Saturday, December 3, 2011

SPORTS - No. 3 Okla St makes BCS case in 44-10 win over OU (AP)

SPORTS - No. 3 Okla St makes BCS case in 44-10 win over OU (AP)
Joseph Randle, Aaron Colvin, Corey Nelson, Tom Wort AP – Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle, center, scores past Oklahoma defenders defensive back Aaron …

STILLWATER, Okla. – Mike Gundy didn't feel comfortable campaigning for No. 3 Oklahoma State to play for the national title until his Cowboys had at least won a conference crown.

His team made a better case than anything he could have ever said.

Joseph Randle ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Richetti Jones returned a fumble for a score and No. 3 Oklahoma State throttled No. 13 Oklahoma 44-10 Saturday night to win the Big 12 championship and make its case to play for the BCS national title.

"I don't think there's any question Oklahoma State should play in the big game," Gundy said.

The Cowboys (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) snapped an eight-game losing streak in the Bedlam rivalry and won their first outright conference title since 1948 in the three-team Missouri Valley.

Oklahoma State's defense, badmouthed much of the season while giving up big yardage but leading the nation in takeaways, forced the Sooners (9-3, 6-3) into five turnovers — four of them by quarterback Landry Jones.

Fans started chanting "L-S-U!" midway through the fourth quarter with the victory well in hand, then stormed the field and tore down the goal posts when it was over.

The top-ranked Tigers could be next up for the Pokes, but only with a boost in the BCS standings due out Sunday night.

"If that's the way it works out, absolutely. We took care of what we could take care of," quarterback Brandon Weeden said. "We had to worry about us and control what we could control, and if we were able to do that, we were conference champs."

While the top-ranked Tigers won the SEC championship Saturday to lock up a spot in the BCS title game, No. 2 Alabama sat at home idle after finishing second in its division. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, proved itself the best team in its state and its conference. But it's up to the voters, who had the Cowboys fifth in the coaches' poll and Harris poll, to decide whether Oklahoma State will play for the highest stakes.

Gundy proclaimed earlier this week that he considered the Crimson Tide to be the second-best team in the nation "right now" — but that's what he thought his team needed to hear at the time.

"I have to make that decision and I wasn't raised that way. I'm not comfortable standing up and beating our chests and saying that we needed to play somebody when we hadn't even won this game," Gundy said.

"That was what we were telling the team in here every day. ... I said, `Look, I'm not going to go stand up and say we need to go play somebody else until you guys beat Oklahoma.'"

Afterward, he proclaimed on the field that "there's no question Oklahoma State should be No. 2 right now."

"The honest answer is we didn't deserve it. We do now," Gundy said. "And if we'd have won this game 17-14, I don't know if I'd have said it. ... When you win by 34 points, we deserve the right."

The Cowboys won over at least one voter: Sooners coach Bob Stoops said he'd put them at No. 2 on his ballot.

"I'm sure they're going to have some great opportunities from here," Stoops said. "I don't know what will happen."

For most of the 107 years of the Bedlam rivalry, the Sooners had the better team and more on the line.

But each of the past two years, Oklahoma came in with a lower ranking and still found a way to derail a couple of the best teams in Oklahoma State history — first dashing any hopes of a BCS at-large berth two years ago and then taking away the Cowboys' shot at the Big 12 championship last season.

With all that history on their side, the Sooners came out looking to intimidate.

After coming onto the field, players ran into the west end zone for a pregame prayer and then lingered after it was over — right outside the gate where the Cowboys were getting ready to run out. Coaches, game officials and security officers made them get out of the way.

The Sooners couldn't back up the pregame bluster, though.

Brandon Weeden's 53-yard pass to Tracy Moore set up Jeremy Smith's 9-yard touchdown run, and the Cowboys defense — which entered the game ranked 107th out of 120 teams in the nation — never needed any more than that.

Brodrick Brown outfought Jaz Reynolds to pick off Landry Jones' pass in the end zone and prevent an Oklahoma score, and Alex Elkins stripped the ball from the quarterback on a sack to set up a TD for the Cowboys.

Jamie Blatnick picked up the fumble and returned it 59 yards to the 1-yard line, and Randle scored on the next play to make it 17-0. Randle added a 2-yard run after Sam Proctor's holding penalty on a kickoff return backed the Sooners up, and they went three-and-out — punting it back to Oklahoma State on a shortened field.

Richetti Jones made it 34-3 after Landry Jones reached back to pass the ball and fumbled it onto the turf, with the OSU defender bobbling it and then finally controlling it for a 5-yard return.

The Sooners got their only points on Michael Hunnicutt's 48-yard field goal at the end of the first half and Blake Bell's 28-yard TD scamper with 2:25 left in the game.

It ended up as Oklahoma's most lopsided defeat since losing the 2005 Orange Bowl against Southern California, and the second-biggest margin of victory for the Pokes in the series — behind only a 47-0 shutout in 1945.

"That was a convincing win over OU, who is a great team. We were in the No. 1 power-rated conference, we won it outright and we held them to 10 points," Blatnick said.

"We beat them convincingly. What more do you need than that? I don't think anybody wants to see another rematch with no touchdowns."

The Tide's only loss was at home against LSU, 9-6 in overtime. Alabama has the nation's top defense and LSU is second, while Oklahoma State has the nation's No. 2 offense.

"They had their opportunity. I've got all the respect in the world for Alabama, all the respect in the world for LSU, but we need our shot," Gundy said. "There's talk all year about offense in this league, defense in that league and all that. Well, let's find out."

Oklahoma State's case to play against LSU in New Orleans next month will be hurt by a double-overtime loss 15 days earlier at Iowa State, which finished its season 6-6. It'll be bolstered by five wins against teams in the BCS Top 25, compared to two for Alabama.

And, of course, the Cowboys will have the momentum from not only winning a conference title but doing it in dominating fashion against a team that was ranked No. 1 earlier this season.

"They had their shot," Gundy said. "Give us ours."

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SPORTS - Frankie Edgar eager for UFC return to Japan (Reuters)

SPORTS - Frankie Edgar eager for UFC return to Japan (Reuters)
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SPORTS - Zach Johnson takes 1-shot lead over Woods (AP)

SPORTS - Zach Johnson takes 1-shot lead over Woods (AP)
Tiger Woods AP – Tiger Woods lines up a shot from the rough to the fifth fairway during the third round of the Chevron …

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Zach Johnson needed something special to track down Tiger Woods in the Chevron World Challenge. Holing a 7-iron from the 18th fairway for eagle did the trick Saturday.

Johnson's shot from 163 yards landed near the cup and spun into the hole, giving him a 4-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Woods going into the final round at Sherwood Country Club.

It was the second eagle on the back nine for Johnson, who also chipped in on the par-5 11th.

Woods had the 36-hole lead for the second straight tournament, and for the second straight time failed to break par in the third round. He had three bogeys on the par 5s and had to settle for a 73, though he had few complaints.

The wind was strong and chilly from the start, and rarely stayed the same direction very long. With a wedge in his hand, Woods went some 40 feet long on the second hole that led to a three-putt bogey. Another wedge on the par-5 13th sailed over the green and left a pitch he had no chance to get close.

Both players ran into trouble on the par-5 16th.

Johnson was playing in the group ahead of Woods, felt the breeze in his face and tried to hammer a driver that went left of the grass and into the gallery. He tried to clear a creek and went into the trees to the right before pitching out and taking a bogey.

Woods was in the fairway, but says a gust took his fairway metal too far right and into a hazard. He thought about trying to hit out behind a pair of rocks before choosing to take a penalty drop, and he also made bogey.

The difference was how they finished.

Johnson three-putted the 17th for another bogey, then drilled his 7-iron at the flag on the 18th for the most unlikely finish to his round. The eagle put him at 8-under 208.

Woods had to settle for pars.

K.J. Choi, who took a double bogey on the second hole, recovered for a 72 and was three shots behind. Everyone else was at least five shots behind, including Matt Kuchar, who played with Woods and had a 74.

The wind was so confounding that the final group was still on the 16th green after four hours, nearly two holes behind the group ahead of them.

Johnson, a former Masters champion, saw his streak end this year of four straight seasons winning on the PGA Tour. The Chevron World Challenge counts toward the world ranking, but is not official for the tour. He still wouldn't mind using it as a springboard for the next season, much like Tom Lehman did in the early days of this event, and Jim Furyk did in 2009.

For Woods, going from a three-shot lead to a one-shot deficit was not the end of the world.

He felt as though he played as well as he had the first two days, without having much luck with the wind. And for a guy who has gone two years without winning, the hardest part of hoisting a trophy is getting a chance.

He at least has that.

"Even though I made three bogeys on the par 5s, I played well," Woods said. "I'm right there with a chance."

Woods still had his three-shot lead when he chipped in from behind the fourth green for birdie. The wind was at its worst on the sixth hole, gusting hard with leaves scattered about the fairway. Woods felt it at his back and to the right, yet as the ball was in the air, it came against him from the left. He came up well short, chipped 7 feet by the hole and lipped out.

Hunter Mahan was the first player to make a run at Woods, going out in 33 and tying for the lead briefly after Woods had a three-putt bogey on the par-3 eighth.

Woods seemed to steady himself with a beautiful flop shot on the 10th that ran up the bank and trickled back 4 feet from the cup, and a solid approach to 18 feet for a two-putt birdie on the 11th.

But he went long of the 13th, turning a birdie hole into a bogey. He made a mess of the 16th with his penalty shot. And he had nothing to match an eagle from the fairway by Johnson on the final hole.

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SPORTS - Design stars in finals for Olympic golf course (AP)

SPORTS - Design stars in finals for Olympic golf course (AP)
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SPORTS - Sprint signs extension with NASCAR's top series (AP)

SPORTS - Sprint signs extension with NASCAR's top series (AP)
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SPORTS - Cotto retains title after Margarito ordered to stop (Reuters)

SPORTS - Cotto retains title after Margarito ordered to stop (Reuters)
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SPORTS - Will Claxton leads PGA Tour Q-school (AP)

SPORTS - Will Claxton leads PGA Tour Q-school (AP)
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SPORTS - Smith helps Flames beat Oilers (AP)

SPORTS - Smith helps Flames beat Oilers (AP)
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SPORTS - Ullrich doping verdict expected in January (AP)

SPORTS - Ullrich doping verdict expected in January (AP)
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SPORTS - LSU locks up its title spot, Okla St makes it case (AP)

SPORTS - LSU locks up its title spot, Okla St makes it case (AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian officials say Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and other top golf course architects are in the running to design the 2016 Olympic course.

It will be the first time golf is played in the Games in a century.

The companies in the final selection list were announced Friday. The course will be built in Rio de Janeiro, likely in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, which will hold most of the Olympic venues.

Applicants had to show prior course design experience, and have an office established in Rio. The winner will be paid $300,000 for the design.

The Olympic organizing committee has said the course should leave a legacy to the city, and serve in youth sports education and events after the games.

The winner is expected to be announced early next year.

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SPORTS - Magic-Thunder, Clippers-Warriors set for Christmas (AP)

SPORTS - Magic-Thunder, Clippers-Warriors set for Christmas (AP)
Tom Gilbert AP – Edmonton Oilers' Tom Gilbert, left, defends goalie Nikolai Khabibulin from the Calgary Flames' Lee Stempniak …

EDMONTON, Alberta – Derek Smith tied it early in the third period and helped set up Mikael Backlund's power-play winner with 9:35 left in the Calgary Flames' 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.

Jarome Iginla assisted on both goals to finish the game with three assists.

Olli Jokinen scored twice for Calgary, the first on a power play early in the first and the second an empty-netter with 32 seconds left. Rene Bourque also scored in the first for Calgary, down 2-0 after Lennart Petrell and Sam Gagner scored for Edmonton in the first 3 minutes.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave Edmonton a 3-2 lead at 5:27 of the third, but Smith tied it at 6:11, and Backlund added his power-play goal.

The Flames improved to 11-12-2. They have won three of their last four games and seven in a row against Edmonton. The Oilers have lost four of five to drop to 13-11-3.

On the tying goal, Iginla fed it forward to Smith, who joined the rush from the defense and picked the top corner of the Edmonton goal.

The Flames then took their first lead when Backlund gave Iginla's power-play shot a nudge on its way into the net for his first goal of the season.

Notes: It was the second of six meetings between the provincial rivals. The Flames won the first 2-1 in Calgary. ... Ryan O'Marra remained in the lineup for the Oilers with Anton Lander out with a hand infection. Edmonton also was without forwards Taylor Hall (shoulder) and Ben Eager (back) and defenseman Corey Potter (ankle).

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SPORTS - Magic Johnson joins bid to buy Los Angeles Dodgers (AP)

SPORTS - Magic Johnson joins bid to buy Los Angeles Dodgers (AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2011 file picture former German cycling star Jan Ullrich participates in the Oetztal marathon cycling race over the distance o AP – FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2011 file picture former German cycling star Jan Ullrich participates in the …

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich will find out in January whether he'll get a lifetime ban from cycling for links to doping.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Wednesday it expects to rule "in approximately six weeks" on an appeal filed by the International Cycling Union.

Cycling's governing body challenged the Swiss Olympic committee that dropped an investigation into Ullrich's links with Operation Puerto, a 2006 Spanish probe into doping in sports.

Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, is German but raced with a Swiss license.

Swiss officials said last year they have no authority over Ullrich, who gave up his license in 2006.

Ullrich served a six-month ban after testing positive for amphetamines in June 2002.

A second doping conviction could mean a life ban from working in cycling, including as a coach or team manager.

The CAS targeted a January verdict in the UCI's appeal when dismissing a similar case brought by the Swiss anti-doping agency.

The court said it had no jurisdiction because the Swiss agency was formed in 2008 after Ullrich retired.

CAS added that Wednesday's dismissal of one appeal against Ullrich "does not prejudge the forthcoming decision" in the UCI's case.

The court panel could opt to make a ruling on Ullrich's alleged doping, or merely send the case back to Swiss Olympic for a new hearing.

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SPORTS - Suspended Lion Suh uninjured after crashing car into tree (Reuters)

SPORTS - Suspended Lion Suh uninjured after crashing car into tree (Reuters)
Case Keenum, Cordano Law AP – Houston's Case Keenum (7) is pressured by Southern Mississippi's Cordano Law (49) during the third quarter …

LSU did its part to make sure both the Tigers and Alabama get into the BCS national title game. Then Oklahoma State gave the voters a reason to rethink the rematch.

The top-ranked Tigers locked up a spot in the championship on Jan. 9 in New Orleans with a 42-10 victory against No. 12 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game in Atlanta on Saturday.

Oklahoma State followed that with a 44-10 blowout of rival Oklahoma in Stillwater.

"They had their shot," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of Alabama. "Give us ours."

LSU (13-0) will be first in the BCS standings when they come out on Sunday. And this latest rout by the Tigers fortified Alabama's chances of holding on to the second spot and holding off Oklahoma State, which was third last week.

"I would certainly understand if college football decides it should be two SEC teams playing for the national championship," LSU coach Les Miles said. "It's a very special conference with very special teams."

The Tigers beat the Tide (11-1) 9-6 in overtime at Tuscaloosa, Ala., a month ago. Alabama is the only team in the country to stay within 13 points of LSU this season. Other than the Alabama game, the Tigers' closest game since September was a 24-point victory against Arkansas.

The Cowboys can claim to have more quality wins than the Tide — Oklahoma State now has five victories against teams in the BCS top 25, Alabama has two — but their double-overtime loss at Iowa State (6-6) two weeks ago has been a drag on their resume.

"I don't think there's any question Oklahoma State should play in the big game," Gundy said.

He added: "And if we'd have won this game 17-14, I don't know if I'd have said it. ... When you win by 34 points, we deserve the right."

Oklahoma State was fifth in both the Harris and coaches' polls, while Alabama was an overwhelming No. 2 behind LSU. The Cowboys caught another break when Virginia Tech, which was ahead of them in both those polls last week, was beaten 38-10 by Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.

If the voters need any help making their decisions, Oklahoma State provided a mass email titled The Case for Oklahoma State in the BCS Title Game, which hit sports writers' inboxes a little after 1 a.m. EST.

There's no doubt Oklahoma State will move up Sunday, but will it be enough to catch Alabama?

Clemson's surprisingly easy victory in the ACC title game send the Tigers to the Orange Bowl with their first conference title in 20 years.

Oregon locked up its spot in the Rose Bowl by winning the Pac-12 title game Friday night.

The Ducks will face Wisconsin, which beat Michigan State 42-39 in a memorable first Big Ten championship game. The Badgers will be making their second straight trip to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are in it for the second time in three seasons, with a national championship game trip in between.

Championship Saturday started with an upset.

Case Keenum and No. 7 Houston were pounded 49-28 by Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA championship game, a loss that will cost the Cougars a spot in the BCS and the millions of dollars that goes with it.

The high-scoring Cougars needed to complete their perfect regular season and win the league to become this year's BCS buster, and the first team from C-USA to reach the BCS.

A BCS bid would have netted the league about $7 million dollars.

With Houston out of the picture, it TCU has a shot to go back to the BCS for a third consecutive season.

TCU, which beat lowly UNLV 56-9, would need to move into the top 16 in the final BCS standings on Sunday to earn an automatic bid, because the Big East's conference champion — West Virginia — will most likely not jump ahead of the Horned Frogs.

TCU was No. 18 in last week's BCS standings.

The Big East was first to resolve its title race Saturday. When Cincinnati beat Connecticut 35-27, it moved West Virginia into position to earn a BCS bid by winning a three-way tiebreaker between the Mountaineers, Cincinnati and Louisville.

The Mountaineers are likely heading to the Sugar or Orange bowl.

Houston's drop in BCS standings could also affect how the at-large bids shakeout on Saturday.

Stanford seems like a lock for an at-large to the Fiesta Bowl, and speculation was that Michigan would receive an at-large bid to the Sugar. But the idle Wolverines need to move into the top 14 of the final standings. They were 16th coming into the final weekend.

____

AP BCS Projections

BCS championship game — LSU vs. Alabama

Fiesta Bowl — Oklahoma State vs. Stanford.

Rose Bowl — Oregon vs. Wisconsin.

Orange Bowl — Clemson vs. West Virginia.

Sugar Bowl — Michigan vs. Kansas State.

____

AP Sports Writers Jeff Latzke in Stillwater, Okla., and Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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SPORTS - Miguel Cotto stops Antonio Margarito by TKO (AP)

SPORTS - Miguel Cotto stops Antonio Margarito by TKO (AP)
Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto AP – Miguel Cotto, of Puerto Rico, punches Antonio Margarito, of Mexico, during the fourth round of their …

NEW YORK – Miguel Cotto battered a one-eyed Antonio Margarito over nine lopsided rounds then won a TKO decision amid confusion in the corner before they came out for the 10th on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto (37-2-0) earned a punishing measure of payback for his loss to Margarito three years ago. With the New York crowd going wild for the Puerto Rican Cotto, he was never seriously threatened and retained his 154-pound title, shuttering Maragarito's right eye to cause the stoppage.

Margarito beat Cotto in July 2008, only to later have his career and reputation tarnished when he used illegal hand wraps before a loss to Shane Mosley. Margarito didn't box again for more than a year.

He needed surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone following a loss to Manny Pacquiao last year and considered retirement. The New York State Athletic Commission didn't license Margarito until Nov. 22 after ordering another examination of his eye. Cotto took quick aim on the eye and it was swollen shut in the seventh round.

Cotto believed Margarito also used illegal hand wraps in their first fight and claimed he had the photos to prove it.

Cotto stared down Margarito in his corner after the bout was stopped.

"Just to look at him and taste my victory on him," Cotto said. "He means nothing to me. I'm here with all my crowd and all my people. He means nothing to me."

The Tijuana Tornado stopped Cotto in the 11th round in Las Vegas in their first meeting. Cotto said he long resisted a rematch because he didn't want money going to an opponent who didn't fight fair.

Cotto took any issues of legality out of this one from the opening round. The sellout crowd at MSG honked horns, waved the Puerto Rico flag and absolutely went wild for all things Cotto — starting with his entrance to the opening strains of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

Nothing could hold Cotto back.

Margarito laughed, smiled and even taunted Cotto after suffering several big blows. His demeanor didn't help him at the end of the seventh round, when he sat on his corner stool, his right eye shut. The crowd gasped then roared as the squeamish scene flashed on the big screen.

With one eye, Margarito gamely fought on, hoping for that one brutal blow that could change the fight. Half blind, he never had a chance. Ring doctor Anthony Curreri stopped the fight because of the eye even though 3 seconds ticked off in the 10th round. The fighters never met in the center of the ring.

"It came to the point there was no vision at all from the eye," Curreri said. "I think it would have been dangerous for him to go out there without any visual field. He did go quite a bit with the eye impaired."

Referee Steve Smoger did not know what the doctor wanted, causing confusion at the end.

Margarito insisted he could continue, though he was way behind on the scorecards.

"I told them how many numbers I had up," he said. "I knew from now on they were out to protect him because I was building (momentum)."

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SPORTS - No. 15 Wisconsin beats No. 11 Michigan State 42-39 (AP)

SPORTS - No. 15 Wisconsin beats No. 11 Michigan State 42-39 (AP)
Trenton Robinson, Nick Toon AP – Wisconsin's Nick Toon runs against Michigan State's Trenton Robinson during the second half of the Big …

INDIANAPOLIS – This time, Wisconsin got the stop it needed against Michigan State — and a big break to wrap up its second straight Big Ten crown.

Montee Ball scored four touchdowns, including a 7-yard score with 3:45 left in Saturday night's first Big Ten championship game, giving the 15th-ranked Badgers a 42-39 come-from-behind victory over No. 11 Michigan State.

Wisconsin (11-2) now heads to the Rose Bowl where it will face Pac-12 champion Oregon on Jan. 2.

The Badgers turned the tables on Michigan State (10-3), which won the first meeting in October on a long, last-second deflected touchdown pass.

On Saturday, it was the Badgers who scored late, forced a punt and managed to run out the clock when the Isaiah Lewis was called for running into the kicker, giving the Badgers a first down with 1:37 left in the game and Michigan State out of timeouts.

Ball was spectacular early, topping 100 yards in the first quarter, and efficient late, scoring twice in the fourth quarter to rally the Badgers. His 38 TDs scored this season are one short of Barry Sanders' FBS mark (39).

But Russell Wilson was named the game's MVP after going 17 of 24 for 187 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Wilson also broke an NCAA record by throwing a TD pass on the Badgers' opening possession, giving Wilson 37 consecutive games with a TD pass, one more than Graham Harrell's previous mark at Texas Tech.

The loss ruined a pregame prediction by Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio that his team would win and earn the Rose Bowl bid.

It wasn't for lack of trying. Dantonio's team ran a fourth-down pass play, called a fake extra point and even got an impromptu lateral for a score — just in the first half.

Kirk Cousins made most of it work. Only one of his 17 first-half passes hit the ground in the first half, and he wound up 22 of 30 for 281 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

But it was his ability to fool the normally stout Badgers' defense that nearly got the Spartans to Pasadena, Calif.

On fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, he got Wisconsin to bite on a fake pitch and hooked up with a wide open B.J. Cunningham for a 30-yard TD pass to cut the deficit to 21-14.

On its next possession, Michigan State receiver Keith Nichol, who wrestled the Hail Mary pass across the goal line to beat Wisconsin in October, beat the Badgers again. This time, he caught a short pass from Cousins and just before stepping out of bounds lateraled to Cunningham, who ran the final 4 yards for a TD. Michigan State then called for a fake extra point that Brad Sontag ran in to make it 22-21.

Not enough?

After playing conventional football for most of the next two quarters and still leading 36-34, the Spartans lined up two different players in the Wildcat formation, ran a reverse and drove for a 25-yard field goal to make it 39-34 with 8:31 left in the game.

But just like the first meeting, the Badgers answered.

Wilson led Wisconsin on an eight-play, 64-yard scoring march, converting a fourth-and-6 when Wilson scrambled, threw back across the field and Jeff Duckworth made a spectacular adjustment to haul in a 36-yard pass. On the next play, Ball burst up the middle for a 7-yard TD, his fourth score of the night Wilson scrambled again on the conversion, finding Jacob Pedersen to give Wisconsin a 42-39 lead.

Keshawn Martin had a career high nine receptions for 115 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career.

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SPORTS - Davis' block lifts No. 1 Kentucky over No. 5 UNC (AP)

SPORTS - Davis' block lifts No. 1 Kentucky over No. 5 UNC (AP)
Dexter Strickland, Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague AP – North Carolina's Dexter Strickland, left, looks for a teammate as Kentucky's Anthony Davis, right, and …

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Pushed and pressured all day, Anthony Davis finally went somewhere else no one could on the floor. Up.

The freshman soared to block John Henson's shot in the final seconds and No. 1 Kentucky held on to beat No. 5 North Carolina 73-72 on Saturday to extend the Wildcats' home winning streak to 39 games.

"I just jumped as high as I could with my arm up," said Davis, who had seven points and nine rebounds. "I thought I probably would (block it). I have long hands."

Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Kentucky (8-0) and Doron Lamb added 12 of his 14 points after halftime in the heavily hyped matchup.

"I didn't realize, because I hadn't been watching much TV, that this game was being played up like the end alls of end alls," Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

Davis sure ended it, all right.

Reggie Bullock hit a 3-pointer for North Carolina (6-2) to cut the Wildcats' lead to 73-72 with 48 seconds left. After freshman Marquis Teague missed the front end of a one-and-one, Davis blocked Henson's shot, grabbed the rebound and the Wildcats ran out the clock.

"If he doesn't block the shot, we lose," Calipari said. "Both teams gutted it out, just gutted it out. This is supposed to be March, not now. I'm exhausted."

Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points apiece for the Tar Heels, who led by as many as nine in the first half and held a six-point lead in the second before Kentucky rallied.

The Wildcats haven't lost at Rupp Arena since Calipari took over, a span of 38 games that includes winning their final one at home under Billy Gillispie.

Lamb converted a three-point play as part of a 7-0 run that gave Kentucky a 63-60 lead. After Zeller hit a jumper to cut it to one, Lamb hit a pair of 3s, the second in the corner that gave the Wildcats a 69-64 lead with 3:47 left.

"He had a couple of layups, a couple of threes and they were big shots, they were big shots. That one in the corner was a huge shot and he knocked it down," Calipari said. "I've got good players. We're young, we're inexperienced, but I have really good players."

After a 3-pointer by Barnes, North Carolina's 11th of the game, made it 69-67. Darius Miller's basket made it 71-67. Henson hit two free throws and Kidd-Gilchrist answered with two more before Bullock's 3 set up the final sequence.

After Teague missed the front end of the one-and-one following a foul by Kendall Marshall with 21 seconds left, the Tar Heels had one more chance.

Marshall found Zeller and as Terrence Jones came to double team, he found Henson. Henson went up for a winner, but Davis used his 6-foot-10 frame and massive wingspan to block the ball. He grabbed the rebound as North Carolina never tried to foul as time expired.

"He came from the other side of the lane, it was a great play by him," Henson said.

Jones finished with 14 points and Miller had 12 for the Wildcats. North Carolina's P.J. Hairston scored 11 and Henson finished with 10.

Kentucky last reached No. 1 under Calipari in 2009-10, but promptly lost its first game after receiving the ranking. The Wildcats beat St. John's 81-59 on Thursday night before this matchup — the first between top five teams in Lexington in 13 years.

Last year, these two teams played a pair of memorable games with North Carolina winning 75-73 in Chapel Hill before Kentucky topped the Tar Heels 76-69 in the NCAA regional finals in March.

This one was equally as entertaining even though North Carolina slipped from the No. 1 spot last week when they lost to UNLV in Las Vegas to keep this from being the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the 35-year history of Rupp Arena.

The Tar Heels committed five early turnovers, but Hairston, who had been questionable to play because of a sprained left wrist, hit a pair of 3-pointers upon entering to give North Carolina a 24-18 lead.

A jumper by Barnes extended it to 34-25, the biggest deficit the Wildcats faced this season and Kentucky trailed at the half for the first time this season, 43-38.

It's the first time the two schools have met this highly ranked since Dec. 26, 1981 in East Rutherford, N.J., when Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Sam Perkins combined for 66 points in North Carolina's 82-69 victory.

Kentucky standout Sam Bowie didn't play in that game because of a stress fracture in his left leg, but that game still featured 18 draft picks — including five that went in the first two rounds. The NBA draft was 10 rounds through 1984.

This matchup had even more media anticipation and included more than two dozen NBA scouts and front office personnel. Kentucky's young squad that starts three freshmen and two sophomores responded.

"We felt like this was a good test to see where we're at against one of the best teams in the country," Miller said. "We came out with a W. I think we're all pretty happy about it."

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SPORTS - 'Honey Badger' leads No. 1 LSU past Georgia 42-10 (AP)

SPORTS - 'Honey Badger' leads No. 1 LSU past Georgia 42-10 (AP)
Tyrann Mathieu AP – LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (7) reacts to a fumble recovery against Georgia during the second half …

ATLANTA – LSU slogged its way through a brutal first half. The nation's top-ranked team had only 12 yards and not even a single first down.

The "Honey Badger" didn't care.

He just took what he wanted — a trip to the national championship game.

Tyrann Mathieu turned in an MVP performance when the Tigers needed him most, running back a punt 62 yards for a touchdown, setting up another score with a fumble recovery and finally finishing off No. 12 Georgia with his best play yet, a whirling dervish of a return that led to the decisive TD of a 42-10 victory in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday.

LSU (13-0) advanced to a spot in the BCS title game in New Orleans, just 75 miles from its Baton Rouge campus. The Tigers opponent will be announced Sunday night, but SEC West rival and No. 2 Alabama — already beaten by the Tigers 9-6 in overtime a month ago — had the inside track even though it didn't win its division.

The Bulldogs tried to really shake things up, racing to a 10-0 lead that could've been even bigger if they hadn't dropped a pair of potential touchdown passes in the first quarter. LSU looked downright awful on offense, going three-and-out on all seven of its possessions before halftime.

But, thanks to Mathieu, the deficit was only 10-7 when the teams went to the locker room. He took a punt at his own 38, found an opening and was gone — all the way to the end zone for his second punt return for a touchdown in as many weeks. Well, almost to the end zone. A replay showed Mathieu flipped the ball to an official just before he crossed the goal line, but no one on the field caught the blunder.

"Yeah, I kind of felt it," Mathieu said. "I looked at the referee. I'll have to remember not to do that next time."

That was long forgotten by the time the fearless sophomore was done.

"I just tried to make one guy miss and then get to the end zone," Mathieu said.

On Georgia's first possession of the second half, quarterback Aaron Murray tried to scramble for a first down but had the ball knocked loose just before he hit the turf. Who was there to fall on it at the Bulldogs 26?

Mathieu, of course, his fifth fumble recovery of the season.

LSU quickly seized its first lead. The Tigers finally picked up a first down, then freshman Kenny Hilliard broke off a 15-yard run for the first of his three touchdowns. Normally, that would've been more than enough to win the game's MVP award. Not even close on this day.

Mathieu, whose nickname comes from a humorous YouTube video about supposedly the world's more fearless animal ("Honey Badger don't care, he just takes what he wants," the narrator says), dropped back to receive another punt. About the only thing the Bulldogs managed to do was keep him out of the end zone.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder cradled the ball, took off down the center of the field, cut back to his left, stutter-stepped and turned on a burst of speed, basically came to a stop around the Georgia 30, then took off again and was finally dragged down at the 17.

He avoided or broke away from at least eight of the 11 red-clad guys trying to bring him down, a Heisman-worthy play that should be enough to at least get him to New York for the banquet — if not earn him serious consideration for the award as the nation's top player. Certainly, no defensive player has come up with more big plays.

"When you play as hard as he does, good things happen to you," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "To be honest with you, I enjoy watching him play football except when he plays against us. When you see a guy like that, you appreciate the way he plays. There's just something about him. He finds a way to do something special just about every game. He did it again today."

Mathieu has scored four touchdowns this season: Two on returns, two more from his cornerback spot. He's forced six fumbles. He's picked off two passes. He one of the top tacklers on one of the nation's top defenses.

LSU took control with a 21-point third quarter, coming back from a double-digit deficit for the second week in a row and leaving little doubt that it's the best team in country heading into bowl season. The only other unbeaten team, Houston, was blown out in the Conference USA championship game Saturday. All the other top teams have at least one loss.

If there was ever a year when no playoff was needed, it's this one. The Tigers have knocked off five teams in The Associated Press' current Top 25 — including three of the top eight. They'll still have to win one more game to claim the BCS title, but a case can be made that they deserve to be voted No. 1 in the AP poll, no matter what happens Jan. 9 in the Big Easy.

SEC East champion Georgia came into the game on a 10-game winning streak, and the Bulldogs showed no fear of LSU in the early going. Murray connected with Tavarres King on a 44-yard pass and could've had a TD when a pass across the middle went through King's hands. They settled for Blair Walsh's 40-yard field goal.

Knowing he would have to throw caution to the wind to pull off the upset against a 13 1/2-point favorite, Richt called an onside kick. It worked the perfection, Walsh bouncing the ball off the turf and high into the air. Alec Ogletree soared in to grab the ball beyond the necessary 10 yards, giving the Bulldogs another possession.

They should've scored a touchdown. Instead, they wound up with nothing. Freshman Malcolm Mitchell dropped a pass right in his hands at the LSU 5 with no one around, and Walsh missed a 45-yard try.

But LSU couldn't do anything with the ball. The Tigers' longest play in the first half was 9 yards. Eleven of their 21 plays went for zero or negative yards. Outside of Mathieu, punter Brad Wing was LSU's best field-turning weapon, averaging 54.1 yards on his first seven punts.

Both offenses stalled in the second quarter, managing a grand total of 2 yards — 1 for each team. Georgia went to the locker room with a commanding 135-12 lead in total yards, but certainly a sense it had missed its chance to put away an LSU team that had outscored No. 6 Arkansas 41-3 after falling into an early 14-0 hole the previous week.

Hilliard scored on a 4-yard run after Mathieu's second big return to make it 21-10, essentially enough to finish off the Bulldogs, but he then hauled in a 8-yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers romped in the final period. Alfred Blue broke off a 48-yard touchdown run and Morris Claiborne returned an interception 45 yards for the final score. LSU won even though Jordan Jefferson completed only five passes and the offense totaled a mere 237 yards.

Murray had a miserable day, completing just 16 of 40 for 163 yards with two interceptions. Georgia's running game was non-existent with Isaiah Crowell hobbling on a sore ankle. The freshman had only 15 yards on 10 carries.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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Yahoo News SPORTS + Image

Yahoo News SPORTS + Image Pipes Output
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