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A diving interception off an ill-advised pass set up Notre Dame’s trip to play for the program’s 12th national title after a thrill-a-minute 27-24 victory over Penn State on Thursday night in the semifinal at the Orange Bowl. Fighting Irish defensive back Christian Gray snared Drew Allar’s pass across the middle at the Nittany Lions 42 with 33 seconds left, then the Irish moved 19 yards to set up Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard winner with 7 seconds left. Notre Dame (14-1), seeded seventh in this, the first 12-team college playoff, will have a chance to bring its first title since 1988 back under the Golden Dome with a game Jan. 20 against the winner of tonight’s Texas-Ohio State semifinal.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard briefly went out of the game, then returned to find the end zone in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Penn State on Thursday night at the Orange Bowl. Leonard missed much of Notre Dame’s final drive of the first half while being evaluated for a concussion, Irish coach Marcus Freeman told ESPN. Leonard was “asymptomatic,” ESPN quoted Leonard as saying, and he started the second half. He led an eight-play, 75-yard drive and capped it with a 3-yard touchdown run that pulled Notre Dame into a 10-10 tie. Leonard went into the medical tent with about two minutes left in the half after a play where he was hit by Penn State’s Zane Durant and Dvon J-Thomas.
Drew Allar's critical interception sealed Penn State's loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl. Allar entered with just seven interceptions this season but he threw an off-target pass over the middle toward receiver Omari Evans with 33 seconds remaining. It ended up in the hands of Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray. The Irish, not needing many yards to get in kicker Mitch Jeter’s range, moved inside the 25. Jeter’s 41-yarder sealed a 27-24 win for Notre Dame that sent the Irish to the national title game.
Ohio State and Texas are both seeking a chance to end national title droughts. The powerhouse programs meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. The winner advances to the national title game to play Notre Dame on January 20. Ohio State is the only team to appear in four of the last six CFPs, but its last national title was 10 years ago. That was the first season of the four-team College Football Playoff, when the Buckeyes won the title at AT&T Stadium. That is where they play the in-state Longhorns on Friday night. Texas' last national title was 19 years ago.
NFL
The NFL has moved the Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The playoff game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale, Arizona. The league announced the decision Thursday, a few hours after yet another fire broke out in an area several miles from the Rams’ training complex in the Woodland Hills neighborhood. Los Angeles has been besieged by multiple wildfires all week following two days of extraordinary wind across the vast metropolitan area.
The NFL moved the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings out of Southern California on Thursday, the biggest of several changes to the sports calendar after days of devastating wildfires in the area. The wild-card game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The home of the Arizona Cardinals is nearly 400 miles east of the Rams’ home, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The Las Vegas Raiders have fired general manager Tom Telesco. They made the move on Thursday, just a year after he was hired. It's part of a housecleaning following a 4-13 season that also included the dismissal of coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday. The Raiders will become just the second franchise in the Super Bowl era to enter a season three years in a row with a new GM and coach. Coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were in charge to open the 2023 season. The Cleveland Browns in 2012-14 are the other club to hold such a distinction.
The Ravens opened as substantial favorites over the Steelers in the wild-card round playoffs. It was a little surprising given postseason point spreads tend be tighter and these AFC North rivals usually play intense games that go down to the final minutes. Then the Pittsburgh-Baltimore point spreads actually went up. Bettors were not impressed with the Steelers' season-ending four-game losing streak that included a 34-17 loss at Baltimore on Dec. 21. The Ravens closed with a four-game winning streak to snatch the division. So the line at BetMGM Sportsbook went from 9 to 10 points for Saturday’s game.
NBA
The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. A Los Angeles Kings home game was postponed a day earlier.
Darius Garland scored a season-high 40 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 132-126 to extend their win streak to 12. Evan Mobley collected 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who are tied for the fifth-best record in league history through 37 games at 33-4. Cleveland also has the top home mark in the NBA, going 20-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Scottie Barnes had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Toronto, which is a league-worst 1-17 on the road and has lost 15 of its last 16 overall.
Julius Randle had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Edwards added 21 points and seven assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Orlando Magic 104-89 on Thursday night for their third straight victory. Naz Reid came off the bench to score 16 points, and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota. Goga Bitadze led Orlando with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13 points.
Buddy Hield scored 19 points, helping the Golden State Warriors hold on for a 107-104 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Golden State earned a much-needed victory after dropping two straight games at home, losing by 16 points to Miami and getting routed by 30 points against Sacramento. The Warriors led by as much as 18, but the Pistons cut their deficit to two points on Malik Beasley’s dunk with 23 seconds left. Beasley missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that could have sent the game to overtime.
Jaden Hardy scored a season-high 25 points off the bench, P.J. Washington had 23 points and 14 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks used a late 16-0 run to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-111. Dereck Lively II added season highs with 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are still without All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas has won two straight following a season-long five-game losing streak. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe each scored 22 points to lead the Blazers, who split a road back-to-back. Scoot Henderson scored 20 off the bench.
Alperen Sengun had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference. Jalen Green finished with 27 points and Fred VanVleet scored 22 as the Rockets won their third straight and solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis. Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 16 points.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points and Jaime Jaquez had 20, including five in the final 1:03, to lead the Miami Heat to a 97-92 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. In a ragged game with 31 combined turnovers and both teams shooting under 40%, the Heat made the most of transition points (17-7) and hustle plays when it mattered. Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen each scored 23 for Utah, which has lost nine in a row at home. The Jazz were missing six injured players, including Jordan Clarkson (foot), John Collins (hip), Keyonte George (heel) and Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 61 points in Utah’s last two wins against Miami and Orlando before falling ill.
Bradley Beal scored 25 points, Kevin Durant added 23 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-115. Beal shot 11 of 16 from the field in one of his most efficient games this season. Devin Booker added 20 points and 12 assists despite shooting 0 of 8 from 3-point range. Grayson Allen, who scored 23, hit his fifth 3-pointer to give the Suns a 120-105 lead with 3:26 left. The Hawks scored the next 10 points but Allen sealed it with a tough layup in traffic with 36 seconds left. Trae Young led the Hawks with 21 points and seven assists.
NHL
Sam Carrick scored in overtime and Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Carrick one-timed a pass from Reilly Smith past Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom 2:48 into the extra session. Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Rangers, who have won two of their last three games. Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes scored for the Devils, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games. Markstrom made 29 saves.
Captain Anders Lee, playing in his 800th career game, scored a goal and Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves as the New York Islanders beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0. This was the Islanders’ second shutout this season. The other occurred Nov. 30, same day as the Golden Knights were last blanked. This also was Sorokin’s second shutout this season and 20th of his career. Lee became the 10th player in franchise history to reach 800 games and the first to score a goal while hitting that milestone. Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist, and Bo Horvat and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders. Alexander Romanov had two assists. Adin Hill stopped 17 shots for the Golden Knights.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves, Jack Quinn scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres spoiled the Ottawa Senators’ homecoming with a 4-0 victory Thursday night. Dylan Cozens and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Sabres. Anton Forsberg stopped 17 shots for Ottawa. The Senators returned to the Canadian Tire Centre after a nine-game trip and nearly a month away because of the world junior hockey championship.
Brayden Point reached 600 career points with a power-play goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Thursday night. Brandon Hagel had a goal and an assist, Michael Eyssimont and Anthony Cirelli scored goals 5:03 apart in the second period, and Ryan McDonagh had two assists. Tampa Bay has won back-to-back games after dropping dour in a row. The Lightning moved past the Bruins into third place in the Atlantic Division. Mason Lohrei scored for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves. The Bruins are 0-5-1 in their last six.
Casey DeSmith stopped 27 shots to lead the Dallas Stars to their sixth straight win, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The Stars won for the seventh time in eight games as they continue their run up the Western Conference standings. Mavrik Bourque and Roope Hintz scored goals in the first period. Wyatt Johnston made it 3-0 in the second. Miro Heiskanen added an empty-netter in the third period to help the Stars win for the ninth time in their last 11 games in Philadelphia dating to March 27, 2018. Morgan Frost scored the lone goal for the Flyers.
Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz, both recent callups from the AHL, each had a goal and an assist to help lift the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Seattle Kraken 6-2. Zach Werenski also added a goal and an assist, extending his home point streak to 16 games, as the Blue Jackets won their third straight. Sean Kuraly, Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko also scored. James van Riemsdyk contributed two assists, and Elvis Merzlikins made 29 saves for Columbus. Mateychuk’s goal was the first of his NHL career. Eeli Tolvanen scored twice for Seattle, which has lost four straight.
Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to move into ninth on the NHL’s career scoring list as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers 5-3. The Penguins captain tied Hall of Famer Joe Sakic at 1,641 points with an assist on Bryan Rust’s first-period goal. Crosby then moved past Sakic with an assist on Drew O’Connor’s sixth goal of the season later in the period as the Penguins raced to a 4-1 advantage. Rust also had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh. McDavid finished with three assists and Leon Draisaitl scored twice for Edmonton.
Jordan Staal scored a hat trick to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 30 shots for his first home win since Dec. 17. Nicholas Robertson, William Nylander and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto, which had won five in a row. Joseph Woll made 28 saves. The Maple Leafs took an early 2-0 lead but the Hurricanes evened it at 2-all with Staal’s first goal with 5:45 left in the first period. Staal scored 35 seconds into the second period for a 3-2 lead.
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and his NHL-leading 53rd assist of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche rout the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night. Mikko Rantanan and Logan O’Connor also each had a goal and an assist, Ross Colton, Parker Kelly and Artturi Lehkonen also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves. Zach Bogosian scored for the second straight game for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson stopped 21 of 27 shots.
Robert Thomas scored twice and the St. Louis Blues beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2. Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Tucker and Dylan Holloway also scored for St. Louis. Brayden Schenn had two assists and Joel Hofer stopped 22 shots. Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo scored for the Ducks. Lukas Dostal gave up six goals on 22 shots before he was replaced midway through the second period. John Gibson stopped all 12 shots he faced.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 61 New Hampshire 57
Vermont 67 UMass Lowell 63
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 59 New Hampshire 32
Quinnipiac 69 Siena 51
OT SMU 72 Syracuse 71
Fairfield 72 Iona 50
Vermont 77 UMass Lowell 52
PGA TOUR
Paul Peterson has a share of the lead in the Sony Open. Some introductions may be in order for the 36-year-old PGA Tour rookie. Peterson is a lefty from Oregon State who took his talents pretty much everywhere but America. He went to Canada, Asia, Europe, Japan and eventually got his card last year through the Korn Ferry Tour. Peterson played the par 5s at Waialae in 3 under and shot a 64. That left him tied with Tom Hoge, Harry Hall, Adam Schenk, Eric Cole and Denny McCarthy. Kapalua winner Hideki Matsuyama was three back after a 67.
TENNIS
Doping is a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is sure to be a talking point as the 2025 Grand Slam season gets going at the Australian Open. Play starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday, which is Saturday in the United States. Defending men's champion Jannik Sinner and No. 2 women's seed Iga Swiatek both failed drug tests last season. Sinner was exonerated although the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed that ruling and a final decision is not expected before next month. Swiatek accepted a one-month ban that was partly served in the offseason.
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