AP Sports

Update on the latest sports

1/10/2023

No. 1 Georgia bullies TCU 65-7 to win 2nd consecutive title

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the first half as No. 1 Georgia demolished No. 3 TCU 65-7 to become the first team to win consecutive College Football Playoff national championships. The Bulldogs became the first repeat champs since Alabama went back-to-back a decade ago and left no doubt that they have replaced the Crimson Tide as the new bullies on the block. TCU, the first Cinderella team of the CFP era, never had a chance against the Georgia juggernaut and suffered the most lopsided loss in a national title game dating to the start of the BCS in 1998.

Bennett, Bowers lead champion Bulldogs’ demolition of TCU

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett and Brock Bowers showed off their remarkable partnership one last time in the College Football Playoff championship game. Bowers caught seven passes for 152 yards and a touchdown from Bennett during Georgia’s 65-7 demolition of TCU. Bennett walked on at Georgia nearly six years ago and caught a ride for the Bulldogs’ remarkable growth into the sport’s dominant program. Bowers arrived two years ago from the West Coast, and the tight end has known nothing but championships during his brief tenure. Bowers epitomizes the Bulldogs’ present and future in their ability to recruit anywhere and turn anybody into a champion.

Georgia becomes 12th back-to-back champ in AP Top 25 history

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Georgia is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college football poll, becoming the 12th back-to-back national champion in the history of the rankings after routing TCU. The Horned Frogs were No. 2, their best final rankings since the 2010 season. Michigan was No. 3, followed by Ohio State and Alabama. The Bulldogs won the College Football Playoff national championship game 65-7 to secure their third AP title overall. Their first came in 1980. Georgia also became the 14th school with as many as three AP national titles.

Bills safety Hamlin back in Buffalo to continue recovery

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin say the Bills safety was moved to a hospital in Buffalo to continue his recovery. It’s an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress Hamlin has made a week after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati. Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where Dr. William Knight said he was “doing well.” Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2023: Tennis sans Serena starts in earnest

The 2023 Australian Open will be the first Grand Slam tournament to be held since Serena Williams walked away from tennis with a farewell at the U.S. Open shortly before her 41st birthday. And so the sport will will get a real taste of what a post-Serena world looks like on a big stage. Williams will be missed. By spectators. By executives from the tours, tournaments and television. By other athletes. But tennis will need to move on. It won’t be easy. But all sports do need to take steps forward even when superstars leave.

NFL playoffs: Brady’s back to try for 8th Super Bowl win

Seven of the 14 teams in this year’s playoffs didn’t make the field last season, giving the NFL’s upcoming wild-card weekend a mix of traditional powerhouses and underdogs. Tom Brady begins his quest for an unprecedented eighth Super Bowl title when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys next Monday night. Meanwhile, Jacksonville second-year standout Trevor Lawrence and Seattle veteran Geno Smith will be among at least five quarterbacks making their playoff debuts. The Seahawks were the last team to make the playoffs when they got the help they needed from the Detroit Lions, who beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Shiffrin can break Vonn’s record — if she can stay awake

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — Staying awake might be Mikaela Shiffrin’s biggest challenge as she prepares to try to set a record for women’s World Cup skiing victories. Shiffrin poured out her emotions after matching Lindsey Vonn with career win No. 82 in an early morning giant slalom in Slovenia on Sunday and now needs to refocus and shift her sleeping patterns in time for a slalom to be held under the lights in Austria on Tuesday. She noted that “if I have a good first run then I don’t start until 9:45 in the second run and normally I’m well asleep by then. So we have to change the whole rhythm again.”

NWSL bans 4 from coaching, takes other disciplinary actions

The National Women’s Soccer League has permanently banned four coaches and announced disciplinary action against several other individuals and teams in response to an investigation into alleged abuse and misconduct. Former North Carolina coach Paul Riley, former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames, former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke and former Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly can’t coach in the NWSL again. The league and its players association announced results of their investigation last month. The investigation found “widespread misconduct” directed at players dating back nearly a decade.

Analysis: Chargers didn’t play it safe ahead of playoff trip

DENVER (AP) — The Chargers didn’t play it safe ahead of third-year pro Justin Herbert’s first playoff appearance. Knowing they were locked into the AFC’s fifth seed and a first-round game at Jacksonville, Chargers coach Brandon Staley decided to play most of his starters for most of the fineale at Denver. The decision may prove costly because receiver Mike Allen was carted off with a back injury, linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. left with a stinger and star Joey Bosa was limping around after a cameo. Staley chose to keep his team sharp for the playoffs rather than rested and out of harm’s way.

Murray, Jokic lead charge as Nuggets beat Lakers 122-109

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored a season-high 34 points, Nikola Jokic recorded his 11th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 122-109 on Monday night in a game where LeBron James sat out due to a sore left ankle. Jokic finished with 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 16 assists to help the Nuggets win their 11th straight home game. It’s their longest home streak since capturing 12 in a row in 2018. Russell Westbrook finished with 25 and Thomas Bryant added 17 along with 10 boards. The Lakers saw their five-game winning streak halted.