NFL
Jordan Love set the tone with a 53-yard pass to Christian Watson on the first snap and finished with a career-high-tying three touchdowns, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 29-22 win over the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions yesterday. The Packers were in control of a game they never trailed, taking advantage of Jared Goff’s career-high three fumbles and coach Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness on fourth down. The Lions went for it five times on fourth down and only converted once. One of the failed attempts was a decision to fake a punt with a run from their 23 in the third quarter down by nine points.
DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season, Dak Prescott threw four TD passes and the Dallas Cowboys pulled away for a 45-10 Thanksgiving victory over the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys extended their longest home winning streak in 42 years to 13 games. Dallas' lead going into the fourth quarter was less than two touchdowns for the first time in five home games this season. But the Cowboys ended up tying a 55-year-old franchise record with a seventh victory by at least 20 points. The Commanders lost for the eight time in 10 games since a 2-0 start.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and the San Francisco 49ers built a 21-point lead by halftime in rolling to a 31-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers won their fourth straight against their division rivals and have a two-game lead in the NFC West over Seattle. San Francisco won its third in a row overall following a three-game losing streak and picked up its 10th consecutive victory against a division opponent. McCaffrey was terrific, running through arm tackles and breaking off a handful of big plays. He rushed for touchdowns of 8 and 1 yards as the 49ers built a 24-3 halftime advantage.
Pittsburgh Steelers interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner doesn't plan to change now that he's been hired to replace Matt Canada. Faulkner says he will take the same detail-oriented approach to his new role as he did while serving as the team's running backs coach. Faulkner is one of a handful of Black offensive coordinators in the NFL. The job is considered a stepping stone to becoming a head coach. Faulkner says he has too much on his plate to think about what the long-term effect the promotion could have on his career. The Steelers are 6-4 heading into a visit to the 5-5 Cincinnati Bengals.
NHL
Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall will have right knee surgery, likely sidelining the 2018 NHL MVP for the rest of the season. The team placed Hall and forward Andreas Athanasiou on injured reserve. The move with Athanasiou, who has a groin injury, was made retroactive to Nov. 9. Forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman were recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League. Last-place Chicago has dropped five in a row heading into Friday’s matchup against visiting Toronto.
GOLF
Eddie Merrins, who was known as “The Little Pro” because of his 5-foot-7 stature. The nickname surely had nothing to do with his giant influence on golf. Merrins died Wednesday at 91 after a long illness, according to UCLA, where he coached golf for 14 years. Merrins was famous for his driving cap and his passion. He played a little on the PGA Tour. But his real joy was teaching. He took over as head pro at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles in 1962 and stayed there the better part of 50 years. He taught everyone from major champions like Corey Pavin to Hollywood legends like Fred Astaire.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Justin Moore scored five of his 16 points in overtime and Eric Dixon had a career-high 34 points and 10 rebounds as Villanova beat No. 14 North Carolina 83-81 on Thursday in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Villanova (5-1) will play in the championship game on Friday against the winner of the No. 20 Arkansas-Memphis game. North Carolina (4-1) will play for third place. RJ Davis led North Carolina with 23 points and Harrison Ingram added 20 points before fouling out.
California basketball coach Mark Madsen says Fardaws Aimaq was called “a terrorist” by a heckling fan after a game against UTEP this week in the SoCal Challenge. Aimaq's parents are Afghan refugees. Madsen says Aimaq was allegedly subjected to abhorrent and offensive comments from a fan on Monday. Aimaq went into the bleachers to confront the heckling fan, hovering over him and pointing a finger at his face. The exchange lasted about 10 seconds after the loss to UTEP in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Final (3)Arizona 74 (21)Michigan St. 68
Final Colorado St. 69 (8)Creighton 48
Final (11)Gonzaga 69 UCLA 65
Final (12)Texas A&M 89 Penn St. 77
Final Villanova 83 (14)North Carolina 81
Final (19)FAU 91 Butler 86
Final Memphis 84 (20)Arkansas 79
Final (23)Southern Cal 71 Seton Hall 63
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
OT Mercer 73 Marist 67
LSU star Angel Reese hasn't been seen with the seventh-ranked and defending national champion Tigers since they arrived at the Cayman Islands Classic basketball tournament. The Associated Press observed players and other team personnel walking from their charter flight to a bus at the airport in George Town after they landed Wednesday. LSU women’s basketball spokesman Grant Kauvar says the university is deferring to coach Kim Mulkey on matters involving the All-America forward. LSU doesn't play in the tournament until Friday. Reese has missed LSU’s previous two games. Mulkey has said Reese's absence stems from “locker room issues” but has offered few details beyond that.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
If this was next year and the College Football Playoff had already expanded from four teams to 12, games involving No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 12 Mississippi, No. 11 Penn State and No. 10 Missouri would be a lot more interesting. All four enter this rivalry weekend with a chance to earn an invite to a New Year’s Six bowl, which is nice. But in 2024 they’d be jockeying for a playoff spot. For now, the stakes are more confined on rivalry weekend. Though the big games such as No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan are undeniably bigger than they will be in a 12-team CFP.
(12) Mississippi 17 Mississippi St. 7
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