NO. 20 COLORADO CHERISHING MATCHUP WITH NO. 17 BYU IN ALAMO BOWL AS SANDERS, HUNTER COMPLETE CAREERS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Colorado is relishing the chance to end its season on a high note regardless of the outcome of the Valero Alamo Bowl.
While a number of teams are shuffling their roster with players opting out of bowl games to enter the transfer portal or prepare for the NFL Draft, the Buffaloes have their entire two-deep roster available.
No. 20 Colorado (9-3, No. 23 CFP) will face the 17th-ranked BYU Cougars (10-2, No. 17 CFP) in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday.
“We appreciate every single moment,” Buffaloes linebacker B.J. Green said. “This group of guys will never be together again. You have to appreciate that stuff. Football is supposed to be a fun sport. I feel a lot of time these days people have turned it into a job, and it’s not supposed to be that.”
Colorado coach Deion Sanders honored his players’ commitment by securing additional disability insurance coverage for his team, including record coverage for his star duo of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback son Shedeur.
Many scouting services have Sanders rated as the top quarterback in this year’s draft, but he didn’t want to sit out and miss his final game with the Buffaloes.
“It’s about cherishing the moment,” Sanders said. “It’s about knowing this is the final collegiate game, and each and every game we left it all out there. There’s no regret. I don’t ever want to go anywhere with regret, so that’s the thing.”
Sanders is also looking forward to competing against BYU’s stellar defense. The Cougars had 12 different players record an FBS-best 20 interceptions this season.
“(It’s) very hard to find a flaw when it comes to them because of the way they go about their business … the way they’re able to move and react different ways,” Shedeur said. “You don’t know who is doing what, you know, so they have a great scheme. They have a great everything. I’m very blessed for my final collegiate game to go against that type of challenge.”
The Cougars face a similar challenge.
Shedeur Sanders completed 337 of 454 passes for 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns. Hunter had 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
“Difficult matchup,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The goal is to try to stop everybody, but I don’t know if you can do that with all the weapons they have.”
Air apparent
Top quarterback prospect Julian “JuJu” Lewis is working with Shedeur Sanders and Colorado this week just days after completing his high school career.
Lewis, rated as the No. 2 recruit by ESPN for the Class of 2025, enrolled at Colorado after graduating early from Carrolton (Ga.) High School.
Lewis completed 30 of 42 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns as Carrolton lost 38-24 to Grayson in the Georgia High School State Championship on Dec. 19.
Lewis will vie for starting quarterback on Colorado’s high-powered offense next season with Sanders leaving for the NFL.
Long time no see
This is the 13th matchup between Colorado and BYU but the first since 1988.
Ty Detmer, who won the Heisman in 1990, rallied the Cougars past the Buffaloes 20-17 in the ’88 Freedom Bowl.
Colorado leads the series 8-3-1.
Heisman hardware
Hunter is the second player to compete in the Alamo Bowl directly after winning the Heisman Trophy.
A few weeks after receiving the Heisman Trophy in 2011, quarterback Robert Griffin III led Baylor to a 67-56 victory over Washington in the Alamo Bowl. The Bears set a bowl record for the most points and total yards (777) and combined with the Huskies to set an NCAA record for most combined points in regulation.
Sharing the wealth
BYU had 17 different players score touchdowns this season. The Cougars are the nation’s only team with four special teams touchdowns — three kickoff returns and one punt return for a score.
USC RALLIES TO OVERTAKE TEXAS A&M IN LAS VEGAS BOWL
Jayden Maiava threw the last of his four touchdown passes with eight seconds remaining, finding Kyle Ford on a 6-yard strike, and Southern California rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 35-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday.
The Trojans (7-6) went through a finale that in many ways mirrored their entire 2024 season, featuring a variety of highs and lows. They concluded their bowl game on a decided high note, going 75 yards in 10 plays and 1:41 to complete the comeback victory.
Maiava shook off throwing three interceptions on the night with a determined final drive that included the successful conversion of a third-and-13 near midfield. Maiava found Ja’Kobi Lane for a 33-yard gain that did not just convert the first down but moved USC into the red zone.
The catch put an exclamation point on Lane’s night. With the Trojans replacing a variety of regular-season starters due to opt-outs and transfers, Lane stepped up for seven receptions that resulted in 127 yards and three touchdowns.
He scored on a 30-yard catch in the second quarter, and the game was tied 7-7 at halftime. With USC trailing 24-7 late in the third quarter, Lane ignited the rally with a 17-yard TD grab.
Lane’s final scoring play came on an 18-yard pass from Maiava that put USC ahead 28-24 with 4:30 remaining in regulation.
“Not afraid to take chances,” Lane said of Maiava while speaking postgame on ESPN.
Lane added about the QB’s three interceptions, “That doesn’t matter at the end of the day. What matters is a win on the column. We all realize what we came to do in Vegas, and that is come out with a win.”
The decisive score came on Ford’s flat route, answering Texas A&M’s go-ahead touchdown on the previous possession scored on Marcel Reed’s 19-yard end zone rush. Reed earlier through three touchdown passes.
Texas A&M (8-5) broke the halftime stalemate with Reed’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas. Then, just a minute after the Aggies’ Randy Bond kicked a 27-yard field goal, Reed hooked up with Jabre Barber from 5 yards out.
Reed went 26 of 42 for 292 yards and carried the ball nine times for 46 yards. He was intercepted twice.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said, “The story of the game is the story of our season. We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team. That’s my fault.”
Maiava finished with 295 yards on 22-of-39 passing as USC bookended its season with last-minute wins over Southeastern Conference opponents at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. On Sept. 1, the Trojans defeated LSU 27-20.
KYLE MCCORD’S 5 TDS POWER SYRACUSE’S ROUT OF WAZZU IN HOLIDAY BOWL
Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns as No. 21 Syracuse authored an offensive masterpiece in a 52-35 win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday in San Diego.
As part of his stellar performance, McCord set the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record for passing yards (4,779) in his first year at Syracuse. The old mark of 4,593 was set by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson in 2016.
On Friday, McCord threw two touchdown passes apiece to Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden II.
LeQuint Allen also caught a TD pass to go along with 120 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground for the Orange (10-3), who finished with 606 yards of offense.
Zevi Eckhaus passed for 363 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while adding a rushing score for Washington State (8-5).
Kyle Williams had 172 receiving yards and a score on 10 catches to pace the Cougars, who fought valiantly after a tumultuous month in which coach Jake Dickert bolted for Wake Forest and more than 30 players entered the transfer portal, including Oklahoma-bound starting quarterback John Mateer.
The Cougars trailed 35-21 at halftime before slicing their deficit in half on Eckhaus’ 42-yard TD pass to Carlos Hernandez. However, the Orange scored the next 17 points to win comfortably.
Late in the third quarter, McCord connected with Pena, who took a short pass and ran down the left sideline for a 45-yard score to make it 42-28. Allen increased the margin to 52-28 late in the fourth with a 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Eckhaus gave Washington State an early 7-0 lead with a 4-yard TD scramble, but the Orange answered with touchdowns on their next two possessions. First, McCord hit Pena for a 19-yard TD on a back-shoulder throw, and then Allen found some room en route to a 12-yard scoring run.
Syracuse’s momentum didn’t last long, however. On the Cougars’ third play of the ensuing drive, Williams took a slant pass and split the defense for a 66-yard touchdown. Shortly thereafter, Leon Neal Jr. blocked a Syracuse punt and Josh Meredith recovered for a 12-yard score, putting Washington State ahead 21-14 after one quarter.
The second quarter was action-packed, as well — at least for the Syracuse offense. The Orange outscored the Cougars 21-0 in the period, highlighted by two touchdown passes from McCord to Gadsden.
In all, Syracuse racked up 364 yards in the first half en route to a 14-point lead at the break.
TAYLEN GREEN, ARKANSAS OVERPOWER TEXAS TECH IN LIBERTY BOWL
Taylen Green threw for 341 yards and accounted for three touchdowns as Arkansas pulled away in the second half to earn a 39-26 win over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Friday.
Green completed 11 of 21 passes, two for touchdowns, and added 81 yards and a score on 15 rushes. He led a big-play attack that saw the Razorbacks (7-6) pile up 559 total yards.
Will Hammond connected on 20 of 34 passes for 280 yards, a touchdown and two second-half interceptions for the Red Raiders (8-5), filling in for injured starter Behren Morton (shoulder surgery). J’Koby Williams rushed for 123 yards and a TD on 15 carries.
However, Texas Tech’s offense, which trimmed a 21-3 first-quarter deficit to 21-19 in the second quarter, couldn’t respond in the second half. The Red Raiders’ only score after halftime was Hammond’s 15-yard connection to Coy Eakin with 3:06 left in the game.
Arkansas led 24-19 at halftime but steadily tacked on to its lead via all three phases. Matthew Shipley converted a 34-yard field goal with 10:52 to go in the third quarter, and Green added a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tyrell Reed Jr. with 7:07 left in the third.
In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Anton Juncaj made it 36-19 when he sacked Hammond in the end zone for a safety. Shipley capped the Razorbacks’ scoring on a 43-yard field goal with 5:02 left.
Arkansas’ fast start set the game’s tone. Green scored on a 12-yard touchdown jaunt on the Razorbacks’ first possession, one play after Rodney Hill ripped off a 70-yard run.
After Gino Garcia toed a 37-yard field goal for the Red Raiders, the Razorbacks upped the advantage to 21-3 on Braylen Russell’s 1-yard scoring run and Green’s 94-yard touchdown pass to Dazmin James — his first career catch. James finished with three receptions for 137 yards, and teammate Isaac TeSlaa made three catches for 107 yards.
In the second quarter, Texas Tech bounced back with Isaac Smith’s sack of Green in the end zone for a safety. Williams added a 54-yard scoring run and Jalin Conyers got the Red Raiders within two points on a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:58 left in the half.
Shipley’s 40-yard field goal capped a wild first half that saw the teams combine for 687 yards.
VANDERBILT’S DIEGO PAVIA USES ARMS, LEGS TO BEAT GEORGIA TECH IN BIRMINGHAM BOWL
Diego Pavia completed 13 of 21 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and two scores on the ground, as Vanderbilt posted a 35-27 victory over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday.
Eli Stowers caught four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, as the Commodores (7-6) clinched their first bowl win and winning season since 2013.
For Georgia Tech (7-6), Haynes King completed 25 of 33 passes for three touchdowns and an interception, while Jamal Haynes rushed for 136 yards.
Aidan Birr’s 33-yard field goal trimmed Georgia Tech’s deficit to 14-13 at the 8:34 mark of the third quarter. Vanderbilt then answered with a five-play, 56-yard drive that spanned just 2:20, ending with Pavia’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Stowers with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
Georgia Tech immediately gave the ball back to the Commodores, as King was picked off by CJ Taylor, which turned into Pavia’s 7-yard passing score to Quincy Skinner Jr., pushing Vanderbilt’s lead to 28-13 on the first play of the final quarter.
The Yellow Jackets then coughed the ball up again, as Malik Rutherford’s fumble was recovered by Aeneas DiCosmo at the 13:40 mark of the fourth. On the ensuing Vanderbilt drive, Pavia connected with Stowers for 39 yards, which was followed by Pavia’s 6-yard rushing touchdown with 9:59 left.
After a nearly hour-long lightning delay, Georgia Tech pulled within in two scores as King found Haynes for a 9-yard passing touchdown with 5:03 remaining. Following Vanderbilt’s punt, the Yellow Jackets drove 83 yards in 2:36, with King’s 2-yard passing touchdown to Bailey Stockton stamping the game’s scoring with 1:30 left.
After punting on its first drive — and forcing a pair of Georgia Tech punts — Vanderbilt pieced together an eight-play, 87-yard drive — highlighted by Pavia’s 40-yard pass to Loic Founji to the Yellow Jackets’ 8-yard line. Two plays later, Pavia found Cole Spence for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 2:26 left in the opening quarter.
Georgia Tech then ate up 7:20 with a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive, stamped with King’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Ryland Goede with 10:06 left in the second quarter.
After Vanderbilt regained the lead on Pavia’s 2-yard rushing score on fourth and 1, Birr concluded the first half scoring with a 43-yard field goal with 8 seconds left, as Vanderbilt led 14-10 at halftime.
BLAKE HORVATH, DEFENSIVE STOP PROPEL NAVY PAST OKLAHOMA
Quarterback Blake Horvath ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns and Navy stopped Oklahoma’s two-point conversion in the final seconds to pull out a 21-20 win in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Sooners pulled within one with six seconds remaining after Jake Roberts reeled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr.
But Oklahoma elected to vie for the win with a two-point conversion, and Hawkins couldn’t find an open receiver before he was sacked by Justin Reed.
The Sooners nearly recovered the onside kick but couldn’t haul it in.
“Got the coverage and defense that we hoped to get,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said of the decision to go for two. “… I’d go for it again in every situation.”
Oklahoma outgained the Midshipmen in total yards (433-318) but came up empty on eight consecutive drives before the late touchdown.
Hawkins finished 28 of 43 for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
Horvath also threw for 92 yards and Alex Tecza rushed for 43 yards and a TD for the Midshipmen, who fell in a two-touchdown hole before rallying.
“Really, really proud of our players to be down 14-0 and to fight back and scratch and claw,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “They’ve done it all year.”
Navy (10-3) finished with 10 or more wins for just the sixth time in program history while Oklahoma (6-7) ended up with a losing record for the second time in three seasons.
“Thought they had a really good defensive plan but we kept battling and kept fighting and found a way to get it done,” Newberry said.
After allowing the first two touchdowns of the game, Navy’s defense tightened up and the Midshipmen chipped away.
Down 14-7 late in the third quarter, Navy was pinned inside its own 5.
But on the second play of the drive, Horvath broke through the middle of the Sooners’ defense and had nothing but open space in front of him.
Oklahoma defensive back Woodi Washington chased down Horvath, tackling him right at the goal line.
Horvath initially was ruled down short of the end zone but the play was changed on review, giving Horvath the 95-yard touchdown and the longest run in program history.
The Midshipmen claimed their first lead with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ate up more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter. The drive was finished by Horvath’s 6-yard touchdown run.
Oklahoma got off to a hot start, scoring touchdowns on each of its first two drives.
The Sooners started the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuk.
Sawchuk hadn’t had a run of longer than eight yards this season going into the game.
On Oklahoma’s next drive, Hawkins hit Zion Kearney for a 56-yard touchdown on third-and-7 to put the Sooners up 14-0 just more than nine minutes into the game.
But then the Sooners’ offense struggled, turning the ball over on downs on back-to-back possessions even though they moved the ball significantly on both drives.
TOP MICHIGAN RB KALEL MULLINGS DECLARES FOR NFL DRAFT
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings announced Friday that he is declaring for the NFL draft.
Mullings has a team-leading 948 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
Mullings didn’t say in his announcement whether he would play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama on Dec. 31, but multiple reports said he didn’t travel with the team to Tampa, Fla., on Friday. The school confirmed that Mullings didn’t travel.
“To the University of Michigan, the last five years at this University have shaped me into the man I am today,” Mullings wrote. “I am proud to be an alumnus of the greatest University in the world. I am excited to announce I am officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.”
Mullings starred in his final outing for the Wolverines when he rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown in a 13-10 win over fierce rival Ohio State. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season.
Michigan’s No. 2 rusher, Donovan Edwards (589 yards), previously opted out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Among the other Wolverines who are opting out of the bowl are defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland.
OLE MISS QB JAXSON DART LEAVING FOR NFL AFTER GATOR BOWL
Ole Miss standout quarterback Jaxson Dart said Friday he will declare for the NFL draft but will first play in the school’s Gator Bowl contest against Duke on Jan. 2.
Dart made his announcement on social media.
“Who would have known that a kid who grew up in Utah would find his way to the great state of Mississippi in order to fulfill his college gridiron dreams,” Dart wrote. “I really and truly came of age at this great University. … All of this being said, we have unfinished business. I CAN’T WAIT to put on that #2 Ole Miss jersey for one last ride with my guys before beginning preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft. As always, I promise to leave every ounce of what I’ve got on that football field one last time for Ole Miss. THANK YOU and Hotty Toddy!”
Dart has played three seasons at Ole Miss and set the school record of 10,213 career passing yards, surpassing school legend Eli Manning (10,119). He has 68 passing touchdowns, second to Manning (81 from 2000-03).
Dart played his first college season for Southern California in 2021 before transferring to Ole Miss. He has passed for career highs of 3,875 yards and 25 touchdown passes this season while being intercepted just six times. The Rebels are 9-3 entering the bowl game.
Dart isn’t projected to be among the top five quarterbacks selected in the draft but will be in the next run of signal-callers.
RECORD-SETTING VOLS RB DYLAN SAMPSON ENTERS DRAFT
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is entering the 2025 NFL Draft after setting school single-season records for rushing yards and touchdowns this season.
The junior from Louisiana rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and helping the Volunteers (10-3) make the College Football Playoff field.
“Vol Nation, your support has been nothing short of amazing,” he wrote on Instagram. “Knoxville has become my home and has made me a better human over the years. I’m going to miss the feeling of rolling up to the Vol Walk, running through the ‘T,’ and hearing the Pride of Southland band play ‘Rocky Top.’ I poured my heart and soul into this program and this community.”
A hamstring injury limited Sampson to two carries for 6 yards in Tennessee’s season-ending 42-17 loss at Ohio State in the first round of the playoffs on Dec. 21.
In three seasons in Knoxville, the 5-foot-11, 201-pound Sampson rushed for 2,492 yards and 35 scores and caught 40 passes for 342 yards and one TD.
EX-CENTRAL MICHIGAN QB TOMMY LAZZARO DIES AT 27
Funeral services will be held Saturday for former Central Michigan quarterback Tommy Lazzaro, who died last weekend in a reported hunting accident in Florida.
He was 27.
Lazzaro enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation and was a sergeant serving at the time of his death. He will be buried with full military honors.
At Central Michigan, Lazzaro played in 20 career games (five starts) from 2016-19.
“When we took over the program, Tommy was truly our leader in so many ways,” said Jim McElwain, who coached Lazzaro in 2019. “CMU football was blessed to have him and will always remember him for all he did for many of us. He will be missed by all of the Chippewas.”
In four seasons with the Chippewas, Lazzaro completed 72 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for 542 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In his senior season, Lazzaro received the team’s Kurt Dobronski Award, given to the player who “demonstrates great effort, intensity and appreciation for the Chippewa football program,” as selected by the team.
Lazzaro also spent one season at Dodge City Community College in Kansas, where he threw for 2,237 yards, threw for 14 touchdowns and ran for five more.