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Iowa Hawkeyes Get Rematch with Kentucky after 2022 Loss in Citrus Bowl

By
Christian Koelle
-
Photo by Christian Koelle

Nashville, Tenn. – After losing to the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2022 VRBO Citrus Bowl, the Iowa Hawkeyes will seek revenge in the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.

The two schools will go head-to-head for just the second time ever as they were announced as participants in the Music City Bowl. As noted, the Wildcats came out on top earlier this year against the Hawkeyes 20-17 in the VRBO Citrus Bowl.

This will be the first time that the Iowa Hawkeyes will play in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The organization was selected for the 2020 edition but the Missouri Tigers were forced to cancel the bowl with a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.  

“I was really grateful to receive the call this afternoon from the TransPerfect Music City Bowl, something that they have been talking to us now for a couple of weeks,” said Gary Barta, athletic director at the University of Iowa in the team release. “Actually, we’ve been in great conversations for a few years and as most of you know, we were invited, and then that went sideways due to COVID.”

“But I know our players are excited. I was talking to a few of them yesterday about this possibility. And, first of all, I want to congratulate the players, the coaches. They have earned this opportunity. So, I’m really excited for them.”

The 2022 campaign for the Iowa Hawkeyes has featured a 7-5 record finishing third in the Big Ten West conference behind Purdue and Illinois. Wins against Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers, Nevada, and South Dakota State highlighted the 2022 season. Although the organization had some significant victories in 2022, the losses hindered the Hawkeyes from making it to the Big Ten Championship game for the second season in a row. Losses included the first against in-state rival Iowa State since 2014, Illinois, and Nebraska. Iowa also lost games to the now-ranked No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the country; Michigan and Ohio State.

The TransPerfect Music City Bowl will be the 35th bowl game for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the first in the state of Tennessee. It’s the 10th straight Bowl invitation the Hawkeyes have received along with the ninth straight bowl game played. It will be the 20th Bowl game for Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

“It is our 20th bowl now since 2001, and I think each one of them represent, I think a significant accomplishment,” said Ferentz in the press conference. “The other part about it, is each one is really something that’s appreciated by everybody in our team, our program. They are special opportunities for our team, most importantly our players, and just to have this happen is really a good thing.”

In his 20 bowl games with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Ferentz has a 9-9 record. Overall, in 35 bowl games, Iowa has earned 17 victories and will look for the 18th Bowl Victory on December 31st, 2022 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tickets for the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl can be purchased by clicking here.  

Michigan runs through Purdue to the CFP

By
Jamie Bright
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Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on, December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

Indianapolis – The stage was set for two different destinations for the victor! Michigan showed the CFP why they are the No. 2 seed going into the post season. Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards ran down the Boilermakers tracks with ease.

Edwards rushed for 185 yards in 25 carries to help lead his team to 43-22 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. The ground game was so dominate with 225 total rushing yards as a team.  It really set up the play action pass for J.J. McCarthy who threw three touchdowns for 161 yards.

Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on, December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

“I rise to those occasions,” Edwards said. “I thrive for that. It’s just easy, too, when I have tremendous teammates that I call my brothers around me. They show me love. They believe in me.”

At halftime Purdue was still in the hunt for a Rose Bowl shot only trailing 14-13 keeping pace with Michigan.

during Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on,December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

Aidan O’Connell was 32 of 47 with 366 yards and two interceptions after missing some practice time early this week to mourn the death of his brother. The turnovers were too costly for Purdue to overcome.

“That’s a really, really good football team,” O’Connell said. “Once you get inside the 20, it’s tough to run the ball in the first place on them, and then, secondly, they tighten up the coverage.”

Devin Mockobee jumping over defenders during Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on, December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

A bright spot for the Boilermakers was walk-on running back Devin Mockobee who rushed for 71 hard fought yards that included a touchdown on 17 carries. His teammates are busting with anticipation to see him gain a scholarship like he gains yards on the field.

Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on, December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

Defensive back Rod Moore led the Wolverines with 9 tackles from the secondary. While linebacker Jaylen Harrell sacked O’Connell two times along with two tackles.

Now Michigan will sleep easy tonight and await a bowl invitation with the ultimate goal of being No 1 in CFP after playing two more games. Purdue gave it their all and will most likely travel to Florida to play in the Citrus Bowl.

Devin Mockobee getting loose during Big Ten Championship Purdue Boilermakers vs #2 Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on, December 03, 2022. (photo by Andre Hollis / fi360 News)

Panthers tear into Kraken in 5-1 loss, ending Seattle’s win streak

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – Every win streak must come to an end, but for the Seattle Kraken, it came in brutally ugly fashion. The Kraken had their franchise long seven game winning streak ripped to shreds by the Florida Panthers, as Seattle never really got their boat off the dock. After immediately giving up a dangerous chance just ten seconds in, the Kraken stacked mistake on top of mistake until the final scoreboard showed a four-goal defeat. Seattle needs to regroup, work on their defensive structure, and improve their penalty kill in order to start a new streak.

Right out of the opening faceoffs, things began poorly for the Kraken. Two growing issues for Seattle have been their defensive lapses (remember that from the inaugural season?) and penalty kill, neither of which have seemed to show much improvement lately. The Kraken weren’t able to get the puck out of their own defensive zone, failed to restrict Florida’s possessions, and simply could not stay out of the penalty box. Seattle’s penalty kill once went 18-consecutive appearances without a goal, and those days now seem like ancient history. While the Kraken have shown their offensive prowess for the large majority of the season, Seattle’s defending struggles are a constant issue. Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol discussed what he saw in the loss.

“There weren’t many parts of our game that were very good tonight. That’s gonna be a tough way to win a hockey game, that’s just the bottom line… It’s been different things that have caused our specialty

teams to struggle. Our special teams had several opportunities to answer at the right time, and we weren’t either to on either side… it’s not just one part of our game tonight, our entire game was not at the level it needed to be,” Hakstol stated.

While it was to be expected that this win streak was going to find it’s end for the Kraken, the fact that it was the result of two of the team’s biggest issues points Seattle in the direction of where they need to improve. The Kraken have shown on a consistent basis that they are far improved from their inaugural roster, but with where they currently sit the team is not worried just about improvement, but making the playoffs. Seattle is currently ahead of general manager Ron Francis’ three-to-five-year plan to reach the postseason, but considering the talent level and resulting results, the issue can and should be pushed now. Seattle looked like a different team tonight than the dangerous one we have seen through these first 20+ games this season, and Jared McCann discussed that postgame.

“We were a little slow to pucks, didn’t have any jam or finishing our checks. We were not playing the way that we normally do that gives us success. It’s something to learn, we have to reset and refocus, we have to come back down to Earth here… We have a lot of veteran guys here who are able to calm us down and let us play hockey, so that helps,” McCann remarked.

The Kraken will get a day off and a practice day before their next game on Tuesday, December 6th. Seattle will finish up their three-game homestand by hosting the Montreal Canadiens, the team that the Kraken recorded their first ever home win against. Young stars Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and the Canadiens will drop the puck

against the Kraken at 7PM PST as Seattle will look to begin a new winning streak.

No. 11 Utah defeats No. 4 USC to win its second consecutive PAC-12 championship

By
Eric Ramos
-

Las Vegas, NV- USC finished the regular season 11-1 and had hopes of reaching the College Football playoffs but their chances were derailed after No. 11 Utah defeated the Trojans 47-24 in the PAC-12 Championship game Friday at Allegiant Stadium.

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns to help the Utes become back-to-back PAC-12 champions.


The Utes scored 24 unanswered points and sacked USC quarterback Caleb Williams eight
times.


“It’s a very disappointed locker room,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I want to give Utah a lot of credit. They battled to get back in this game. They played better than us today. They deserved the win. Our play didn’t resemble the way we played the majority of the year.”


Williams found a wide open Tahj Washington for a 50-yard completion. On the next play, Williams hit Washington for a 2-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter.


Utah drove down the field on its first possession but settled for a 25-yard field goal from Jadon Redding. On the ensuing drive, Williams broke off a 59-yard run to the Utah 11-yard line. After the play, Williams came up limping and played hurt the rest of the game. After the game, coach Riley said he popped the hamstring and that play.


“The rest of the game, I felt it,” Williams said. “A person that I admire is Kobe (Bryant) and he always said the game is bigger than what you’re feeling. So I was in my head and encouraging myself that the game was bigger than what I was feeling. I also had a group of guys that were looking at me to lead them to victory.”


On fourth and two, Williams hit true freshman running back Raleek Brown out of the backfield for a 3-yard touchdown. USC took a 14-3 lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter.


Denis Lynch gave USC a 17-3 lead with a 20-yard field goal. The offense got off to a fast start but struggled in the second quarter with a turnover on downs and a punt. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising threw two touchdowns in the second quarter to even the score 17-17.


Utah took a 24-17 lead in the third quarter when Rising threw a 57-yard touchdown to Money Parks, who broke multiple tackles to get into the end zone. Utah added a 35-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter to extend the lead 27-17.


USC answered with a Williams 12-yard touchdown pass to Mario Williams and the Trojans cut the lead 27-14 with 10:52 left in the fourth quarter. Utah came right back with Rising throw a 60-yard touchdown to Thomas Yassmin for a 34-24 lead.

The Trojans kept fighting and on the next possession, they were faced with a 4th and three when Williams found Jordan Addison wide open for a 48-yard reception.


USC reached the Utah 23-yard line but Williams was intercepted to end the scoring threat. Utah
didn’t waste any time to capitalize on the turnover as Jackson broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown.


The Utes put the game away with a 23-yard touchdown run from Micah Bernard with 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Kraken flip late switch to beat Capitals with Matty Beniers’ overtime winner

By
Charles Hamaker
-
Seattle Kraken (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)

Seattle, WA – In much different fashion than their barn burner win on Tuesday that featured 17 combined goals, the Seattle Kraken grit out a low scoring affair against the Washington Capitals. After an ugly first 30 minutes that saw the Capitals score twice, Seattle managed to wake up thanks to a timely power play goal. The Kraken found momentum, and were able to ride that wave until overtime. Matty Beniers scored just seven seconds into the overtime period, and just like that Seattle had turned a frustrating contest into another victory.

The Kraken looked far worse offensively than they did in their nine-goal outing against the Kings on Tuesday throughout the first 30 minutes tonight. Seattle was failing to string passes together, properly clear the puck, and were consistently putting themselves in dangerous situations. The Capitals took advantage of the sloppy, unorganized plays as Washington scored twice. Both times, Capitals skaters were able to fire away with plenty of breathing room. Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol discussed how the team had to be patient to withstand the early struggles.

“You need some patience, it’s not gonna be easy. The critical stretch in that game was halfway through the second period, being able to turn that period. There was a little frustration setting in, not a lot happening in the first ten minutes of that minute. We were able to take advantage of the great power play goal by Schwartzy. That pushed us through the end of the second period and set the table for the third period,” Hakstol reflected.

On the offensive end, Seattle had to find “greasy” goals to get them to overtime. The aforementioned Jaden Schwartz goal was scored right in front of Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper, as Schwartz punched home a puck that had slammed off the glass behind net. To tie things up late in the third period, Seattle forward Yanni Gourde was able to take advantage of a juicy rebound off of the leg pad of Kuemper, flipping the puck into the net with ease. Those two chaotic goals were topped off by Matty Beniers’ overtime winner, as the rookie won the initial faceoff and made a dash to the net. All it took was seven seconds of overtime for Beniers to extend the teams win streak to seven. Teammate Jaden Schwartz talked about just how quickly things happened in the extra period, thanks to the rookie.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen that before, it happened quick. I think someone lost their stick, it happened so fast, I think I was actually grabbing water. I looked up, and he was on a breakaway. They were hungry off the faceoff, we were ready, and I’m super happy for him, that was a good finish,” Schwartz stated.

The Kraken will have a day off before they return to action for the second of a three game homestand. Seattle will host a struggling Florida Panthers team at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, December 3rd with a puck drop of 7PM PST. The Panthers are looking to find their form this season, failing to regain their Presidents Trophy winning form from last season. On the flip side, Seattle aims to continue their franchise-long winning streak.

USC Beats Notre Dame 38-27

By
Christopher Floch
-
Photo by Full Image 360

LOS ANGELES– The NO. 6 USC Trojans are on the cusp of reaching the College Football Playoff after soundly knocking off NO.15 Notre Dame, 38-27 at the Coliseum on Saturday, November 26. 72,316 passionate fans witnessed USC improve to 11-1, and will meet the Utah Utes for the PAC-12 Championship on Friday, December 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

It was a wild rivalry Saturday, USC caught lucky breaks, such as NO. 3 Michigan Wolverines crushing the NO. 2  Ohio State Buckeyes 45-23. In addition, Clemson and LSU we’re both upset leaving the door wide open for USC to earn one of the four coveted spots in the College Football Playoff. 

No superlatives or adjectives can truly describe USC’s quarterback Caleb Williams greatness. After last night’s dazzling performance in which the Sophomore baffled Notre Dame’s defense with four touchdowns, and showed why he will soon be playing on Sundays.

Like a savvy politician, Williams has been on the Heisman campaign trail the past month. The Oklahoma transfer has out lasted the other Heisman hopefuls, he even managed to strike a Heisman pose after a touchdown throw.

Williams is often compared to NFL superstar Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and for good reason. Williams like Mahomes- is extremely adept at improvising while evading  intense pressure- keeping the play alive long enough to hurl it to an open receiver. 

Senior running back Austin Jones had 154 yards, he has done a superb job of replacing injured RB Travis Dye against their two biggest foes. He surpassed 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive week in the victory. Even the Trojans defense, which has been the Achilles heel for the program, provided clutch plays and bottled up Notre Dame’s fierce rushing attack.

USC only had four wins last season, then Lincoln Riley comes to town and the USC Trojans are back on the national stage in one season. Riley ties the school record for wins by a head coach in his first year, matching USC legendary head coach John Robinson in 1976. 

“It’s been a tremendous run, but there’s obviously a lot more left there for us,” said Riley. “So we’ve got to enjoy it but put it to bed here quickly.” 

Notre Dame made a spirited second half comeback. Trailing 31-21 with only 6:03 left on the clock, USC defensive back Calen Bullock jumped in front of a pass and pulled down the interception. William sealed the victory with a 16-yd scramble to the end zone. 

NO. 14 Utah also got outside help to reach this point. First, Oregon State beat the Oregon Ducks, 38-34, the Washington Huskies also defeated the Washington State Cougars. 

Needing  the probable and remarkable outcomes to set the stage for this classic Pac-12 title game, everything fell into place.. It will be a rematch of the epic 43-42 Utah win in Salt Lake City. 

The Pac-12 Football Championship will kick off at 5:00 p.m. from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the game will air on Fox.

Air Force by a nose over SDSU

By
Jennifer Moore
-
Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News

SAN DIEGO, CA – In a Mountain West Conference game at Snapdragon Stadium, the Air Force Falcons (9-3, 5-3) beat the San Diego State Aztecs (7-5, 5-3) 13-2. It was a cold night, and there were a lot of people there.

Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News

The Aztecs had a lot of chances to score, but their quarterback, Jalen Mayden, threw two picks and completed only 16 of 31 passes for 188 yards.

We’d like to get more points and yards on the ground “said Brady Hoke, the head coach of San Diego State. We’d like to go for the first drive they took. When you play a triple option team, the first drive is always a little bit of a problem because the speed you’ve tried to practice is never there. I thought our guys were up to the task. When they got off the field, we talked about it. They played until they were worn out. We are, of course, upset. We would love for every senior to win their last game, but that doesn’t always happen.”

In the first quarter, the Falcons got the ball first. On the second play of their offense, Brad Roberts broke free and ran 63 yards to the 6-yard line of San Diego State. Soon after, Roberts ran 3 yards for a touchdown, giving the Falcons a 7-0 lead.

Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News

The Aztecs’ first offensive drive stalled at the 28-yard line of the Falcons, and Jack Browning’s 45-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

On fourth-and-two at the 2-yard line of San Diego State, Air Force had a chance to score again, but they couldn’t get the first down. At the half, the Falcons had a 7-0 lead.

Roberts carried the ball 21 times for 127 yards and one touchdown for Air Force.

Matthew Dapore kicked a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter, giving Air Force a 10-0 lead. After Jordyn Byrd returned the kickoff 37 yards, the Aztecs got a big boost from their special teams.

Browning kicked a field goal from 26 yards out, making the score 10-3 with 9:12 left in the quarter.

Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News

The Aztecs stayed in the game because their defense stopped the Falcons on third down, forcing them to punt the ball.

At the end of the third quarter, the Falcons had a chance to go up 13-3, but Dapore missed a 44-yard field goal.

Dapore kicked a 30-yard field goal with 9:03 left in the game to give Air Force a 13-3 lead in the fourth quarter.

San Diego State had a chance to score at the 11-yard line of Air Force, but two false starts pushed their offense back, and on fourth down, Jalen Mayden threw a pass that Jayden Goodwin picked off in the end zone to stop the drive.

Photo by Rashad Griffin / fi360 News

The Aztecs would get the ball back one more time on offense, but the Falcons would stop them again on defense when Trey Taylor picked off another pass by Mayden in the end zone for a touch-back, which would end the game.

Now that San Diego State is bowl eligible, and the coaching staff and players will have to wait to see what bowl game they will play in.

USC keeps its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 38-27 win over Notre Dame

By
Eric Ramos
-
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 26: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) throws the ball during a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 26, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 news)

USC quarterback Caleb Williams made a case for the Heisman trophy with one passing
touchdown and three rushing touchdowns in a 38-27 win over rival Notre Dame Saturday at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 26: USC Trojans wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 26, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)


The Trojans snapped a 4-game losing streak to Notre Dame and finished the season 11-1 with
a shot at the College Football Playoff. No. 5 USC will play Utah in the PAC-12 Championship on
Friday, Dec.2 in Las Vegas.

“Great win. It’s fun seeing the Coli like that,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “Sitting up
there at the press conference almost close to 12 months ago just imagining that, and these guys
brought it to life.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 26: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs the ball for a touchdown during a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 26, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 News)

USC took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Caleb Williams hit Tahj Washington for an 11-yard
TD in the first quarter. After the Trojans forced a punt, Denis Lynch nailed a 31-yard field goal to
give USC a 10-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter.


Notre Dame answered with a 22-yard touchdown from Drew Payne to Michael Mayer. USC
came right back with a Caleb Williams 5-yard run to give USC a 17-7 lead with 34 seconds left
in the first half.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 26: USC Trojans wide receiver Mario Williams (4) catches the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 26, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/ fi360 News)


USC opened the third quarter with a Raleek Brown 5-yard touchdown run but the Irish cut the
lead 24-14 with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Pyne to Deion Colzie. Williams scored on a 3-
yard run to extend the Trojans lead 31-14 in the fourth quarter.


The Irish would not go down easy as Logan Diggs scored from five yards out to cut the lead 31-21 Williams scored his third touchdown of the game when he faked the handoff and went up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 26: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the USC Trojans on November 26, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360 news)


“I think we’re as good as any team,” Williams said. “The outside world is going to say what they
want to say, and we are 11-1 right now, so obviously it doesn’t matter.”


Austin Jones rushed for a career-high 154 yards on 25 carries. It was his third 100-yard rushing
game of the season.

Colorado can’t keep pace

By
Devon Martinez
-
Colorado safety Anthony Lyle (41) tries to disrupt Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) from completing the touchdown reception in the second quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 26, 2022. Utah won by a score of 63 to 21. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

Boulder, CU – Colorado on senior day looked to make Utah play all four quarters for a victory. The endzone floodgates opened right open with a 42-0 halftime lead.

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising completed 17-of-19 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Utes to a 42-0 halftime lead and sitting out the second half.

Colorado Guy Thomas (1) chases after Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) in the first quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 26, 2022. Utah won by a score of 63 to 21. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed 10 times for 117 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Maddox Kopp was able to throw one last touchdown on the season along with 123 yards. The Buffs were looking for offense all game, running back Anthony Hankerson rushed 46 yards and one touchdown.

Colorado tight end Brady Russell (38) runs the ball while being chased down by Utah Mohamoud Diabate (3) in the first quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 26, 2022. Utah won by a score of 63 to 21. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

“Just a really emotional locker room that I just left,” interim head coach Mike Sanford said.

The Buffs capped a miserable season with a 63-21 loss to No. 14 Utah. They closed the season at 1-11 and on a six-game losing streak.

Colorado tailback Deion Smith (20) carries the ball while Utah Safety Cole Bishop (8) closes in to make the tackle in the second quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 26, 2022. Utah won by a score of 63 to 21. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

Receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig snagged 2 passes for 26 yards to try help carry the weight of a rough season. Brady Russell was able to catch 4 passes for 39 yards to led the Buffs.

Four different Utah receivers caught touchdowns for Rising. Dalton Kincaid led the Utes with 5 catches for 102 total yards.

Nikko Reed gave a spark to the Buffs by intercepting a pass in 3rd quarter to give ball back to the offense.  

Colorado linebacker Ben Finneseth hits Utah punt returner Money Parks (10) in the second quarter just as Parks drops the punt. Finneseth was ejected for targeting on this play at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 26, 2022. Utah won by a score of 63 to 21. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

“I think it’s closure, in terms of knowing that you did fight the fight until the end, that you ran the race until the end,” Sanford said. “The feeling that I got in that locker room after tonight’s game is that there’s nobody who’s glad the season’s over and that’s a testament to everybody that was inside of these walls, working their tails off.”

Now with this victory the Utes will travel to Las Vegas for a rematch or revenge match with #6 USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship.

UCLA and Cal End Their Season In A Shootout

By
Troy Ewers
-

Berkley, CA – Cal ended their season with another loss, but just like every game they played this season, it
was a fight that went all the way to the end. UCLA pulled out the 35-25 on the road. The game was a battle between the 2 quarterbacks. UCLA’s
Dorian Thompson-Robinson had an unbelievable day. 21-30, 189 passing yards, and 1 TD.

“It’s not something that’s just regularly done around here, getting nine wins.” said Thompson-Robinson, “We worked really hard. I’ve been here for a very long time and to see the growth and all the things that go into it is really special.”

On the ground DTR had 14 rushes for 88 yards and 2 TDs. Cal’s Jack Plummer had something to
say about that. After back to back drives going 3 and out with also being 0-4 passing, Plummer
then had an electrifying performance that kept Cal all the way in this game.

Plummer completed 12 straight passes with 173 passing yards and that was just the 1st half, where Cal led 21-17.

The second half wasn’t as exciting as the 1st, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t packed with
action. DTR and Zach Charbonnet (UCLA RB) each scored a rushing TD and the Bruins
defense had a crucial fumble recovery.

Even with Jack Plummer pulling out everything he could going 24-34 for 294 yards with 4 TDs, it wasn’t enough. UCLA would score one last time and get the 2 point conversion and after one more defense stand, DTR would kneel the clock out and the potential of an upset would be denied. UCLA wins 7 point victory and that’s the end of Cal’s season.

“It was a great way to win a football game,” said UCLA coach Chip Kelly. 

This season for Cal wasn’t one where the team just lost and there was never hope. No, they
fought every game and even games when they were heavy underdogs, they fought until they
couldn’t anymore.

The young players on this team like Jaydn Ott, Jeremiah Earby, and J. Michael Sturdivant showed that this Cal Bears team might be something to look at next year.


The Pac 12 may never be the same with USC and UCLA leaving the conference, but no matter
what I have high expectations for this young and hungry Cal football team.

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