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Sam Ehlinger passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Texas dominated No. 12 Utah 38-10 in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. SAN ANTONIO — Sam Ehlinger passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Texas excised the frustrations of a disappointing regular season with a dominant 38-10 win over No. 12 Utah in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. After a 10-win season in 2018 set up a Top 10 ranking to start 2019, Texas underwhelmed in a season the Longhorns expected to contend for the Big 12 title. Instead, they ended the year with both the offensive and defensive coordinators getting replaced. For one game at least, Texas (8-5) wiped all that away with a bruising and convincing win over a Utah team that only a month ago was on the verge of making the College Football Playoff. The Utes (11-3) didn't get there after they were swamped in the Pac-12 title game by Oregon and perhaps struggled to shake off the heartbreak of what could have been. Texas physically handled...

Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson had surgery on a torn meniscus in October and has yet to make his regular season debut. Zion Williamson may be getting closer to making his NBA regular season debut. Williamson is reportedly expected to join the Pelicans in practice on Wednesday. Both New Orleans and the rookie are "hopeful" he will return to the court in January after recovering from surgery on a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee,  according to Stadium's Shams Charania . "Williamson is expected to return to his first practice shortly after the New Year on Wednesday and I'm told both sides are hopeful of a January season debut for Williamson," Charania said.  Williamson  underwent surgery on Oct. 21  before ever playing a regular season game once it was confirmed he tore his meniscus. The Pelicans have been very cautious with Williamson during his recovery process. Last week, ESPN's Jorge Sedano reported that his rehab process fr...

Wyoming built a 14-point lead by halftime and racked up 524 total yards to beat Georgia State 38-17 in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. TUCSON, Ariz. — Xazavian Valladay ran for 204 yards and scored two touchdowns, quarterback Levi Williams accounted for four scores and Wyoming rolled over Georgia State 38-17 in the Arizona Bowl on Saturday. Wyoming (8-5) started slow before scoring two quick touchdowns late in the first quarter and early in the second. G after being left out of the postseason last year. Williams made his first career start after Tyler Vander Waal entered the transfer portal but remained with the team for bowl practices. The freshman was poised under the bowl spotlight, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. Valladay had three catches for 91 yards and a touchdowns. Georgia State (7-6) jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter but had a hard time stopping the big-play Cowboys. The Panthers twice turned the ball over on downs deep in Wyoming's en...

Bijan Nichols kicked a 23-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and No. 21 Navy capitalized on a fourth-down gamble in the final minute to beat Kansas State 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Bijan Nichols kicked a 23-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and No. 21 Navy capitalized on a fourth-down gamble in the final minute to beat Kansas State 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl on Tuesday. A Navy team with the nation's top-ranked rushing attack set up the winning score by completing a halfback option pass with less than 30 seconds left. The Midshipmen snapped the ball on fourth-and-3 from the Kansas State 46. Quarterback Malcolm Perry pitched to C.J. Williams, and he threw downfield to a wide-open Chance Warren for a 41-yard gain. Perry, who rushed for 213 yards, spiked the ball with 5 seconds left to set up Nichols' field goal. Nichols had missed a 38-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter. The victory enabled Navy (11-2) to tie a program record for wins and e...

Willie Harts returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead Arizona State to a 20-14 victory against Florida State in the Sun Bowl. EL Paso, Texas — Willie Harts returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead Arizona State to a 20-14 victory against Florida State on Tuesday in the Sun Bowl. Harts, a freshman cornerback, halted a 14-0 surge by Florida State (6-7) and helped the Sun Devils (8-5) hang on for their fourth Sun Bowl victory, despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. James Blackman threw a 91-yard touchdown pass, the longest pass play in Sun Bowl history, to Tamorrion Terry to give Florida State its first lead, 14-9, in the third quarter. The Seminoles trailed 9-0 at halftime. Cristian Zendejas kicked a Sun Bowl record-tying four field goals for Arizona State, including a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter to cut the FSU lead to 14-12. Then Blackman's fourth interception of the game was returned by Harts to pu...

The Wildcats' QB threw a game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of the Belk Bowl. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lynn Bowden Jr. ran for 223 yards on 34 carries, and then tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Ali with 15 seconds left as Kentucky rallied behind its remarkable receiver-turned-quarterback to beat Virginia Tech 37-30 on Tuesday in a high-tension Belk Bowl . Bowden ran for two touchdowns before leading an 18-play, 85-yard game-winning drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock, It ended with Ali getting open down the middle of the end zone. Bowden, who took over as Kentucky’s quarterback after five games because of injuries, passed for 73 yards on 12 attempts. The Wildcats (8-5) added a final touchdown as time expired when Jordan Wright returned a failed lateral attempt by the Hokies 28 yards for a touchdown. Hendon Hooker threw for 110 yards and two touchdowns and Deshawn McClease ran for 126 yards and a score to lead the Hokies (8-5). Kentucky...

A classic Rose Bowl and a Citrus Bowl between Alabama and Michigan have our attention. But which sides are the sharps on? The most successful bettors out in Vegas have targeted two games on New Year’s Day. The sharps are sizzling after nailing both LSU (-13.5) and Clemson (2-5) in the College Football Playoffs. Over the last seven weeks, the sharps have absolutely crushed the sportsbooks in both NFL and college football wagering. The information from Vegas, shared here only at Sports Illustrated , is currently on a red-hot 16-6-1 ATS (73%) run on all football plays. Citrus Bowl Moneyline: Michigan: (+230) | Alabama: (-270) Spread: Michigan: +7 (-110) | Alabama: -7 (-110) Total: 58.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: 58.5 (-110) Public (Spread) Betting Percentages: Michigan: 31% | Alabama: 69% Game Info: January 1, 2019 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST | ABC The line has held steady from its opening of Alabama as 7-point favorites despite strong public support in favor of the Crimson Tide. Acco...

High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl High tensions appeared to spill onto the field pregame before Kentucky took on Virginia Tech in Tuesday's Belk Bowl as ESPN's cameras appeared to show UK quarterback Lynn Bowden punching Virginia Tech defensive tackle DaShawn Crawford.  Dick Gabriel, the sideline reporter for the UK Radio Network, also reported a punch had been thrown toward Bowden. No penalty or team discipline was assessed following the pregame incident. The incident comes just days after Bowden refused to discuss his opponent on multiple occasions during a Belk Bowl media event on Monday.  “I ain’t talking about them, I ain’t talking about them," he said. Those comments seemingly stem from another incident from last Friday, when a video posted on social media appeared to show a small group of Virginia Tech players yelling obscenities at Kentucky players including Bowden, at ...

Several playoff contenders are in action on New Year's Eve, and two of the NBA's best should close out the year with wins. The last day to bet on hoops in 2019 brings us an interesting slate that starts at 3 p.m. ET. Yesterday I didn't really have a strong lean on many games, today there are three positions I really like on this seven-game slate. Four of today's game feature favorites of seven points or more, the other three games have spreads of a single point. It should be a fun day and night of hoops. Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers: Pacers +102 It was all good just a week ago for the 76ers, when they earned their most impressive victory of the season by blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks on their home court. To Sixer fans that may seem like a while ago, as Philly has lost the first two games of a four-game road trip. The Pacers haven't fared much better over their past two games, both road defeats, but one of them was a 22 point loss to the Pelicans. Today...

Find out how to watch Florida State vs. Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday. He may not be on the Florida State sideline Tuesday when the Seminoles face Arizona State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tx., but it will be new coach Mike Norvell’s first opportunity to judge the scale of the rebuild he faces in restoring one of college football’s most storied teams to national prominence. How to Watch When: Tuesday, Dec. 31 Time: 2:00 p.m. ET TV: CBS Live Stream: fuboTV ( try for free ) Norvell was hired earlier this month from Memphis after guiding the Tigers to a 12-1 record and American Athletic Conference title this season, which earned them a spot in the Cotton Bowl. The 38-year-old Norvell, who went 38-15 in his four seasons in the Mid-South, did not win a bowl game in his previous three seasons and was not around for Memphis’ loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday since he is building his new staff in Tallahassee. While he goes about that task, the Seminoles...

Expert NBA DFS DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo DFS daily plays for Tuesday, December 31 NBA DFS (Tuesday, December 31) Welcome to the New Year's Eve edition of SI Fantasy's NBA DFS daily plays. We have a split slate for NBA DFS on New Year's Eve. There is a two-game slate that starts at 3 pm ET, and we also have a four-game main slate that begins at 7 pm ET. FanDuel and Yahoo also have an option to compete in an all-day slate, which includes every game. DraftKings has a showdown slate option for the Clippers/Kings and Mavericks/Thunder games. Here are five plays for tonight's main slate:   James Harden, Houston Rockets  DraftKings: $10,500 , FanDuel: $11,500, Yahoo: $59   James Harden is my top play on the main slate. Harden missed the Rockets last game with a toe injury, but he should go this evening. I don't see him missing a game versus the current second seed in the West. The Rockets have the highest team total on the slate in a game tha...

The 2010s were an exciting decade in the NBA, but the league wasn't clear of some of the most notable legal controversies in sports. The 2010s were an exciting decade for the NBA, but the league and its players encountered major legal controversies along the way. Sports Illustrated legal analyst and writer Michael McCann breaks down his list of the 10 most significant NBA legal controversies of the 2010s. 10. The sexual assault trial of Derrick Rose The 2010s were a turbulent period for Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and the youngest player to win the league’s MVP award. The former Memphis star began the decade by starring for the Chicago Bulls. He will end it as a solid sixth man for the Detroit Pistons. In between were rocky times. In 2012, Rose tore the ACL in his left knee, an injury that would cost him a season and altered the way he would play. Later in the decade Rose went AWOL while on the New York Knicks. He also abruptly left the Clevela...

History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard but the Raptors are striving and are in position to make another big move. Six months ago, Masai Ujiri celebrated Toronto’s first NBA championship . Is it possible— possible —that six months from now Ujiri and the Raptors could be celebrating another one? Crazy, right? Toronto is 22-11, a top five team in the conference. The Raps have lost three out of four, which would be cause for concern if the lone win didn’t come on Saturday, in Boston, when where the Raptors clubbed the Celtics by double digits, and if Toronto had not been without Pascal Siakam , an early season MVP candidate , who has been sidelined since mid-December. That the Raptors are even in this position is nothing short of remarkable. History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard. The Cavaliers collapsed after losing LeBron James—twice. The Spurs dynasty effectively ended when they moved Le...

Lamical Perine totaled 181 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns Monday to help No. 6 Florida beat Virginia 36-28 in the Orange Bowl. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lamical Perine scored on a 61-yard run in the opening minute and didn't stop after that, totaling 181 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns Monday to help No. 6 Florida beat Virginia 36-28 in the Orange Bowl. Perine carried 13 times for a career-high 138 yards rushing at the end of a so-so senior season. He came into the game with only 538 yards rushing this year in the Gators' pass-oriented offense. But Perine was too quick and speedy for the Cavaliers, as his dash through their secondary on the first series showed. He also scored on a 10-yard run, caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Trask and was chosen the game's most valuable player. The win means Florida (11-2), led by second-year coach Dan Mullen, will likely finish in the Top Ten in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2...

Donald Trump phoned LSU coach Ed Orgeron Monday, several sources told Sports Illustrated, presumably to congratulate him on his team’s 63–28 victory over the Sooners in the Peach Bowl. Ed Orgeron is used to receiving congratulatory messages and calls after any big win. That was the case again following LSU’s rout of Oklahoma in the CFP semifinal Saturday. However, one call stood out from the rest—it came from the president of the United States. Donald Trump phoned the Tigers third-year coach Monday, several sources told Sports Illustrated , presumably to congratulate him on his team’s 63–28 victory over the Sooners in the Peach Bowl. The win propelled No. 1 seed LSU (14–0) to the national championship game against No. 3 Clemson (14–0) on Jan. 13 in New Orleans. It is not clear if the president plans to attend the game. He appeared at the 2017 national championship game, when Alabama stormed back to beat Georgia in overtime. Details of the conversation between Orgeron and Trump re...

Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois on Monday in the Redbox Bowl. SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California to a 35-20 win over Illinois on Monday in the Redbox Bowl. Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for a season-high 105 yards as Cal (8-5) won its first bowl game since 2015. Brandon Peters passed for 273 yards and one touchdown for Illinois (6-7) in his return after sitting out the regular-season finale with a concussion. Peters, who was shaken up again after diving out of bounds following a scramble late in the fourth quarter, completed 22 of 37 passes and added a team-high 68 rushing yards. Garbers, who had been in and out of the lineup all season because of a shoulder injury, got going after being sacked on the first play from scrimmage and throwing an incomplete pass on the...