Alabama QB Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in 2nd half of blowout Rose Bowl loss

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in the second half of the Crimson Tide's38-3 loss to top-seeded Indianain the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

Simpson got hurt when an Indiana player's helmet hit him in the torso and caused a fumble after he made a courageous scramble through the Hoosiers' defense for a first down late in the first half. He had an X-ray at halftime that revealed the injury, Simpson said after the College Football Playoff quarterfinal ended.

"Felt like I had a good thing going on that drive when I got hit," Simpson said. "It kind of changed the momentum for sure. Just ready to get back to work. I've got to get healthy and get ready to go."

Simpson still went back on the field for one more series after halftime, but he voluntarily gave way to backup Austin Mack after he couldn't play through the injury.

"I made an executive decision and thought (about) what gave us the best chance to win," Simpson said. "I thought Austin being 100% could help us win."

Simpson acknowledged that he might have tried to do too much on that fateful scramble after he came up one yard short of a first down on a run earlier in the game.

"I knew I slid (and) I thought I got the first down," Simpson said of the first run. "I was a half a yard short. Came back to the sideline, was (ticked) off. The competitor in me wanted to make sure I got the first down. Got more than the first down, and then should have been smart and just got down."

Neither quarterback had sustained success in a one-sided loss.

Simpson went 12 of 16 for 67 yards, while Mack went 11 of 16 for 103 yards while getting sacked three times. Mack led the Tide's only scoring drive, going 65 yards on nine plays in his first series, which culminated in a short field goal.

The Tide didn't score again in their biggest blowout loss since September 1998.

"(Simpson) really wanted to try to go out there (after halftime)," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "I know he feels like he let down the team, and there's no way that that's the case. He went out there, tried to battle. That's who he is."

AP college football:https://apnews.com/college-football

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January 01, 2026

Alabama QB Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in 2nd half of blowout Rose Bowl loss

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in the second half of the Crimson...
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Tallest player in women's college basketball to join Texas Tech

As conference play in the Big 12 begins, Texas Tech's women's basketball team just made a big midseason addition.

The Red Raiders have signed 7-footer Stephanie Okechukwu, multiple sources familiar with her recruitment confirmed to USA Today. The towering center from Nigeria has a reported 7-foot-4 wingspan. Whether Okechukwu will be eligible to play immediately depends on NCAA approval.

Texas Tech hadn't formally announced Okechukwu joining the team as of Thursday afternoon, butthere is a graphic posted on their websiteof her palming two basketballs. Red Raiders coach Krista Gerlichposted a video to X early Thursday morningwith a caption that says, "Walking into the New Year feeling 7 feet tall!" The video shows Okechukwu walking through an airport.

Should she be approved by the NCAA to play this season, Okechukwu will be the tallest player in the sport, dwarfing a pair of 6-foot-10 centers in Nicole Dominguez of Middle Tennessee State and Abbie Boutilier of Eastern Illinois. Videosposted to her Instagramshow her dunking one-handed with ease.

Multiple sources told USA Today Okechukwu was pursued by several Power 4 programs, including fellow Big 12 member West Virginia. An assistant coach for the Red Raiders traveled to Africa a few weeks ago to close the deal on her recruitment.

Okechukwu is also the latest midseason international acquisition this season by teams in major conferences. Mississippi State has signed French guard Melissa Guillet and South Carolina brought in French center Alicia Tournebize.

Guillet is expected to begin playing for the Bulldogs this month, as long as she can secure a visa, whichhas been a hurdle for international studentsunder the Trump Administration.

"Adding Melissa this late in the year is an awesome opportunity," Mississippi State coach Purcell said in a statement. "She has been playing the game at the highest level, and her international experience will be huge for us as she joins the program and helps us chase championships."

Gamecocks coach Dawn Staleytold the Greenville News this weekshe's optimistic that Tournebize will be able to play this month.

Texas Tech is 15-0 and tied its best start in program history on Wednesday night by defeating visiting UCF 73-55. Ranked No. 23 in the latest USA TODAY Sports college women's basketball poll, this is also the best start to a season for the Red Raiders under Gerlich. She is in her sixth season coaching at her alma mater.

The Red Raiders boast one of the statistically best defenses in college basketball, ranking third nationally in opponent effective field goal percentage (35.7%), fourth in points per play allowed (0.61) and fifth in opponent 3-point shooting percentage (22.7%). Adding an imposing rim protector like Okechukwu could make the Red Raiders even more effective on that end of the floor.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tallest player in women's college basketball to join Texas Tech

byAdministrator
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January 01, 2026

Tallest player in women’s college basketball to join Texas Tech

As conference play in the Big 12 begins, Texas Tech's women's basketball team just made a big midseason addition....
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No. 4 Texas Tech turns the ball over 4 times in No. 5 Oregon's 23-0 Orange Bowl win

Texas Tech's offense had its worst game of the season at the most inopportune time.

The No. 4 Red Raiders averaged fewer than four yards a play and turned the ball over four times ina 23-0 loss to No. 5 Oregon in the Orange Bowlon Thursday. The loss means that teams that have received a first-round bye in the brief history of the 12-teamCollege Football Playoffare now 0-6 as Oregon will play the winner of the Rose Bowl in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.

Oregon freshman defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. was on the opposite end of three of those turnovers. And his second interception of the day severely damaged any chance of a Texas Tech comeback.

With the Red Raiders trailing 13-0, Finney intercepted Tech QB Behren Morton in the corner of the end zone on third down as the Red Raiders were threatening to cut Oregon's lead to six points. Morton seemingly never saw Finney as he dropped back off the line of scrimmage.

BRANDON FINNEY JR. WITH HIS THIRD TAKEAWAY OF THE DAY 😮‍💨pic.twitter.com/mdwfukoR1L

— ESPN (@espn)January 1, 2026

The pick was Morton's third turnover of the day. Even when Tech's offense would finally string together productive plays, something would happen for the Red Raiders to stall out.

After Finney's second pick, Atticus Sappington hit a 43-yard field goal to put Oregon up by 16.

The lead could have been so much larger had Oregon's offense not squandered so many opportunities in Texas Tech territory itself. The stellar Red Raiders defense did all it could to keep Tech in the game and stopped Oregon on four of its eight fourth-down attempts.

[Get more Ducks football news: Oregon team feed]

Oregon led just 6-0 at halftime as Texas Tech had a fantastic chance to take the lead at the start of the third quarter after receiving the second-half kickoff. Instead, the Red Raiders gained a grand total of two yards on three plays and punted the ball away to Oregon.

The Ducks extended the lead to 13 points a short time later after Matayo Uiagalelei stripped Morton and caught the ball. Uiagalelei ran 16 yards to the Texas Tech 6-yard line and Jordon Davison scored the first touchdown of the game one play later.

Matayo Uiagalelei deserves more love in the pre-draft process.#GoDuckspic.twitter.com/3FLgK7rO2E

— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork)January 1, 2026

Tech got to the Oregon 34-yard line on its next drive, but, in a play that summed up how the whole game unfolded, running back J'Koby Williams lost a yard after taking a direct snap on fourth down when he needed just one yard for a first down.

Tech still had a glimmer of hope after Finney's second interception as its defense quickly forced a three-and-out. But as Oregon punted — and Tech didn't make a concerted effort to block the punt — AJ McCarty lined up offsides. The penalty gave Oregon an automatic first down and helped set up Sappington's field goal.

The Red Raiders didn't have over 200 total yards until there were fewer than five minutes remaining in the game.

Can Texas Tech build another contender?

The Red Raiders were one of the best teams in college football in 2025 thanks to mega-booster Cody Campbell and the astute use of the transfer portal by coach Joey McGuire and his staff.

A defense that was absolutely abysmal in 2024 turned into one of the nation's best with players like David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter and Cole Wisniewski joining fifth-place Heisman finisher Jacob Rodriguez and others. But many of Tech's key contributors on that side of the ball are either out of eligibility or off to the NFL. Can McGuire's staff quickly identify talent to restock that side of the ball as the portal opens on Friday?

And will Tech go after a transfer portal quarterback? Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby has been linked to the Red Raiders after he announced he was transferring away from the Bearcats. Sorsby was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2025 as Cincinnati was a midseason contender in the conference before a disastrous November.

Oregon is a win away from its first national title game in 11 years

Oregon hasn't been this close to a national title since making the national championship game in the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of the 2014 season.

A year ago, the Ducks entered the playoff as the No. 1 seed following an undefeated season and a Big Ten title. Like Texas Tech, that all unraveled in the quarterfinals, as Ohio State steamrolled the Ducks in the Rose Bowl on the way to a national title.

This year, Oregon looks like it can be a a serious threat for the national title. And it may have to avenge its only loss of the season. If Indiana beats Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks will get another crack at the Hoosiers. Indiana beat Oregon 30-20 in Eugene in October.

  • Featured
    Yahoo Sports Staff
  • Ben Fawkes

    Underdogs are on a roll

    Oregon closed as a 1-point underdog vs. Texas Tech, which means underdogs are now 5-1 ATS in this year's College Football Playoff with four outright wins.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Final: Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0

    The Ducks tacked on another touchdown with just seconds remaining, but the Oregon defense was the story of the game. It forced four turnovers and shut down Texas Tech all game long.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Two minutes left

    The Ducks are just burning clock in field goal range now.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Oregon misses FG

    Well, something finally went wrong for Oregon, but it likely won't matter. Atticus Sappington just sailed a field goal wide with just under 5 minutes left in the game.

    It's still 16-0.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Texas Tech stuffed on fourth down!

    Well, that'll just about do it for this one. Behren Morton was just sacked by Oregon's Teitum Tuioti on fourth down deep in Texas Tech's own territory.

    It'll be Ducks ball at the TTU 25.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Oregon adds FG

    The Ducks have added to their lead with another Atticus Sappington field goal as the game ticks inside the 8-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

    Oregon 16, TTU 0

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Oregon gifted first down on silly TTU penalty

    The Ducks were punting the ball away but a dumb offside penalty gave them a fresh set of downs, so now they can bleed more time off the clock.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Interception Oregon!

    It's another turnover for Texas Tech and it's Oregon's Brandon Finney coming down with a pick AGAIN!

    That's the freshman's third takeaway of the game.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    End of Q3

    The Red Raiders are on the move and inside the 10 after a long completion from Behren Morton to Terrance Carter Jr.

    That's the end of the third quarter and Oregon is still up 13-0.

  • Nick Bromberg

    Neither offense is averaging more than four yards a play

    Not pretty
    Not pretty
  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Interception Texas Tech!

    The Red Raiders have some life! Ben Roberts just sunk into coverage and Oregon's Dante Moore didn't see him when throwing over the middle.

    Texas Tech will have it back at midfield.

  • Nick Bromberg

    Hard not to wonder if this game is effectively over

    Texas Tech's most promising drive of the day still took a lot of effort and ended up with no points. Something has to flip quickly for the Red Raider offense.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Texas Tech stuffed on fourth down!

    The Red Raiders were facing a fourth-and-1 and opted for a shotgun snap to 5-10, 180-pound J'Koby Williams and the Ducks stopped him cold.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Texas Tech on the march

    The Red Raiders have finally found something positive offensively and are now over midfield after a couple first downs.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Touchdown Oregon!

    The Ducks have finally found the end zone on a short run by Jordon Davison! It's only a two-possession game, but with the way Texas Tech is playing, that feels like a dagger early in the third quarter.

    Oregon 13, TTU 0

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    OREGON STRIP SACK!

    The Ducks may have just made the play of the game. Matayo Uiagalelei just stripped Behren Morton in the backfield and returned it all the way down to the TTU 5-yard line.

  • Nick Bromberg

    Oregon has got to capitalize at some point

    The Ducks simply do not have many advantages over the Texas Tech defense. This game could be 20-0 or worse … instead, Texas Tech can still take the lead with a TD.

    Of course, the offense would have to move the ball for that to happen.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    Oregon stuffed on fourth down AGAIN!

    The Ducks went for it on fourth-and-2 again and Dante Moore tried to scramble for the first down but came up just short of the line to gain.

    That's another turnover on downs in scoring range for Oregon.

  • Yahoo Sports Staff

    TTU punts it away

    The Red Raiders didn't move anywhere on the opening possession and gave it over to Oregon, and Malik Benson returned the punt over midfield.

    The Ducks are almost in scoring range again.

byAdministrator
in
January 01, 2026

No. 4 Texas Tech turns the ball over 4 times in No. 5 Oregon's 23-0 Orange Bowl win

Texas Tech's offense had its worst game of the season at the most inopportune time. The No. 4 Red Raiders av...
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 4: Venus Williams looks on against Madison Keys during the Charlotte Invitational at Spectrum Center on December 4, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Cory Knowlton/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Venus Williams' comeback tour is officially heading down under.

The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA rankings, has been granted a wild-card entry into the Australian Open singles field, setting her up for her first appearance at the tournament in five years.

She's BACK 🙌7x Grand Slam champion,@Venuseswilliams✨pic.twitter.com/KuByXJro2p

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)January 1, 2026

Williams has five career Australian Open titles, but all in doubles and mixed doubles. She's reached the singles final twice, losing to her sister Serena in both 2003 and 2017.

The last time she competed in the tournament in any form was in the singles event in 2021, when she lost in the second round to qualifier Sara Errani. Her win in the first round alone made her the first woman since Martina Navratilova to win a grand slam singles match after turning 40.

Veteran tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg notesthat because all eight Australian Open wild cards have now been allocated, two-time singles champion Victoria Azarenka, currently ranked No. 132 in the world, no longer has a path to the main draw.

Williams had been quietly out of action for 16 months between 2024 and 2025 due to health issues stemming from fibroids, leading to the WTA officially designating her as inactive.She made her return in July last year with an upset of the WTA's No. 35 playerand later made it into the US Open,where she took No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova to a third set before losing in the first round.

Her tennis future was unclear after that US Open appearance,which also includeda quarterfinals run in doublesalongside Leylah Fernandez. She has since competed in the Charlotte Invitational exhibition last month (in which she also got married), and we now know we'll be getting one more Grand Slam out of her.

byAdministrator
in
January 01, 2026

Venus Williams to make first Australian Open appearance in 5 years after being granted singles wild-card

Venus Williams' comeback tour is officially heading down under. The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA ranki...
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No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford

Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as the No. 16 Cardinals square off against the Stanford Cardinal.

The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) are coming off one of their better victories of the season, a 90-70 win over Cal that snapped the host Bears' nine-game winning streak. All five starters scored in double figures for Louisville, which has won four of its last five.

While much has been made about Louisville's offense, an up-tempo style that emphasizes 3-pointers, the Cardinals can also play defense, too. They showed that Tuesday by holding Cal to a season-low 33.9% shooting and outrebounding their hosts 50-31.

Louisville is holding opponents to 38.2% shooting this season, which ranks 19th in Division I, and its 42.6 rebounds per game are 14th-most in the country.

"Playing with physicality and toughness is always going to be a big priority with us," Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said after Tuesday's win.

Kelsey's team features six players who are scoring 10 or more points a game. Ryan Conwell leads the Cardinals, as the senior guard averages a team-best 19.7 points per game. He scored 26 against Cal.

The Cardinals have been without freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. (16.6 ppg) for the last three games because of a back injury. Adrian Wooley (10.0 ppg) has started in Brown's place and netted a season-high 21 on Tuesday.

Brown was a late scratch vs. Cal, and Kelsey declined to comment about his guard's status after the game.

Stanford (11-3, 0-1) also played Tuesday, but coach Kyle Smith's team struggled monumentally in a 47-40 home loss to Notre Dame that ended a four-game winning streak.

According to Sports Reference, the 40 points were the fewest Stanford has scored in a game since Cal held them to 39 in a contest on Feb. 26, 2022. Notre Dame limited the Cardinal to just 23.2% shooting (13 of 56) , the team's worst performance since making just 22.2% against Southern California on Jan. 20, 2011.

Poor outside shooting contributed to a lot of Stanford's woes. The Cardinal made just 4 of 30 3-pointers (13.3%), their worst night beyond the arc since Florida State held them to 11.5% (3 of 26) on Nov. 25, 2022.

Smith told reporters afterward that he felt his team pressed on offense.

"They (the Fighting Irish) got to dictate the tempo, dictate the terms, and on our court, that's disappointing," the Stanford coach said.

Ebuka Okorie leads the Cardinal, averaging 21.5 points per game, but the freshman guard is coming off the worst game in his young career. He scored a season-low seven points as Notre Dame held him to 3-for-14 shooting (21.4%). Chisom Okpara posted a team-high 13 points but also managed to make just 3 of his 14 shots.

Where Stanford may have its best chance for an upset is if it can force Louisville to foul. Stanford has gone to the free-throw line 373 times, the most of any ACC school. Louisville committed 25 fouls, matching its season worst, in Tuesday's win. Conwell had three first-half fouls, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the first half.

The Cardinals and Cardinal have played four times, with Louisville winning all four. Friday's game will be the first time the two teams have played at Stanford.

--Field Level Media

byAdministrator
in
January 01, 2026

No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford

Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as ...
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Pick-6 helps No. 10 Miami KO No. 2 Ohio State, advance to CFP semis

Carson Beck was able to avoid the question as well as he was able to sidestep any Ohio State pass rush when he was asked by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt who he would prefer to play in the College Football Playoff semifinal -- Ole Miss or Georgia -- who play in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.

The obvious answer to the matchup, of course, is Georgia, where Beck was the starting quarterback in the 2023 and '24 seasons.

Beck isn't there anymore and on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, he led No. 10 seed Miami to a 24-14 upset of No. 2 Ohio State in a semifinal in the Cotton Bowl.

"When you look at the college football playoff bracket when it came out, it's hard not to look forward to the games," he said. "You see the two teams that we could end up playing and I'm super excited for this team and the opportunity to play in the semifinals, and whichever team is able to win that game, we'll go on and prepare and we'll make the most of it."

A perfect non-bulletin board answer, much like the near-perfect first half that staked the Hurricanes to a 14-0 halftime lead against the defending national champion Buckeyes (12-2).

"We still have a long ways to go, but certainly a lot of progress in the last couple of I'd say, the last five, six games or so, and looking forward to getting better and having an opportunity here in about a week," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

The Hurricanes (12-2) overcame a home loss to Louisville and an overtime defeat at SMU to be selected to the CFP for the first time despite criticism they didn't belong.

Now, they'll get an opportunity to improve on their 6-0 record against ranked opponents this season.

"I'm so grateful and so thankful for this team, my teammates, the coaches," Beck said. "The way that we've persevered and fought through adversity this entire year, nothing has been easy about this year. You know, we've been doubted, we've been counted out countless times and time again. We come back and we fight and we push and we work and we just get it done when it matters."

The Hurricanes took the two TD lead on the strength of a 9-yard touchdown catch by Mark Fletcher Jr. and a 72-yard pick-6 by Keionte Scott. Fletcher also ran for 90 yards in the game.

Beck was 19 of 26 for 138 yards and TD.

In the two years of the CFP 12-team playoff, all five teams to receive first-round byes have lost. Miami defeated Texas A&M 10-3 in College Station, Texas, in a first-round semifinal on Dec. 20. The Buckeyes had last played Dec. 6 in a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.

"I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game," Ohio State coach Ryn Day said. " I thought we did (that) coming out of the second half, and by then it was going to take a very, very efficient second half to win the game, being down 14 nothing.

"And when you have a start the way that we did, you put yourself at risk of having to be, really, darn near perfect in the second half to go win the game. So, we put ourselves behind the eight ball."

The Buckeyes cut the deficit to 14-7 midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Bo Jackson to cap an 11-play, 82-yard drive, but Carter Davis nailed a 49-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 3:01 to go in the third.

A Jeremiah Smith 14-yard TD catch on a pass from Julian Sayin made it 17-14 with 13:28 to go. However, the Hurricanes marched 70 yards to wrap it up when CharMar Brown ran in from the 5 with 55 seconds left.

Sayin completed 22 of 35 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions while Smith made seven catches for 157 yards.

"We just started executing better the second half," Sayin said. "But ultimately, it wasn't good enough. Didn't put enough up enough points and it starts with me."

--Field Level Media

byAdministrator
in
December 31, 2025

Pick-6 helps No. 10 Miami KO No. 2 Ohio State, advance to CFP semis

Carson Beck was able to avoid the question as well as he was able to sidestep any Ohio State pass rush when he was ask...
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Flames beat Flyers 5-1 for 4th straight home victory

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dustin Wolf made 25 saves, Mikael Backlund scored his 10th goal and the Calgary Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Morgan Frost, Jonathan Huberdeau, Rasmus Andersson and Connor Zary also scored, and MacKenzie Weegar and Matt Coronato each had two assists.

The Flames have won five straight and 10-1-1 in their last 12 at home. They are 18-18-4 overall. Wolf has won eight in a row a home.

Up 2-1, Calgary got a two-man advantage midway through the second period. Zary set up Andersson for a one-timer with 18 seconds left on the power play.

Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia, and Sam Ersson stopped 20 shots. the Flyers dropped to 20-12-7.

Flyers: At Edmonton on Saturday in the finale of a five-game trip.

Flames: Host Nashville on Saturday in the fourth game of a five-game homestand.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

byAdministrator
in
December 31, 2025

Flames beat Flyers 5-1 for 4th straight home victory

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dustin Wolf made 25 saves, Mikael Backlund scored his 10th goal and the Calgary Flames beat the P...
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