Fulton Sun | College Sports

Alabama's Smith becomes first WR to win Heisman in 29 years On an Alabama team stacked with stars, DeVonta Smith emerged as the best player in college football while playing a position that rarely gets that kind of recognition. Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly quarterbacks have had on the award by beating out three of them. by Associated Press Published Jan. 6 2021 @ 12:20am

CFP title game still on for Monday despite reported COVID-19 issues College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said Tuesday the national championship game between Alabama and Ohio State is still a go for Monday night amid a report the Buckeyes are having COVID-19 issues. by Associated Press Published Jan. 6 2021 @ 12:15am

Missouri ranked No. 13 this week, plays tonight at Mississippi State If the Missouri men's basketball team is going to make its first March Madness appearance since the 2017-18 season, it will do so in the state of Indiana. And there's a chance the Tigers could go to head coach Cuonzo Martin's old stomping grounds. by Colin O'Brien Published Jan. 5 2021 @ 12:25am

Men's March Madness to be played entirely in Indiana The NCAA is giving Indiana an exclusive ticket to showcase March Madness and the basketball-crazed state can't wait to take center stage this spring. The NCAA announced Monday its showcase event — the Division I men's basketball tournament, all 67 games of it — will be played entirely in or near Indianapolis. by Associated Press Published Jan. 5 2021 @ 12:20am

Alabama's Smith could set new standard for Heisman receivers DeVonta Smith would be a Heisman Trophy winner unlike any other. The Alabama star receiver is considered the favorite to win the award tonight against three quarterbacks: Crimson Tide teammate Mac Jones, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Florida's Kyle Trask. by Associated Press Published Jan. 5 2021 @ 12:15am

College men's basketball: Arizona Christian hammers Owls 91-51 in opener The William Woods University Owls shot a meager 29% (14-of-48) and committed 23 turnovers in being manhandled by the fifth-ranked Arizona Christian University Firestorm 91-51 in Saturday's season opener at Anderson Arena. by Ryan Boland Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 6:00am

No. 12 Missouri hands Arkansas first loss of season, 81-68 Cuonzo Martin was known as a physical player when he played at Purdue in the early 1990s. His Missouri Tigers sure looked like one of his teams Saturday. The No. 12 Tigers gritted their way to a bruising win at Arkansas, 81-68, with old-school post play and hard challenges. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:55am

Texas fires Herman after four seasons, hires Alabama OC Sarkisian Texas fired Tom Herman because it was tired of waiting for him to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders. Next up: Steve Sarkisian, the architect of the Alabama Crimson Tide's offense and its tsunami of points this season. Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:45am

Six years later, Alabama and Ohio State go at it again When Ohio State upset Alabama in the semifinals of the first College Football Playoff on the way to the Buckeyes' last national title, it seemed like the start of budding postseason rivalry between the two traditional powers. Instead, Clemson became the Crimson Tide's nemesis and the biggest challenger to Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty during the next five years. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:35am

Texas A&M runs past North Carolina in Orange Bowl, 41-27 Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher pulled a hamstring as he tried to avoid the players who wanted to give him a celebratory Gatorade bath. Luckily, Fisher didn't have to run in the Orange Bowl. Devon Achane did more than enough of that for the Aggies. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:25am

No. 12 Iowa State beats Oregon 34-17 in Fiesta Bowl Iowa State had a year of highs in the dark days of a pandemic. The Cyclones capped it with a dominating performance under one of college football's brightest spotlights. Breece Hall ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns, Brock Purdy accounted for two scores and No. 12 Iowa State grinded out a 34-17 victory against No. 25 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:25am

Kentucky beats NC State 23-21 in chippy Gator Bowl Kentucky's postgame locker room provided a scene players and coaches might never forget. They celebrated a third consecutive bowl victory while dedicating it to two guys who couldn't be there. This one was for late offensive line coach John Schlarman and rehabbing linebacker Chris Oats, who has been battling a significant medical condition since May. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:25am

Corral, Mississippi take down Indiana in Outback Bowl Even before Mississippi took the field for the Outback Bowl, the Rebels felt good about the direction they're headed. Coach Lane Kiffin was rewarded with a new contract despite having only been at the school one season. There also was no guarantee one of the nation's lowest-ranked defenses would be able to slow down No. 7 Indiana enough to ensure the team's first non-losing record since 2017. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:25am

No. 8 Texas tops No. 3 Kansas 84-59 to tie record margin at Phog Texas stumbled into Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday well aware of its humbling track record in the storied arena. The Longhorns sauntered out having made some much better history. After winning once in their previous 17 tries in the Phog, the nation's eighth-ranked team turned a narrow halftime lead into a record-tying rout. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:13am

Alabama stuns No. 7 Tennessee 71-63 in physical battle It took Nate Oats a season and 10 games to finally get a big one. The second-year Alabama coach devised a solid game plan and got his players to execute it to finally claim a Top 10 victory Saturday night. In fact, it was the program's first true road win over a team ranked in the Top 10 since 2004. John Petty hit three critical 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, leading Alabama to a stunning 71-63 victory against No. 7 Tennessee. by Associated Press Published Jan. 3 2021 @ 12:12am

Fields' day: No. 3 Ohio State routs No. 2 Clemson 49-28 Justin Fields threw six touchdown passes to outshine Trevor Lawrence and No. 3 Ohio State avenged last season's painful College Football Playoff loss to Clemson with a 49-28 victory Friday night in the Sugar Bowl semifinal. The Buckeyes (7-0) head to the CFP title game for the first time since the inaugural playoff to face No. 1 Alabama on Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. Ohio State beat the Crimson Tide in the semifinals on the way to the 2014 national championship. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:25am

No. 1 Alabama beats Notre Dame 31-14 in Rose Bowl A truly untraditional Rose Bowl setting, a very common result for Alabama in the College Football Playoff. With Heisman Trophy finalists DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones, the top-ranked Crimson Tide rolled into its fifth CFP championship game in six seasons. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:25am

Missouri looking to turn page in new year as as Tigers play Arkansas The Missouri men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season to end 2020, dropping its Southeastern Conference opener to Tennessee 73-53 on Wednesday. The No. 12 Tigers (6-1, 0-1 SEC) hope to open 2021 on a better note today, with an 11 a.m. tip-off against Arkansas (9-0, 1-0 SEC) on CBS. by Colin O'Brien Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:20am

Podlesny's field goal lifts Georgia past Cincinnati in Peach Bowl Jack Podlesny told Georgia coaches before Friday's Peach Bowl he felt confident attempting field goals from as long as 55 yards — a full 4 yards past his career best. Podlesny made good on his claim, kicking a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, and No. 11 Georgia handed No. 6 Cincinnati its only loss of the season with a dramatic 24-21 victory in the Peach Bowl. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:15am

Ramsey leads Northwestern past Auburn in Citrus Bowl Northwestern's defense sent coordinator Mike Hankwitz into retirement as a winner. Peyton Ramsey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and the 15th-ranked Wildcats clamped down defensively to beat Auburn 35-19 in the Citrus Bowl on Friday. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:15am

Notre Dame better in Texas, but loses again in semifinals Ian Book had Notre Dame moving with a chance to get within a touchdown of No. 1 Alabama when his interception shifted the momentum in the second half of their playoff semifinal. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:10am

Florida fires two assistants after defensive fiasco Florida coach Dan Mullen wasted little time identifying problem areas following his team's worst defensive season in more than a hundred years. Mullen fired secondary coaches Ron English and Torrian Gray, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Friday because the moves hadn't been made public. 247Sports first reported the firings. by Associated Press Published Jan. 2 2021 @ 12:00am

No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame move CFP clash to Texas Playing a Rose Bowl game deep in the heart of Texas is anything but normal. Top-ranked Alabama being in a College Football Playoff semifinal game is nothing new. The SEC champion Crimson Tide (11-0) are in a familiar position despite the chaos of playing during the pandemic. No. 4 Notre Dame, which finished runner-up in the ACC after temporarily giving up its cherished independent status, gets another playoff chance two years after a big thud in the same stadium. by Associated Press Published Jan. 1 2021 @ 12:40am