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NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (22-11) at Chicago Bulls (14-19)

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NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (22-11) at Chicago Bulls (14-19)

The Milwaukee Bucks’ season-worst losing streak has reinforced the notion that bad things come in threes.

The Bucks will look to end the three-game drought during a visit to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, when they aim to come untracked from behind the 3-point arc.

A 139-118 loss at NBA-leading Boston on Christmas Day saw the Celtics drill 19 baskets from 3-point range to Milwaukee’s 13. Grayson Allen, the Bucks’ leading 3-point shooter at 41.2 percent, missed each of his three attempts from deep and has tried just 17 long-range attempts in his past seven games.

Milwaukee has been without Khris Middleton (right knee soreness) for the past five games. Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the swelling in his knee gradually has subsided as he takes the injury day-by-day.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points at Boston to lead five Milwaukee players in double figures.

Chicago, meanwhile, saw its season-high, three-game winning streak snapped with a 133-118 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday. Chicago surrendered a 17-1 third-quarter run in the opener of a four-game homestand that concludes with three straight contests against Central Division foes.

The Bulls, who are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, are eager to make up ground. The urgency the team showed during the winning streak seemingly dissipated against the Rockets, who opened the game on a 23-5 tear.

Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, who scored a team-high 31 points, called the start “unacceptable.”

Monday marked the first time the Bulls have lost while leading at halftime this season, stopping a string of eight straight wins in that scenario to start the campaign.

A lack of depth, especially on the defensive side, was evident down the stretch as the Bulls played without Alex Caruso (concussion), Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and Derrick Jones Jr. (left ankle sprain).

Chicago edged host Milwaukee 118-113 on Nov. 23 in the first of four meetings between the teams. DeRozan scored 36 points while the Bulls drilled 18 3-pointers and shot 42.9 percent from distance.

Milwaukee has won 16 of the last 18 games between the teams, going back to January 2018.

NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (16-18) at New Orleans Pelicans (21-12)

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NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (16-18) at New Orleans Pelicans (21-12)

The New Orleans Pelicans just played one of their better games of the season while short-handed.

They expect to be stronger when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

On Monday night, the Pelicans defeated the visiting Indiana Pacers 113-93 despite the absence of their top two scorers: Zion Williamson (illness) and Brandon Ingram (toe). In addition, another starter, Herbert Jones Jr., was sidelined due to health and safety protocol.

Two more key rotation players, Trey Murphy III and Dyson Daniels, also were out, both because of non-COVID illnesses.

Williamson, who has missed the past three games, said after practice Tuesday that he would play against the Wolves, and coach Willie Green said Murphy and Daniels are probable.

Ingram will miss the Wednesday contest, and Jones was listed as questionable.

New Orleans gave at least 17 minutes to all nine players that were available Monday and all but one scored.

Despite the absences, New Orleans held Indiana to 38 first-half points, the fewest it has allowed in a half this season. The Pacers’ 93 points were the third fewest the Pelicans have allowed in a game.

The Pelicans have won 12 of their last 14 home games, with losses in that stretch against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans has won three straight games while shorthanded, while Minnesota has lost three straight amid key absences.

All-Star Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) has missed the last month and three rotational players – Kyle Anderson (back), Taurean Prince (shoulder) and Jordan McLaughlin (calf) – missed a 113-110 loss at Miami on Monday.

The Wolves shot 54.4 percent from the floor but committed 22 turnovers. That helped the Heat take 102 shots compared to Minnesota’s 79.

The Wolves forced Miami into a missed shot with 2.5 seconds left, but couldn’t attempt a potential tying shot because of a turnover that head coach Chris Finch called “fitting.”

Minnesota has averaged 106 points during the losing streak, which was preceded by a three-game winning streak in which it averaged 126 points. It has lost five of its last six games on the road.

The Wolves will play the third game of a four-game road trip while the Pelicans are playing the middle game of a three-game homestand.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (14-20) at Miami Heat (17-17)

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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (14-20) at Miami Heat (17-17)

The Miami Heat conclude a four-game homestand on Wednesday, hosting a Los Angeles Lakers team at the midpoint of a pivotal five-game road swing.

Los Angeles won the second game of its road trip Tuesday, snapping a four-game skid with a 129-110 rout of Orlando.

Russell Westbrook went for a triple-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

LeBron James scored 28 points despite shooting 0-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. Thomas Bryant scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Troy Brown Jr. scored 15 points, Patrick Beverley added 14 points and Lonnie Walker IV chipped in 10.

The win marked a significant turnaround from the defensive woes that had plagued the Lakers over the previous four games, including the trip-opening loss Christmas Day at Dallas. The 124-115 defeat capped a stretch of the Lakers allowing 130.5 points per game over the four-game skid.

In each of its last seven losses, Los Angeles has given up at least 122 points. The Lakers have not allowed more than 119 points in any of their last five wins, dating back to Dec. 4.

The Lakers remain without Anthony Davis due to a stress injury in his right foot. Davis is averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game.

Miami, meanwhile, overcame the absences of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, as well as a lackluster 47-of-102 shooting, to down Minnesota 113-110 on Monday.

The Heat forced the Timberwolves into 22 turnovers, including a win-sealing steal by Victor Oladipo that denied Minnesota an opportunity at an overtime-forcing basket. Its defense, coupled with a balanced scoring effort that saw nine players score at least seven points, powered Miami to its first win in three games.

Max Strus led the way with 19 points, including 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range on a night Miami collectively shot less than 27 percent from outside.

Miami’s roster uncertainty starts with the four-time All-NBA honoree Butler, whose absence on Monday marked his 13th game missed this season. Butler came out of the Heat’s three-point loss last Friday to Indiana with a sprained ankle that has him listed as day-to-day.

As for Adebayo, Monday was just his fourth missed contest in what has been a career-best scoring season at 20.8 points per game. He was scratched from the lineup against Minnesota due to a non-COVID illness and is considered day-to-day.

NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets (22-12) at Atlanta Hawks (17-17)

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NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets (22-12) at Atlanta Hawks (17-17)

The visiting Brooklyn Nets will put their league-leading, nine-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday when they oppose the Atlanta Hawks, who may be without All-Star point guard Trae Young.

Young left Atlanta’s 129-114 road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday with 4:15 to play due to a left calf contusion. The injury came on a non-contact play when Young drove to the basket. He was taken to the locker room for examination and did not return. He will be treated and re-evaluated on Wednesday.

Asked if he would be able to play against the Nets, Young said postgame, “Hopefully. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

The loss of Young could be especially problematic for Atlanta, which is already missing two starters. Clint Capela, who missed three games due to a right calf strain, returned to action Friday, aggravated the ailment and sat out Tuesday. De’Andre Hunter (left ankle sprain) also missed the Los Angeles game.

This will be the second of four meetings in the season series between Brooklyn and Atlanta. The Nets, who earned a 120-116 home win over the Hawks on Dec. 9, took two of the three matchups last season. The team won’t play again until a Feb. 26 game in Atlanta.

Five of Brooklyn’s wins during the current streak have come on the road, where the Nets are 10-7. The Nets are coming off a 125-117 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant has feasted against the Hawks during his career, including a game-high, 34-point performance earlier this month.

Durant has scored 25-plus points in 13 straight games against the Hawks dating back to Nov. 30, 2016. He posted a career-high 55 points on April 2, 2022, in his last visit to Atlanta.

Nets guard Kyrie Irving has averaged 28.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists over his past 10 games, scoring 20-plus points eight times and 30-plus points five times. Irving (26 points per game) and Durant (30 ppg) form one of three duos in the league averaging 25-plus points. They both scored 32 against Cleveland on Monday.

The Nets lead the league in field-goal shooting (51 percent) and 3-point shooting (39.1 percent). Brooklyn center Nic Claxton leads the league in field-goal shooting (73.8 percent) and is the only qualifying player in the league shooting over 70 percent.

With Atlanta’s roster thin because of injuries, the Hawks will rely more heavily on John Collins. The veteran forward, playing his fourth game since missing eight contests because of a left ankle sprain, scored a season-high 26 points and had 10 rebounds in the Hawks’ loss to Indiana.

NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (20-15) at Washington Wizards (14-21)

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NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns (20-15) at Washington Wizards (14-21)

The Washington Wizards will look to extend a winning streak past two games for just the second time this season when they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

The Wizards, who won four in a row from Nov. 7-13, have rebounded from a season-high, 10-game losing streak by earning three victories in their past four games — including a 113-110 win in Phoenix on Dec. 20. Washington fell to the Utah Jazz two nights later before posting a 125-111 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday and a 116-111 triumph vs. the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

Kristaps Porzingis sat out the previous encounter with the Suns and the game against the Jazz due to a non-COVID illness. Porzingis looked healthy on Tuesday in his second game back as he collected 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to help Washington overcome Joel Embiid’s 48-point performance and snap Philadelphia’s eight-game winning streak.

Porzingis, who has a team-leading 11 double-doubles on the season, has scored at least 20 points in 11 of his past 13 appearances.

Washington’s Bradley Beal recorded 19 points and five assists on Tuesday before exiting in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury. Beal tossed his headband in frustration as he slowly walked to the locker room.

Corey Kispert likely would get the start on Wednesday if Beal is unable to play.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma recorded 14 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday, one week after he drained five 3-pointers and finished with 29 points against Phoenix.

The Suns snapped a three-game skid with a 125-108 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.

Duane Washington Jr. contributed a career-high 26 points and eight assists off the bench. He sank 10 of 21 shots from the floor and 5 of 9 from 3-point range.

Deandre Ayton recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Paul added 14 points and six assists to help the Suns, who have scored at least 125 points in three of their past five games.

The Tuesday offensive surge was welcome for Phoenix, which played without three-time All-Star guard Devin Booker (groin).

Phoenix also played without Landry Shamet (right Achilles soreness) and Cameron Payne (right foot strain).

Shamet drained a career-high nine 3-pointers and scored a career-best 31 points in the Suns’ loss to Washington last week. He matched that point total in Phoenix’s 128-125 overtime loss at Denver on Sunday.

NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (13-22) at Detroit Pistons (8-28)

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NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (13-22) at Detroit Pistons (8-28)

Wins have been very hard to come by for the Detroit Pistons this season. They found a highly improbable way to lose on Monday and enter their home game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday with a six-game losing streak.

Detroit led the Los Angeles Clippers by 14 points with three minutes remaining but got outscored 16-2 the remainder of regulation. Los Angeles then dominated the overtime session and stole a 142-131 victory.

Since the 1996-97 season, only two other teams had erased deficits of 14 points or more in the last three minutes, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Clippers had only one starter on the floor during a majority of the comeback.

The Pistons wiped out a 15-point, third-quarter deficit and scored 13 unanswered points during the fourth quarter to build the 14-point advantage. They had eight players score in double figures, led by Bojan Bogdanovic with 23 points. Bogdanovic missed a potential winning shot in the final second of regulation.

The Pistons, who play their next five games on the road after Wednesday, won their season opener against the Magic 113-109 behind a 24-point performance from Bogdanovic. They will play the remaining games of the four-game season series in Orlando on Feb. 23 and April 2.

Orlando will be playing the tail end of a back-to-back set on Wednesday. After winning eight of the previous nine games, the Magic were pummeled at home by the Los Angeles Lakers 129-110 on Tuesday.

The Lakers led by as many as 21 points while shooting 54.4 percent. The Magic, who also got outrebounded 46-37, never held a lead of more than three points.

Top overall draft pick Paolo Banchero will look to bounce back from the worst game of his young career. The Orlando forward scored a season-low four points on 1-for-6 shooting and committed five fouls.

Markelle Fultz led Orlando with 16 points against the Lakers, and five of his teammates also finished in double figures.

The Magic are 4-12 on the road this season, and the Pistons are 4-13 at home.

CFB: Arizona Bowl Preview – Ohio Bobcats (9-4) at Wyoming Cowboys (7-5)

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CFB: Arizona Bowl Preview – Ohio Bobcats (9-4) at Wyoming Cowboys (7-5)

OHIO BOBCATS NOTES:

THE OPENING KICK
The Ohio football team (9-4, 7-1 MAC) is set to travel to Tucson, Ariz. on Dec. 30 for the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl against the Wyoming
Cowboys (7-5, 5-3 MWC). Kickoff is set for 4:30 ET/2:30 MST at Arizona Stadium. The game can be seen on Barstool.TV with Jake Marsh, Dave Portnoy and Big Cat on the call; Caleb Pressley and Adam “Rone” Ferrone will be on the sideline. The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 15th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WYOMING
The Bobcats and the Cowboys met twice in consecutive seasons, 2007 and 2008. The Cowboys engineered a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Ohio, 34-33, in 2007. The following year, Ohio opened their season at Wyoming. The Cowboys pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback, defeating the
Bobcats 21-20.

SCOUTING WYOMING
Wyoming enters this matchup with the Bobcats with a 7-5 overall record and 5-3 against MWC opponents. Last time out, they fell to Fresno State, 30-0. Wyoming recorded 191 yards of total offense passing for 104 yards and rushing for 87 yards. Wyoming held Fresno State to only 297 yards of offense over 100 yards below their season average and 100 yards below their average yards passing per game at 183 for the night. The Cowboy defense was paced by Easton Gibbs with 12 tackles, as he went over 100 for the season becoming the 61st player in Wyoming history to record 100-plus tackles in a season. Oluwaseyi Omotosho recorded a career-high eight tackles including a sack. The Wyoming offense was paced by quarterback Andrew Peasley passing for 104 yards on 12-of-29 passing. Running back Titus Swen rushed for 75 yards going over 1,000 for the season. He is the 12th Cowboy to rush for 1,000 yards as that has been done 16 times. Wide receiver Josh Cobbs grabbed four passes for 23 yards. John Michael Gyllenborg recorded a career high three catches for 21 yards. Fresno State took the lead on the opening drive on a five-play, 66-yard drive ending in a four-yard run from Jordan Mims. Quarterback Jake Haener connected on a pair of passes for 33 yards on the drive to set up the score for the Bulldogs in the opening two minutes of the game. The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead with 2:17 left in the first quarter on a Haener touchdown pass to Nikko Remigio from six yards out. The eightplay, 41-yard drive just set up by a partially blocked punt. Haener passed for 38-yards on the drive. Fresno State got pressure once again and blocked another Clayton Stewart punt this time for a safety to take a 16-0 lead four minutes into the second quarter. Mims would add another touchdown following the free kick and took a 23-0 lead with 8:28 remaining in the opening frame. That would be the score going into halftime, as Wyoming was held to 73 yards of total offense. Mims would score his third touchdown of the game from two yards out for a 30-0 contest with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter. On the season, the Cowboys are averaging 20.8 points per game; their opponents have been averaging 23.4 points per game. Wyoming averages 187.8 rushing yards
per game, while putting up an average of 127.8 yards per game through the air.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio football program fell to the Toledo Rockets in the Mid-American Conference Championship, 17-7. In the air, redshirt sophomore Quarterback CJ Harris finished the game 17-for-31 on 163 yards. Redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura led with four receptions while junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones accumulated 38 yards on three catches. Bangura also led the team on the ground, scoring Ohio’s only touchdown. He finished the game with 20 carries on 56 yards. Defensively, graduate student cornerback Zack Sanders led with 10 tackles and one tackle for loss while sixth year safety Alvin Floyd had six solo tackles and redshirt senior linebacker Bryce Houston recorded two tackles for loss. The Rockets struck on the first drive, taking an early 7-0 lead. With 6:47 remaining in the half, Bangura scored with a two-yard rushing
touchdown. Freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos followed with a good kick, tying the game 7-7. Just before halftime, Toledo kicked a 44-yard field goal to take a 10-3 lead. After a scoreless third quarter, the Rockets wrapped up a 16-play, 90-yard drive with a passing touchdown, taking a 10-point lead with 10:36 left in the game. Unable to score again, the Bobcats fell at Ford Field, 17-7.

SCOUTING OHIO
Currently, the Bobcats are 9-4 overall and 7-1 in MAC play. They average 31.92 points, 138.9 rushing yards and 285.31 passing yards per game.
Quarterback CJ Harris made his first collegiate start against Bowling Green (Nov. 22); on the season, he is 32-for-64 with one touchdown on 393 yards in the air. On the ground, Sieh Bangura has net 940 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns, Nolan McCormick has 303 rushing yards on 81
attempts, while Harris has three touchdowns on 116 yards. Sam Wiglusz leads the receivers with 69 catches and 11 touchdowns on 850 yards. Jacoby Jones has five touchdowns on 732 yards while James Bostic currently has 592 yards, 32 receptions and one touchdown. Keye Thompson leads the defense with 96 tackles, 45 of which are solo. He has three pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Bryce Houston has 72 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries while Alvin Floyd is just behind him with 70 tackles
and five pass breakups. Jack Wilson has 38 punts on the season, accumulating 1410 yards and averaging 37.11 yards per punt while Jonah Wieland
has recorded 621 yards on 16 punts. In 81 kickoffs, Tristian Vandenberg has recorded 4,880 yards and 31 touchbacks. Nathanial Vakos continues his strong freshman season, going 19-for-23 on field goals and 48-for-49 on PATs. So far this season, he’s scored 105 points.

NO. 1 PASSING OFFENSE IN THE MAC
The Bobcats the Mid-American Conference in pass completion percentage (65.6), yards (3,709) and average yards per game (285.3).

WIGLUSZ & JONES GET 100 YARDS EACH
Against Akron, the Bobcats finished the game with two 100+ yard receivers: graduate student Sam Wiglusz and junior Jacoby Jones. This marks the first time Ohio has had two 100-yard receivers in a game since 2013 against Eastern Michigan.

FOUR TDs FOR BANGURA
Redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura was unstoppable on Saturday’s game against Akron, recording four total touchdowns. Bangura led the team on the ground with three rushing touchdowns on 16 attempts, accumulating 90 yards. In the air, he made the most of his one reception, recording a touchdown and 25 receiving yards. His performance earned him MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors (Oct. 10).

ROURKE ONE OF EIGHT QUARTERBACKS NAMED MANNING AWARD STARS OF THE WEEK
Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its “Stars of the Week.” Redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke earned this honor twice this season: first, for his performance in the Bobcats’ homecoming game against Akron (Oct. 8) and again for his performance against Buffalo (Nov. 1). Against Akron, Rourke finished the game 24-for27 with 427 yards in the air and three passing touchdowns, marking his fourth game over 300 yards. Against Buffalo, Rourke, who also ran for 45 yards, connected on three first-half touchdowns as the Bobcats build a 24-3 advantage on route to snapping Buffalo’s five-game winning streak in a 45-24 MAC victory. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting. Since the Manning Award started recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 464 different quarterbacks from 129 schools have been recognized. Sixty-seven players from 66 different schools were honored during the 2021 season.

WIGLUSZ GOES FOR 100
Graduate student wide receiver Sam Wiglusz cross a milestone in his Bobcat career against Kent State (Oct. 1), recording 115 receiving yards.
Wiglusz recorded six receptions and one touchdown, setting another personal record with a 71-yard reception.

MAPLE MISSILE MAKES HISTORY
Saturday (Sept. 24) was a record-setting night for redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Not only did he break his personal career records for pass attempts (50) and pass completions (41) while matching his career high for passing touchdowns (4), the redshirt junior set a new single-game program high with 537 passing yards, breaking a record that was set in 1983. On the ground, Rourke finished the night with 10
carries, 45 yards and one touchdown. This performance earned Rourke his second MAC East Offensive Player of the Week title.

BOBCATS OFFENSE SETS RECORD
In addition to Kurtis Rourke’s single-game program best 537 passing yards against Fordham, Ohio’s offense broke the program record for total offensive yards in a single game with 692 yards. The 2018 Bobcats previously held the title, going for 664 offensive yards against UMass in 2018.

WILBURN RETURNS FOR RECORD
In addition to the offensive records set against the Fordham Rams (Sept. 24), redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keegan Wilburn made history with the third-longest kickoff return for a touchdown in program history at 98 yards. Three Bobcats have recorded 100-yard kickoff returns and one Bobcat recorded a 99-yard kickoff return.

JONES LEADS RECEIVERS AGAINST FORDHAM
Junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones closed nonconference play with a milestone, receiving over 100 yards in one game as a Bobcat. He also scored his first Ohio touchdowns. Jones, who transferred from Northwest Mississippi Community College, finished the game with 104 receiving yards, six receptions and two touchdowns.

MAC EAST SPECIAL TEAMS POW
Kicker Nathanial Vakos has been named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season: once for her performance during his collegiate debut against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3) and again after his 55-yard field goal against Western Michigan (Oct. 15). Vakos kicked off his collegiate career with a perfect game against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3). The freshman was 2-for-2 on field goals, putting Ohio on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard kick. With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Vakos’ second field goal attempt hit its mark, this time from 36 yards. He was also 5-for-5 in his PAT attempts. Vakos had another successful game for the Bobcats against Western Michigan (Oct. 15), going 3-for-3 on PATs and 4-for-5 on field goals. The freshman’s strong game was highlighted by a 55-yard field goal, marking a personal career high as well as tying him for the third-longest field goal in program history. Kicker Tristian Vandenberg earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 3) after his performance against Kent State. Vandenberg kicked for five kickoff returns, going for 259 yards. He averaged 51.8 yards per kick and recorded one touchback.

MAC EAST OFFENSIVE POW
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week three times this season: once for his performance against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3), again for his record-setting outing against Fordham (Sept. 24) and most recently for his performance against Buffalo (Nov. 1). Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). The redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards and threw four touchdown passes, finishing the game 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total. Against Fordham (Sept. 24), not only did Rourke break his personal career records for pass attempts (50) and pass completions (41) while matching his career high for passing touchdowns (4), the redshirt junior set a new single-game program high with 537 passing yards, breaking a record that was set in 1983. On the ground, Rourke finished the night with 10 carries, 45 yards and one touchdown.
Against Buffalo (Nov. 1), Rourke led the Bobcats to a 45-24 victory over the Buffalo Bulls. The redshirt junior finished the game 20-for-29
with five passing touchdowns on 317 yards, marking the first Ohio quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game since 2008. On the ground, Rourke accumulated 45 yards on six carries. Running back Sieh Bangura earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week two consecutive times after his performances during the Bobcats’ homecoming game against Akron (Oct. 8) and during their first road victory of the season against Western Michigan (Oct. 15). With four touchdowns, Bangura’s stellar offensive performance led the Bobcats to a 55-34 homecoming victory over Akron. The redshirt freshman led the team on the ground with three rushing touchdowns on 16 attempts, accumulating 90 yards. In the air, he made the most of his one reception, recording a touchdown and 25 receiving yards. Quarterback CJ Harris earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his performance against Bowling Green (Nov. 22). In Harris’ first career start, he lead the Bobcats to a 38-14 victory over Bowling Green, clinching the MAC East title and a spot in the championship game. The redshirt sophomore set personal records in every category, highlighted by passing yards (196), rushing yards (65) and touchdowns (4). Three of Harris’ touchdowns were rushing and one was in the air.

STRONG DEBUT FOR VAKOS
Kicker Nathanial Vakos earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 5) after his collegiate debut in the Bobcats’ 2022 season opener. The freshman was 2-for-2 on field goals, putting Ohio on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard kick. With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Vakos’ second field goal attempt hit its mark, this time from 36 yards. He was also 5-for-5 in his PAT attempts.

SIEH BREAKS 100 YARDS
Running back Sieh Bangura kicked off the 2022 season with a milestone, rushing over 100 yards in one game for the first time in his collegiate
career. The redshirt freshman led the Bobcats with 114 net rushing yards, surpassing his total yards in the four games he played in during the 2021 season (93).

RECORD-SETTING DAY FOR ROURKE
Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). Rourke also broke multiple personal records, setting two career highs. The
redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards, surpassing his 308 yard record and threw four touchdown passes, beating his previous record of three. Overall, Rourke was 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total.

WYOMING COWBOYS NOTES:

Wyoming vs. Ohio Preview
• Wyoming will be making its fifth bowl appearance in the last seven seasons when it plays Ohio in the 2022 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Friday, Dec. 30. That is a school record.

• This year will be the second time the Cowboys have played in the Arizona Bowl. UW defeated Georgia State by a score of 38-17 in the 2019 Arizona Bowl.

• The Cowboys are looking for their fourth consecutive bowl victory having won the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowls and the 2019 Arizona Bowl. A win would mark the first time since the 1950s and ‘60s since Wyoming won four consecutive bowl games (1951 Gator Bowl and the 1956, ‘58 and ‘66 Sun Bowls).

• Wyoming and Ohio have played only twice previously, with the Cowboys coming away with one-point wins in both games — 34-33 in Athens, Ohio, in 2007 and 21-20 in Laramie, Wyo., in 2008.

• Ohio head coach Tim Albin worked with current Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl as assistants at Nebraska (2000-02) and Bohl hired Albin as his offensive coordinator at North Dakota State in 2004.

Wyoming Cowboys the Surprise
Team in the Mountain West in 2022: The Wyoming Cowboys were the surprise team of the 2002 season in the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming was picked to finish 5th in the Mountain Division in a preseason poll of conference media members. The Cowboys finished in 2nd place in the Mountain Division winning the tiebreaker vs. Utah State and Air Force. UW defeated every team but one in the Mountain Division — that one team being first place Boise State. No other team in the conference exceeded expectations like the Cowboys have, posting a 7-5 record and a 5-3 conference mark

Cowboys Earn Bowl Eligibility for the Sixth Time in Seven Seasons: The Wyoming Cowboys earned their sixth win of the 2022 season on Saturday, Oct. 29 with a 27-20 road victory over the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, and with that sixth win earned bowl eligibility for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. Under the direction of head coach Craig Bohl, Wyoming has appeared in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowls and the 2019 and 2022 Arizona Bowls. Wyoming was also bowl eligible in 2018 with a 6-6 record but did not receive a bowl bid. Coach Bohl and his coaching staff are the only coaching staff in school history to win three bowl games (2017, ‘19 and ‘21) and are the only coaching staff to take Wyoming to five bowl games in a seven-year time span (2016-22)

Comeback Cowboys — Wyoming Has Five Come-From-Behind Wins in 2022: This year’s Wyoming Cowboys have shown an ability to comeback to win games. Wyoming has come from behind in five games this season to record wins. In Wyoming’s home game vs. Tulsa on Sept. 3, the Pokes trailed 34-24 with 14:52 remaining in the contest. Wyoming would win the game in double overtime (40-37). Against Air Force on Sept. 16, the Cowboys faced a 14-10 deficit with 9:58 remaining in the game. Wyoming came away with a 17-14 victory. On Oct. 8, Wyoming trailed New Mexico 14-0 in the first quarter before the Cowboys came back to score 27 unanswered points to win 27-14 in Albuquerque, N.M. At Hawai’i on Oct. 29, UW fell behind 10-0 in the second quarter, before fighting back to record a 27-20 road win. In its road game at Colorado State on Nov. 12, the Pokes fell behind 10-0 in the first half before rallying for a 14-13 victory

Cowboy-Ohio Series History: This year’s meeting between Wyoming and Ohio will be the third in history. The 2022 Meeting Will be the: Third Overall Series Record: UW leads 2-0 Series Began: Sept. 22, 2007

UW Record in Laramie: 1-0
UW Record in on Road: 1-0
UW Record at Neutral Site: 0-0
Longest UW Win Streak: 2 (2007-08)
Longest Ohio Win Streak: NA
Largest UW Margin of Victory: 1 (2007 & ‘08)
Largest Ohio Margin of Victory: NA
Most Points Scored by UW: 34 (2007)
Most Points Scored by Ohio: 33 (2008)

Wyoming is 11-5 Against Teams from the Mid-American Conference: Since 1996 when the Wyoming Cowboys first played a Mid-American Conference team in Western Michigan, the Cowboys are 11-5 alltime against current teams from the MAC. UW is 5-3 against MAC foes in Laramie, 4-2 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites.

Dates Opponent Results
10/12/96 Western Michigan W, 42-28
9/16/00 Central Michigan W, 31-10
9/7/02 at Central Michigan L, 20-28
9/22/07 at Ohio W, 34-33
8/30/08 Ohio W, 21-10
9/27/08 Bowling Green L, 16-45
10/2/10 at Toledo W, 20-15
9/17/11 at Bowling Green W, 28-27
9/8/12 Toledo L, 31-34
9/12/15 Eastern Michigan L, 29-48
9/23/16 at Eastern Michigan L, 24-27
9/3/16 Northern Illinois W, 40-34 (3OT)
12/22/17 Central Michigan# W 37-14
9/11/21 at Northern Illinois W 50-43
9/18/21 Ball State W 45-12
12/21/21 Kent State# W 52-38

Indicates the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho

Potato Bowls
Series Records vs. MAC Teams
vs. Ball State 1-0
vs. Bowling Green 1-1
vs. Central Michigan 2-1
vs. Eastern Michigan 0-2
vs. Kent State 1-0
vs. Northern Illinois 2-0
vs. Ohio 2-0
vs. Toledo 1-1
vs. Western Michigan 1-0
Overall 11-5

About the Ohio Bobcats: The Ohio Bobcats won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division this season with a 9-4 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark. Ohio ended the regular season winning its last seven games before losing a close 17-7 game vs. Toledo in the MAC Championship Game. Ohio led the Mid-American Conference in offense for the 2022 season and ranked No. 39 in the nation, averaging 424.0 yards of total offense per game. The Bobcats passing game keys its offensive attack, averaging 285.4 passing yards per game to rank No. 1 in the MAC and No. 18 in the nation. Bobcat Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was named the winner of the MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award as the top player in the conference. Rourke was also named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. He unfortunately was injured in the Ball State game on Nov. 15 and was lost for the remainder of the season. Ohio head coach Tim Albin was also named the MAC Coach of the Year, and freshman running back Sieh Bangura was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.

Rangers agree to terms with free agent RHP Nathan Eovaldi on two-year contract with vesting player option for 2025 season

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Rangers agree to terms with free agent RHP Nathan Eovaldi on two-year contract with vesting player option for 2025 season

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers tonight announced that the club has agreed to terms with free agent right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (pronounced ee-VAHL-dee) on a two-year contract covering the 2023-24 seasons.  The deal also includes a vesting player option for the 2025 campaign.

Eovaldi completed a physical exam today in Arlington.  No financial terms were disclosed.  Details for a press conference next week to introduce Eovaldi will be announced in the coming days.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Eovaldi, right-handed pitcher Nick Mears has been designated for assignment.

“I’m elated that we have added another standout pitcher to our rotation in Nathan Eovaldi,” said Texas Rangers Executive Vice President & General Manager Chris Young. “Nathan has quality stuff and an unmatched work ethic, and he’ll provide a veteran presence to the staff. The depth of our starting pitching will be a real asset for the 2023 Texas Rangers.”

Eovaldi, who turns 33 in February, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA (47 ER/109.1 IP) over 20 games/starts for the Red Sox in 2022, including a 4-0 record and 2.64 ERA in 10 road starts.  His 2.64 road ERA finished as 9th-best in the American League (minimum 10 starts).  He also ranked among American League leaders (minimum 100.0 IP) in strikeouts per walk rate (8th, 5.15) and walks per 9 innings (9th, 1.65), posting a career-high 11 strikeouts on May 22 vs. Seattle.  He finished 2nd in the A.L. with 2 complete games, the first such outings of his career.  Eovaldi spent time on the Injured List last season with low back inflammation (June 9-July 14) and right shoulder inflammation (August 19-September 28).

Since the start of 2019, Eovaldi has induced misses on 26.1% of swings by opposing batters, the 9th-best rate in the American League over that span (minimum 400.0 IP).  He leads all A.L. pitchers since the start of 2020 (minimum 300.0 IP) in both walks per 9 innings (1.64) and strikeouts per walk (5.65).  An All-Star for the first time in his career in 2021, Eovaldi finished fourth that year in A.L. Cy Young Award voting behind Toronto’s Robbie Ray, New York-AL’s Gerrit Cole, and Chicago-AL’s Lance Lynn.  He has a career record of 67-68 with a 4.16 ERA over 240 games/221 starts with Los Angeles-NL (2011-12), Miami (2012-14), New York-AL (2015-16), Tampa Bay (2018), and Boston (2018-22).

Eovaldi saw extensive postseason action with Boston in both 2018 and 2021, going 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA over 11 games/6 starts.  He pitched in 3 of the 5 World Series games in the Red Sox’ 2018 championship run.  Eovaldi has been the Red Sox’ Opening Day starter in each of the last three seasons.  He has won both career starts in Arlington (2-0, 0.69), including a victory in his lone outing at Globe Life Field on April 30, 2021 (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB, 5 SO).  He joins Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as the only graduates of Alvin (TX) High School to reach the Major Leagues.

Mears was acquired by Texas via waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, December 23.  The 26-year-old spent the majority of the 2022 season on the Injured list after having arthroscopic surgery to clean up scar tissue in his right elbow on February 9, 2022.  The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright Mears to the minor leagues.

With today’s transactions, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the Major League roster.

CFB: Gator Bowl Preview – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) at South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)

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CFB: Gator Bowl Preview – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) at South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH NOTES:

SERIES HISTORY
• Notre Dame and South Carolina will be meeting for the fifth time and the first since 1984. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 3-1.

• The most recent meeting was 38 years ago, when the 11th-ranked Gamecocks edged Notre Dame 36-32 in Notre Dame Stadium in 1984.

BOWL HISTORY
• Notre Dame will be making its 41st bowl appearance in the 2022 Taxslayer Gator Bowl on December 30th. The Irish are 19-21 all-time in bowl games.

• The program earned its sixth consecutive bowl appearance this year and 11th in the last 12 seasons.

• Notre Dame’s first bowl appearance came in the 1925 Rose Bowl, the final game for the legendary Four Horsemen backfield. The Irish defeated Stanford 27-10, bolstered by eight Cardinal turnovers and two 70-yard interception returns by Notre Dame’s Elmer Layden.

• After the 1925 bowl game, Notre Dame would not appear in a postseason game again until the end of the 1969 season and the 1970 Cotton Bowl. The University chose not to add in an additional game on the schedule and until the 1968 season, the AP poll released its final rankings before the bowl games.

• The Irish will be making their fourth appearance the Gator Bowl and their first since 2002. Notre Dame is 1-2 all-time in the event, earning a victory over Penn State in 1976 and two losses to Georgia Tech (1998) and NC State (2002).

• Dick Corbett Head Coach Marcus Freeman will be leading the Irish into a bowl for the second time after being named head coach at Notre Dame in December of 2021. Last season the Irish lost an offensive shoot out 37-35 to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

STORYLINES
• Who starts at quarterback for the Irish? Sophomore Tyler Buchner earned the starting position for the Irish in the first two games of the season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the next 10 games. Drew Pyne started the next 10 games, helped the team to an 8-2 record but decided to enter the transfer portal in early December. Buchner has recovered from his injury and has returned to practice full time. It will be either his third career start against South Carolina, or freshman Steve Angeli, who backed up Pyne in the last 10 games but has yet to attempt a pass in his career, who will quarterback the Irish against South Carolina.

• The college football landscape has changed dramatically over the past three years and bowl games have begun to transition from an ‘end-of-the-year’ statement to a ‘start-of-the-next-season’ for programs across the country. While both teams are focused on ending the season on a high note, the Gator Bowl will also provide as much insight into the next iteration of both programs than an actual representation of the 2022 version of the Irish or the Gamecocks. Notre Dame will be without its starting quarterback for the last 10 games, its leading receiver (Michael Mayer, NFL draft prep), its leading sack artist (Isaiah Foskey, NFL draft prep) and one of this most talented cornerbacks (Cam Hart, injury)

IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Notre Dame will be playing on December 30 for just the second time in the history of the program against South Carolina. On December 30, 2014, the Irish defeated LSU 31-28 in the Music City Bowl.

4 – The Irish are looking to earn their fourth win over a AP Top 25 team this season. The last time the Irish defeated four ranked teams in a season was 2018 and the last first-year Notre Dame coach to claim four ranked victories was Terry Brennan in 1954.

6 – Football Outsiders features a ranking of NCAA special teams units across the country and the Gator Bowl features two of the top six units in the nation. Top-ranked South Carolina has blocked three kicks this season and is among the top six in the country in kick returns, punt returns and net punting. The Irish are sixth in the country according to Football Outsiders, first in the nation in blocked punts and 25th in net punting.

7 – Notre Dame has blocked a school-record (since 1937) and FBS-leading seven punts this season. The Irish blocked a punt in five-consecutive games (the streak ended against Boston College), which is the longest such stretch in the FBS since 2012. The seven blocked punts are the most for a Power Five team since 2008.

11 – Sophomore running back Audric Estimé has rushed for 11 touchdowns this season, becoming just the ninth Irish running back to reach that mark in a single year since 1996.

30 – Notre Dame is 7-0 this season when it possesses the ball for 30 or more minutes – peaking at 40:55 of possession time against BYU. The Irish were held under 30 minutes in their four losses against Ohio State (27:01), Marshall (29:13), Stanford (23:53) and Southern Cal (24:37).

61 – Graduate student safety Houston Griffith, who owns 33 tackles this season and 104 in his career, will establish a new Notre Dame record for games played when he appears against South Carolina. Griffith is currently tied with Kurt Hinish at 61 career games played.

200 – Notre Dame rushed for 281 yards in the victory over Boston College – the team’s final home game of the season – which was the sixth time the Irish surpassed 200 yards rushing in 2022. Notre Dame is 105-10 (.913) since 1996 when it rushes for 200 yards or more.

A NOTEWORTHY VICTORY
Notre Dame’s 35-14 victory over No. 5/5 Clemson (who was ranked No. 4 in the College Football Rankings) on November 2 was noteworthy in many different ways (utilizing AP rankings)-

• It was the first victory over a top-five opponent since the Irish defeated No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime on Nov. 7, 2020.

• It marked just the third time a first-year Notre Dame head coach has defeated a top-five ranked team. Terry Brennan took down No. 4 Texas 21-0 in his first game as a head coach with the Irish on Sept. 25, 1954. Charlie Weis’ 2005 team defeated No. 3 Michigan 17-10 in Michigan Stadium on September 10.

• It was the third victory over a ranked team this season for Marcus Freeman, joining the wins over No. 16/16 BYU and No. 16/16 Syracuse. Only Terry Brennan in 1954 (four) has more ranked victories in a debut season at Notre Dame.

• It was the first victory over the No. 5 team since the 22nd-ranked Irish defeated No. 5 Michigan 36-20 on Sept. 5, 1998.

• It was the first victory over a top-five team by an unranked Irish squad since 1982 when Gerry Faust’s squad shocked top-ranked Pittsburgh 31-16 in Pitt Stadium.

• It was the largest margin of victory (21 points) over a top-five team since the 38-10 victory over No. 5 Southern Cal in October of 1995 by Lou Holtz’s 17th-ranked Irish.

• It was only the fourth top-five victory for the Irish since 1996.

• It was the first time Notre Dame has posted back-to-back wins over ranked teams since 2018 (No. 7 Stanford, No. 24 Virginia Tech).

IRISH RUNNING BACKS FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES
It might be possible to argue that Notre Dame fields one of the most consistent running back rooms in the country. Audric Estimé (5.8), Logan Diggs (4.8) and Chris Tyree (4.5) are all averaging over 4.5 yards-per-carry behind Notre Dame’s talented offensive line.

• Diggs and Estimé have combined for six 100-yard rushing performances, each posting more than one this season (Estimé has three).

• Notre Dame and Ohio State are the only two Power 5 teams in the country with three running backs who posted 95 or more carries this sesason – Estimé (142), Diggs (152) and Tyree (95).

• Those three backs could become the first group of 100-carry backs for the first time since 1995 when Randy Kinder (143), Marc Edwards (140) and Autry Denson (137) all reached 100 carries.

• Estimé (825) and Diggs (732) could both reach 800 yards rushing this season, which would be the first time two Irish running backs have reached that statistical plateau since Josh Adams and C.J. Prosise in 2015.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS NOTES:

Series Capsule
Series History…………………………………………..ND leads 3-1
In Columbia………………………………………………ND leads 2-0
In South Bend……………………………………… Series Tied 1-1
At Neutral Sites ……………………………………………Never Met
First Meeting (1976 in Columbia) ……….ND 13, SC 6
Last Meeting (1984 in South Bend) …SC 36, ND 32
Beamer vs. Notre Dame…………………………………………. 0-0
Freeman vs. South Carolina………………………………….. 0-0

Series Superlatives
Most Points – South Carolina …………………..36 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Most Points – Notre Dame ……………………….32 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Most Points – Combined ………………………….68 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Biggest Margin Victory – S. Carolina ………….4 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Biggest Margin Victory – Notre Dame……24 (1983)
ND 30, SC 6
Longest Winning Streak – SC……………………….1 (1984)
Longest Winning Streak – ND……………….3 (1977-83)
Current Streak………………………..SC has won 1 in a row

A South Carolina win over Notre Dame would…
Give the Gamecocks a school-record fourth win over a ranked opponent this season. Carolina has already defeated No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Clemson and No. 13 Kentucky in 2022.

Give the Gamecocks a nine-win season for the first time since 2017.

Guarantee the Gamecocks a top-25 finish in the national polls for the first time since the 2013 season when they finished fourth in the AP poll.

Give the Gamecocks their seventh bowl win in their last nine bowl appearances.

Give the Gamecocks their 11th bowl win in 25 bowl games.

Give the Gamecocks a three-game winning streak to end the season for the first time since 2013 when they won the final six games of the campaign.

Make Shane Beamer the first coach in Carolina history to lead his team to a bowl win in each of his first two seasons.

Give Shane Beamer his 16th win as the Gamecocks’ head coach, the most wins recorded by Carolina coach in his first two seasons.

MAKING A POINT: The Gamecocks had a record-setting performance in their 63-38 win over No. 5 Tennessee on Nov. 19:
It was the second-highest point total scored by Carolina in an SEC game behind only the 65 tallied against Mississippi State in 1995.

It was the most points by a Carolina team against a top-5 opponent. The previous high was 35, done several times, most recently against No.
2 Clemson in 2018.

It was the most points scored by an unranked team against an A.P. top-5 opponent in the poll era (since 1936).

It was the most points by an unranked SEC team vs a ranked SEC team ever in regulation.

It was the most points ever allowed by Tennessee in an SEC game.

In addition, the Gamecocks logged 35 first downs. That set a new school single-game record, surpassing the old mark of 34, set against Mississippi State in 1995 and matched against Vanderbilt in 2001.

IT JUST MEANS MORE: The Gamecocks are 40-12 in their last 52 non-conference games, a .769 winning percentage, with seven of the 12 losses coming against Clemson. The Gamecocks are 4-0 against non-conference foes this season after wins over Georgia State, Charlotte, South Carolina State and Clemson. Under head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are 8-1 in non-conference games.

NO NAIL BITING HERE: The Gamecocks have played just two games that were decided by a touchdown or less, a 34-28 win over Texas A&M, and the Aggies had to score with just 10 seconds left to make that a one-score game, and a 31-30 win at Clemson. The only other contest that was decided by 10 points or less was a 24-14 win over Kentucky. The average margin of victory in the Gamecocks’ 12 games played is 20.8 points.

NEVER LOOK BACK: The Gamecocks are 7-0 this season when scoring first and 12-1 when scoring first in the Shane Beamer Era. Oddly, in its eight SEC contests this season, Carolina was not involved in a game in which there was a lead change.

TURNOVERS WIN GAMES: After recording just one takeaway through the season’s first three games while posting a 1-2 record, Carolina recorded 10
turnovers in its next four contests, all wins, including back-to-back three-interception games versus Charlotte and South Carolina State, marking the first time since 2013 that they recorded three INTs in back-to-back games. The Gamecocks are 7-0 when winning or breaking even in the turnover battle and 1-4 when committing more turnovers.

TO Gained TO Lost +/-
8 Wins 19 14 +5
4 Losses 1 11 -10
Total 20 25 -5

THE STATE OF OUR DEFENSE: In their last game, the Gamecocks started nine players on defense who graduated from South Carolina high schools. The only outliers were LB Sherrod Greene (North Carolina) and EDGE Gilber Edmond (Florida).

IN THE POLLS: South Carolina is ranked 20th in the latest AP poll. It’s the highest the Gamecocks have been ranked since they were No. 13 in September of 2014. With a TaxSlayer Bowl win over Notre Dame, the Gamecocks would assure themselves of finishing in the AP Top-25 for the first time since they were ranked No. 4 at the end of the 2013 season, their highest finish ever.

QUICKLY: The South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) in the 78th TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The game will be played at TIAA Bank Field (67,164) in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.

YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: ESPN has the national television broadcast with Taylor Zarzour handling the play-by-play, Matt Stinchcomb providing the analysis and Alyssa Lang working the sidelines. The national radio broadcast will be presented by Touchdown Radio, with Frank Frangie and Gino Torretta on the call. Todd Ellis is the play-by-play voice of the Gamecock Radio Network with Tommy Suggs, who is wrapping up his 50th year in the booth, providing the color commentary. Jamar Nesbit patrols the sidelines for the Network.

GOING BOWLING: The Gamecocks are appearing in their 25th bowl game. They own a 10-14 mark in the previous 24 contests. Carolina has posted a 10-6 mark in its last 16 bowl contests after dropping its first eight bowl games. Most recently, the Gamecocks rolled to a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl for their sixth win in their last eight bowl appearances.

GOOD TO BE BACK: This will mark the Gamecocks’ fifth trip to the Jacksonville and the Gator Bowl, but the first since 1987. The Gamecocks are still looking for their first Gator Bowl win. South Carolina’s very first bowl game was the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 1946, when the Gamecocks dropped a 26-14 decision to Wake Forest. South Carolina also lost the 1980 Gator Bowl to Pittsburgh by a 37-7 score, the 1984 Gator Bowl to Oklahoma State by a 21-14 margin, and the 1987 Gator Bowl to LSU, a 30-13 setback.

WHERE THE GAMECOCKS STAND: The Gamecocks were ranked 19th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, 20th in the Associated Press poll and 19th in the AFCA Coaches poll. Carolina finished the 2022 regular season on a high note, knocking off a pair of top-10 teams in No. 5 Tennessee, 63-38 and No. 7 Clemson, 31-30, in its last two games. After opening the season with a 1-2 mark, the Gamecocks won seven of their final nine contests, including three over ranked opponents. The Gamecocks are looking to finish the season ranked for the first time since they were No. 4 at the end of the 2013 season.

GAMECOCKS VS. IRISH: The Gamecocks and Irish have met four previous times on the gridiron, but have not faced each other since 1984. Notre Dame won each of the first three meetings – a 13-6 win in Columbia in 1976, an 18-17 victory in South Bend in 1979, and a 30-6 win in Columbia in 1983. The Gamecocks exacted some revenge with a 36-32 win in South Bend during the 1984 season, the last time the two teams met.

SCOUTING THE IRISH: Notre Dame (8-4) finished the regular season ranked 21st in the CFP Rankings, 19th in the A.P. poll and 20th in the Coaches’ poll. After opening the season with a pair of losses and standing at just 3-3 at the midway point, the Irish went on a five-game winning streak before falling to Southern Cal in their regular season finale.

THE HEAD COACH: Marcus Freeman is in his first season guiding the Fighting Irish. He was hired as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in January of 2021 as part of Brian Kelly’s staff, then was promoted to become the 30th head coach in school history in December of 2021. He is 8-5 overall and 0-1 in bowl games after falling to Oklahoma State in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl.

COMMON OPPONENT: Both South Carolina and Notre Dame can claim a victory over Clemson this season, the only two losses the Tigers suffered in 2022 Notre Dame handed Clemson a 35-14 setback in South Bend on Nov. 5, then the Gamecocks upset the Tigers in Clemson by a 31-30 score in the regular-season finale to capture the Palmetto Bowl.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: South Carolina stunned Notre Dame, 36-32, in South Bend on Oct. 20, 1984, achieving its best start in the school’s history with a 6-0 record. The loss dropped Notre Dame to 3-4 and marked the first time since 1956 that the Irish had lost three-consecutive home games. Mike Hold played most of the second half at quarterback in relief of Allen Mitchell, and led the Gamecocks from a 12-point deficit. Hold hit 5-of-9 passes for 67 yards, and ran 15 times for 72 yards. Notre Dame held a 26-14 lead, but Hold rallied South Carolina with a 63-yard drive topped by a 1-yard scoring run and a Kent Hagood 2-point conversion, cutting the lead to 26-22 with 14 minutes to play. Five minutes later, Hold dropped back to pass, evaded the rush and ran 33 yards up the middle behind a block by the wide receiver Eric Poole for the touchdown and a 29-26 lead. A 4-yard touchdown by Quinton Lewis after a Notre Dame fumble stretched the lead to 36-26.

CFB: Sun Bowl Preview – Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) at UCLA Bruins (9-3)

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CFB: Sun Bowl Preview – Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) at UCLA Bruins (9-3)

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS NOTES:

Game Storylines
The 2022 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl marks Pitt’s 37th all-time postseason appearance and sixth under the direction of Coach Pat Narduzzi.

Pitt and UCLA will meet for the first time in 50 years. The Panthers and Bruins last played on Sept. 16, 1972, a 38-28 UCLA win in Pitt Stadium.

This will be Pitt’s fifth postseason trip to El Paso. The Panthers are 2-2 all-time in the “Sun City,” most recently dropping a 14-13 decision to Stanford in 2018.

Pitt enters the postseason riding a four-game winning streak. A victory over UCLA would give Pitt nine wins on the season and an enhanced Top 25 résumé.

Pitt last closed a year with at least five consecutive wins in 2001 (winning six straight, including the Tangerine Bowl).

A victory in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl would give Pitt a ninth win on the year and 20 over the past two seasons. The Panthers have not achieved 20 wins over a two-year span since 1981-82.

Since 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed Pitt to 41 victories in ACC play, the second-highest win total during that span. Pitt trails only Clemson (60).

Pitt is 23-27 all-time against current members of the Pac-12, including 5-9 against UCLA.

Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly were on the same New Hampshire staffs during the 1992 and 1994-97 seasons.

Pat Narduzzi was a defensive coach at Rhode Island from 1993-99, annually facing Kelly’s New Hampshire offensive units.

Pitt-UCLA History in Brief
Series Began: 1958
Series Overall: UCLA leads 9-5
At Pittsburgh: UCLA leads 4-2
At UCLA: UCLA leads 5-3
Bowl Series: 0-0
(First bowl meeting)
Last Meeting at Pitt: Sept. 16, 1972
(UCLA 38, Pitt 28)
Last Meeting at UCLA: Sept. 11, 1971
(Pitt 29, UCLA 25)
Current Series Win Streak:
UCLA has won 1 (1972)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak:
2 games (twice)
Longest UCLA Series Win Streak:
6 games (1964, 1966-70)
Largest Pitt Margin of Victory:
21 points (27-6, 1958)
Largest UCLA Margin of Victory:
56 points (63-7, 1968)

SERIES NOTES
This is the 15th meeting between Pitt and UCLA in a series that dates back to 1958…the Panthers and Bruins will be playing for the first time since 1972…UCLA leads the series, 9-5, and won the last meeting, 38-28, in Pitt Stadium…Pitt is 2-4 at home and 3-5 on the road against the Bruins…Pitt and UCLA met every year between 1958 and 1972 with the exception of the 1965 season…this is the first postseason encounter between the schools…Pitt owns a 23-27 record against current members of the Pac-12 Conference…the Panthers last played a Pac-12 team in 2018, a 14-13 loss to Stanford in the Sun Bowl.

SERIES GAME-BY-GAME
UCLA LEADS SERIES, 9-5
DATE H/A PITT UCLA
Sept. 20, 1958 A 27 6
Oct. 3, 1959 H 25 21
Sept. 17, 1960 A 7 8
Oct. 21, 1961 A 6 20
Oct. 20, 1962 H 8 6
Sept. 20, 1963 A 20 0
Sept. 12, 1964 H 12 17
Sept. 17, 1966 A 14 57
Sept. 23, 1967 H 8 40
Sept. 21, 1968 A 7 63
Sept. 20, 1969 A 8 42
Sept. 19, 1970 H 15 24
Sept. 11, 1971 A 29 25
Sept. 16, 1972 H 28 38
Games won by Pitt in bold

PITT vs. THE PAC-12
TEAM SERIES LAST MEETING
Arizona 1-0 1979 (Fiesta Bowl: Pitt won, 16-10)
Arizona State 0-1 1973 (Fiesta Bowl: ASU won, 28-7)
California 3-2 1966 (Cal won, 30-15)
Colorado 0-0 Never played
Oregon 2-2 1965 (Oregon won, 17-15)
Oregon State 1-1 2008 (Sun Bowl: OSU won, 3-0)
Stanford 2-2 2018 (Sun Bowl: Stanford won, 14-13)
UCLA 5-9 1972 (UCLA won, 38-28)
USC 4-6 1974 (USC won, 16-7)
Utah 0-3 2011 (Utah won, 26-14)
Washington 4-1 1979 (Pitt won, 26-14)
Washington State 1-0 1995 (Pitt won, 17-13)
TOTAL 23-27

TEAM NOTES
ACC EXCELLENCE:
Since taking over as Pitt’s head coach in 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed the Panthers to 41 victories in ACC play, the second-highest win total during that span. The Panthers trail only Clemson (60).

Since 2015, Narduzzi is one of only two coaches with multiple victories over Clemson. He is 2-2 against the Tigers with wins in 2016 (43-42) and 2021 (27-17). The other coach is Alabama’s Nick Saban, who is also 2-2 against Clemson during that span.

Pitt’s 2021 ACC championship marked the first outright conference title in program history. Pitt twice shared the Big East championship (2004 and 2010).

WINNING STRETCH:
Dating back to the 2020 season, Pitt has won 22 of its past 30 games. That span includes a 3-1 mark to close the 2020 season, last year’s 11-3 record and an 8-4 mark this year.

It is Pitt’s winningest stretch since 2001-03, when Walt Harris’ Panthers went 23-7 over a 30-game span.

ALL-TIME BOWL HISTORY:
Pitt has played in 36 prior bowl games in its history, compiling a 14-22 record.

Pitt’s last bowl victory came in the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, a 34-30 victory over Eastern Michigan at Detroit’s Ford Field.

The Panthers are making their fifth appearance in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl and have a 2-2 record in the game.

TOP 25 VICTORIES:
Under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt has defeated at least one Top 25 team in seven consecutive seasons.

The Panthers’ most recent victory over a nationally ranked foe occurred on Nov. 5, when they defeated No. 22 Syracuse, 19-9

BIG ACC WINS:
Pitt closed the regular season with an undefeated month of November (4-0), including lopsided road victories at Virginia (37-7) and Miami (42-16).

UCLA BRUINS NOTES:

THE MATCHUP
UCLA, ranked No. 18 in each of the three major polls following the end of the regular season, takes on Pittsburgh in the 89th Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, to be televised by CBS at 11 a.m. PT. The Bruins will be making their fifth trip to El Paso, Texas (also 2013, 2005, 2000 and 1991). The Bruins feature the third-best total offense in the nation, churning out an average of 507.8 yards per game to go with the fourth-best rushing offense overall (246.3). Pitt owns the nation’s No. 17 total defense allowing an average of 319.7 yards per contest and the country’s seventh-best rushing defense (95.5). The Bruin IMG Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over Bowl Season Radio, SiriusXM and the Varsity App. The Bruins finished the regular season by posting their ninth victory of the season at California Nov. 25 and take aim at matching the school record for wins in El Paso. Nine previous UCLA teams have won 10 games in a season. The most recent team to reach 10 wins was the 2014 group, which went 10-3 after prevailing at the Valero Alamo Bowl.

MEET THE BRUINS
Fifth-year head coach Chip Kelly was named UCLA’s head football coach Nov. 25, 2017. Kelly owns a collegiate record of 73-35 (0-0 versus Pittsburgh) compiled in four-plus seasons at UCLA and four more as head coach at University of Oregon (2009-2012). During that span in Eugene, Ore., his Duck teams captured first or a share of first in the North Division of the conference — including three straight outright championships from 2009-2011 — and made four appearances in BCS bowl games. Kelly guided Oregon to the national championship game (2010), two Rose Bowls (after 2011, 2009 seasons) and the Fiesta Bowl after the 2012 season. He was named the 2009 and 2010 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 2010 Sporting News Coach of the Year, 2010 AFCA Coach of the Year and 2010 Associated Press Coach of the Year. UCLA has added six new assistant coaches to Kelly’s staff for 2022: Tim Drevno (OL), Jeff Faris (TEs), Chad Kauha’aha’a (DL), Ikaika Malloe (OLBs, special teams coordinator), Bill McGovern (defensive coordinator) and Ken Norton Jr. ILBs). Transfers who have joined the 2022 team include: WR Jake Bobo (Duke), WR Ryan Cragun (Pennsylvania), DB Jaylin Davies (Oregon), OL Liam Douglass (USC), DB Azizi Hearn (Wyoming), QB Sean Holland (Fordham), OL Jaylan Jeffers (Oregon), LB Laiatu Latu (Washington), WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (UCF), LB Darius Muasau (Hawai’i), DL Gabriel Murphy (North Texas), DL Grayson Murphy (North Texas), OL Raiqwon O’Neal (Rutgers), DL Gary Smith III (Duke) and DL Jacob Sykes (Harvard).

AT A GLANCE
• UCLA (9-3) is looking to win 10 games for the first time since 2014 while becoming the 10th team in school history to tie the school record for wins in a season (previously 2014, 2013, 2005, 1998, 1997, 1988, 1987, 1982 and 1946).

• UCLA most recently played in a bowl game at the December 2017 Cactus Bowl. UCLA’s most recent bowl win came against Kansas State in the January 2015 Alamo Bowl.

• UCLA and Pittsburgh have met 14 times on the gridiron, with UCLA holding a 9-5 edge … the most recent meeting came in 1972, when QB Mark Harmon led the Bruins to a 38-28 win.

• UCLA came in at No. 18 in the final regular-season AP Top 25 … UCLA was ranked every week during November and December, a program first since 2014.

• QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is one of two players in the FBS who has thrown for at least 25 touchdowns and run for at least 11 more (also Oregon’s Bo Nix).

• UCLA is one of four teams in the country (also Tennessee, Oregon and Washington) averaging at least 500 yards of total offense per game in 2022. The Bruins have exceeded the 500-yard mark in a game seven times this season (541 at California, 513 against USC, 571 at Arizona State, 523 versus Stanford, 502 versus Utah, 515 at Colorado and 626 versus Bowling Green).

• The Bruins are the only FBS team to have eclipsed 2,900 rushing yards while throwing for more than 3,100 yards this season.

• Thompson-Robinson rates fifth in the nation with a completion percentage of .698, is seventh in points responsible for (226) and ranks 17th nationally in passing efficiency at 156.6.

• UCLA is fourth in the nation in rushing offense (246.3 yards per game) and has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of its last five games and nine times overall this season … a UCLA team most recently rushed for more than 200 yards in nine games during the 1995 campaign … the last time one did so in nine regular season games was 1976 (10 plus a bowl game).

• Thompson-Robinson needs to throw for 285 yards to move past current all-time school passing yards leader Cade McNown (1995-98), who threw for 10,708 yards in his Bruin career. Thompson-Robinson finished the regular season with 10,424 passing yards, moving past Brett Hundley (2011-14) and into second place during the USC game.

• This season, Thompson-Robinson has become the program’s all-time leader in total offense (12,236 yards), completions (844), touchdown passes (86), quarterback starts (47) and touchdowns accounted for (113).

• DB Stephan Blaylock and OL Atonio Mafi each played in his 55th career game at California to up the school record for games played.

• RB Zach Charbonnet leads the nation in all-purpose yards (168.00 per game) … he had a streak of 10 straight Pac-12 games played with at least one score and eight straight with 100 yards gained snapped against USC … he leads the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (135.9) and has eight 100-yard rushing games this season … he is the only Pac-12 performer averaging more than 100 yards a game on the ground this season … he is averaging 6.97 yards per carry this season, which is fourth in the nation.

MOST RECENT MEETINGS
In the most recent meeting of the programs, UCLA followed up a season-opening 20-17 win against two-time defending national champion Nebraska with a 38-28 verdict over Pittsburgh on Sept. 16, 1972. Quarterback Mark Harmon opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run. The Bruins racked up 406 rushing yards on the day while running for five scores. They held off a Pitt rally after jumping out to a 24-0 halftime advantage. James McAlister (1 yard) and Rob Scribner (63 yards) found the end zone in the first half, while Kermit Johnson (60 yards) and Gary Campbell (3 yards) crossed the goal line in the second. Efren Herrera added a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter to complete the Bruin scoring.

TEAM NOTES
• UCLA has captured wins in eight of its past 10 games played away from Rose Bowl Stadium.

• UCLA (6,094) has reached the 6,000-yard mark in total offense for just the fourth time in school history … 6,531 yards in 2012 is the school record … it had most recently reached the 6,000-yard mark for a season in 2015 (6,055).

• UCLA (3,138) has surpassed the 3,000-yard mark in rushing offense for just the fifth time in school history … 4,403 yards in 1973 is the school record … it had most recently reached the 3,000-yard mark for a season in 1976 (3,978).

• UCLA has 3,138 passing yards and 2,956 rushing yards. No other FBS team had reached both totals through the end of the regular season.

• UCLA is averaging 507.8 yards of offense this season … the school record for a season is 487.25, set in 1998.

• This would be the seventh season out of nine that a Chip Kelly-coached team has averaged better than 200 yards rushing for a season … it would be the fifth time one of his teams has ranked among the top 10 rushing offenses.

• UCLA is averaging 39.6 points per game … it has averaged 40 points per game for a season twice before — 42.7 in 1973 and 40.8 in 1954.

• Top-20 Bruin NCAA rankings: Total Offense – third (507.8 yards per game), Rushing Offense – fourth (246.3 yards per game), Completion Percentage – fourth (.698), 3rd Down Conversion Pct – sixth (.510), Scoring Offense – 10th (39.6 points per game), Team Passing Efficiency – 15th (156.77), Tackles For Loss Allowed – 18th (4.25 per game).

• UCLA has forced at least one turnover in 13 of its past 15 games … the Bruins have forced a total of one turnover in their three 2022 losses … UCLA is +27 turnovers in wins and -29 in losses overall under head coach Chip Kelly… in 2021, UCLA was +5 in turnovers for the season, but committed seven of its 14 turnovers in its four 2021 losses … in its four 2020 losses, UCLA committed 12 of its 13 turnovers on the season.

• UCLA’s turnover margin is +8 in games it has won this season and -5 in losses.

• The Bruins are ranked third in the NCAA (second in Pac-12) in total offense (507.8 yards per game) … UCLA compiled 626 yards of total offense in its win against Bowling Green, the most since it racked up 657 in a 2019 comeback win at Washington State. Three times in Coach Kelly’s Bruin tenure has one of his teams recorded 600 or more yards (also 609 at USC in 2021).

• UCLA is rated 88th in the nation (sixth in Pac-12) in total defense (399.8 yards per game) … it held BGSU to 162 yards of total offense in the opener (39 rushing, 125 passing) … it marked the first time UCLA held a team under 200 yards since its 2020 game against California (176). The last time a UCLA defense limited an opponent to fewer than 162 yards of total offense was 2008, when Arizona State gained 122 yards (21 rushing, 101 passing).

• UCLA has scored eight touchdowns of 50 or more yards this season after producing three in 2021. Against BGSU, the the Bruins registered a Dorian Thompson-Robinson 68-yard run, a 52-yard catch and run by Keegan Jones from Thompson-Robinson and a 50-yard strike from Ethan Garbers to Josiah Norwood.The Bruins added a 70-yard pass play from Thompson-Robinson to Logan Loya against Utah. Kazmeir Allen raced 72 yards against Stanford and 75 more at Arizona State. Hudson Habermehl scored on a 51-yard pass play versus Arizona. Allen caught a 55-yard scoring pass against USC.

• UCLA was listed No. 18 in the final College Football Playoff rankings Dec. 4. It was the program’s 16th appearance in the ranking. The highest UCLA has ever been placed in the CFP rankings is No. 8 (Nov. 25, 2014).

• Eleven true freshmen have seen action for the Bruins this season. Two saw action in the opener: RBs T.J. Harden and
Carsen Ryan. Nine more saw action in Game 2 against Alabama State: P Chase Barry, WR Jadyn Marshall, RB Jack Pedersen, WR Braden Pegan, DB Kamari Ramsey, WR Elijah Rodriguez, DB Clint Stephens, DB Croix Stewart and LB Jalen Woods.

• The following 10 players made their first starts as Bruins against BGSU: WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, WR Jake Bobo, OT Raiqwon O’Neal, DB Devin Kirkwood, LB Grayson Murphy, LB Gabriel Murphy, LB Kain Medrano, DB Azizi Hearn, LB Darius Muasau and DL Jay Toia.

• TE Hudson Habermehl made his first start against Alabama State. CB John Humphrey made his initial start at Colorado. DL Dovid Magna started for the first time versus Washington. DL Gary Smith III made his first Bruin start versus Stanford. WR Logan Loya was part of the starting lineup for the first time at Arizona State. DB Alex Johnson made his first career start against Arizona.

• Seeing their first action as Bruins in the Alabama State contest were QB Chase Artopoeus, K Joseph Firebaugh Jr., LS Beau Gardner, RB Christian Grubb, DL Hayden Harris, OL Jaylan Jeffers, DB D.J. Justice, K Ari Libenson, RB Deshun Murrell, LB Erich Osteen, DL Quintin Somerville, TE Sam Summa and true-freshmen RB Jack Pedersen, WR Braden Pegan, DB Kamari Ramsey, WR Elijah Rodriguez, DB Clint Stephens, DB Croix Stewart, LB Jalen Woods and P Chase Barry. In the opener, versus BGSU, 16 players saw their first action as Bruins off the bench: DL Jacob Sykes, LB Hayden Nelson, DL Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi, TE Grant Norberg, DL Gary Smith III, OL Benjamin Roy Jr., LB Carson Schwesinger, LB James Dinneen, DB Kaleb Tuliau, DB Isaiah Newcombe, DB Jaylin Davies, QB/holder Sean Holland, WR Ryan Cragun, LB Laiatu Latu and true-freshmen RBs T.J. Harden and Carsen Ryan.

DTR BACK FOR MORE
• Over the past 14 games, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has completed passes at a .699 clip (285-408) while throwing for 3,396 yards, 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions … he has run 136 times for 779 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns.

• Thompson-Robinson is rated fifth in the nation (second in Pac-12) in completion percentage (.698) and 17th (third in Pac-12) in passing efficiency (156.6). Last season, Thompson-Robinson paced Pac-12 players in total offense (274.4 yards per game), passing efficiency (153.9), passing yards per completion (13.7) and points responsible for per game (16.5).

• With his 21 completions at California, Thompson-Robinson moved past Brett Hundley (837 from 2011-14) and became the all-time school leader with 844.

• Thompson-Robinson started his 47th career game at Cal to up his school-leading total for all-time quarterback starts.

• Thompson-Robinson became the school’s all-time leader in touchdowns accounted for (passing, receiving and rushing) on a 1-yard run in the second quarter against USC. That touchdown was the 107th of his career, which moved him past Hundley, who totaled 106 touchdowns in his Bruin career. Thompson-Robinson finished with six touchdowns accounted for against USC. He enters the bowl game with a career total of 113.

• Thompson-Robinson became UCLA’s all-time leader in total offense against USC, as he moved past Hundley (11,713). Thompson-Robinson became the first Bruin to reach the 12,000-yard mark in total offense at Cal and finished that game with 12,236 career yards of total offense.

• Thompson-Robinson has elevated to second on the school list in career passing yards (10,424), with school leader Cade McNown (1995-98) currently at the top of that list at 10,708 … Thompson-Robinson (86) is the all-time school leader for touchdown passes. He moved past Hundley (75) in this year’s Utah game.

• Thompson-Robinson has 11 rushing touchdowns this season … the UCLA single-season leaders are John Sciarra (1975) and Gary Beban (1965), with 14 each … Thompson-Robinson has rushed for 631 yards this season … Jeff Dankworth (1976) holds the school mark at 815. Thompson-Robinson has 27 career rushing scores. Beban is first on that list with 35.

• Thompson-Robinson rushed for a career-high 120 yards at Arizona State for his third-career 100-yard rushing game. He now has 1,812 rushing yards and sits second on the all-time UCLA quarterback rushing list. Sciarra (1972-75) is first at 1,813.

• UCLA is 15-4 in games Thompson-Robinson has run for at least one touchdown.

• Thompson-Robinson’s year-by-year passing efficiency: 2022 – 156.6, 2021 – 153.9, 2020 – 156.3, 2019 – 134.9, 2018 – 122.3 … the Bruin starting quarterback who most recently posted a higher rating than Thompson-Robinson’s 2020 mark of 156.29 for a full season was Drew Olson in 2005 (161.6). The school record for a season is McNown’s 168.6 mark in 1997.

ON OFFENSE
• UCLA is one of four teams nationally averaging more than 500 yards of total offense per game (507.8) this season. Head coach Chip Kelly had three Oregon teams accomplish that feat (2012 – 537.4, 2011 – 522.8 and 2010 – 530.7).

• UCLA has 3,138 passing yards and 2,956 rushing yards. No other FBS team had reached both totals through the end of the regular season.

• WR Jake Bobo is tied for sixth in the league with seven touchdown receptions … he is 10th in the Pac-12 in both yards per game (65.75) and receiving yards (789) … he caught a season-high eight passes (UCLA career high) at UO, adding 101 receiving yards and a touchdown … it was his second 100-yard game of this season (also 142 against Washington) … he had a total of three touchdown catches in his four-year career at Duke. Bobo had two scoring catches each against Utah and UW. He is averaging 14.6 yards per catch on his 54 receptions as a Bruin for the season.

• WR Kazmeir Allen is second on the team with 49 catches on the season … Allen hauled in 10 receptions against Bowling Green to become the 24th Bruin to make at least 10 catches in a game.

• RB Zach Charbonnet will aim to tie the school record (set in 2012 by Johnathan Franklin) with a ninth 100-yard rushing game in the Sun Bowl.

• Against USC, TE Michael Ezeike became the first Bruin to reel in three touchdown passes in a game since 2017, when Jordan Lasley also caught three against the Trojans.

• UCLA’s average of 6.08 yards per rushing attempt leads the Pac-12 … its 34 rushing scores are second in the league.

• UCLA enters the bowl game ranked third in the nation in total offense (507.8 yards per game), fourth in rushing yards per game (246.3) and 39th in passing offense (261.5 yards per game).

• Ezeike became the 15th UCLA player to score a touchdown this season with his scoring catch at Arizona State.

• After rushing for 352 yards at California, UCLA has surpassed the 200-yard rushing mark in nine of its 2022 games (also USC – 204, Arizona – 219, ASU – 402, Stanford – 324, Utah – 212, Colorado – 249, Alabama State – 220 and Bowling Green – 269).

• UCLA failed to record a rushing touchdown against USA to snap a streak of 23 straight games with at least one rushing score. It has rebounded to run for a touchdown in each of the next nine games.

• WR Matt Sykes caught his first pass of the 2022 season for a 24-yard touchdown at CU. It was his first career scoring reception. Sykes also caught a career-high four passes in the game.

• UCLA compiled 626 yards of total offense in the win against BGSU. It was the third time a Chip Kelly-coached Bruin team has hit the 600-yard mark and was the most since the 2019 Bruins’ 657-yard performance at Washington State.

ON DEFENSE
• LB Laiatu Latu has 9.5 sacks for the season, which is the most by a Bruin player since Takkarist McKinley was credited with 10.0 in 2016 … Latu is tied for 11th in the nation (second in Pac-12) in sacks per game (0.79) … he recorded a careerbest 3.0 sacks at Colorado … he is tied for second in the Pac-12 (tied for 11th in nation) in fumbles forced per game (0.25).

• UCLA’s defense is yielding 5.71 yards per play, which is the fourth lowest rate among Pac-12 Conference schools.

• DB Mo Osling III ranks atop the team with 82 tackles this season (No. 12 in Pac-12 at 6.83 per game) … he recorded a career-high 15 tackles at Oregon … he has been credited with 59 tackles across the past seven games.

• LB Darius Muasau is second on the team in total tackles with 77 this season (tied for 14th in Pac-12 with 6.42 per game) … he made his second interception of the season against Stanford … he had eight stops with his first pick and a forced fumble in the win versus Utah and was credited with a season-high 12 tackles at Arizona State (also hit double digits with 10 against South Alabama) … he had a total of 14 games with 10 or more stops over his final two seasons playing for Hawai’i.

• The Bruins enter the bowl game ranked 88th in the nation (sixth in Pac-12) in total defense (399.8 yards per game).

• DB Stephan Blaylock started his 43rd straight game at California. OL Craig Novitsky (1990-93) owns the school record with starts in 46 consecutive games.

• Defensive trends … Rushing Defense: 2017 – 287.4 yards per game, 2018 – 199.4, 2019 – 145.5, 2020 – 135.7, 2021 – 124.2 and 2022 – 124.2; Rushing Yards Per Carry: 2017 – 5.8, 2018 – 4.6, 2019 – 4.3, 2020 – 3.6, 2021 – 3.8 and 2022 – 3.7; Yards Per Play: 2017 – 6.3, 2018 – 6.0, 2019 – 6.7, 2020 – 5.4, 2021 – 5.5 and 2022 – 5.7.

• UCLA has held five 2022 opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing … it limited Cal to 67 yards rushing, Washington to 65, CU to 51, Alabama State to 87 and Bowling Green to just 37 this season … the Bruins held five opponents under 100 yards rushing in 2021: 92 by California, 83 by UW, 67 by Stanford, 49 by LSU and 26 by Hawai’i … the Bruins have won each game.

• UCLA has won 44 straight games overall and 63 straight regular-season games in which it has held its opponent to fewer than 20 points. Its last loss came at the hands of BYU, 17-16, in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl. Its last regular-season loss was a 16-14 decision at CU in 2003.

• UCLA surrendered just 162 yards of total offense to BGSU in the 2022 opener. The last time a Bruin defense had held an opponent under 200 yards was in 2020 against California (176). The 162-yard total was the lowest by a Bruin opponent since ASU gained 122 in a 2008 contest.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• K Nicholas Barr-Mira totaled nine points at California to bring his career scoring total to 243 points, which is 12th on the all-time Bruin scoring list … he is 15 of 21 on field goals in 2022 after going 2-3 at Cal, 1-1 versus USC, 0-1 versus Arizona, 1-2 versus Stanford, 3-3 at Oregon, 0-1 against Utah, 1-1 versus Washington, 1-1 at Colorado, 4-4 versus South Alabama, 1-1 against Alabama State and 1-3 versus Bowling Green in 2022 … he has connected on 35 of 49 career fieldgoal attempts (.714) … the 35 field goals is ninth on the all-time school list (he connected on a career-best 49-yard field goal in this year’s game against USA).

• Barr-Mira is fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (8.42 points per game) and fourth with 15 field goals made.

• UCLA’s total of 24 punts this season is the second-lowest mark by any team in the nation this season.

• K R.J. Lopez has recorded touchbacks on 57 of his 86 kickoffs (66%) in 2022 … the 57 touchbacks are the most by a Pac-12 kicker to date this season … in 2021, he had 52 touchbacks which tied for the Pac-12 lead.

• UCLA has blocked 22 kicks (extra points, field goals or punts) since the start of the 2012 season. In 2021, Bruins Martell Irby and Ale Kaho got their hands on punts, with Kaho’s immediately recovered for a touchdown and Irby’s leading to a UCLA offensive scoring drive.

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