Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/51649
2B Daily News – Tuesday, January 3, 2012 Scoreboard NBA At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 2 2 .500 — Boston 3 3 .500 — Toronto 2 3 .400 1/2 New York 2 3 .400 1/2 New Jersey 1 5 .167 2 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 5 1 .833 — Miami Atlanta 4 1 .800 1/2 Orlando 4 2 .667 1 Charlotte 1 3 .250 3 Washington 0 5 .000 4 1/2 Central Division WL Pct GB Indiana 4 1 .800 — Chicago 4 1 .800 — Milwaukee 2 1 .667 1 Cleveland 2 2 .500 1 1/2 Detroit 2 3 .400 2 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 3 2 .600 — Houston 2 2 .500 1/2 New Orleans2 2 .500 1/2 Memphis 1 3 .250 1 1/2 Dallas 1 4 .200 2 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 5 0 1.000 — Portland 3 1 .750 1 1/2 Denver 3 2 .600 2 Minnesota 2 3 .400 3 Utah 1 3 .250 3 1/2 Pacific Division WL Pct GB L.A. Clippers2 2 .500 — L.A. Lakers 3 3 .500 — Phoenix 2 3 .400 1/2 Kings 2 3 .400 1/2 Warriors 2 3 .400 1/2 3OTS Continued from page 1B in the country that are say- ing that right now. I would think that this, hopefully, helps solidify a Top 10 ranking in this year's final polls.'' Georgia (10-4) finished on a two-game losing streak, including a lop- sided loss to top-ranked LSU in the SEC champi- onship game. The Bull- dogs beat Michigan State in the 2009 Capital One Bowl, one of four bowl losses the Spartans had under Dantonio during their stretch of postseason futility. Cousins guided the Spartans on their late drive without the aid of any timeouts, and Le'Veon Bell's second touchdown of the game wiped out a 27-20 deficit. Cousins threw a 7-yard TD pass to Keith Nichol midway through the period and fin- ished the day as Michigan State's career passing and total offense leader. The senior from Hol- land, Mich., was intercept- ed in the first overtime, giving the ball to Georgia. After the Bulldogs had a short run on their first play in overtime, coach Mark Richt elected to simply center the ball for a field goal try on third down, and Walsh's kick was wide. ''It just went a little bit to the right. I don't know what pulled it that way,'' said Walsh, who moved ahead of Billy Bennett on 49ERS Continued from page 1B while star running back Frank Gore has dealt with nagging knee and ankle injuries. Tight end Delanie Walker has a jaw injury and Ted Ginn Jr., a hurt left ankle. Rookie cornerback Chris Culliver sustained a bruised left knee in Sun- day's 34-27 win at St. Louis that had him limp- ing through the locker room a day later. Wide receiver Kyle Williams is recovering from a concus- sion. Walker, whose jaw was believed to be broken though Harbaugh hasn't confirmed it, is scheduled to be re-evaluated Wednesday before the team determines whether to keep him on the roster for the playoffs or place him on season-ending injured reserve. For now, the 49ers coaches and players will spend their time watching film of the potential oppo- nents for their Jan. 14 game at Candlestick Park, where San Francisco shocked the New York Giants in its last postsea- son appearance — rallying from 24 points down to ——— Sunday's Games Cleveland 98, New Jersey 82 Miami 129, Charlotte 90 Orlando 102, Toronto 96 Boston 94, Washington 86 Minnesota 99, Dallas 82 Denver 99, L.A. Lakers 90 Chicago 104, Memphis 64 Sacramento 96, New Orleans 80 L.A. Clippers 93, Portland 88 Monday's Games Phoenix 102, Golden State 91 Boston 100, Washington 92 Indiana 108, New Jersey 94 Detroit 89, Orlando 78 Atlanta 100, Miami 92 Toronto 90, New York 85 Minnesota 106, San Antonio 96 Oklahoma City at Dallas, late Milwaukee at Denver, late New Orleans at Utah, late Tuesday's Games Charlotte at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Chicago, 5 p.m. Portland at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Sacramento at Memphis, 5 p.m. Milwaukee at Utah, 6 p.m. Houston at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday's Games Cleveland at Toronto, 4 p.m. Washington at Orlando, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Indiana at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at New York, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Golden State at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Sacramento at Denver, 6 p.m. Houston at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. NHL At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division the SEC career scoring list with 412 points when his 47-yarder that gave Geor- gia a 30-27 lead in the sec- ond overtime. ''I'd trade all the points I could to just have three points (at the end) for us. I mean that.'' The Spartans' come- back overshadowed a standout performance by Georgia's Mr. Everything, Brandon Boykin. The cor- nerback scored a safety, returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown and caught a 13-yard TD pass that helped the Bulldogs take a late lead that one of the nation's stingiest defenses couldn't protect down the stretch. Aaron Murray was 20 of 32 for 288 yards, one touchdown and two inter- ceptions for Georgia. Back home and playing in a sta- dium a few miles from where he and Bulldogs teammate Orson Charles also starred in high school for Tampa Plant, the red- shirt sophomore an 80- yard scoring pass to Tavar- res King, who had six receptions for 205 yards. Both teams entered the game coming off losses in their conference champi- onship games. The Bulldogs began their year with losses to Boise State and South Car- olina before rebounding to win the final 10 games of the regular season. Georgia led top-ranked LSU early in the SEC title game before being dominated over the last three quarters to lose a shot at a spot in a Bowl Championship Series game. stun the Giants 39-38 in the NFC wild-card game here in January 2003. The Niners already can envision a possible date with New Orleans, which whipped San Francisco 24-3 in the Big Easy back in the teams' August exhi- bition opener. That seems like so long ago now. Atlanta or the Giants are the other two possible matchups. While the 49ers were hardly in a celebratory mood after nearly letting the Rams rally for a late victory Sunday after lead- ing by 21, they do feel good about their position heading into the postsea- son. The team's 10 total turnovers this season — five fumbles and five inter- ceptions by Alex Smith — match the 2010 New Eng- land Patriots for fewest in the NFL since 1941. ''Winning the ballgame felt better by the hour,'' Harbaugh said. ''They found ways to win games all through the season. When you look through the body of work, the evi- dence is there. The team should be proud of that. I think one of the great things about this 2011 team is their ability to find ways to win, finish games. The evidence is there. And GP W L OT N.Y. Rangers37 24 9 4 Philadelphia37 22 11 4 Pittsburgh 38 21 13 4 New Jersey 38 21 15 2 N.Y. Islanders 36 13 17 Northeast Division GP W L OT Boston 35 24 10 1 Ottawa 40 20 15 5 Toronto 38 1815 5 Buffalo 38 17 17 4 Montreal 39 14 18 7 Southeast Division GP W L OT Florida 39 20 12 7 Winnipeg 38 19 14 5 Washington 37 20 15 2 Tampa Bay 37 17 17 3 Carolina 40 13 21 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Chicago 38 24 10 4 Detroit 38 24 13 1 St. Louis 38 21 12 5 Nashville 39 21 14 4 Columbus 38 10 23 5 Northwest Division GP W L OT Vancouver 40 24 14 3 Minnesota 40 21 13 6 Colorado 40 21 18 1 Calgary 40 18 17 5 Edmonton 37 15 19 3 Pacific Division GP W L OT Sharks 35 20 11 4 Los Angeles39 19 14 6 Dallas 37 21 15 1 Phoenix 39 19 16 4 Anaheim 37 10 21 6 Sunday's Games Nashville 5, Calgary 3 Monday's Games N.Y. Rangers 3, Philadelphia 2 Ottawa 3, New Jersey 2, OT San Jose 3, Vancouver 2 ROSE Continued from page 1B 1991. ''We knew we had to score almost every time we touched the ball,'' Wis- consin tailback James White said. Montee Ball rushed for 122 of his 164 yards in the first half for the Badgers (11-3), who lost the Rose Bowl for the second straight year despite man- aging 508 yards of their own. Ball tied Barry Sanders' FBS record with his 39th touchdown of the season, but the Heisman Trophy finalist was held to three carries for no yards in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin had two dri- ves to tie it after Oregon kicked a field goal with 6:50 to play, but Jared Abbrederis fumbled near the Oregon sideline after making a long catch. The ball plopped onto the turf without even bouncing, and Oregon's Michael Clay jumped on it with 4:06 left. That video review went the Ducks' way, too. ''I have to be more careful with the ball,'' said Abbrederis, who made a TD catch on the opening drive. ''They made a big play. I can't dwell on this. I have to move forward and look towards next year. We're all human. This will make me better.'' The Ducks and Badgers produced the highest-scor- ing first quarter (14-14) and first half (28-28) in it's good to win in differ- ent ways.'' Right guard Adam Sny- der, for one, planned to stay in town and continue to work all week at team headquarters. The 49ers will hold a workout Wednesday then resume their practice routine Thursday. ''There's nowhere for me to go. We have some of the most important games that we've had coming up, so the bye week is nice for rest, but there's still some business that we have to take care of. That's impor- tant to me to be here,'' Snyder said. ''I think any time you get rest it helps. Some of the games we've played have been very physical, so any rest we can get is going to help for sure.'' Williams plans to be back in the mix this week, and Harbaugh said he expects his special teams standout on the field once practices begin. ''I feel back to nor- mal,'' Williams said. Williams was jarred on a helmet-to-helmet hit by former 49ers Michael Robinson after a fourth- quarter kickoff return in a 19-17 win at Seattle on Dec. 24. Harbaugh, who has said it wasn't a clean play, tried to disperse the Edmonton at Chicago, late Colorado at Los Angeles, late Tuesday's Games Edmonton at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 4 p.m. Calgary at Washington, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Carolina, 4 p.m. Phoenix at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Detroit at Dallas, 5 p.m. Wednesday's Games Winnipeg at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Boston at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at Vancouver, 7 p.m. San Jose at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Bowls By The Associated Press Subject to Change Monday, Jan. 2 TicketCity Bowl At Dallas Houston 30, Penn State 14 Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. South Carolina 30, Nebraska 13 Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. Michigan State 33, Georgia 30, 3OT Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Florida 24, Ohio State 17 Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. Oregon 45, Wisconsin 38 Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz. Stanford (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11- 1), late 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 Rose Bowl history, even- tually surpassing the 80 scored in Washington's 46-34 win over Iowa in 1991. Oregon's yardage fell just short of USC's 633 yards against Illinois in 2008. Sure, Baylor's 67-56 win over Washington in the Alamo Bowl last Thursday might have packed bigger sheer num- bers. But Wisconsin and Oregon commanded a much bigger stage — and the Ducks unleashed every bit of their formidable offensive power. Tuinei was named the Ducks' offensive player of the game, but their flashiest star in those futur- istic helmets was De'An- thony Thomas, the fresh- man from Los Angeles who showed off his electri- fying athleticism on the longest scoring run in Rose Bowl history in the second quarter, going 91 yards up the middle. He added a 64- yard scoring run in the opening minute of the sec- ond half as Oregon won the matchup of the last two losers of the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin lost 21-19 to TCU last season, and the Ducks lost to Ohio State two years ago before losing the BCS title game last year. ''It almost felt like there was some sort of magical force keeping us from get- ting it done in bowl games,'' Oregon guard Car- son York said. ''Glad we did it today.'' LaMichael James rushed for 159 yards and an early TD in his likely col- crowd surrounding Williams and Robinson was penalized for unnec- essary roughness. No hard feelings on Williams' part toward his ex-teammate and mentor. ''He's an aggressive football player and he's a great football player. If I'm aware in that situation I'm looking out for him because I know he's com- ing out to hit,'' Williams said. ''Guys told me he said a prayer over me and was making sure I was OK. When I got up it was a little foggy. I do remem- ber him asking me if I was alright.'' Notes: Harbaugh said he has told QB Smith the team wants to re-sign him beyond this season. ''I told Alex, 'Hey, we're going to want you to come back here next year,''' 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), Noon (ESPN) Sunday, Jan. 8 GoDaddy.com Bowl At Mobile, Ala. Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (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) Saturday, Jan. 21 East-West Shrine Classic At St. Petersburg, Fla. East vs.West, 1 p.m., (NFLN) Saturday, Jan. 28 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. North vs. South, 1 p.m. (NFLN) Saturday, Feb. 5 Texas vs. Nation At San Antonio Texas vs. Nation, 11 a.m. (CBSSN) Moves Monday's Sports Transactions By The Associated Press BASEBALL American League LOS ANGELES ANGELS—Agreed to terms with RHP LaTroy Hawkins on a lege finale for the Ducks, and Kenjon Barner caught a TD pass from Darron Thomas. Nick Toon caught a TD pass for Wisconsin, and defensive end Louis Nzeg- wu returned a fumble 33 yards for a score in the sec- ond quarter. respective Both teams won their conferences' first-ever league title games to earn this trip to Pasade- na. Although the Ducks' drought was generations longer, Wisconsin hasn't won in Pasadena since Jan. 1, 2000, when Ron Dayne led the Badgers to back-to- back Rose Bowl titles. Oregon quickly debunked the theory that teams with extra time to prepare for the Ducks' inventive offense have a better chance to stop it. The Ducks were 1-4 in bowl games and season openers under Kelly until they carved up Wisconsin with the second-biggest yardage performance in Rose Bowl history. Wisconsin set the tone from its opening drive, going 77 yards in seven plays for Abbrederis' wide- open 38-yard TD catch just 3:12 in. De'Anthony Thomas ended the record-breaking first quarter by bursting through the Wisconsin line and sprinting down the Oregon sideline for a 91- yard score, surpassing Tyrone Wheatley's bowl- record 88-yard run in 1993 and capping the second- longest scoring drive in Rose Bowl history at 95 yards with Oregon's one-year contract. National League LOS ANGELES DODGERS—Agreed to terms with C Josh Bard and LHP John Grabow on minor league contracts. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association NBA—Fined Utah F Josh Howard $25,000 after upgrading his Flagrant Foul One against San Antonio's James Ander- son in a Dec. 31 game. FOOTBALL National Football League MINNESOTA VIKINGS—Signed WR Kris Adams, G Chris DeGeare, DB Reggie Jones, G Butch Lewis, LB Tyrone McKen- zie, TE Allen Reisner and WR Kerry Tay- lor to reserve-future contracts. NEW YORK JETS—Signed WR Michael Campbell, TE Dedrick Epps, WR Dexter Jackson, T Dennis Landolt, CB Julian Posey and WR Eron Riley to reserve- future contracts. ST. LOUIS RAMS—Fired coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS—Fired coach Raheem Morris. TENNESSEE TITANS—Agreed to terms with RB Herb Donaldson, G Ryan Durand, DE Pannel Egboh, TE Cameron Graham, WR James Kirkendoll, OT Troy Kropog, WR Michael Preston, CB Ter- rence Wheatley on reserve-future con- tracts. HOCKEY National Hockey League BOSTON BRUINS—Recalled F Jordan Caron from Providence (AHL). CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS—Signed F Mark McNeill and F Phillip Danault to three-year contracts. DETROIT RED WINGS—Activated F Chris Conner from the injured reserve list and reassigned him to Grand Rapids (AHL). WASHINGTON CAPITALS—Assigned F Cody Eakin to Hershey (AHL). longest run all season. Wisconsin opened the second quarter with Ball's record-tying TD, but Dar- ron Thomas found Barner open down the seam for a 54-yard score on Oregon's next play. Both defenses then got a brief chance to shine: The Ducks stopped Wisconsin on fourth down inside the Oregon 20, but blitzing Wisconsin line- backer Mike Taylor forced Darron Thomas' fumble moments later, and Nzeg- wu scooped and scored. Oregon calmly answered with Tuinei's 3- yard TD catch with 30 sec- onds left. The teams' 56 combined points in the first half surpassed the record 45 scored by Wisconsin and UCLA in 1999. De'Anthony Thomas' 64-yard TD run put Oregon ahead for the first time, but the Badgers swung ahead with Wilson's 18-yard TD pass to Toon. After the quarterbacks traded inter- ceptions, Darron Thomas found Tuinei for his second score just 25 seconds into the fourth quarter, putting the Ducks ahead to stay. NOTES: The game-time temperature was 82 degrees, making it the warmest bowl game in Wisconsin history. ... It was also the highest-scoring bowl game in Wisconsin history, and the Badgers tied the school bowl record with 38 points. ... Oregon is 2-4 in the Rose Bowl. ... Oregon LB Kiko Alonso was the defensive player of the game with an interception and 1 1/2 sacks. Handzus scores in SO, Sharks beat Canucks 3-2 VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Michael Handzus scored the only goal in a shootout and the San Jose Sharks beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Mon- day night. Jannik Hansen and Cody Hodgson scored for the Canucks in regulation. Benn Ferriero and Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead midway through the game. In the shootout, Handzus faked twice and then beat Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo on the stick side. Canucks forward Ryan Kesler hit the post earlier in the shootout, after Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis saw his sharp-angle shot hit the far post in overtime. Torrey Mitchell almost won it for the Sharks in reg- ulation when he took Jamie McGinn's pass in the slot and beat Luongo just after the horn sounded. Rangers rally to beat Flyers Har- baugh said. ''He's focused on the season, and that's where his mindset wants to be. And I totally respect that, and we'll talk about it and address it once the season is over.'' ... Mike Harrison, the agent for offensive coordinator Greg Roman, said Roman is on the ''short list'' for the Penn State job. ''We should know in a week or so, that's our best guess,'' Harrison said. 3-2 in Winter Classic PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Henrik Lundqvist stopped Danny Briere's penalty shot with 19 seconds left, Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the New York Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the Winter Classic on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Playing on a rink that stretched from first base to third base, the Rangers made the league's fifth Classic event a memorable one to stay atop the Eastern Confer- ence standings. Mike Rupp scored twice as New York won for the third time this season against Philadelphia. The NHL surrounded the rink with Christmas trees, fire wood, fake snow, and even trash-can fires. But there was nothing artificial in the elements with snow flurries late in the second period and temperatures that dipped into the 30s, forcing 46,967 fans to bundle up for the big game.