NEW ORLEANS (AP) — There was a three-play sequence in the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday night that not only summarized the way things went for Patrick Mahomes but also the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs. Philadelphia had taken a 10-0 lead and the two-time defending champs were on the ropes when Mahomes was sacked by the Eagles’ Josh Sweat. On the next play, Sweat bottled him up again. And on the ensuing play, the two-time NFL MVP was under such duress that Mahomes threw an interception that Cooper DeJean returned 38 yards for a score. Six sacks. Three turnovers. And not an ounce of Mahomes magic. By the time he was done dragging himself off the Superdome turf, and the Eagles were able to run the last seconds off the clock, Mahomes and the Chiefs were sent home with a humbling — humiliating, even — 40-22 Super Bowl defeat.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Hurts has often been judged by his failings more than his successes over the course of his career. Getting benched at halftime of a college football championship game. Being forced to transfer from Alabama to Oklahoma just to be able to regain a starting job. Getting drafted in the second round to be a backup and then having his passing prowess questioned as he quickly became a starter and had a successful launch to his NFL career. All those doubts helped fuel Hurts along the way and now he will be forever known as a Super Bowl MVP. “I’ll always be the same guy,” Hurts said. “I was telling someone that I’m the same kid that came to a national championship and lost, went back and got benched and had to transfer and had to go through this unprecedented journey. That kid always kept the main thing the main thing and always was true to his vision of what he saw. It all began with greater leadership and doing it the right way.”
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas assistant coach Elana Lovato made a bold statement to head coach Vic Schaefer last month after the Longhorns were overwhelmed in a 17-point loss to South Carolina. "(She) looked at me and said ‘we will beat them in a month,’” Schaefer said Sunday. “And that’s God’s honest truth.” The No. 4 Longhorns made the most of their national television game on Super Bowl Sunday and won their rematch with No. 2 South Carolina 66-62, a victory that ended the Gamecocks’ 57-game winning streak in regular-season Southeastern Conference games dating to December 2021. The victory by the Longhorns forged a three-way tie atop the SEC standings with the Gamecocks and LSU, all at 10-1. South Carolina (22-2) had won 17 straight since losing to top-ranked UCLA on Nov. 24. The Gamecocks arrived with confidence and Dawn Staley sporting a Super Bowl sweatshirt in support of her hometown Philadelphia Eagles, who were taking on the Kansas City Chiefs later in the day in New Orleans for the NFL title.
MONTREAL (AP) — Vancouver star Quinn Hughes was ruled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Sunday because of an undisclosed injury, with fellow defenseman Jake Sanderson taking his spot on the U.S. roster. The reigning Norris Trophy winner, Hughes appeared to get hurt late in Vancouver’s 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Jan. 31 and has missed four games. He has 14 goals and 45 assists in 47 games this season. Hughes was set to play on an American squad with his younger brother, New Jersey forward Jack Hughes. Sanderson, the son of former NHL forward Geoff Sanderson, has five goals and 30 assists in 55 games this season for Ottawa. The Americans will open play Thursday night against Finland in Montreal.
SUNDAY SCORES
SUPER BOWL LIX
Philadelphia 40, Kansas City 22
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 17 Memphis 90, Temple 82
No. 18 Maryland 90, Rutgers 81
NCAA WOMEN TOP 25
No. 1 UCLA 62, Oregon 52
No. 4 Texas 66, No. 2 South Carolina 62
No. 3 Notre Dame 91, No. 21 California 52
No. 5 UConn 77, Providence 40
No. 6 LSU 82, No. 19 Tennessee 77
No. 10 Duke 90, Miami 49
No. 13 North Carolina 53, Clemson 51
No. 14 NC State 97, No. 22 Florida State 74
No. 16 Maryland 81, Washington 73
No. 17 Georgia Tech 71, Boston College 51
Michigan 71, No. 20 Michigan State 61
No. 23 Alabama 80, Mississippi State 60