ATLANTA (AP) — Cam Skattebo’s do-it-all offensive show wasn’t enough to save Arizona State from a stretch of fourth-down failures against Texas. Led by Skattebo, the senior running back, Arizona State compiled big advantages in rushing yards, total yards and time of possession. The three fourth-down stops kept the Sun Devils from taking full advantage of their statistical edges in their 39-31 College Football Playoff quarterfinal double-overtime loss to Texas in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. “We moved the ball pretty good, actually,” Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt said. “We just need to have success in the red zone.” Skattebo was named the game’s offensive MVP after finishing with 30 carries for 143 yards with two touchdowns, eight catches for 99 yards and one pass for a 42-yard TD. “Skattebo was as advertised,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He got stronger, it felt like. You could see he was fatigued, too. It was like a heavyweight fight. He made some really critical plays.”
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Second chances don’t come around often in life, Ohio State coach Ryan Day told his players in a team meeting before the Rose Bowl. After a season in which they fell short at too many key moments, the Buckeyes all knew they had one of those second chances when they stepped onto this famous turf for another shot at the top-ranked, unbeaten Oregon Ducks. Ohio State seized it with a vengeance. Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during a sensational 34-point first half, and the No. 6 Buckeyes roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 41-21 victory in the 111th Rose Bowl on Wednesday night. “You can see the potential of where we’re at, when we play in all three phases the way we did,” Day said. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass and TreVeyon Henderson made a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemptive Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), who lost a 32-31 heartbreaker to the Ducks in Eugene in October. Ohio State then lost to archrival Michigan in humiliating fashion to conclude a regular season in which its performances didn’t always measure up to its formidable talent.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley had a heart-to-heart talk with his dad that was more coated in heartbreak than hope over the Philadelphia Eagles running back’s pursuit of the NFL single-season rushing record. Barkley’s stirring chase of Eric Dickerson was over — he will sit out the Eagles final regular-season game Sunday, denying the running back his chance at breaking the mark. The news came with a tough call with his dad, Alibay. “He definitely wanted me to play,” Barkley said Wednesday at his locker. “Selfishly for him, you’ve got to think about it ... our last name would have been attached to that. I see it from that side, too. At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games. He’s the one that raised me to kind of be all about the team, too. He can have his little selfish moment, but he’ll get over it.” Barkley insisted he recovered from the sting, too. So will an offensive line that pushed for the star back to set the record, and even fans who wanted to say they were there Sunday at the Linc against the New York Giants and witness a little slice of NFL history.
CHICAGO (AP) — UConn freshman Liam McNeeley will have an MRI on Thursday on his injured right ankle. McNeeley got hurt in the second half of the Huskies’ 81-68 victory at DePaul on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 forward went down after he collided with DePaul guard Layden Blocker while going for the ball on a deflected pass. “Hopefully it’s just a sprain,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “We don’t know much.” McNeeley had to be helped off the floor. He finished with nine points and six rebounds in almost 25 1/2 minutes of playing time. UConn hosts Providence on Sunday and then has road games against Villanova and Georgetown. The Blue Demons rallied after McNeeley’s injury, but the Huskies got big 3-pointers from Alex Karaban and Solo Ball to help close it out.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Friday, Dec. 20
No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
Saturday, Dec. 21
No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
VRBO Fiesta Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 31
No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
Wednesday, Jan. 1
No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 2 OT
Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential
Wednesday, Jan. 1
No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
AllState Sugar Bowl
Thursday, Jan. 2, 3 p.m. (rescheduled from Jan 1.)
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame
Capital One Orange Bowl
Thursday, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 Penn State vs . No. 2 Georgia or No. 7 Notre Dame
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m.
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State