach double figures, as Rachel Theriot settled for nine points, four rebounds and three assists. It was the first time this season that Theriot did not score in double figures.

Brandi Jeffery added eight points and seven rebounds, scoring all eight of her points in the first half. Emily Cady managed just five points on 2-of-11 shooting, while grabbing nine rebounds. Hailie Sample contributed four points and seven rebounds.

The Huskers turned the ball over 21 times and were outrebounded, 46-36, for the game. NU hit just 35.7 percent (20-56) of its shots, but thanks to Laudermill hot shooting went 8-for-20 (40 percent) from long range as a team. NU attempted a season-low six free throws and hit just three, as Alabama was whistled for just 10 fouls in the game. Nebraska was whistled for 20, as Alabama outscored NU, 11-3 at the stripe.

Karyla Middlebrook was the only member of the Crimson Tide to put up double figures with 14 points, while Meoshonti Knight scored nine big points off the bench. Briana Hutchen added eight points and seven rebounds, while Hegstetter and Ashley Williams both pitched in seven points and combined for 17 rebounds. Hannah Cook managed just three points on a near-halfcourt three at halftime, but did pull down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Alabama hit just 18-of-59 shots (30.5 percent), including 6-of-18 threes.

Nebraska led 23-22 after a Sample layup with 53 seconds left in the first half, but back-to-back three-pointers by Hegstetter and Cook to close the half, including Cook’s 30 footer at the buzzer sent the Crimson Tide to the locker room with a 28-23 lead.

The Huskers struggled offensively in the first half, hitting just 10-of-26 shots, including 2-of-8 threes. NU was also just 1-for-4 at the free throw line. The Big Red was outrebounded, 23-18, and lost the first-half turnover battle, 11-10.

Jeffery kept the Huskers close in the first half, finishing with eight points and six rebounds, while Laudermill and Theriot each contributed five points in the opening period.

Alabama hit just 9-of-31 first-half shots, but connected on 4-of-11 threes, including a 30-footer at the buzzer and a long bank from the left wing earlier in the half. The Tide also hit 6-of-7 free throws.

The Huskers return to road action on Thursday night when the they travel to Omaha to take on Creighton. Tip-off between the Big Red and the Bluejays is set for 8 p.m. with live national television coverage by Fox Sports 1.

Huskers to Face USC in Holiday Bowl

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nebraska_helmetNebraska has been selected to take on USC in the National University Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Saturday, Dec. 27. The matchup will take place at Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT with ESPN providing television coverage of the matchup.

The Huskers will head to the West Coast with a 9-3 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Nebraska capped the regular season with a 37-34 overtime victory at Iowa on the day after Thanksgiving. Nebraska is ranked 22nd in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll heading to San Diego.

Mike Riley was named Nebraska’s head coach on Dec. 4, but will not coach the Huskers in the bowl game, with Interim Coach Barney Cotton leading the Huskers in San Diego.

“We look forward to the opportunity to take on USC in the Holiday Bowl, and the opportunity to finish our season with a trip to San Diego,” Cotton said. “Our goal as a coaching staff is to provide a great bowl experience and put this team in position for success in the Holiday Bowl. This team has outstanding character and leadership, and we would like nothing more than to send our seniors out with a second straight bowl victory and a 10-win season.”

Nebraska’s appearance in the Holiday Bowl will mark its fourth trip to the San Diego game, including three in the past six years. Nebraska is 1-2 in the Holiday Bowl, defeating Arizona in the 2009 game, while losing to Arizona in the 1998 Holiday Bowl and to Washington in 2010.

The trip to the Holiday Bowl is Nebraska’s 51st all-time bowl appearance, the third-most bowl appearances of any school in the country. The 2014 season marks the seventh straight season with a bowl trip for Nebraska.

“We are excited to celebrate our 51st bowl appearance with a trip to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl,” University of Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said. “The Holiday Bowl is a wonderful new partner for the Big Ten Conference, and our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans are excited to travel to the West Coast. I know they will have a wonderful experience in San Diego. The University of Southern California is an outstanding institution, has an excellent football program and will be a great matchup for our team.”

The matchup with USC marks the fifth all-time meeting between two of college football’s most storied programs, and the first ever in a bowl game. USC holds a 3-0-1 all-time edge in the series, most recently defeating Nebraska in 2006 and 2007 in a home-and-home series. USC also defeated Nebraska in 1969, and the schools played to a tie in the 1970 season.

USC will enter the Holiday Bowl with an 8-4 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in Pac-12 Conference play. The Trojans are ranked 24th in the Associated Press Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings, and are just outside of the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Three of USC’s four losses were by six or fewer points, and the Trojans are coming off a 49-14 win over Notre Dame in their regular-season finale.

Coach Steve Sarkisian is in his first season at the helm of the USC program, after running the Washington program prior to moving to Los Angeles. The 2014 Trojans feature an explosive passing offense, averaging nearly 300 yards per game to rank 15th in the nation. USC also ranks in the top 30 in total offense and scoring offense. Defensively, the Trojans are tough against the run, and also rank among the nation’s leaders in turnover margin.

Tickets for the Holiday Bowl are on sale to the public now at Huskers.com. Beginning Monday morning tickets can also be purchased by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG RED. Fans can purchase tickets by using VISA, MasterCard or Discover.

Holiday Bowl tickets range in price from $75 to $120, and Nebraska will receive an allotment of 6,000 tickets for the game.

Baseball Meetings to Open, with Stress on Offense

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mlb bigSAN DIEGO (AP) — When baseball officials last gathered in San Diego for the winter meetings, no free agents reached agreements and players claimed collusion, leading to the first of three grievances against owners and eventually a $280 million settlement.

The annual get-together is back starting Monday. This time, the average salary has soared from $372,000 to about $3.5 million. But one thing hasn’t changed from 1985: the Kansas City Royals are defending AL champions.

Since then, offense has boomed with the Steroids Era and then gone bust in a new Age of the Pitcher. With offense at the premium, teams have pursued hitters with greater urgency this offseason, leaving pitchers Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields still searching for deals.

Alabama, Oregon, FSU, Ohio State are in Playoff

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College Football Playoff NCAAGRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State have been selected to play in the first College Football Playoff.

Alabama is the top seed and will play Ohio State in one semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Oregon is the second seed and will play Florida State in the other semifinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Both games will be played New Year’s Day.

The winners will advance to the national championship game to be played Jan. 12 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.

The Big 12 co-champs, TCU and Baylor, were left out.

A 12-member selection committee set the field, revealing its selections Sunday morning.

The College Football Playoff is replacing the Bowl Championship Series this season. The BCS matched the top two teams in the country in a national championship game.

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