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Tehama Tracker Monday's results Independence Bowl North Carolina Missouri Today's games Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Western Michigan Purdue 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 Belk Bowl North Carolina St. Louisville NBA Kings Portland 7 p.m. CSNC On the tube MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m., ESPN2 — Pittsburgh at Notre Dame •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Wisconsin at Nebraska NBA BASKETBALL •5 p.m., TNT — Boston at Miami • 7:30 p.m., TNT — Utah at L.A. Lak- ers NHL HOCKEY • 4:30 p.m., VERSUS — St. Louis at Detroit • 4:30 p.m., CSNC—Tampa Bay at Philadelphia SOCCER •9 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Premier League, Queens Park Rangers at Swansea City • 11:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Pre- mier League, Tottenham at Norwich City Bowl Glance By The Associated Press Subject to Change Tuesday, Dec. 27 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl At Detroit Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Belk Bowl At Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina State (7-5) vs. Louisville (7-5), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Dec. 28 Military Bowl At Washington Air Force (7-5) vs.Toledo (8-4), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Holiday Bowl At San Diego Texas (7-5) vs. California (7-5), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Dec. 29 Champs Sports Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Florida State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (8-4), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl At San Antonio Baylor (9-3) vs.Washington (7-5), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 30 Armed Forces Bowl At Dallas Tulsa (8-4) vs. BYU (9-3), 9 a.m. (ESPN) Pinstripe Bowl At Bronx, N.Y. Rutgers (8-4) vs. Iowa State (6-6), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN) Music City Bowl At Nashville,Tenn. Mississippi State (6-6) vs.Wake Forest (6-6), 3:40 p.m. (ESPN) Insight Bowl At Tempe, Ariz. Oklahoma (9-3) vs. Iowa (7-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday, Dec. 31 Meineke Car Care Bowl At Houston Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Northwestern (6-6), 9 a.m. (ESPN) Sun Bowl At El Paso,Texas Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5), 11 a.m. (CBS) Liberty Bowl At Memphis,Tenn. Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. Cincinnati (9-3), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN) Fight Hunger Bowl At San Francisco UCLA (6-7) vs. Illinois (6-6), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN) Chick-fil-A Bowl At Atlanta Virginia (8-4) vs.Auburn (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 2 TicketCity Bowl At Dallas Penn State (9-3) vs. Houston (12-1), 9 a.m. (ESPNU) Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Nebraska (9-3) vs. South Carolina (10- 2), 10 a.m. (ESPN) Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. Georgia (10-3) vs.Michigan State (10-3), 10 a.m. (ABC) Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Florida (6-6) vs.Ohio State (6-6), 10 a.m. (ESPN2) Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. Oregon (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (11-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN) Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz. Stanford (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11- 1), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Jan. 3 Sugar Bowl At New Orleans Michigan (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Jan. 4 Orange Bowl At Miami West Virginia (9-3) vs. Clemson (10-3), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Jan. 6 Cotton Bowl At Arlington,Texas Kansas State (10-2) vs.Arkansas (10-2), 5 p.m. (FOX) Saturday, Jan. 7 BBVA Compass Bowl At Birmingham, Ala. Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5), 9 a.m. (ESPN) Sunday, Jan. 8 GoDaddy.com Bowl At Mobile, Ala. Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern Illi- nois (10-3), 6 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 9 BCS National Championship At New Orleans LSU (13-0) vs. Alabama (11-1), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) 5 p.m. ESPN 41 24 Sports SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Missouri made sure its final football game as a member of the Big 12 was decided early. James Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Tigers easily beat North Carolina 41-24 in the Independence Bowl on Monday night. Missouri (8-5) ends the season on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 1965. The Tigers will join the South- eastern Conference next fall and showed one rea- son they should be a fac- tor immediately: The 6- foot-2, 225-pound Franklin, a sophomore who generally did as he pleased in both the run- ning and passing games. Franklin, named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player, rushed for 142 yards and threw for 132 despite less than ideal conditions in the cold and rain at Indepen- dence Stadium. He led the Tigers to 31 first-half points — an Indepen- dence Bowl record. For North Carolina (7- 6), a season that started with a promising 5-1 record ends with a lop- sided loss. The Tar Heels lost five of their final seven under interim coach Everett Withers, who leaves to become defen- sive coordinator at Ohio State under Urban Meyer. North Carolina had the Atlantic Coast Confer- ence's second-best rush- ing defense, giving up just 106.2 yards per game. But the Tigers found plenty of running room with Franklin and Kendial Lawrence, repeatedly gashing the Tar Heels for big gains. Lawrence rushed for 108 yards and a touch- down as the Tigers racked up 337 yards on the ground. North Carolina's poor defense wasted a produc- tive game by quarterback Bryn Renner, who threw Mullin back at Warriors game in TV role OAKLAND (AP) — The friendship of Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson endured through their days as high school stars in Brooklyn, to their time as team- mates at St. John's and then through lengthy, successful NBA careers that included a three-season stint together in Indiana. That's why it meant so much to both men that Mullin worked with the ESPN broadcasting crew for Jackson's coaching debut with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. Mullin, who addressed players from his former Warriors fran- chise at Saturday's practice, joined two more Jackson pals and former television col- leagues — Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen — to announce the game against Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers in the sea- son opener and Christmas finale. ''To me it's fun for that rea- son to watch Mark coach his first game,'' Mullin said. ''I would have been watching any- way. So to come and do it here and get a closer look, it's even better.'' Van Gundy and Breen pulled off a remarkable double dip after beginning their day in Dal- las calling the Heat's 105-94 win over the Mavericks before hopping a charter flight to the Bay Area for the nightcap. Jackson insisted he wouldn't get so caught up in the game and forget to appreciate those three. He, Breen and Van Gundy worked their final game after four years together as ABC's top team during the NBA finals. Van Gundy also was an assistant coach with the Knicks when Jackson played in New York. ''It means a lot. When I'm sitting there and I see Chris Mullin sitting at practice, talk- MCT photo The Golden State Warriors' top draft pick Klay Thompson (11) leaves his feet to pass over Los Angeles Clippers defender Mo Williams (25) during the first quarter at Ora- cle Arena in Oakland, Sunday. ing to them, and I'll look over and I'll see Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen, I'm an emotional guy, I'm a guy that doesn't mind shedding a tear,'' Jackson said before the game. ''It's funny because when I was younger I used to look at Dick Vermeil and be like, 'what a clown.' But as you get older, I have an appreciation for it. You no longer take for granted the important things — great friendships, teamwork, togeth- erness, your health, your family, things that really matter. ''I will look at those guys — and I'm not a coach that's going to be caught up in the game — there will be some time when I'll look and be extremely thankful for the time I spent with all of them.'' Mullin, recently enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, hadn't been at Oracle Arena since See MULLIN, page 2B 1B Tuesday December 27, 2011 Missouri beats UNC 41-24 in Independence Bowl MCT photo Missouri Tigers defensive back Trey Hobson (21) watches North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Dwight Jones (83) search for the loose ball, as Missouri linebacker Zaviar Gooden (25) moves to make the interception during the second quarter at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., Mon- day. for 317 yards, three touchdowns and an inter- ception. Missouri's mascot — Truman the Tiger — shat- tered most of the original Independence Bowl tro- See BOWL, page 2B Raiders need win, help to go to playoffs ALAMEDA (AP) — The final week of the season for the Oakland Raiders has been mostly about the status of the coach, personal goals and planning for the offsea- son the past eight years. There's plenty more on the line this sea- son. With a win at home in the finale against San Diego and a little bit of help from some other teams, the Raiders (8-7) can make the playoffs for the first time since their 2002 AFC championship season. Oakland still has a chance to win the AFC West or make the postseason as a wild-card team depending on what hap- pens Sunday. While some of the potential scenarios are complicated, the simple fact is this: If the Raiders lose to the Chargers, they will be eliminated. ''I am not going to get caught up in all the different scenarios,'' coach Hue Jack- son said Monday. ''I know they're out there. I think I would be remiss as the leader of this football team if I just jumped over in that boat. I think the boat I have to jump in is getting this team to play as hard and well as it can play this weekend.'' The Raiders nearly lost any chance over the weekend in Kansas City before being saved by a pair of blocked field goals by Richard Seymour and a 53-yard pass from Carson Palmer to Darrius Heyward-Bey on the first play of overtime to set up Sebastian Janikowski's winning kick in a 16-13 win. Oakland won that game despite com- mitting 15 penalties and allowing another late touchdown drive that let Kansas City tie the game in the closing minutes. ''We're relentless, man,'' safety Tyvon Branch said. ''Things don't always go our way, but we always fight, we fight to the end, and that's one thing I can say about us.'' Oakland will be fighting until the end of the season for a change. Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the Raiders had an NFL-worst seven straight See RAIDERS, page 2B 49ers look to finish strong vs. Rams Sunday SANTA CLARA (AP) — Frank Gore planned to openly cheer for the Falcons on Monday night against New Orleans. Coach Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the San Francisco 49ers? You bet they had the same idea. The Saints beat Atlanta 45-16 to clinch the NFC South title, keeping the 49ers from securing the NFC's No. 2 seed and a playoff bye. ''If they don't win, if New Orleans don't lose, we'll go down to St. Louis and try to get a win and lock up that second seed and get that bye week,'' Gore said earlier Monday. ''As a team, that will help us, especially playing at home. Our first (playoff) game, that's big for us. I'm excited.'' A loss by the Saints would have wrapped up the second spot for Gore and the NFC West champion Niners (12-3), and take the pressure off Sunday's sea- son finale at St. Louis. Resurgent San Francisco has put itself in about the best possible position head- ing into the franchise's first playoff appearance in nine years. ''Hoping for the best, expecting the worst,'' Har- baugh said of getting help from Atlanta. ''Regardless, preparing to beat the Rams.'' The 49ers pulled off an impressive 19-17 victory at Seattle on Saturday behind David Akers' four field goals, which put him at 42 for the year to set the NFL's single-season record. Punter Andy Lee had his punt blocked midway through the fourth quarter in a rare special teams mistake that very well could have been a turning point and momentum shift for the Seahawks. It was Lee's first blocked punt since 2008 and third in an eight-year career that could include a third Pro Bowl selection Tuesday. ''Probably the biggest factor is they didn't flinch,'' Harbaugh said. ''Even after the blocked punt the demeanor on the sideline was outstanding — offense, defense, special teams, nobody was hanging their daubers.'' The 49ers were closely monitoring what happened to the Saints, whose Drew Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a sea- son. San Francisco holds the tiebreaker with New Orleans if both were to fin- ish at 13-3 or 12-4. ''Oh, in tune, in tune,'' Harbaugh said of the impli- cations of Monday night's result. It might affect how much he uses his starters and regulars against the lowly Rams (2-13) on Sun- day, too. If Harbaugh wins at St. Louis, he would finish up his first year with the fran- chise's second-best record by a rookie NFL coach behind George Seifert's 14- 2 showing in 1989. A sixth road win also would match the team's total of such vic- tories from 2008-2010.