Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The matchup is set for a tantalizing College Football Playoff national championship game. On one side is defending national champion Clemson and its 29-game winning streak. On the other is unbeaten and No. 1 LSU and its Heisman Trophy winner. But first, there is a 15-day break in the playoffs. LSU and Clemson will play the final game of the 2019 college football season on Jan. 13 in New Orleans after winning semifinals Saturday night. Television viewership was strong for the semifinals. ESPN says Ohio State-Clemson drew more viewers than any semifinal not played on New Year's Day in the six-year history of the playoff. ESPN will try to keep the college football conversation going with lower-level bowl games scheduled for Jan. 2, 3, 4 and 6.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — LSU got the drama out of the way early while Clemson needed almost all 60 minutes in a white-knuckle contest. The result was the same. The two teams of Tigers won Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinals and will meet in New Orleans for the title on Jan. 13. LSU is moving on after a brilliant 63-28 win over Oklahoma. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. Clemson beat Ohio State 29-23 after a late rally and then an interception with 37 seconds left. Clemson will be playing for its third title in four seasons.
MIAMI (AP) — Virginia's trip to the Orange Bowl shows how far the program has come, and Monday night's game against Florida will offer a gauge of where the Cavaliers might be headed. Football at Virginia still doesn't match the popularity of a basketball team that won the national championship in April. But coach Bronco Mendenhall has revived a program that went 2-10 in his first season in 2016. This year the Cavaliers ended a streak of 15 consecutive losses to rival Virginia Tech and earned their third consecutive bowl berth. The Gators, however, are 14 1/2-point favorites.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Third-ranked Louisville and fourth-ranked Duke look like clear favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the league shifts fully into the remainder of the conference schedule. The Cardinals and Blue Devils have each spent time at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll and both rank among the nation's most efficient units at both ends of the floor. Reigning national champion and 16th-ranked Virginia joins No. 17 Florida State as contenders in the league race, while North Carolina and Syracuse are trying to dig out after shaky starts. The ACC is playing its first year with a 20-game schedule.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Kihei Clark scored five points during a 12-0 second-half run and No. 16 Virginia overcame a sloppy effort to beat Navy 65-56. Braxton Key led Virginia with 15 points, Mamadi Diakite had 13 and Clark added 10. Clark's foul-line jumper with 9:09 remaining gave the Cavaliers the lead they had just relinquished. Key added two baskets and Clark barely beat the shot clock with a 3-point heave that rattled in, giving Virginia a 50-41 lead. Cam Davis led Navy with 19 points and Evan Wieck had 13.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — T.J. Gibbs led five Notre Dame players in double figures with 17 points and John Mooney had his seventh straight double-double in a 82-56 rout of visiting Alabama A&M. Mooney’s 10th double-double of the season – 16 points and 18 rebounds --- came in the last non-conference game for Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish (9-4). Reserve Dane Goodwin had 12 points while Prentiss Hubb and Juwan Durham each had 11 points for Notre Dame. Gerron Scissum had 15 points, Cameron Alford 14 and Garrett Hicks 11 for Dylan Howard’s Bulldogs (3-8).
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Landers Nolley II had his first career double-double, freshman Hunter Catoor set season highs with 17 points and five 3-pointers, and Virginia Tech cruised to a 92-37 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. Nolley finished with 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. John Ojiako added 15 points, Tyrece Radford scored 13 and Jalen Cone 11 for the Hokies. Nolley hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring and another to cap a 32-5 run over the first 12-plus minutes of the game.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — DJ Funderburk scored a career-high 22 points to help North Carolina State beat Appalachian State 72-60=.Devon Daniels added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolfpack (10-3), who made just 5 of 25 3-point attempts in their final nonconference game of the regular season. One game after his first triple-double, Markell Johnson had 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for N.C. State.Justin Forrest scored 25 points to lead Appalachian State (8-5).N.C. State played without C.J. Bryce, who leads the team in scoring (16.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 per game). The team announced before tipoff that Bryce was in the concussion protocol.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
