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NFL: Week 15 Quick Capsule – Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) at Chicago Bears (3-10)

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WEEK 15
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (12-1) @ CHICAGO BEARS (3-10)
DATE: Sunday (12/18/22)
STADIUM: Soldier Field
TIME: 1:00 PM ET
REFEREE: Brad Rogers

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bears lead all-time series, 28-13-1
STREAKS Eagles have won past 4
LAST GAME 11/3/19: Bears 14 at Eagles 22
LAST GAME AT SITE 9/19/16: Eagles 29, Bears 14

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
LAST WEEK: W 48-22 at New York Giants
COACH VS. OPP. Nick Sirianni: 0-0
PTS. FOR 29.7
OFFENSE 392.0
PASSING Jalen Hurts: 264-388-3,157-22-3-108.4
RUSHING Miles Sanders: 204-1,068-5.2-11
RECEIVING A.J. Brown: 65-1,020-15.7-10
PTS. AGAINST 19.1
DEFENSE 297.0
SACKS Haason Reddick: 10
INTs James Bradberry, Darius Slay: 3
TAKE/GIVE +14 (24/10)
PUNTING (NET) Aaryn Siposs: 45.6 (39.6)
KICKING Jake Elliott: 76 (43/45 PAT; 11/13 FG)

EAGLES NOTES
• PHILADELPHIA clinched playoff berth for 2nd-straight season under HC Nick Sirianni.
• QB JALEN HURTS had 294 yards (217 pass, 77 rush) & 3 TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs for 109.2 rating in Week 14. Has 10 rush TDs in 2022 & is 1st QB ever with 10+ rush TDs in consecutive seasons. Is 4th QB ever (Kyler Murray, Cam Newton & Kordell Stewart) with 3,000+ pass yards (3,157), 20+ TD passes (22) & 10+ rush TDs (10) in single season. Has both pass TD & rush TD in 4 of his past 5 games.
• RB MILES SANDERS had 155 scrimmage yards (144 rush, 11 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in Week 14. Has career highs in rush yards (1,068) & rush TDs (11) in 2022, his 1stcareer season with 1,000+ rush yards. Aims for his 4th in row with rush TD.
• WR A.J. BROWN had 10th rec. TD of season last week, his 2nd-career season with 10+ TD catches (11 in 2020). Has 1,000+ rec. yards (1,020) for 3rd time in 4 career seasons. Aims for his 4th in row with TD catch.
• WR DEVONTA SMITH had 5th rec. TD of season last week. Has 5+ catches in 4 of his past 5 overall & 4 of his past 5 on road. Has career-high 66 receptions in 2022.
• LB HAASON REDDICK had 10th sack of season in Week 14 & became 1st player since 1982 with 10+ sacks in 3 straight seasons with 3 different teams. Aims for his 6th in row with 0.5+ sacks.
• DE BRANDON GRAHAM tied his career high with 3 sacks & had 22nd-career FF last week. Aims for his 5th in row with 0.5+ sacks.
• DE JOSH SWEAT aims for his 4th in row with sack. Has TFL in 5 of his past 6. Has career-high 11 TFL & career-high tying 7.5 sacks in 2022.
• CB DARIUS SLAY had 2 PD last week & has 12 PD in 13 games in 2022.

CHICAGO BEARS
LAST WEEK Bye (L 28-19 vs. Green Bay in Week 13)
COACH VS. OPP. Matt Eberflus: 0-0
PTS. FOR 20.8
OFFENSE 329.8
PASSING Justin Fields: 156-253-1,896-13-10-85.4
RUSHING Justin Fields (QB): 128-905-7.1-8
RECEIVING Cole Kmet (TE): 35-408-11.7-5
PTS. AGAINST 25.6
DEFENSE 350.5
SACKS Jaquan Brisker (R): 3
INTs Many tied: 1
TAKE/GIVE -3 (15/18)
PUNTING (NET) Trenton Gill (R): 46.9 (39.7)
KICKING Cairo Santos: 76 (22/26 PAT; 18/20 FG)

BEARS NOTES
• QB JUSTIN FIELDS had 325 yards (254 pass, 71 rush) & rush TD in Week 13 & became 1st QB in SB era with rush TD in 6 straight games. Has 3 rush TDs of 50+ yards in 2022, most by QB in single season in NFL history & most by QB in SB era. Has 905 rush yards, 6th-most by QB in single season ever & can become 3rd QB (Lamar Jackson (twice) & Micheal Vick with 1,000+ rush yards in single season.
• RB DAVID MONTGOMERY rushed for 61 yards & had 4th rush TD of season in Week 13. Has rush TD in 2 of his past 3. Aims for his 4th in row with 65+ scrimmage yards. Needs 115 scrimmage yards for his 4th-straight 1,000-yard season. Had 2 rush TDs in last meeting.
• WR CHASE CLAYPOOL had 5 catches in Week 13. Had career-high 4 TDs (3 rec., 1 rush) vs. Phi. (10/11/20 w/ Pit.).
• TE COLE KMET led team with 6 catches for 72 yards in Week 13. Has 2 rec. TDs in 2 of his past 3 at home. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with 70+ rec. yards. Has career-high 5 rec. TDs in 2022, tied-most among NFC TEs.
• LB JACK SANBORN (rookie) led team with 10 tackles & had TFL in Week 13. Has 4 games with 9+ tackles in 2022, tied-most among rookies. Aims for his 3rd in row with TFL & 5th in row with 9+ tackles.
• LB NICHOLAS MORROW has career-high 9 TFL in 2022 & has TFL in 5 of his past 6. Has 6+ tackles in 5 of his 6 home games this season.
• DB DEANDRE HOUSTON-CARSON aims for his 3rd in row with 5+ tackles & TFL.
• DB JAQUAN BRISKER (rookie) is 1 of 4 DBs with 3+ sacks (3) & 5+ TFL (5) in 2022.
• DB KYLER GORDON (rookie) has 6+ tackles in 2 of his past 3 at home.

NFL: Week 15 Quick Capsules – Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8) at Carolina Panthers (5-8)

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WEEK 15
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-8) @ CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-8)
DATE: Sunday (12/18/22)
STADIUM: Bank of America Stadium
TIME: 1:00 PM ET
REFEREE: Scott Novak

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Steelers lead all-time series, 6-1
STREAKS Steelers have won past 6
LAST GAME 11/8/18: Panthers 21 at Steelers 52
LAST GAME AT SITE 9/21/14: Steelers 37, Panthers 19

PITTSBURGH STEELERS
LAST WEEK: L 16-14 vs. Baltimore
COACH VS. OPP. Mike Tomlin: 3-0
PTS. FOR 17.5
OFFENSE 317.3
PASSING Kenny Pickett (R): 191-294-1,797-4-8-74.9
RUSHING Najee Harris: 187-704-3.8-5
RECEIVING Diontae Johnson: 67-647-9.7-0
PTS. AGAINST 22.5
DEFENSE 358.5
SACKS Alex Highsmith: 10
INTs Minkah Fitzpatrick: 4
TAKE/GIVE 0 (17/17)
PUNTING (NET) Pressley Harvin: 44.0 (40.6)
KICKING Chris Boswell: 47 (11/11 PAT; 12/17 FG)

STEELERS NOTES
• QB KENNY PICKETT (rookie) has 0 INTs in each of his past 2 road games. Needs 203 pass yards to join Ben Roethlisberger (2,621 in 2004) as only Pit. rookies ever with 2,000+ pass yards.
• QB MITCH TRUBISKY completed 22 of 30 atts. (73.3 pct.) for 276 yards last week. Has 9 TDs vs. 2 INTs with 96.8 rating in 5 career starts vs. NFC South.
• RB NAJEE HARRIS had 5th rush TD of season last week & has rush TD in 3 of past 4. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 6 of past 7. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NFC South with 90+ scrimmage yards. Is 3rd Pit. RB ever with 5+ TDs in each of 1st 2 seasons.
• WR DIONTAE JOHNSON led team with 6 catches for 82 yards in Week 14. Aims for his 16th in row on road & 4th in row overall with 5+ catches. Aims for 3rd in row with 60+ rec. yards.
• WR GEORGE PICKENS had 78 rec. yards last week, his 4th game this season with 75+ rec. yards, tied 2nd-most among rookies. Ranks 3rd among rookies with 590 rec. yards & tied-4th with 40 catches.
• TE PAT FREIERMUTH had 2nd TD catch of season in Week 14. Has 55+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 on road. Ranks 4th among TEs with 630 rec. yards this season.
• LB T.J. WATT had 5 tackles & sack last week. Had sack & FF in last meeting. Needs 0.5 sacks to become 3rd-fastest player (84 games) to reach 75 sacks since 1982.
• DT CAMERON HEYWARD has sack in 2 of past 3 on road. Had 2 sacks in last meeting.
• DT CHRIS WORMLEY had 0.5 sack & 1st FF of season last week.
• S MINKAH FITZPATRICK led team with 11 tackles in Week 14. Aims for 4th in row with 7+ tackles. Has PD in 3 of past 4 on road.

CAROLINA PANTHERS
LAST WEEK: W 30-24 at Seattle
COACH VS. OPP. Steve Wilks: 0-0
PTS. FOR 20.0
OFFENSE 394.2
PASSING Sam Darnold: 25-43-284-2-0-93.6
RUSHING D’Onta Foreman: 147-637-4.3-4
RECEIVING DJ Moore: 46-605-13.2-4
PTS. AGAINST 22.3
DEFENSE 343.5
SACKS Brian Burns: 10.5
INTs Jaycee Horn: 3
TAKE/GIVE -2 (14/16)
PUNTING (NET) Johnny Hekker: 48.9 (44.1)
KICKING Eddy Pineiro: 96 (21/23 PAT; 25/27 FG)

PANTHERS NOTES
• QB SAM DARNOLD passed for TD vs. 0 INTs for 85.4 rating in Week 14. Had TD pass vs. 0 INTs for 95.5 rating in his last game vs. Pit. (12/22/19 w/ NYJ). Aims for his 3rd in row with 0 INTs & 85+ rating.
• RB D’ONTA FOREMAN had 74 rush yards in Week 14. Has 75+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his past 4. Had 135 scrimmage yards in his last game vs. Pit. (12/19/21 w/ Ten.). Aims for his 4th in row at home with 110+ scrimmage yards. Has 663 scrimmage yards in 2022 & needs 27 scrimmage yards to set new career high (689 in 2021).
• RB CHUBA HUBBARD led team with season-high 99 scrimmage yards (74 rush, 25 rec.) & had rush TD last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with 65+ rush yards. • WR DJ MOORE has rec. TD in 2 of past 3 at home.
• WR SHI SMITH had 1st-career rec. TD last week.
• DE BRIAN BURNS has 8 TFL in his past 5 at home & 7 TFL in his past 7 overall. Aims for his 6th in row with 0.5 sacks. Has career-high tying 13 TFL in 2022 (13 in 2021).
• DE MARQUIS HAYNES had 4th sack & career-high 5th TFL of season in Week 14. Aims for 3rd in row at home & 3rd in row overall with sack.
• LB FRANKIE LUVU has sack, 2 TFL & PD in Week 14. Has career highs in sack (5), TFL (12) & PD (3) in 2022. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with 8+ tackles.
• LB SHAQ THOMPSON led team with 9 tackles & had 0.5 sacks in Week 14. Needs 2 tackles for 4th-straight 100+ tackle season. Has 5+ tackles in each of past 10 games.
• CB JAYCEE HORN had 6 tackles, 2 PD & 3rd INT of season last week.
• S JEREMY CHINN has 5+ tackles in 2 of his past 3.
• S XAVIER WOODS aims for his 6th in row with 5+ tackles.

CFB: Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Preview – UTSA Roadrunners (11-2) at Troy Trojans (11-2)

TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO ROADRUNNERS NOTES:

« OPENING DRIVE »

  • UTSA will make its third consecutive and fourth overall bowl game appearance on Friday.
  • The Roadrunners are seeking their first bowl win and victory versus a ranked opponent.
  • UTSA and Troy will meet for the first time on Friday.
  • The Roadrunners are ranked in all three major polls, coming in at No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25, No. 23 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA
    Coaches Poll and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
  • UTSA’s current 10-game winning streak is tied with this week’s opponent, Troy, for the third-longest active FBS streak and it is the second-longest run in program history behind the 11-0 start to the 2021 season.
  • The Roadrunners captured their second straight Conference USA crown on Dec. 2 after defeating North Texas 48-27.
  • UTSA is 30-9 under third-year head coach Jeff Traylor, giving him the most wins and best record for a head coach through 39 games in program
    history.
  • The Roadrunners have won 26 of their last 31 contests dating back to November 2020.
  • UTSA is 6-1 all-time on Friday

SETTING THE SCENE
No. 22/22/25 UTSA will face No. 23/24/24 Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Friday, Dec. 16, in Orlando, Florida. The first meeting between the two teams will feature a pair of conference champions on 10-game winning streaks and boasting 11-2 records this season. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Central time at Exploria Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Coming off their second straight league crown following a 48-27 victory over North Texas in the Conference USA Championship Game on Dec. 2, the Roadrunners are making their third consecutive and fourth overall bowl game appearance.

TUNING IN
Friday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and will be available on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app. Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (reporter) have the call. The contest will air live on Ticket 760 AM in the San Antonio area. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (reporter) will call the action. The pregame show will begin at 12 p.m. CT and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. Bowl Season Radio will provide live national radio coverage of the game on terrestrial radio stations throughout the country, as well as SiriusXM. In addition, the game will stream live on Tune-In, Audacy and The Varsity Network apps. Jamie Seh (play-by-play), Landry Burdine (analyst) and Despina Barton (reporter) will handle the call.

GOING BOWLING
The No. 22-ranked Roadrunners will make their third straight and fourth overall bowl appearance when they face No. 23 Troy on Friday. Dec. 16, in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl. UTSA equaled an NCAA modern startup program record by playing in a bowl game in just its sixth season, dropping a 23-20 decision to New Mexico in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. Last December, UTSA dropped a 38-24 decision at the hands of No. 24 San Diego State in the Frisco Bowl, one year after nearly rallying before falling to No. 16 Louisiana by a 31-24 count in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. UTSA originally was selected to play SMU in the Frisco Bowl in 2020, but COVID-19 protocols within the Mustangs’ program forced the game to be canceled and the Roadrunners slid into the First Responder Bowl. This will mark the second time UTSA will face a team from the Sun Belt Conference in a bowl game.

UTSA’s Bowl History
Date Bowl Opponent Result
12/17/16 New Mexico Bowl New Mexico L, 20-23
12/26/20 First Responder Bowl Louisiana L, 24-31
12/21/21 Frisco Bowl #24 San Diego State L, 24-38

ON A STREAK
UTSA won its 10th straight game with the 48-27 victory over North Texas in the Conference USA Championship Game on Dec. 2. UTSA’s current 10-game run is tied with this week’s opponent — Troy — for the third-longest active streak in the FBS, trailing only Georgia (15) and Michigan (13). It also stands as the second-longest winning streak in program history behind the 11-0 start to the 2021 campaign.

NATIONALLY RANKED ROADRUNNERS
For the first time since last November, UTSA is ranked in all three major polls, appearing at No. 22 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, as well as 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Roadrunners moved up one spot from last week in the AP Top 25 and two places in the coaches poll and they made their first appearance in the CFP rankings since last fall. In 2021, UTSA rose to as high as 15th for three weeks in a row in the AP Top 25 last November and No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Nov. 7. UTSA was ranked in both polls for six consecutive weeks and also made an appearance in the CFP rankings for three weeks in a row, debuting at No. 23 on Nov. 9 before moving up to 22nd for two straight weeks last fall. On Sept. 20, 2020, UTSA received two votes in the AP poll, a first for the program.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
UTSA’s Duluth Trading Cure Bowl matchup against Troy will mark the fourth Friday broadcast of the season for the Roadrunners, who beat Middle Tennessee 45-30 on Sept. 30 in Murfreesboro, scored a 30-10 road victory over FIU on Oct. 14 and ran past North Texas 48-27 in the C-USA Championship Game on Dec. 2 to improve to 6-1 all-time on Fridays. In 2014, the Roadrunners opened the year with a 27-7 victory over Houston in a Friday night broadcast on ESPNU. UTSA also played a pair of Thursday night contests that fall, including a 26-23 setback to Arizona and a 12-10 win against Southern Miss. UTSA played its 2015 season lid-lifter on a Thursday at Arizona, and then dropped a 32-28 decision to Arizona State the following season in a Friday night showdown on ESPN2 at the Alamodome, the only Friday setback in program annals. The Roadrunners beat Middle Tennessee 37-35 on Sept. 25, 2020, and outlasted Western Kentucky 49-41 on Dec. 3, 2021, to capture the program’s first-ever Conference USA title. The Roadrunners played their first-ever Tuesday game in a 38-24 setback to No. 24 San Diego State in the 2021 Frisco Bowl. In 2012, UTSA was scheduled to open the year on a Thursday versus South Alabama, but that game was postponed to Saturday, Sept. 1, due to Hurricane Isaac. UTSA is 7-4 in games played on weekdays.

UTSA’s Non-Saturday Games (7-4)
Day Date Opponent Result
Friday 8/29/14 at Houston W, 27-7
Thursday 9/4/14 Arizona L, 23-26
Thursday 11/13/14 Southern Miss W, 12-10
Thursday 9/3/15 at Arizona L, 32-42
Friday 9/16/16 Arizona State L, 28-32
Friday 9/25/20 Middle Tennessee W, 37-35
Friday 12/3/21 Western Kentucky W, 49-41
Tuesday 12/21/21 vs. #24 San Diego State L, 24-38
Friday 9/30/22 at Middle Tennessee W, 45-30
Friday 10/14/22 at FIU W, 30-10
Friday 12/2/22 North Texas W, 48-27

ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners will play a game in the Eastern time zone for the 12th time in program history when they face Troy on Friday in Orlando. UTSA is 2-0 this season and 5-6 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone with wins against Georgia State in 2012 in Atlanta, at Charlotte in 2015 and Old Dominion in 2019 in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as road triumphs over Army West Point on Sept. 10 and FIU on Oct. 14 this year.
UTSA in the Eastern Time Zone (5-6)

Date Result Location
9/15/12 UTSA 38, Georgia State 14 Atlanta, Ga.
10/5/13 Marshall 34, UTSA 10 Huntington, W.Va.
9/27/14 Florida Atlantic 41, UTSA 37 Boca Raton, Fla.
11/14/15 UTSA 30, Charlotte 27 (OT) Charlotte, N.C.
9/24/16 Old Dominion 33, UTSA 19 Norfolk, Va.
11/4/17 FIU 14, UTSA 7 Miami, Fla.
11/17/18 Marshall 23, UTSA 0 Huntington, W.Va.
11/9/19 UTSA 24, Old Dominion 23 Norfolk, Va.
10/31/20 Florida Atlantic 24, UTSA 3 Boca Raton, Fla.
9/10/22 UTSA 41, Army 38 West Point, N.Y.
10/14/22 UTSA 30, FIU 10 Miami, Fla.

ROADRUNNERS FROM THE SUNSHINE STATE
Three Roadrunners hail from the state of Florida. Tye Edwards is a native of Palatka and a product of Menendez High School. Lamonte McDougle is from Pompano Beach and attended Deerfield Beach High School, while Travon Sylvester is out of St. Johns and Bartram Trail High School in the Jacksonville area.

SCOUTING TROY
The Trojans are riding a 10-game winning streak and are coming off a 45-26 victory over Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Dec. 3 to improve to 11-2. Troy is ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 and 24th in both the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings. The Trojans are averaging 26.2 points and 375.2 yards per game while allowing 17.5 points (8th/FBS) and 325.3 yards per contest. Gunnar Watson has completed 193 of 312 passes for 2,705 yards and 13 touchdowns. Kimani Vidal leads the ground attack with 1,059 yards and nine TDs on 209 carries, while Tez Johnson is the top receiver with 52 catches for 823 yards and four scores. Carlton Martial paces the defense with 121 tackles, while T.J. Jackson has 14.5 tackles for loss including eight sacks and Richard Jibunor owns 10.5 TFLs and seven sacks. Reddy Steward has a team-high three interceptions. Head coach Jon Sumrall is in his first season at the helm.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the first meeting between UTSA and Troy. This will mark the second time in the last three bowl games that the Roadrunners have faced a team from the Sun Belt Conference, as they dropped a 31-24 decision to No. 16 Louisiana in the 2020 First Responder Bowl. UTSA is 4-1 all-time in games played against Sun Belt teams, defeating South Alabama 33-31 in 2012 and Texas State in 2017 (44-14), 2018 (25-21) and
2020 (51-48/2OT). The Roadrunners also beat current Sun Belt member Georgia State in 2011 and 2012 before the Panthers joined that league, and they scored a 38-31 triumph over Texas State in 2012 when both teams were in the Western Athletic Conference. UTSA also is 1-2 against Marshall and Old Dominion and 4-4 versus Southern Miss, three teams that joined the Sun Belt this season.

WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 12th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 146th game in program history on Friday when they face Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl. UTSA is 75-70 all-time and 0-2 in neutral-site games. By comparison, Troy has been playing football since 1909 and owns an all-time record of 564-427-28.

ROADRUNNERS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
UTSA has faced nine nationally ranked FBS opponents in its 12-year history entering Friday’s Duluth Trading Cure Bowl clash with No. 23 Troy. The Roadrunners have faced a pair of top-25 foes this season, dropping a 37-35 heartbreaker to No. 24 Houston in triple overtime in the season opener and falling 40-21 at No. 20 Texas on Sept. 17. Friday’s matchup will mark UTSA’s third consecutive bowl game versus a ranked opponent, as they faced No. 24 San Diego State in the 2021 Frisco Bowl and No. 16 Louisiana in the 2020 First Responder Bowl. The highest-ranked foe UTSA has played was No. 13 Oklahoma State in 2013.

UTSA vs. Ranked Opponents
Date Opponent Result
10/1/11 at #16* Sam Houston State L, 7-22
11/3/12 at #22 Louisiana Tech L, 27-51
9/7/13 #13 Oklahoma State L, 35-56
9/3/15 at #22 Arizona L, 32-42
9/19/15 at #25 Oklahoma State L, 14-69
11/19/16 at #22 Texas A&M L, 10-23
10/10/20 at #15 BYU L, 20-27
12/26/20 vs. #16 Louisiana L, 24-31
9/3/22 #24 Houston L, 35-37 (3OT)
9/17/22 at #20 Texas L, 21-40
*FCS poll

ROADRUNNERS SECURE SECOND STRAIGHT C-USA CROWN
Frank Harris passed for 341 yards and four touchdowns and Clifford Chattman had an interception for a school-record fourth consecutive game, as UTSA repeated as conference champions with a 48- 27 victory in the C-USA Championship Game on Dec. 2 in front of 41,421 fans at the Alamodome. With their 10th straight win, the Roadrunners ran their record to 11-2 on the season and successfully defended the program’s first-ever conference title won last year. Harris completed 32 of 37 passes, good for a C-USA Championship Game-record .865 completion percentage, nearly breaking his own program record in the process. The senior tossed three of his touchdowns to Zakhari Franklin, who had 10 receptions for 144 yards while matching the school record for TD receptions in a game. Harris also rushed for 49 yards and a score to give him 390 yards of offense and five total scores. Meanwhile, Kevorian Barnes exploded for a career-high 175 rushing yards and a TD on 28 carries to pace a ground game that piled up 227 yards. The redshirt freshman from San Augustine averaged 6.2 yards per tote in logging his fourth 100-yard game of the year. Chattman shared the team lead in tackles with nine and added a pass breakup to go along with his fourth interception of the season, all coming in the last four games. Trevor Harmanson matched Chattman with nine stops, and Corey Mayfield Jr. registered six tackles and a PBU to tie the program record for passes defended in a season with 17, while also setting the program record for career games played with his 60th.

TRAYLOR SUCCESSFUL IN LEAGUE PLAY
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has experienced immediate success in league games during his time in San Antonio. The two-time reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year has guided the Roadrunners to 21 wins in 24 regular season conference games during his tenure. The Roadrunners rallied for a 34-31 victory against UTEP on Nov. 26 to wrap up the first undefeated conference record in school history at 8-0 and then ran past North Texas 48-27 in the C-USA Championship Game to capture their second straight league crown. Last season, Traylor led UTSA to a 7-1 league mark and the program’s first-ever conference title with a 49-41 victory over Western Kentucky in the C-USA Championship Game. The Roadrunners registered a 5-2 record in league play in Traylor’s first season at the helm in 2020.

OVERCOMING DEFICITS
The Roadrunners pulled off the largest comeback victory in program history when they rallied from a 24-point deficit for a 34-31 win over UTEP on Nov. 26 at the Alamodome. UTSA trailed 24-0 after the Miners scored a touchdown with 7:03 left in second quarter, and they were behind by a 31-14 count with 11:56 left in the third before rallying for the three-point win on Jared Sackett’s field goal with three seconds remaining. Prior to that, UTSA’s largest come-from-behind win came on Sept. 25, 2021, when the Roadrunners rallied from a 21-0 deficit for a 31-28 road triumph on Hunter Duplessis’ 42-yard field goal as time expired. Earlier this season, UTSA found itself down to Army 28-14 with 6:49 left in the third quarter before rallying for a 41-38 overtime win on Sept. 10.

Largest Deficits Overcome in Win
Deficit Final Opponent Date
24 (0-24) 34-31 vs. UTEP 11/26/22
21 (0-21) 31-28 at Memphis 9/25/21
14 (14-28) 41-38 (OT) at Army 9/10/22
14 (0-14) 17-14 (OT) vs. Georgia State 10/29/11
13 (6-19) 27-26 vs. Louisiana Tech 10/24/20
13 (10-23) 24-23 at Old Dominion 11/9/19
13 (0-13) 21-13 at New Mexico 8/31/13
10 (0-10) 34-24 vs. Rice 11/21/15
10 (0-10) 16-13 vs. FIU 10/11/14

WORKING OVERTIME
The Roadrunners have been working overtime in 2022, with a program-record three contests needing extra periods to determine the outcome. UTSA played the first back-to-back overtime games in program history to open the campaign. The Roadrunners dropped a 37-35 decision to No. 24 Houston in triple overtime in the opener. One week later, UTSA rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit to score a 41- 38 road triumph over Army West Point in one extra period. On Nov. 5 in Birmingham, the Roadrunners outlasted UAB 44-38 in double overtime to improve to 2-1 this season and 5-3 overall in overtime games. UTSA has played overtime, double-overtime and triple-overtime games this season and joins Houston and Texas Tech as the only FBS teams to have played three overtime contests this year.

UTSA’s All-Time Overtime Games (5-3)
Date Opponent Result
10/8/11 South Alabama L, 27-30 (2OT)
10/29/11 Georgia State W, 17-14 (OT)
11/14/15 at Charlotte W, 30-27 (OT)
10/22/16 UTEP L, 49-52 (5OT)
9/12/20 at Texas State W, 51-48 (2OT)
9/3/22 Houston L, 35-37 (3OT)
9/10/22 at Army West Point W, 41-38 (OT)
11/5/22 at UAB W, 44-38 (2OT)

DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 24 of the 39 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own an 18-6 record in those games including a 6-1 mark this year following the 34-31 comeback victory against UTEP on Nov. 26. Dating back to last season, UTSA has seen 11 of the last 18 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Further, the Roadrunners are 11-1 in games decided by eight points or less since 2021, good for the most wins and second-best winning percentage (.917) among FBS teams who have played at least eight one-score contests. The first two games this season went to overtime, with the Roadrunners dropping a 37-35 decision to No. 24 Houston in three overtimes on Sept. 3 before rallying to beat Army 41-38 in overtime one week later. UTSA saw Middle Tennessee draw to within 38-30 in the fourth quarter on Sept. 30 before a late touchdown run by Brenden Brady provided the final 15-point margin. The Roadrunners pulled out a 31-28 win against WKU on Oct. 8, a 31-27 victory over North Texas two weeks later and a 44-38 double-overtime decision at UAB on Nov. 5. Last November, the Roadrunners broke a 17-17 fourth-quarter deadlock against Southern Miss with two late scores in a 10-point victory before upending UAB 34-31 one week later on a TD pass with three seconds left to play. UTSA used an interception on the final play of the game to secure a 49-41 C-USA Championship Game win over WKU on Dec. 3 and then pulled to within seven points of No. 24 San Diego State in the fourth quarter of the Frisco Bowl before dropping a 38-24 decision in the 2021 finale. The Roadrunners also saw games against Illinois (37-30), Memphis (31-28), UNLV (24-17) and WKU (52-46) come down to the final minutes last fall. In 2020, UTSA’s matchups against Texas State (51-48/2OT), Stephen F. Austin (24-10), Middle Tennessee (37-35), UAB (13-21), No. 15 BYU (20-27), Army (16-28), Louisiana Tech (27-26), Southern Miss (23-20) and No. 16 Louisiana (24-31) all were one-score games in the final stanza.

TROY TROJANS NOTES:

Did You Know?
• The Cure Bowl is the ONLY bowl game to feature a pair of conference champions … it is Troy’s fourth all-time bowl appearance against a C-USA team (2-1)

• Troy is ranked in all three major polls for the first time in school history … the Trojans’ No. 23 AP ranking it is highest in school history after spending a week at No. 25 in 2016. Troy’s appearance in the Coaches Poll (No. 24) and CFP Poll (No. 24) are both firsts

• Troy is 5-0 in close games at the half (score differential is four points or less) … The five wins are the second most in the country

• Carlton Martial was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player who began their career as a walk-on, for the second straight season

• Troy scored on 50 percent or more of its possessions in the final three games of the season and 62.5 percent of its possessions in two of its final three games — in the previous four games, Troy didn’t top 27.3 percent

• Six of Troy’s last 10 touchdown drives have consumed fewer than two minutes off the clock

• Troy ranks 12th nationally with a +6.69 scoring advantage in the second half; Troy’s +5.92 margin in the fourth quarter ranks second behind just Michigan

• From 2005-21, Troy was 11-73 when trailing at the half and 5-52 when scoring less than 21 points … this season, Troy is 4-1 when trailing at the half and 4-1 when scoring less than 21 points

• Carlton Martial is the ONLY player at the FBS level since at least 2000 to have at least 405 tackles, six interceptions and 41 tackles for loss in their career

• Troy has allowed the fourth-fewest plays of 20- plus yards this season (34), the fourth-fewest 20- plus yards runs (6) and the 12th-fewest 20-plus yard passes (28). Troy has allowed plays of 20-plus yards on just 3.77 percent of its defensive snaps, the second fewest in the country (Iowa).

• Troy posted nine passing plays of 15-plus yards and six passing plays of 20-plus yards in the Sun Belt Championship Game

Troy By The Numbers
4 Games won by Troy when scoring 17 or fewer points this season; the Trojans are one of six teams since at least 2000 to do so

6 Troy’s national ranking allowing 3.92 points in the fourth quarter this season; Troy has held 7-of-13 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter

7 Sun Belt Conference titles during Troy’s run in the league (2004), the most in league history. Troy’s seven conference titles are the sixth most in the country since 2006 (Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Boise St.)

8 Finalists for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, including Troy’s Jon Sumrall

8 Opponents held under 100 yards rushing this season by the Trojans; the total is tied for the third most nationally and for the most in Troy’s FBS history

8 Times in the last 10 games Troy has rushed for 100-plus yards after not doing so the opening three games

10 Straight wins is Troy’s longest winning streak since 1995 … Troy’s winning streak is tied for the longest among Group of Five Teams (UTSA) & the third longest nationally

57 Wins since the start of the 2016 season rank as the 21st most nationally & seventh most in the Group of Five (this despite winning just 15 games from 2019-21)

242 Rushing yards by Kimani Vidal in Troy’s win over ULM; he finished just two yards shy of tying Troy’s single-game record 563 Career tackles for Carlton Martial, the most ever by a player at the NCAA FBS level

The Series
• This marks the first meeting between Troy and UTSA.

• The matchup is the second of the season for the Trojans against a C-USA school after Troy won at Western Kentucky, 34-27, on Oct. 1.

• Troy is 52-26-1 all-time against the current members of Conference USA.

• Troy is 2-1 against C-USA teams in bowl games — Troy defeated North Texas and Rice and lost to Southern Miss, all in the New Orleans Bowl.

Uniform Combos
• For the seventh straight year, the Trojans have updated their wardrobe. The Trojans have added a new white jersey to their rotation this year plus a black helmet and a silver helmet. Last year, it was the addition of a new black helmet.

Record When (2022):
Helmet – Cardinal (3-1), Black (3-0), Silver (5-1)
Jersey – Cardinal (5-0), White (3-2), Black (2-0), Smoke (1-0)
Pants – Black (4-0), White (4-1), Cardinal (3-1), Smoke (0-0)

Combined Wins Last Seven Seasons
• Troy has won a combined 57 games since 2016, which is the 21st most nationally and seventh most among the G5. Troy’s 42 wins in 2016-18 and 2022 are the fifth most in the country those four years.

Points on the Board
• Troy has been shutout just six times since moving to FBS in 2001 with three of those coming during the 2003 season.

• Troy has only been shutout once (North Texas, 2003) by a non-Power Five school — the Trojans have played 202 straight games against non-
Power Five schools without being shutout.

• Troy was shutout by Georgia, 66-0, on Sept. 20, 2014, which snapped a streak of 99 straight games without being shutout (Nebraska, 56-0, on Sept. 23, 2006).

• Troy’s current overall streak stands at 107 games.

Sun Belt Champ
• Troy’s seven Sun Belt championships are the most in conference history; the Red Wolves joined the Sun Belt three seasons before Troy.

Sun Belt Conference Titles by School

  1. Troy (2006, 07, 08, 09, 10, 17, 22) 7
  2. Arkansas State 6
  3. Appalachian State 4
    North Texas 4
    Louisiana 4
    Middle Tennessee 4
  4. ULM 1
    Georgia Southern 1
    Florida Atlantic 1
    FIU 1
    Coastal Carolina 1

O P5, Where Art Thou
• The 2020 season marked the first for Troy since 2000 that the Trojans did NOT play a team from a Power 5 conference. The Trojans were scheduled for a home game against NC State and road game at Tennessee before the ACC & SEC altered their schedule models.

• Troy’s match up with Ole Miss in the season opener is Troy’s 27th (3-23) against the current members of the SEC. The Trojans have played an SEC school in 16 of 21 seasons since moving to the FBS ranks in 2001.

• Troy is 6-48 all-time against the current members of Power 5 conferences … the only conference that Troy has not played a current or former member from is the Pac 12.

• Troy has at least one win over each of the four Power 5 conferences in which it has played a game against.

• Troy’s last P5 win came in 2018 at Nebraska, while it’s last SEC win came in 2017 at LSU.

Plays Per Game
• Troy’s plays per game have taken a steady decrease each of the last three seasons and that trend will be interesting to follow in 2022 as the Trojans move to a Pro Style offense under OC Joe Craddock.

• Troy ranked 15th nationally in 2019 averaging 73.58 plays per game and had two games in which it ran 92- plus plays.

• Troy slipped to 44th nationally in 2020 averaging 71.27 plays per game. The Trojans ran 93 plays in the season opener and hit the 81 play mark three times.

• The 2021 season saw a dramatic drop as Troy ranked 100th nationally averaging just 65.42 plays per game. The Trojans ran just 40 plays against App State and 49 against Liberty with a season-high 76 coming in the season finale.

• Troy went off script in the opener running 81 plays, which ranked as the 11th most in the country.

• Troy ran 70 plays against Alabama A&M and it dropped to 65 plays against App State. Troy had just nine offensive possessions in the game at App State, which included the final drive where the Trojans tried to run out the clock.

• Troy ran a season-low 56 plays against Marshall, but racked up 421 yards for a 7.5 yards-per-play average, it’s highest output of the season.

• Troy is 108th at 64.00 plays per game.

• On the flip side, Troy’s defense has been on the field for the 53rd most plays in the country per game; Troy opponents are averaging 69.38 plays per game.

• Troy’s plays per game — Ole Miss (81), Alabama A&M (70), App State (65), Marshall (56), Western Kentucky (76), Southern Miss (59), Texas State (62), South Alabama (60), Louisiana (71), Army (53), ULM (60), Arkansas State (66), Coastal Carolina (53).

10 Wins in Three Straight Seasons
• Troy joined a small list of teams that have won 10 games in back-to-back-to-back seasons as a member of the Group of Five since 2002.

• Troy is one of just 11 programs from a Group of Five Conference since 2002 to win 10 or more games in three straight seasons.

• Head coach Jon Sumrall was an assistant coach on two of those three teams (2016-17) before departing for Ole Miss for the 2018 season.

Battle for the Belt
• “The Battle for the Belt” was created by both school’s SGAs prior to the 2015 season.

• Troy leads the all-time series 8-3 and the Trojans lead the series 6-2 since the introduction of The Belt.

• Troy’s 37-13 win in 2019 marked the first time that the home team had won the game since the The Belt was introduced. In fact, it was the first time that The Belt didn’t change hands after the game.

• When the Sun Belt split into divisions for the 2018-21 seasons, Troy (East) and South Alabama (West) were split apart; however, a league-wide agreement allowed the game to continue each year as a permanent cross-divisional opponent.

• Troy has won five straight meetings against its rival with the victories coming by a combined 145-60 margin.

• The Trojans have limited the Jags to just 295.8 yards per game during the five-game winning streak.

• Troy and South Alabama have played two games at Hancock Whitney Stadium; Troy has limited South Alabama to no touchdowns, two field goals, 3.0 points per game, 44.0 rushing yards per game and 242.5 yards per game.

CFB: Bahamas Bowl Preview – Miami-Ohio Redhawks (6-6) at UAB Blazers (6-6)

MIAMI-OHIO REDHAWKS NOTES:

FIRST AND TEN
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (713), conference wins (310), MAC Championships (16) and bowl wins (8). The RedHawks also captured the 2019 MAC Championship with a 26-21 win over Central Michigan.

• Although Miami was 4-18 in Coach Martin’s first 22 Mid-American Conference games, the RedHawks are 34-16 in the last 50 games versus schools from the MAC, the best record in the conference during that span.

• The RedHawks clinched the MAC East Division Championship with a 6-2 record in 2019, went 2-1 in 2020 and 5-3 in 2021. Miami has now had a .500 or better conference record in six of the last seven seasons.

• Martin, in his ninth year leading the RedHawks, has a new-look coaching staff in 2021. Offensive Coordinator Eric Koehler returns for his ninth year calling plays, while Bill Brechin begins year one as the Defensive Coordinator (ninth year at Miami). Special Teams Coordinator Jacob Bronowski is in his first year with the Red and White.

• Miami is 13-7 in one-score games, dating back to the 2018 campaign and are 4-3 this season in single-score games.

• In its last 50 contests, Miami has had a lead at some point in 44 of those games. The RedHawks have had a lead at some point in all but one game in 2022.

• Miami competed in the 2021 Frisco Football Classic (W, 27-14) and the RedHawks have now been bowl eligible six of the last seven seasons. From 2006-15, Miami was bowl eligible just twice.

ABOUT CHUCK MARTIN
• Head coach Chuck Martin, who earned that title on Dec. 3, 2013, brings an impressive resume to Oxford, Ohio.

• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 20 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 119-65.

• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.

• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.

ABOUT UAB
The Blazers (6-6) achieved bowl eligibility for a seventh straight season (2014, 2017- 22) with their victory at Louisiana Tech. Led by record-setting running back DeWayne McBride, the Blazers finished the regular season with the most prolific rushing attack in school history and as one of the top running teams in the nation with an average of 243.5 rushing yards per game. McBride set UAB’s single season school records for rushing yards (1,713), rushing yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns (19) and yards per carry (7.4), while also establishing the single game rushing record with 272 yards against Louisiana Tech.

SERIES VS. THE BLAZERS
This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

MATCHUP TO WATCH
The Bahamas Bowl will feature strength on
strength. UAB is sixth in the nation, averaging 243.8 rushing yards per contest and 17th with 30 rushing touchdowns in 2022. Miami is 41st against the run, allowing a MAC low of 135.8 rushing yards per contest. The RedHawks have surrendered under 100 yards rushing four different times and have allowed just 15 rushing touchdowns all season long.

BOWL BOUND
The RedHawks are competing in their 14th bowl game in school history and are 8-5 all-time in bowl games.

1948 Sun Bowl (Won 13-12 vs. Texas Tech)
1950 Salad Bowl (Won 34-21 vs. Arizona State)
1962 Tangerine Bowl (Lost, 49-21 vs. Houston)
1973 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 16-7 vs. Florida)
1974 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 21-10 vs. Georgia)
1975 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 20-7 vs. South Carolina)
1986 California Bowl (Lost, 37-7 vs. San Jose State)
2003 GMAC Bowl (Won, 49-28 vs. Louisville)
2004 Independence Bowl (Lost, 17-13 vs. Iowa State)
2010 GoDaddy Bowl (Won, 35-21 vs. Middle Tennessee State)
2016 St. Petersburg Bowl (Lost, 17-16 vs. Mississippi State)
2020 LendingTree Bowl (Lost, 27-17 vs. Lousiana)
2021 Frisco Football Classic (Won, 27-14 vs. North Texas)
2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl

HOW WE GOT HERE
Starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was injured in the first game of the season and only played four games in 2022.

• Aveon Smith got his first career win over Robert Morris and two weeks later led the RedHawks to a win over Northwestern.

• Smith had the game-clinching pass in a win over Kent State, but after back-to-back losses to Bowling Green and Western Michigan, bowl hopes were low.

• Miami won three of its last four contests, including the final two against Northern Illinois and Ball State to become bowl eligible.

• Miami scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to erase a 17-6 deficit versus Ball State. Smith found Miles Marshall for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:42 to play to send Miami to the Bahamas.

SIX CURRENT REDHAWKS EARN ALL-MAC
Six members of the Miami University football team were named All-MAC. Earning conference honors were Rusty Feth (second-team), Mac Hippenhammer (second-team), Ryan McWood (second-team), Dom Dzioban (second-team), Matthew Salopek (third-team) and Jalen Walker (third-team, returner).

BOUNCE BACK
Since early in the 2016 season Miami has lost back-to-back MAC games just twice in that span. In fact, Miami is now 13-2 following a MAC loss under Martin, dating back to Oct. 15, 2016.

MONSTERS OF THE MAC
With so many new faces on defense in 2022, a drop in defensive production could have been expected, instead, Miami is once again one of the best defenses in the conference. Miami ranks first in scoring defense (22.5), fourth in total defense (371.7), and first in rush defense (135.8).

TAKE IT AWAY DEFENSE, TAKE IT AWAY
Through 12 games in 2022, the RedHawks defense has forced 19 turnovers and is on pace for 21 takeaways in 2022. Prior to this season, Miami had averaged 16 turnovers forced per season since Chuck Martin’s arrival, with a high of 20 in 2019. Miami’s 19 forced turnovers is third in the MAC and 23rd in the nation.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The RedHawks graduated two defensive ends and lost two others to the transfer portal prior to the start of the 2022 season, creating a major hole at defensive end … or so we thought. Transfers Corey Suttle (6.0) and Brian Ugwu (5.0) are tops on the team in sacks. Sophomore Caiden Woullard, who saw no action a year ago, is third on the team with 4.0 sacks.

SMITH BECOMING A DUAL-THREAT
Quarterback Aveon Smith is the first Miami quarterback in program history to lead the RedHawks in rushing (503 yards) and passing (1,137 yards) yards in a season.

• Miami is 5-3 on the year with Smith under center, including a 17-14 win over Northwestern.

• He has rushed for over 100 yards two different times in 2022 and over his last five starts he has averaged 91.4 yards rushing per contest.

• While his completion percentage could be better, he has four throws of over 20 yards in the last two contests, including the 34-yard game-winner over Ball State.

WILL THE REAL RUSHING ATTACK PLEASE STAND UP
Miami is averaging 144.0 yards rushing per contest in 2022, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Miami has rushed for over 200 yards four different times this season, including 240 yards at Buffalo and another 236 in a win over Kent State. For whatever reason, from Oct. 15-Nov. 8 the RedHawks averaged just 83.5 yards per game on the ground. It’s been better as of late, rushing for 171 yards versus NIU and 120 against Ball State.

TRENCH WARFARE
Miami’s offensive line is by far the most experienced unit for the RedHawks in 2022, returning four starters from last season’s squad. In all, Miami’s offensive line has started 96 combined games. Rusty Feth leads the way with 32, followed by Reid Holskey (25), Sam Vaughan (14, but out for the year in 2022), Will Jados (10), Kolby Borders (7), John Brekke (5), and Ben Jackson (1) Brekke was also a three-year starter from Holy Cross before transferring to Miami.

FROM ZERO TO HERO
Over the past year, head coach Chuck Martin has awarded six scholarships to walk ons with the football program. Last year Chris Cavalaris and Dominic Nardone earned a free ride and back on Aug. 16, in the middle of fall camp 2022, Oscar McWood, Brendan Beattie, Jack DeJarld and Graham Nicholson were awarded scholarships.

PAGING DR. MCWOOD
Linebacker Ryan McWood (turned 25 on Oct. 13) is in his SEVENTH season with the Red and White. Due to red-shirting the 2016 season, a 2020 COVID year and then a season-ending injury in week one of the 2021 season, McWood is just a handful of college football players playing in their seventh (or eighth) year. McWood ranks fifth in the country with 121 stops.

NOTHING BUT NET
In his first year with the football program, Graham Nicholson did not disappoint. He finished the season 15-20 on field goals, including 6-of-7 on attempts between 40-49 yards. He added 30 touchbacks on 65 kickoffs in 2021. He is 18-for-22 on field goals in 2022. He also had his first game-winning field goal, connecting on a 36-yard field goal with 21 seconds to go in the 17-14 win at Northwestern. Nicholson missed a kick versus Ball State, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive makes.

NEW-FACES NEW PLACES
The transfer portal has changed college football, and Miami is no different. Kameron Butler (Virginia), Lonnie Phelps (Kansas) and Ivan Pace (Cincinnati) combined for 208 tackles and 21.5 sacks last season, but are now at other schools. The RedHawks brought in a handful of new talent of their own. In all, 13 transfers joined Miami for the 2022 season: Matt Bjorson (Indiana), John Brekke (Holy Cross), Jalen Brunson (Virginia Tech), Michael Dowell (Michigan State), Nolan Johnson (ECU), Trey LaBounty (Stanford), Miles Marshall (Indiana), Yahsyn McKee (Mercer), Jalen Peterson (Indianapolis), Zane Reis (Ohio Wesleyan), Corey Suttle (Iowa State), Brian Ugwu (Rutgers) and Ty Wise (Indiana).

IF YOU BUILD IT…
Miami’s Director of Athletics, David Sayler continues to add facilities for the department. The two newest football installments can be seen just north of Yager Stadium. The new David and Anita Dauch Indoor Sports Center (DISC) opened in February of 2015 and features a full-length 120-yard field and four sprint lanes. Between Yager Stadium and the DISC is the Athletic Performance Center. The APC provides much-needed upgrades to Miami Football’s locker room and offices while also hosting a state-of-the-art medical and athletic training facility that serves all Miami’s student-athletes.

ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM BLAZERS NOTES:

UAB LOOKS FOR THIRD BOWL VICTORY IN HOMETOWN LENDERS BAHAMAS BOWL:
The UAB football team looks for the school’s third ever bowl victory as the Blazers take on Miami (OH) for the first time at the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl. UAB’s 37-27 victory over Louisiana Tech in the season finale secured bowl eligibility for a seventh-consecutive season (2014, 2017-22), and the Blazers look for back-to-back bowl wins after last year’s 31-28 victory over No. 13 BYU in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. UAB was also victorious in the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl (37-13 over Northern Illinois), which was the program’s First bowl victory in school history.

MCBRIDE HAS MOST DECORATED SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY:
DeWayne McBride had the most decorated season in school history as he finished the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,713 yards. In just 11 games, McBride set school records for rushing yards (1,713), rushing yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns (19), yards per carry (7.35), 100-yard games (10), 200-yard games (3) and total points (114). Additionally, he set the single game school rushing record with 272 yards on just 16 carries against Louisiana Tech. For his efforts, he earned Walter Camp Second Team All-America honors, as well as being named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.

UAB PASS DEFENSE ONE OF THE TOPS IN THE COUNTRY:
Despite not finishing top 20 in total defense for a fifth straight season, UAB’s pass defense has been one of the most stout in the nation. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, UAB had ranked top five nationally in pass efficiency defense, but enters the bowl game ranked No. 18. UAB has not allowed a 300 yards passer this year and is holding opposing QBs to just 57% completion.

UAB HAS 20 PLAYERS EARN C-USA POSTSEASON AWARDS:
Led by First Team All-Conference USA selections DeWayne McBride (RB), Kadeem Telfort (LT), Sidney Wells (RT), Noah Wilder (LB) and Starling Thomas V (CB), the Blazers had 20 players earn Conference USA postseason honors. UAB also had five Second Team All-Conference USA recipients and 10 Honorable Mentions. All of UAB’s five starting offensive linemen garnered accolades as UAB ranks 5th nationally in rushing yards per game (243.8) and set the single season school record for rushing yards (2,925).

LOOKING FOR WIN 50 SINCE THE RETURN:
UAB has won 49 games since returning to action in 2017, which is the most wins of any team in Conference USA during that span. The Blazers are 49-26 overall dating back to the 2017 season and are the first team in C-USA history to win their division three years in a row (2018-2020). UAB has been dominant against league action, compiling an overall record of 34-13 vs. Conference USA and a mark of 22-5 against West divisional opponents during that span.

TOP G5 PROGRAM
The Blazers have been one of the top Group of 5 programs in the country since returning to action in 2017…During that span, the Blazers have the sixth highest winning percentage of any G5 team (data provided by Appalachian State which goes back to 2015 season when UAB was not playing).

Top G5 Winning Percentage Since 2015:

  1. Appalachian State – 79-25 (75.9)
  2. Boise State – 73-26 (73.7)
  3. San Diego State – 72-29 (71.2)
  4. Cincinnati – 68-32 (68.0)
  5. Memphis – 67-35 (65.6)
  6. UAB – 49-26 (65.3)

1-2 PUNCH AT RB
DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. entered the 2022 season as the only running back tandem in the nation who combined to rush for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, and have accomplished that feat again this season. They both had tremendous seasons in 2022 as McBride led the nation with 1,713 rushing yards and Brown Jr. added 832. They have combined for 2,545 of the team’s 2,925 total rushing yards and 25 of the team’s 30 rushing touchdowns.

UAB DOMINANT AT HOME
The Blazers moved into their new home of Protective Stadium in 2021 and opened the new era of UAB Football on Oct. 2 vs. Liberty. UAB’s first victory came on Oct. 9, 2021 with a 31-14 victory over Florida Atlantic. Since returning to action in 2017, UAB is 29-4 at home and 8-3 at Protective Stadium.

WINNINGEST TEAM IN C-USA SINCE 2017:
Since returning to action in 2017, UAB is the winningest team in Conference USA with 48 total victories. The Blazers were the 2018 and 2020 C-USA Champions and won the West Division title three straight years (2018, 2019 & 2020).

  1. UAB – 49
  2. UTSA – 43
  3. FAU – 42
  4. North Texas – 39
  5. Louisiana Tech – 36

OFFENSIVE NOTES
McBRIDE HAS BEST SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY
In 11 games, DeWayne McBride finished the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,713 yards. Bride has rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of 11 games this season and added 19 rushing touchdowns. He set the school record for rushing yards, touchdowns, points and yards per carry in 2022.

McBRIDE 2022 GAME-BY-GAME
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Liberty 20 184 7 177 1 56 8.9
Georgia Southern 28 229 6 223 4 47 8.0
at Rice 27 131 10 121 1 23 4.5
Middle Tennessee 12 121 1 120 3 45 10.0
Charlotte 29 139 2 137 2 23 4.7
at WKU 24 201 1 200 0 64 8.2
at FAU 24 169 1 168 1 63 7.0
UTSA 19 145 4 141 2 68 7.4
North Texas 21 120 0 120 3 33 5.7
at LSU 13 35 1 34 1 6 2.6
at Louisiana Tech 16 272 0 272 1 60 17
Total 233 1,746 33 1,713 19 68 7.4

McBRIDE FINISHES 2022 AS NATION’S LEADING RUSHER
With a school record 272 rushing yards at Louisiana Tech, DeWayne McBride finished the regular season as the national leader in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

2022 RUSHING YARDS:
Player Gms Att. Yds

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 11 233 1,713
  2. Chase Brown – Illinois 12 328 1,643
  3. Brad Roberts – Air Force 12 308 1,612
  4. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota 11 304 1,594
  5. Bijan Robinson – Texas 12 258 1,580

2022 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
Player Gms Yds Avg.

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 11 1,713 155.7
  2. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota 11 1,594 144.9
  3. Chase Brown – Illinois 12 1,643 136.9
  4. Zach Charbonnet – UCLA 10 1,359 135.9
  5. Brad Roberts – Air Force 12 1,612 134.3

McBride is also the NCAA active career leader in yards per carry and ranks second in rushing yards per game.

CAREER RUSHING YARDS PER CARRY:
Player Rush Yds Avg

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 484 3,523 7.3
  2. Kendre Miller – TCU 353 2,353 6.7
  3. Tyjae Spears – Tulane 410 2,705 6.6

CAREER RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
Player Games Yds Avg

  1. Brad Roberts – Air Force 29 3,425 118.1
  2. DeWayne McBride – UAB 30 3,523 117.4
  3. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minn. 40 4,597 114.9

McBRIDE’S CAREER 100-YARD GAMES
McBride is 2nd all-time in career 100-yard games at UAB. He has rushed for 100 yards in 10 of 11 games this season, and dating back to last year he has gone over 100 yards in 14 of his last 16 contests.
CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES
Player Years Yds

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-2020 19
  2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 18
  3. Joe Webb 2006-09 12
  4. Jordan Howard 2013-14 11
  5. Pat Green 1991-94 10

McBRIDE CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES:
2020
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
WKU* 10 131 0 131 1 71 13.1
at Louisiana Tech* 13 133 0 133 2 75 10.2

2021
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Tulane 18 112 1 111 0 28 6.2
at Southern Miss 17 139 2 137 1 37 8.1
Louisiana Tech 14 210 4 210 4 43 15.0
at Marshall 25 114 6 108 2 18 4.3
at UTSA 24 149 5 144 1 32 6.0
vs. No. 13 BYU 28 188 5 183 1 64 6.5

2022
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Liberty 20 184 7 177 1 56 8.9
Georgia Southern 28 229 6 223 4 47 8.0
at Rice 27 131 10 121 1 23 4.5
Middle Tennessee 12 121 1 120 3 45 10.0
Charlotte 29 139 2 137 2 23 4.7
at WKU 24 201 1 200 0 64 8.2
at FAU 24 169 1 168 1 63 7.0
UTSA 19 145 4 141 2 68 7.4
North Texas 21 120 0 120 3 33 5.7
at Louisiana Tech 16 272 0 272 1 60 17

McBRIDE AND BROWN JR. ON UAB’S CAREER RUSHING YARDS AND TD LIST
DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. are both inside the top 10 on UAB’s career rushing list and career rushing touchdown list.

CAREER RUSHING YARDS
Player Years Yds

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-20 4,011
  2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 3,523
  3. Pat Green 1991-94 2,817
  4. Joe Webb 2006-09 2,774
  5. Jordan Howard 2013-14 2,468
  6. Darrin Reaves 2011-13 2,337
  7. Dan Burks 2002-06 2,277
  8. Jermaine Brown Jr. 2019-Pres. 2,160
  9. Jegil Dugger 1998-01 1,979
  10. Corey White 2003-06 1,925

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Years TDs

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-20 41
    T2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 36
    T2. Pat Green 1991-94 35
  2. Darrin Reaves 2011-13 27
  3. Corey White 2003-06 25
  4. Joe Webb 2006-09 24
  5. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 18
  6. Jermaine Brown Jr. 2019-Pres. 16
  7. Jordan Howard 2013-14 15
    T10. Daniel Dixon 1997-00 13
    T10. Jegil Dugger 1998-01 13

McBRIDE SETS UAB’S SINGLE SEASON RUSHING RECORD
With a school record 272 rushing yards at Louisiana Tech, DeWayne McBride also set the school record for single season rushing yards – a record that was previously set by Jordan Howard back in 2014.

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING YARDS
Player Year Yds

  1. DeWayne McBride 2022 1,713
  2. Jordan Howard 2014 1,587
  3. Joe Webb 2009 1,427
  4. DeWayne McBride 2021 1,371
  5. Spencer Brown 2017 1,329
  6. Spencer Brown 2018 1,227
  7. Carl Sanders 1996 1,154
  8. Darrin Reaves 2012 1,037
  9. Joe Webb 2008 1,021
  10. Darrin Reaves 2013 928

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
With three rushing touchdowns against North Texas, DeWayne McBride set the single season school record for rushing touchdowns with 17. McBride finished the regular season with 19 touchdowns, which is the second most nationally.

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Year TDs

  1. DeWayne McBride 2022 19
  2. Spencer Brown 2018 16
    T3. DeWayne McBride 2021 13
    T3. A.J. Erdely 2017 13
    T3. Jordan Howard 2014 13
    T3. Darrin Reaves 2012 13
  3. Darrin Reaves 2013 12
    T8. Joe Webb 2009 11
    T8. Joe Webb 2008 11
    T10. Spencer Brown 2020 10
    T10. Spencer Brown 2017 10
    T10. Pat Green 1993 10

NOTES ON DYLAN HOPKINS
Dylan Hopkins, who finished 2021 as the nation’s eighth most efficient passer, finished the 2022 regular season ranked 30th in efficiency. He missed two and a half games due to injury, but completed 120-of-191 (62.8 percent) for 1,709 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. For his career, Hopkins is 16-9 as UAB’s starting quarterback.

HOPKINS GAME-BY-GAME
Opponent Comp Att. Yds TD INT Lg
Alabama A&M 13 18 191 1 0 31
at Liberty 10 15 114 0 0 56
Georgia Southern 12 19 125 1 0 36
at Rice 15 21 231 2 1 71
Middle Tennessee 17 27 278 1 0 68
Charlotte 15 23 231 1 1 64
at WKU 2 2 63 1 0 59
at FAU DNP (Injury)
UTSA DNP (Injury)
North Texas 15 23 234 1 0 75
at LSU 14 29 158 0 0 27
Louisiana Tech 7 14 91 1 1 74
Total 120 191 1,709 9 3 75

HOPKINS ON UAB’S CAREER QB LISTS
In 25 career starts, Dylan Hopkins is fifth in both career passing touchdowns and career passing yards.

CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES
Player Years TDs

  1. Darrell Hackney 2002-05 71
  2. John Whitcomb 1992-94 53
    T3. Tyler Johnston III 2017-Pres. 37
    T3. Joe Webb 2006-09 37
  3. Dylan Hopkins 2018-Pres. 30
  4. Bryan Ellis 2008-11 27
  5. Jonathan Perry 2011-13 26
  6. Austin Brown 2012-13 24
  7. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 23
  8. Lee Jolly 1997-99 17

CAREER PASSING YARDS
Player Years Yds

  1. Darrell Hackney 2002-05 9,886
  2. John Whitcomb 1992-94 7,420
  3. Joe Webb 2006-09 5,771
  4. Tyler Johnston III 2017-Pres. 4,837
  5. Dylan Hopkins 2018-Pres. 4,553
  6. Jonathan Perry 2011-13 4,454
  7. Austin Brown 2012-13 3,872
  8. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 3,870
  9. Bryan Ellis 2008-11 3,697
  10. Daniel Dixon 1997-00 3,085

OFFENSIVE NOTES
59 POINTS
The Blazers scored 59 points against Alabama A&M in the season opener. It was their third most points scored in school history and their most as a Division I FBS member. Additionally, the 59-point margin of victory was the largest in school history as Division I members and the second most in school history.

  1. 75 vs. Albany Turner – Nov. 2, 1991 (DIII)
  2. 61 vs. Knoxville College – Nov. 11, 1995 (DI-AA)
  3. 59 vs. Alabama A&M – Sept. 1, 2022 (DI-FBS)
  4. 75 vs. Albany Turner (75-0) – Nov. 2, 1991 (DIII)
  5. 59 vs. Alabama A&M (59-0) – Sept. 1, 2022 (DI-FBS)
  6. 53 vs. Knoxville College (61-8) – Nov. 11, 1995 (D1-AA)

500+ YARDS OF OFFENSE
The Blazers have put up 500 yards of total offense four times this season, with the most recent coming against North Texas where they had 505 yards. UAB is now 23-12 in its history when going over 500 yards of offense.

UAB OFFENSIVE LINE NOTES
UAB’s offensive line has helped UAB rush for over 220 yards in 10 of 12 games this season. The Blazers rank 5th nationally in rushing yards per game at 243.8 per game. UAB was named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll and all five of the starters earned Conference USA postseason accolades.

Player 19 GP/GS 20 GP/GS 21 GP/GS 22 GP/GS Career GP/GS
OT Sidney Wells 14/14 9/9 4/4 12/12 39/39
OG Matthew Trehern — 9/9 13/13 12/12 34/34
OT Kadeem Telfort — 6/4 13/13 11/10 30/27
C Will Rykard 1/0 5/3 9/6 9/9 24/18
OT Trey Bedowsky — — 13/0 8/2 21/2
OG Quincy McGee — — 4/0 12/12 16/12
C Brady Wilson — — 2/0 12/6 14/6
OG Zaire Flournoy — — 1/0 12/0 13/0
OG Eli Richey — — 3/0 5/0 8/0
OT Quez Yates — — — 3/0 3/0
OT Tater Reid — — — 2/0 2/0
OG Cameron Young — — — 1/0 1/0

SHROPSHIRE MOVES IN TOP 10 FOR CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
With a career-high 193 receiving yards against Middle Tennessee, Trea Shropshire moved into the top 10 for career receiving yards at UAB. He is currently fifth in career receiving yards and seventh in receiving touchdowns.

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Player Years Yards

  1. Derrick Ingram 1991-94 3,379
  2. Roddy White 2001-04 3,112
  3. J.J. Nelson 2011-14 2,273
  4. Frantell Forrest 2007-10 2,215
  5. Trea Shropshire 2020-22 1,753
  6. Jackie Williams 2010-12 1,733
  7. Cedrick Buchannon 1992-95 1,694
  8. Austin Watkins Jr. 2018-20 1,642
  9. Darrius Malone 1996-99 1,596
  10. Willie Quinnie 2000-02 1,395

CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Years TDs

  1. Derrick Ingram 1991-94 28
  2. Roddy White 2001-04 26
    T3. Frantell Forrest 2007-10 20
    T3. J.J. Nelson 2011-14 20
    T5. Gerrit Prince 2018-21 15
    T5. Reggie Lindsey 2004-05 15
    T7. Trea Shropshire 2020-Pres. 14
    T7. Cedrick Buchannon 1992-95 14
  3. Andre Wilson 2017-18 11
    T10. Patrick Hearn 2009-12 10
    T10. Willie Quinnie 2000-02 10

DEFENSIVE NOTES
BLAZERS OPEN THE YEAR WITH DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
For a second straight season, the Blazers opened the season by posting a shutout, this year by defeating Alabama A&M 59-0. It was UAB’s sixth shutout since returning to action in 2017 and their 13th in program history.

UAB SHUTOUTS
DATE Opponent Score
11/2/1991 Albany Turner W, 75-0*
11/5/1992 Millsaps W, 28-0*
10/7/1995 Wofford W, 28-0^
10/5/1996 WKU W, 24-0
10/2/1999 ULM W, 47-0
9/15/2007 Alcorn State W, 22-0
11/29/2008 at UCF W, 15-0
8/30/2018 Savannah St. W, 52-0
10/13/2018 at Rice W, 42-0
10/27/2018 at UTEP W, 19-0
9/1/2021 vs. Jacksonville St. W, 31-0
10/16/2021 at Southern Miss W, 34-0
9/1/2022 Alabama A&M W, 59-0
*As Division III members | ^As Division I-AA members

TOTAL DEFENSE
UAB currently ranks 56th in total defense, allowing 368.2 yards per game. The Blazers have finished top 20 in total defense each of the last four years, and although that will not happen this year, UAB looks for a strong performance against Miami to end the season.

2018 – 9th (299.2)
2019 – 8th (301.9)
2020 – 7th (311.1)
2021 – 16th (328.8)

PASSING DEFENSE
The Blazers ranked top five in pass efficiency defense for the first 10 weeks, but are currently 18th entering bowl season. Despite that, UAB is still playing at a high level defensively allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 57.2 percent of their passes (217-379) and are allowing just 197.7 yards per passing per game. The Blazers also have nine interceptions this season.

Team Comp-Att. Yards Efficiency

  1. Illinois 183-370 1,985 89.77
  2. Penn State 230-436 2,553 104.00
  3. Michigan 242-429 2,494 106.57
  4. UAB 217-379 2,372 116.74
  5. Texas A&M 184-327 1,874 117.10

MAC MCWILLIAMS FINDS THE END ZONE
Cornerback Mac McWilliams tallied his first career interception in style, returning it 78 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Alabama A&M. It was the sixth longest interception return for a touchdown in school history.

WILDER INTO TOP 10 FOR CAREER TACKLES
Noah Wilder was in contention to lead Conference USA in tackles, but was injured in early in the first quarter against Louisiana Tech in the season finale. Despite that, the First Team All-Conference selection still finished the season ranked third in C-USA with an average of 8.5 tackles per game. He will finish his career ranked third all time at UAB in career tackles.

CAREER TACKLES AT UAB:
Player Yrs. Tkl

  1. Marvin Burdette 2009-12 406
  2. Zac Woodfin 2001-04 372
  3. Noah Wilder 2018-Pres. 330
  4. Nigel Eldridge 2001-04 321
  5. Joe Henderson 2005-08 294
  6. Will Dunbar 2005-08 290
  7. Alan Willis 1994-97 289
  8. Izell Reese 1994-97 276
  9. Josh Evans 1991-94 274
  10. Wayne White 1991-94 266

CASH ON THE CAREER INT LIST
Grayson Cash has three interceptions this year and now has nine for this career. Cash is currently tied for fifth all-time at UAB in career interceptions.

CAREER INTERCEPTIONS
Player Years TDs

  1. Don Blackmon 1991-94 16
  2. Kevin Sanders 2005-08 15
  3. Rodregis Brooks 1996-99 14
  4. Tommy Harrison 1991-94 10
    T5. Grayson Cash 2017-22 9
    T5. Chris Brown 1999-02 9
    T5. Danion Sidney 1996-97 9

LEADERS IN CONFERENCE USA
UAB ranks near the top in almost every single defensive category in Conference USA.

TOTAL DEFENSE:
Team GP Yards Avg.

  1. UTEP 12 4,230 352.5
  2. UAB 12 4,419 368.3
  3. Rice 12 4,529 377.42

SCORING DEFENSE:
Team GP Pts Avg.

  1. UAB 12 281 23.4
  2. WKU 13 305 23.5
  3. UTSA 13 345 26.5

PASSING DEFENSE:
Team Comp-Att. Yards Efficiency

  1. UAB 217-379-10 2,372 116.74
  2. WKU 273-443-17 2,928 122.88
  3. Louisiana Tech 219-386-11 2,707 127.04

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
QUINN ON TARGET DOWN THE STRETCH
Matt Quinn has made his last five field goal attempts and has not missed since Oct. 29…He has made a career-best 13 field goals this season, which includes a season-best 51-yarder against Alabama A&M. Quinn is 13-of-18 on field goals this year and a perfect 42-of-42 on PAT.

QUINN FIELD GOALS
FG Pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Lg Blk
2020 11-12 .917 0-0 2-2 4-5 5-5 0-0 48 0
2021 11-16 .688 0-0 4-5 5-7 1-1 1-3 52 1
2022 13-18 .722 1-1 4-6 5-5 2-4 1-2 51 0
TOTAL 35-46 .760 1-1 10-13 14-17 8-10 2-5 52 0

QUINN MOVING UP FG AND PAT
Matt Quinn has moved into the top 10 for career field goals and PAT made. He is currently sixth in career field goals made (35) and is fourth in PAT (122).

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE
Player Years FGs

  1. Ty Long 2011-14 59
  2. Nick Hayes 2001-04 57
  3. Swayze Waters 2005-08 50
  4. Nick Vogel 2014-19 47
  5. Kevin Thomason 1992-95 39
  6. Matt Quinn 2019-Pres. 35
  7. Rhett Gallego 1998-01 30
  8. Jake Arians 1996-99 29
  9. Josh Zahn 2009-10 22
  10. Parker Mullins 2003-06 16

CAREER PAT MADE
Player Years FGs

  1. Ty Long 2011-14 145
  2. Nick Vogel 2014-19 128
  3. Kevin Thomason 1992-95 124
  4. Matt Quinn 2019-Pres. 122
  5. Nick Hayes 2001-04 117
  6. Jake Arians 1996-99 81
  7. Josh Zhan 2009-10 62
  8. Rhett Gallego 1998-01 56
    T9. Swayze Waters 2005-08 52
    T9. Parker Mullins 2003-06 52

GREENWELL BECOMES CAREER LEADER
Against Liberty, Kyle Greenwell became the first punter in school history to eclipse 10,000 career punt yards. A five-year starter, Greenwell is the school record holder for most career punts and most career punt yards. If he plays in the Bahamas Bowl, he will tie the school record for most games played (63, Hayden Pittman (2017-2021).

CAREER PUNTS
Player Years Punts

  1. Kyle Greenwell 2018-Pres. 275
  2. Parker Mullins 2003-06 235
  3. Ross Stewart 1999-02 190

CAREER YARDS
Player Years Punt Yards

  1. Kyle Greenwell 2018-Pres. 11,610
  2. Parker Mullins 2003-06 9,434
  3. Ross Stewart 1999-02 7,900

CHARLIE GOODE MAKING PLAYS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
In his first collegiate play, redshirt freshman Charlie Goode blocked a punt against Alabama A&M which bounced 29 yards into the end zone and was recovered by Damien Miller for a touchdown. He also had a blocked punt at Louisiana Tech which was scooped up by Luke Percer and returned 14 yards for a touchdown. Both of Goode’s blocks have been returned for touchdowns.

NFL: Week 15 Quick Capsule – Miami Dolphins (8-5) at Buffalo Bills (10-3)

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WEEK 15
MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-5) @ BUFFALO BILLS (10-3)
DATE: Saturday (12/17/22)
STADIUM: Highmark Stadium
TIME: 8:15 PM ET
REFEREE: Bill Vinovich

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Dolphins lead all-time series, 61-51-1
STREAKS Bills have won 7 of past 8
LAST GAME 9/25/22: Bills 19 at Dolphins 21
LAST GAME AT SITE 10/31/21: Bills 26, Dolphins 11

MIAMI DOLPHINS
LAST WEEK L 23-17 at Los Angeles Chargers
COACH VS. OPP. Mike McDaniel: 1-0
PTS. FOR 24.3
OFFENSE 367.8
PASSING Tua Tagovailoa: 226-345-3,004-22-5-108.2
RUSHING Jeff Wilson (2022): 136-706-5.2-4
RECEIVING Tyreek Hill: 100-1,460-14.6-6
PTS. AGAINST 24.0
DEFENSE 350.8
SACKS Bradley Chubb (2022): 8
INTs Jevon Holland: 2
TAKE/GIVE -3 (12/15)
PUNTING (NET) Thomas Morstead: 46.8 (40.3)
KICKING Jason Sanders: 88 (34/37 PAT; 18/22 FG)

DOLPHINS NOTES
• QB TUA TAGOVAILOA has 14 TDs vs. 2 INTs with 107.3 rating in his past 7 starts & has 0 INTs in 6 of past 7. Has 2+ TD passes in 3 of his past 4 on road. Aims for his 4th in row vs. division with 0 INTs & 90+ rating. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 108.2 passer rating.
• RB JEFF WILSON had career-high 204 scrimmage yards (183 rush, 21 rec.) with TD catch in only career Saturday game (12/26/20 vs. Az., with SF).
• RB RAHEEM MOSTERT has 80+ scrimmage yards in 2 of his past 3 in primetime.
• WR TYREEK HILL aims for 4th in row with 80+ rec. yards & 3rd in row with TD catch. Has 955 rec. yards (136.4 per game) in 7 road games this season. Leads NFL with 100 catches & ranks 2nd with 1,460 rec. yards in 2022, most rec. yards in single season in franchise history.
• WR JAYLEN WADDLE had 102 rec. yards in Week 3 meeting. Is 1st player in franchise history with 1,000+ rec. yards in each of 1st 2 seasons. Hill & Waddle are only pair of teammates each with 1,000+ rec. yards this season.
• CB XAVIEN HOWARD has PD in 2 of past 3. Had 2 PD in Week 3 meeting & aims for his 5th in row vs. Buf. with PD. Leads NFL with 28 INTs since 2017.
• LB BRADLEY CHUBB has sack in 2 of past 3. Aims for his 3rd in row on road vs. AFC East with sack.
• LB JEROME BAKER aims for 4th in row with 0.5+ sacks & 3rd in row with 11+ tackles. Had season-high 13 tackles, 0.5 sacks & PD in Week 3 meeting.
• LB JAELAN PHILLIPS aims for 5th in row with 0.5+ sacks.
• DT CHRISTIAN WILKINS had 9 tackles, 2 TFL & sack in Week 14. Aims for 7th in row with TFL & 3rd in row with 9+ tackles. Has PD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Buf. DOLPHINS NOTES

BUFFALO BILLS
LAST WEEK W 20-12 vs. New York Jets
COACH VS. OPP. Sean McDermott: 9-2
PTS. FOR 27.2
OFFENSE 397.1
PASSING Josh Allen: 300-470-3,553-26-11-95.5
RUSHING Devin Singletary: 145-642-4.4-4
RECEIVING Stefon Diggs: 94-1,239-13.2-10
PTS. AGAINST 17.0
DEFENSE 319.3
SACKS Greg Rousseau: 7
INTs Jordan Poyer: 4
TAKE/GIVE +2 (22/20)
PUNTING (NET) Sam Martin: 48.4 (41.1)
KICKING Tyler Bass: 115 (37/38 PAT; 26/29 FG)

BILLS NOTES
• QB JOSH ALLEN totaled 194 yards (147 pass, 47 rush) & 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs last week, his 24th-career game with both TD pass & rush TD, tied with HOFer Fran Tarkenton for 4th-most all-time. Aims for 3rd in row with 0 INTs. Passed for 400 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs in Week 3 meeting & has 2+ TD passes in each of 9 career starts vs. Mia. Has 38 TDs (35 pass, 3 rush) & 106.5 rating in 13 career starts in primetime. Is 1st QB in NFL history with 6+ rush TDs in 5 straight seasons.
• RB DEVIN SINGLETARY has rush TD in 2 of his past 3 at home. Had 91 scrimmage yards in Week 3 meeting, incl. career-high 9 catches & 78 rec. yards. with rec. TD. Has 90+ scrimmage yards & TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Mia.
• WR STEFON DIGGS has TD catch in 3 of past 4. Had 7 catches for 74 yards in Week 3 meeting & has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Mia. Aims for his 5th in row in primetime with 90+ rec. yards & TD catch. Needs 6 catches to become 6th player ever with 100+ catches & 1,200+ rec. yards in 3 straight seasons.
• WR GABE DAVIS has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 in primetime.
• TE DAWSON KNOX had 3rd TD catch of season last week.
• S JORDAN POYER aims for 6th in row with 5+ tackles & 3rd in row with TFL. Had 9 tackles & INT in last home meeting. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Mia. with PD.
• LB MATT MILANO led team with 9 tackles & had 2 PD & FR last week. Aims for 3rd in row at home with FR. Has TFL in 6 of past 7. Has INT in 2 of past 3 in primetime.
• DE GREG ROUSSEAU had season-high 2 sacks & 1st FF of season in Week 14. Aims for 3rd in row with PD & has TFL in 3 of past 4. Aims for his 3rd in row at home with sack. Has 2+ TFL & 1.5+ sacks in 2 of 3 career games vs. Mia.

NFL: Week 5 Quick Capsule – Baltimore Ravens (9-4) at Cleveland Browns (5-8)

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WEEK 15
BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-4) @ CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-8)
DATE: Saturday (12/17/22)
STADIUM: FirstEnergy Stadium
TIME: 4:30 PM ET
REFEREE: Brad Allen

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Ravens lead all-time series, 35-12
STREAKS Ravens have won 5 of past 6
LAST GAME 10/23/22: Browns 20 at Ravens 23
LAST GAME AT SITE 12/12/21: Browns 24, Ravens 22

BALTIMORE RAVENS
LAST WEEK W 16-14 at Pittsburgh
COACH VS. OPP. John Harbaugh: 24-5
PTS. FOR 23.2
OFFENSE 347.0
PASSING Lamar Jackson: 203-326-2,242-17-7-91.1
RUSHING Lamar Jackson (QB): 112-764-6.8-3
RECEIVING Mark Andrews (TE): 58-671-11.6-5
PTS. AGAINST 19.2
DEFENSE 330.4
SACKS Justin Houston: 9
INTs Marlon Humphrey: 4
TAKE/GIVE +9 (23/14)
PUNTING (NET) Jordan Stout (R): 46.7 (41.1)
KICKING Justin Tucker: 113 (29/30 PAT; 28/31 FG)

RAVENS NOTES
• QB LAMAR JACKSON has 6 TDs (4 pass, 2 rush) vs. 0 INTs with 117.3 rating in 3 career starts at Cle., incl. 100+ rush yards in 2 of 3 starts. Ranks 2nd among QBs with 764 rush yards in 2022, his 4th-straight season with 750+ rush yards.
• QB TYLER HUNTLEY completed 8 of 12 atts. (66.7 pct.) in 1st start of season last week. Had 315 yards (career-high 270 pass, 45 rush) in last road meeting.
• QB ANTHONY BROWN (rookie) made NFL debut in Week 14.
• RB J.K. DOBBINS rushed for season-high 120 yards & TD last week. Has rush TD in each of 2 career games vs. Cle. Has rush TD in 3 of his past 4 vs. division.
• RB GUS EDWARDS rushed for 66 yards in Week 14 & has 50+ rush yards in 4 of his 5 games this season. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cle. with 2+ rush TDs.
• TE MARK ANDREWS has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4. Had 11 catches for 115 yards & TD in last road meeting. Has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. Cle.
• LB ROQUAN SMITH had 3rd-career game with both sack & INT last week, tied-most such games in NFL since 2018. Aims for 5th in row with 6+ tackles & 3rd in row with TFL. Had 10 tackles in only career game vs. Cle. (9/26/21 w/ Chi.).
• LB PATRICK QUEEN had INT in Week 14. Has TFL in 3 of past 4. Aims for 4th in row on road with PD. Had 11 tackles, 3 TFL & sack in Week 7 meeting.
• DT CALAIS CAMPBELL had blocked FG last week. Had sack & FF in Week 7 meeting. Needs sack to become 9th active player with 100+ career sacks.
• CB MARLON HUMPHREY aims for 4th in row with 6+ tackles. Has PD in 6 of past 7 vs. Cle.
• S MARCUS WILLIAMS had team-high 4th INT of season last week. Has PD in 5 of 6 games this season. Has INT in only career game vs. Cle. (9/16/18 w/ NO).

CLEVELAND BROWNS
LAST WEEK L 23-10 at Cincinnati
COACH VS. OPP. Kevin Stefanski: 1-4
PTS. FOR 23.1
OFFENSE 368.8
PASSING Deshaun Watson: 38-64-407-1-2-70.3
RUSHING Nick Chubb: 231-1,153-5.0-12
RECEIVING Amari Cooper: 63-874-13.9-7
PTS. AGAINST 24.8
DEFENSE 343.8
SACKS Myles Garrett: 12
INTs Six tied: 1
TAKE/GIVE -5 (13/18)
PUNTING (NET) Corey Bojorquez: 49.1 (40.7)
KICKING Cade York (R): 88 (28/30 PAT; 20/26 FG)

BROWNS NOTES
• QB DESHAUN WATSON totaled 309 yards (276 pass, 33 rush) & had 1st TD pass of season last week. Passed for 275 yards in his last start vs. Bal. (9/20/20 w/ Hou.).
• RB NICK CHUBB is 1 of 3 in NFL (Austin Ekeler & Josh Jacobs) with 50+ scrimmage yards in 13 games this season. Has 100+ scrimmage yards & rush TD in 5 of 6 home games in 2022. Totaled 107 scrimmage yards (91 rush, 16 rec.) & rush TD in Week 7 meeting. Aims for his 3rd on row in Saturday games with 100+ rush yards. Ranks 2nd in NFL with 12 rush TDs & 3rd with 1,153 rush yards this season.
• RB KAREEM HUNT had rush TD in Week 7 meeting.
• WR AMARI COOPER aims for his 3rd in row at home with 5+ catches & 90+ rec. yards & has TD catch in 5 of 6 home games this season. Had 74 rec. yards in Week 7 meeting.
• WR DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES led team with career highs in catches (8) & rec. yards (114) in Week 14. Has 50+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 at home. Has 70+ rec. yards in 3 of 4 career games vs. Bal.
• TE DAVID NJOKU had 7 catches for 59 yards & TD last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 5+ catches & rec. TD. Had 7 catches for 71 yards in Week 7 meeting.
• DE MYLES GARRETT had 3 TFL, 2 sacks & 2 PD in Week 14, his 3rd game this season with 2+ sacks, tied 2nd-most in NFL. Aims for 5th in row with TFL & has sack in 3 of past 4. Aims for 4th in row at home with 1.5+ sacks & 4th in row vs. Bal. with sack.
• DE JADEVEON CLOWNEY had PD last week. Had 1.5 sacks & PD in last home meeting.
• LB DEION JONES had 7 tackles, 2 PD & 1st INT of season last week.
• CB DENZEL WARD had 2 PD in Week 14 & aims for his 3rd in row with PD.
• S JOHN JOHNSON had 7 tackles last week, his 3rd game this season with 7+ tackles.

NFL: Week 15 Quick Capsule – Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-3-0)

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WEEK 15
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-8-1) @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS (10-3)
DATE: Saturday (12/17/22)
STADIUM: U.S. Bank Stadium
TIME: 1:00 PM ET
REFEREE: Tra Blake

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Colts lead all-time series, 17-7-1
STREAKS Colts have won past 6
LAST GAME 9/20/20: Vikings 11 at Colts 28
LAST GAME AT SITE 12/18/16: Colts 34, Vikings 6

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
LAST WEEK: Bye (L 54-19 at Dallas in Week 13)
COACH VS. OPP. Jeff Saturday: 0-0
PTS. FOR 16.1
OFFENSE 318.0
PASSING Matt Ryan: 290-428-2,875-13-13-84.0
RUSHING Jonathan Taylor: 192-861-4.5-4
RECEIVING Michael Pittman: 76-755-9.9-2
PTS. AGAINST 22.9
DEFENSE 314.8
SACKS Yannick Ngakoue: 8.5
INTs Stephon Gilmore: 2
TAKE/GIVE -14 (12/26)
PUNTING (NET) Matt Haack: 44.8 (40.4)
KICKING Chase McLaughlin: 79 (13/13 PAT; 22/27 FG)

COLTS NOTES
• QB MATT RYAN needs 125 pass yards to become 8th QB in NFL history with 3,000+ pass yards in 13 straight seasons. Passed for 371 yards & 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 136.6 rating in his last start vs. Min. (10/18/20 w/ Atl.). Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Min. with 300+ pass yards & 2+ TD passes.
• RB JONATHAN TAYLOR had 103 scrimmage yards (82 rush, 21 rec.) in Week 13. Aims for 5th in row overall with 90+ scrimmage yards & 3rd in row on road with 100+ scrimmage yards. Has rush TD in 3 of past 4. Rushed for 101 yards & TD in last meeting. Needs 9 scrimmage yards to join HOFer Marshall Faulk as only players in franchise history with 1,000+ scrimmage yards in each of 1st 3 seasons.
• WR MICHAEL PITTMAN has 6+ catches & 50+ rec. yards in 3 of past 4.
• WR ALEC PIERCE (rookie) had 4 catches for career-high 86 yards & 2nd TD of season in Week 13. Ranks 5th among rookies with 510 rec. yards in 2022.
• WR ASHTON DULIN had 1st TD catch of season in Week 13.
• TE MO ALIE-COX had 5 catches for career-high 111 yards in last meeting.
• DE YANNICK NGAKOUE has 1.5+ sacks in 2 of his past 3 & 0.5+ sacks in 6 of his past 7. Had FF in only career game vs. Min. (12/11/16 w/ Jax.). Totaled 5 sacks & 2 FFs in 6 games with Min. in 2020.
• DE KWITY PAYE had career-high 5th sack of 2022 in Week 13. Has sack in 2 of past 3.
• LB ZAIRE FRANKLIN led team with 10 tackles & had TFL & PD in Week 13. Aims for 5th in row overall with 10+ tackles & 5th in row on road with TFL.
• CB STEPHON GILMORE had 6 tackles, 2 PD & 2nd INT of season in Week 13. Aims for his 3rd in row on road with 5+ tackles & 2+ PD.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS
LAST WEEK: L 34-23 at Detroit
COACH VS. OPP. Kevin O’Connell: 0-0
PTS. FOR 24.0
OFFENSE 342.0
PASSING Kirk Cousins: 321-490-3,358-20-9-91.2
RUSHING Dalvin Cook: 213-950-4.5-8
RECEIVING Justin Jefferson: 99-1,500-15.2-6
PTS. AGAINST 24.1
DEFENSE 403.7
SACKS Za’Darius Smith: 9.5
INTs Harrison Smith: 5
TAKE/GIVE +6 (20/14)
PUNTING (NET) Ryan Wright (R): 47.6 (43.2)
KICKING Greg Joseph: 86 (29/34 PAT; 19/24 FG)

VIKINGS NOTES
• QB KIRK COUSINS completed 31 of 41 atts. (75.6 pct.) for season-high 425 yards & 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 124.5 rating in Week 14, his 7th-career 400-yard game. Is only QB with 3,000+ pass yards & 20+ TD passes in each of past 8 seasons. Has 13 TDs (11 pass, 2 rush) vs. 2 INTs for 98 rating in 7 home starts in 2022.
• RB DALVIN COOK had 8th rush TD of season last week & aims for his 3rd in row with rush TD. Is 1 of 5 with 1,100+ scrimmage yards in each of past 4 seasons & needs 50 rush yards for 4th-straight season with 1,000+ rush yards. Had rush TD in last meeting.
• WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON had 11 receptions for career high 223 yards in Week 14, most rec. yards in single game in 2022. Leads NFL with 1,500 rec. yards & is 1st player ever with 1,400+ rec. yards in each of his 1st 3 career seasons. Has 5 games with 175+ rec. yards, tied with HOFer Lance Alworth (5) for most by player in 1st 3 career seasons all-time. Needs 5 receptions to become 3rd player ever (Christian McCaffrey & Michael Thomas) with 300+ catches in 1st 3 career seasons.
• WR ADAM THIELEN had 4th rec. TD of season. Has 63 receptions in 2022, his 3rdstraight & 6th-career 60-catch season.
• TE T.J. HOCKENSON has 5+ catches in 5 of his 6 games with Min. in 2022.
• LB ZA’DARIUS SMITH ranks tied-2nd in NFL with 15 TFL.
• LB JORDAN HICKS had 8 tackles, TFL & PD last week. Has 106 tackles in 2022, his 4th-straight 100-tackle season.
• LB ERIC KENDRICKS has 107 tackles in 2022, his 7th-straight 100-tackle season.
• S HARRISON SMITH leads all active players with 34 career INTs. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Ind. with 5+ tackles & PD.

World Cup Preview: Croatia at Morocco

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Croatia and Morocco are set to face off Saturday at Khalifa International Stadium in the third-place game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals, can Morocco also become the first to earn a top-three finish?

Croatia opened as the favorite at +115 on the moneyline with Morocco getting +205 as the underdog. The total was set at 2.5 goals with the UNDER going 5-1 in Morocco’s last six matches. Croatia finished second at the 2018 World Cup and went into this tournament ranked 12th in the world, giving them the edge over their 22nd-ranked opponents in our Croatia vs Morocco prediction.

The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in their Group F opener on November 23, with Morocco outshooting Croatia 8-5 and each team getting two shots on target.

Croatia Falls To Argentina In Semifinals
Croatia was outmatched in its semifinal loss to Argentina, falling 3-0 on Tuesday to end their dreams of a second straight appearance in the final. Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 24th minute while Julian Alvarez added a couple of goals to send Argentina to the final.

While Argentina fired seven shots on target to just two for Croatia, the Croats did control 61 percent of possession, which is a positive they can take forward into their third-place match. They should once again be able to control the flow of the game against Morocco, who will likely be happy to sit back and attack on the counter. Croatia will need to find a way to be more clinical, though, as they’ve scored just two goals in their last four matches.

Morocco Loses In Close Match Vs France
The fairytale run for Morocco came to an end on Wednesday as they lost 2-0 to France in their semifinal match. Theo Hernandez got the French on the board just five minutes in while substitute Randal Kolo Muani scored with his first touch of the ball in the 79th minute to seal the victory.

Morocco has surprised everyone throughout this tournament, claiming impressive upset wins over nations like Portugal, Spain and Belgium. They put up a good fight against the defending World Cup winners, too, holding 62 percent of possession against France while going shot for shot with them. While they’ll certainly be disappointed to not be playing in the final, Morocco will be motivated to shock the soccer world again in this third-place match.

Croatia Vs Morocco Game Prop: Total Goals UNDER 2.5 (-105)
Both nations have primarily played to low-scoring results in this tournament – outside of a 4-1 win over Canada, Croatia has scored only two regulation-time goals while Morocco has just five. We expect another low-scoring match, so take the UNDER in this one.

Croatia: Keys To Win
It was the same old story for Croatia in the semifinals as they came up short on the attacking side with no goals and just two shots on target. They’ve scored more than one goal just once in this tournament, and they’ll likely need to do it again to beat Morocco.

Morocco: Keys To Win
Morocco has been a stout defensive team in this World Cup, with France becoming the first opponent to score more than one goal against them. In fact, Morocco has allowed just three goals in the tournament with four clean sheets in six matches. If their defense plays to that standard again, they’ll have a good shot at upsetting Croatia.

Morocco is 7-3-1 in its last 11 matches.
The UNDER is 4-2 in Croatia’s last 6 matches.
Croatia is 5-5-1 in its last 11 matches.

NHL Preview: St. Louis Blues (13-15-1) at Edmonton Oilers (17-13-0)

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ST. LOUIS BLUES NOTES:

CURRENT INJURIES
Scott Perunovich – Shoulder (Re-evaluated in 6 months, announced on Oct. 4)
Marco Scandella – Right Hip (Re-evaluated in 6 months, announced on Sep. 20)
Logan Brown – Upper-Body (Placed on IR on Nov. 9)
2022-23 Total Man Games Lost: 111

Recent Transactions
December
12 – Recalled forward Alexey Toropchenko from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
3 – Recalled forward Will Bitten from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)
2 – Assigned forward Jake Neighbours to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL)

BLUES VS. OILERS (All Regular Season)
-The Blues and Oilers will finish their season series on Thursday in Edmonton
-The Blues and Oilers have played twice this season, with each team winning in regulation on the road (Blues 2-0 win on Oct. 22 in EDM; Oilers 3-1 win on Oct. 26 in STL)
-The Blues are 2-1-1 in their last 4 games against Edmonton
-The Blues are 8-4-2 in their last 14 games against the Oilers
-The Blues have points in back-to-back trips to Edmonton (1-0-1) and are 3-1-1 in their last 5 games in Edmonton
-The Blues have not allowed a power play goal to the Oilers in 5 of their last 6 games in Edmonton, going 13 for 14 (92.9%) on the penalty kill over those 6 games
-On Monday vs. Nashville, the Blues entered OT tied 0-0, where Brayden Schenn scored the overtime winner
-The last time the Blues were tied 0-0 after regulation prior to Monday was on Feb. 7, 2019 at Tampa Bay, where Brayden Schenn also scored the overtime winner

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
12/16 – at Calgary
12/19 – at Vancouver
12/20 – at Seattle
12/23 – at Vegas
12/27 – vs. Toronto

A LOOK AHEAD
-The Blues have 8 games remaining in December (3 at home; 5 away)
-The Blues will start a season-long 10-day, 5-game road trip tonight at Edmonton
-The Blues will play their next 5 games, including Thursday at Edmonton, against the Western Conference, as well as 7 of their last 8 games to finish the calendar year
-The Blues next 5 games, including Thursday at Edmonton, will come against Western Conference teams, all of which sit in front of the Blues in the standings, including 3 against teams that currently hold a playoff spot

DEFENSEMEN CONTRIBUTING OFFENSE FOR BLUES
-The Blues defensemen have accounted for 14.3% of the Blues’ goals this season
-The Blues are 8-1-0 this season when a defenseman scores
-The Blues’ defense has combined for 12 goals this season
-The Blues’ defense has contributed 5 power play goals this season, which shares the most in the NHL with Nashville, Ottawa, and Florida
-They have also contributed 5 game-winning goals, which shares 1st in the NHL with Boston, Carolina, Columbus, and Florida
-Torey Krug leads Blues d-men with 5 goals, which also shares 13th in the NHL among all defensemen (1. Karlsson, 12)
-Torey Krug’s 4 power play goals share the lead on the Blues (Buchnevich/Kyrou) and share 1st in the NHL among all defensemen with Dahlin, Makar, Chabot, & Josi
-Justin Faulk’s 2 game-winning goals share the 7th most among all defensemen in the NHL (1. 6 players, 3)

BLUES CONSISTENT UNDER ARMSTRONG
-Since Doug Armstrong took over the reigns as the Blues General Manager in 2010-11, the Blues have posted a 534-308-100 record
-Their 534 wins since then rank 5th in the NHL (1. PIT, 559)
-The Blues have made the postseason 10 out of the 12 seasons since Armstrong became GM, 1 of 5 teams in the NHL to clinch 10 or more playoff berths since 2010-11 (PIT, 12/WSH, 11/BOS & NSH, 10)
-Armstrong is also just 1 of 2 GMs to clinch 10 or more playoff berths since 2010-11 (David Poile, 10) -Since 2010-11, the Blues rank 7th with 2.92 goals per game (1. VGK, 3.20) and rank 3rd in the NHL with 2.59 goals against per game (1. BOS, 2.45)
-The Blues also have the 3rd best penalty kill (82.7%) under Armstrong (1. BOS, 83.4%), and have the 6th best power play (20.7%) in the league (1. WSH, 21.6%)

BINNINGTON REACHES CENTURY MARK
-On Monday vs. Nashville, Binnington stopped all 25 shots he faced for his 100th career win and his 12th career shutout
-Binnington became the 6th goaltender in franchise history to record at least 100 wins with the club (Liut/Allen/Joseph/Fuhr/Elliott)
-Binnington recorded his 100th win in his 184th career game, becoming the 3rd fastest in franchise history to reach 100 wins with the team
-With his shutout in his 100th career win, Binnington also moved into a tie for 6th on the Blues all-time franchise list with 12 shutouts, 1 of just 7 goaltenders to record at least 12 shutouts with the Blues -Since Nov. 10, Binnington has 7 wins, which shares 5th in the NHL (1. Jarry, 9)

Fastest to 100 career wins with the Blues:

  1. Brian Elliott – 175 GP
  2. Jake Allen – 176 GP
  3. Jordan Binnington – 184 GP

BLUES STAY STRONG UNDER BERUBE
-Since taking over on Nov. 18, 2018, Berube has led the Blues to a 169-95-37 record (375 points)
-The Blues 375 points since Nov. 21, 2018 (Berube’s first game), rank 10th in the NHL (1. TBL, 413), while their 169 wins also rank 10th (1. TBL, 196)
-Their 3.23 goals per game share 7th in the NHL under Berube (1. TBL, 3.55)
-The Blues have posted a mark of 2.87 goals against per game under Berube, which ranks 10th in the NHL (1. BOS, 2.49)
-The Blues also have the 4th best power play in the NHL at 23.7% since Berube became head coach (1. EDM, 27.0%)
-On Sunday vs. Colorado, Berube became the 4th Head Coach in Blues history to reach 300 games behind the bench (1. Quenneville, 593 / 2. Hitchcock, 413 / 3. B. Sutter, 320)
-Last season on Dec. 29 vs. EDM, Berube became the 7th different coach in NHL history to win 200 games and play in at least 1,000 career games

Wins as Coach / Games Played
Craig Berube – 244 / 1,054
Randy Carlyle – 475 / 1,055
Bob Pulford – 363 / 1,079
Craig MacTavish – 301 / 1,093
Red Kelly – 278 / 1,316
Brent Sutter – 215 / 1,111
Larry Robinson – 209 / 1,384

BUCHNEVICH STEPPING UP FOR BLUES
-Pavel Buchnevich shares 2nd on the Blues with 9 goals (1. Kyrou, 10) and ranks 5th with 20 points (1. Thomas, 25)
-Buchnevich has a point in 3 consecutive games played (3g, 1a), scoring a goal in each game
-Buchnevich also has 18 points in his last 14 games (8g, 10a), including 5 multi-point games in that span, after posting just 2 points (1g, 1a) in his first 6 games of the season
-Buchnevich has recorded at least 1 point in 11 of his last 14 games
-Buchnevich shares 1st on the Blues this season with 4 power play goals (Krug/Kyrou)
-Buchnevich recorded 4 points (2g, 2a) on Nov. 19 vs. Anaheim, the 2nd 4-point game of his career (also: Mar. 17, 2021 w/ NYR: 2g, 2a vs. PHI)
-Buchnevich set career-highs with 30 goals, 46 assists, and 76 points last season

THE TARASENK-SHOW
-Vladimir Tarasenko has 8 points in his last 9 games (4g, 4a)
-Tarasenko shares 4th on the Blues with 13 assists (1. Thomas, 19) and shares 3rd on the Blues with 21 points (1. Thomas, 25)
-Tarasenko also shares 4th on the Blues with 8 goals (1. Kyrou, 10) and shares 2nd on the Blues with 7 even-strength goals (1. Acciari, 8)
-He also shares 3rd on the Blues with 15 even-strength points (7g, 8a) (1. Schenn, 17)
-Tarasenko also ranks 5th on the Blues all-time franchise list in goals (260) and points (545)

BRAYDEN IS SCHENN-SATIONAL
-Brayden Schenn shares 3rd on the Blues with 21 points this season (7g, 14a) (1. Thomas, 25)
-He also shares 2nd on the Blues with 14 assists (1. Thomas, 19)
-Schenn has 4 points in his last 5 games (1g, 3a)
-Schenn shares 1st on the Blues with 16 even-strength points this season (5g, 11a) (Thomas)
-Schenn scored the overtime winner on Monday vs. Nashville, the 9th overtime goal of his career
-Schenn has 24 power play goals since the start of the 2019-20 season, which ranks 2nd among all Blues in that span (1. Perron, 26)
-Schenn dressed in his 800th career NHL game on Dec. 3 at Pittsburgh

KYROU FINDING HIS SCORING TOUCH
-Jordan Kyrou has 5 points in his last 6 games (1g, 4a)
-Jordan Kyrou scored twice, including his first career overtime winner, on Nov. 26 at Florida
-Kyrou also assisted on Schenn’s overtime winner on Monday at Nashville
-Kyrou posted a career-long 8-game point streak (5g, 8a), from Nov. 14-26, including a career-long 6 game assist streak from Nov. 16-25 (2g, 8a)
-Nov. 26 at Florida was also Kyrou’s 10th career multi-goal game, which is the 3rd most among all Blues since his debut in 2018-19 (Perron – 14 / Tarasenko – 13)
-Kyrou leads the Blues with 10 goals and shares 1st on the team with 4 power play goals (Buchnevich/Krug)
-Kyrou also shares 2nd on the Blues with 8 power play points (1. Thomas, 9)
-Kyrou now has 20 points (7g, 13a) in his last 19 games after recording just 3 points (3g) in his first 9 games of the season, and has also recorded at least 1 point in 14 of his last 19 games

THOMAS SETTING THE PACE
-Robert Thomas leads the Blues with 19 assists and 25 points this season
-Thomas has 6 points in his last 7 games (2g, 4a)
-In his last 17 games, Thomas has recorded 18 points (4g, 14a), recording at least 1 point in 13 of those 17 games
-He also leads the Blues with 8 power play assists and leads the Blues with 9 power play points
-Since Nov. 10, Thomas shares 11th in the NHL with 14 assists (1. McDavid, 18)
-Since Nov. 10, Thomas shares 3rd in the NHL with 8 power play assists (1. Dahlin/McDavid, 11)

THE CAPTAIN IS COMING ALIVE
-Ryan O’Reilly has 7 points in his last 9 games (4g, 3a)
-O’Reilly has recorded 14 points (8g, 6a) in his last 19 games after just recording 1 point (1g) in his first 10 games of the season
-O’Reilly shares 2nd on the Blues with 9 goals this season (1. Kyrou, 10)
-O’Reilly scored the Blues’ first shorthanded goal of the season on Nov. 16 at Chicago, the 11th of his career

EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

EDMONTON OILERS VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES
7:00 p.m. MT at Rogers Place

BROADCAST INFO: 630 CHED Radio, Sportsnet
17-13-0 – 34 PTS RECORD 13-15-1 – 27 PTS
Div. – 4th Conference – 6th RANK Div. – 6th Conference – 12th
1st –31.5% (34/108) POWER PLAY 19th – 21.5% (17/79)
26th – 72.4% (84/116) PENALTY KILL 31st – 67.7% (44/65)

ALL-TIME RECORDS vs. ST. LOUIS GP RECORD HOME (72) AWAY (73) GF GA
OILERS ALL-TIME vs. ST. LOUIS 145 62-68-11-4 34-32-4-2 28-36-7-2 453 488
OILERS vs. ST. LOUIS – 2022-23 2 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 3 3

QUICK FACTS
• Thursday’s game will mark Edmonton’s third and final meeting against St. Louis this season and the second of two games in
Edmonton.
• The last time these teams met was on October 26th in St. Louis, with the Oilers winning 3-1.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leads the Oilers with 23 career points against the Blues and Tyson Barrie has played in a team high 36
career games against St. Louis.

HATS OFF
Zach Hyman scored his first career hat trick on Dec. 13 at NSH, while posting four points (3G, 1A) in the Oilers 6-3 win over the Predators.

POINT STREAKING
-Connor McDavid is currently on 9-game point streak (9G, 11A)
-Zach Hyman in on a 7-game point streak, recording 10 points (1G, 9A)
-Tyson Barrie is on a 3-game point streak, posting four assists

MCDAVID AND DRAISAITL – 1, 2 PUNCH
On Dec. 9, Connor McDavid (9-9—18 in 7 GP) extended his goal streak to a career-high seven games.
Leon Draisaitl (19-27—46 in 29 GP), who ranks second in the 2022-23 Art Ross Trophy race behind McDavid (25-30—55 in 29 GP), scored
the 105th power-play goal of his NHL career on Dec. 9 to move within two of tying Jari Kurri (107) for fourth place in franchise history.
Dec. 9 marked the 90th time McDavid and Driasaitl both scored a goal in the same game (including playoffs)

THREE OF A KIND
On Dec. 1 at Minnesota, Tyler Benson, Stuart Skinner and James Hamblin all played for the Edmonton Oilers marking the first time in NHL
history where three players who played on the same minor hockey team (SSAC U14 AAA) played a game for the same team in the NHL.

BOUCHARD’S LATE GOAL MAGIC
On Nov. 28 vs. Florida, Evan Bouchard scored the game-tying goal in the final five seconds of regulation before Connor McDavid (1G, 2A –
3PTS) capped off his three-point performance with an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner.

OVERTIME WINNER
Connor McDavid scored the overtime winning goal on Nov.19 vs. Vegas. The goal marked his 14th career overtime goal and he ranks first in
the NHL in overtime goals since 2015-16.

MOST OVERTIME GOALS SINCE 2015-16
Connor McDavid – 14
Jonathan Toews – 13
Brad Marchand – 13
Sidney Crosby – 12

POWER PLAY PUNCH
Leon Draisaitl scored his 100th career power play goal on Nov. 21 against New Jersey and recorded his 101st power play goal which also
stood as the game winning goal on Nov. 26 against the New York Rangers. Draisaitl holds sole possession of 5th spot all-time in Oilers
power play goals and is just 25 goals shy of the all-time lead held by Glenn Anderson and Ryan Smyth.
Draisaitl is six power play goals from tying Jari Kurri (107) for 4th on the Oilers power play goals list.

500 AND COUNTING
Following his 500th career game on Nov. 7 at WSH, Connor McDavid finished ranked 6th all-time in NHL scoring (724 PTS) in your first 500
games.
McDavid became the 9th player in Oilers franchise history to score a goal in his 500th NHL game, joining the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark
Messier and Leon Draisaitl.

200 CLUB
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 200th career goal with the Oilers on Oct. 26 at STL which stood as the game winning goal. NugentHopkins becomes just the ninth player in Oilers history to record 200 goals with the Oilers and has achieved the mark in 726 games all with
the Oilers.

OILERS LEADERS OF THE PACK
Points – McDavid (59) – 1st in NHL
Goals – McDavid (26) – 1st in NHL
Assists – McDavid (33) – 1st in NHL
TOI/GP – Nurse (23:52) / (22:39 – McDavid) – Forwards – 1st in NHL
Shots – McDavid (119)
Blocks – Nurse (57)
Hits – Puljujarvi (65)
Takeaways – Draisaitl (28)
Power Play Goals – Draisaitl (13) – 1st in NHL
Power Play Points – McDavid (29) – 1st in NHL
Even Strength Points – McDavid (29)

LAST 10 GAMES vs. ST. LOUIS
Record: 4-6-0
GF: 26 GA: 36
2022-23 10/26/22 @ STL 3-1 W
2022-23 10/22/22 @ EDM 2-0 L
2021-22 4/1/22 @ EDM 6-5 W (OT)
2021-22 12/29/21 @ STL 4-2 L
2021-22 11/14/21 @ STL 5-4 W
2019-20 1/31/20 @ EDM 4-2 W
2019-20 12/18/19 @ STL 2-1 L
2019-20 11/6/19 @ EDM 2-5 L
2018-19 3/19/19 @ STL 2-7 L
2018-19 12/18/18 @ EDM 1-4 L

OILERS IN DECEMBER
Overall – 535 GP, 235-223-42-34 – 0.509
2022-23 – 7 GP, 4-3-0 – 8 PTS
2021-22 –12 GP, 3-8-1 – 7 PTS

NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres (13-14-2) at Colorado Avalanche (15-10-2)

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BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Los Angeles 0 at Buffalo 6
Goals: Thompson (2), Olofsson, Peterka, Tuch, Krebs
Goalie: Anderson (40 saves/40 shots)
PP: 3/6; PK: 3/3; Shots: Los Angeles 40 – Buffalo 31

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 73)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Eric Comrie (Lower body, Nov. 19; IR) – 12 games
Ilya Lyubushkin (Lower body, Nov. 30; IR) – 7 games
Vinnie Hinostroza (Undisclosed, Dec. 4; IR) – 5 games
Henri Jokiharju (Lower body, Dec. 10; IR) – 2 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
12/10: Recalled D Kale Clague and F Brett Murray from Rochester (AHL); Placed D Henri Jokiharju and F Vinnie Hinostroza on IR
12/11: Loaned F Brett Murray to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Dec. 17: Buffalo at Arizona, 9 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 19: Buffalo at Vegas, 10 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 23: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 27: Buffalo at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 29: Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at AVALANCHE
• This is the second and final meeting between the Sabres and the Avalanche this season.
• Last meeting: Colorado defeated Buffalo 6-4 in Buffalo on Dec. 1, 2022.
• The Sabres are 1-9-0 in their last 10 games against the Avalanche; 1-7-2 on the road.
• This is the 151st game all-time between Buffalo and Colorado; Buffalo has a 62-64-24 series record.
• The Sabres are 24-38-13 on the road against the Avalanche all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Each of the last 17 games between the Avalanche and the Sabres has been decided in regulation.
• Tage Thompson has recorded 41 points (22+19) in his last 22 games.
• Thompson has recorded six points (4+2) in his last two games against Colorado, recording three in each game.
• Dylan Cozens has tallied 22 points (6+16) in his last 16 games.
• Cozens has recorded four points (2+2) in three games against the Avalanche in his career.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 16 points (2+14) in his last 14 games.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Dahlin a three-game point streak against Colorado.
• In his last 12 games, Jack Quinn owns 12 points (5+7).
• Victor Olofsson has recorded a goal in two of his last three games, tallying three points (2+1) in that span.
• Alex Tuch has notched 19 points (7+12) in his last 14 games.

ARE YOU FEELING IT NOW, MR. KREBS?
• Peyton Krebs has recorded a goal in three of his last four games, including one goal in each of his last two.
• A goal in tonight’s game would mark the first time in Krebs’ career that he has tallied a goal in three consecutive games.
• Krebs has scored on 50 percent of his shots in his last four games, the highest shooting percentage among Buffalo skaters in that span.
• Krebs is one of two Sabres skaters who have recorded at least three goals at 5-on-5 in the team’s last four games (Tage Thompson, 3).
• Per Natural Stat Trick, in Buffalo’s last four games, Krebs (4) is second to only Thompson (6) in individual high-danger chances for at 5-on-5.
• In that span, Krebs ranks 11th among all Sabres skaters in ice time at 5-on-5.

POWDER CRAIG
• Following his 40-save shutout on Dec. 13, Craig Anderson is tied for the most shutouts with 40 or more saves (6) among NHL goaltenders since the NHL began tracking shots in 1955-56.
• Anderson has made 40 or more saves in three of his last four starts.
• Anderson owns a save percentage of .922 in road games in 2022-23.

ICE TAGE
• Tage Thompson (29 games played) is tied for the fourth-most goals scored (23) by a Sabres skater in their first 30 games of a season.
• A goal in tonight’s game would move Thompson into a tie for third with Thomas Vanek, and two goals would give him sole possession of third place.
 Currently, only Alexander Mogilny (30 in 1992-93), Pat LaFontaine (29 in 1991-92) and Vanek (24 in 2008-09) have scored more goals than Thompson in their first 30 games of a season with the Sabres.
• Tage Thompson was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Dec. 11.
• Thompson recorded seven points (5+2) in three games in that span.
• Thompson is one of nine skaters in NHL history who have recorded multiple games of three or more goals and six or more points in a single season.
• Thompson is the second skater in Sabres history to record multiple six-point games in a single season (Pat LaFontaine, 1991-92). He is the only Sabres skater to accomplish the feat within the team’s first 26 games.
• Through Buffalo’s first 29 games, Thompson is on pace for 125 points and would become just the third Sabres skater to record 125 or more points in a single season (Pat LaFontaine, 148 points in 1992-93; Alexander Mogilny, 127 points in 1992-93)
• Thompson is also on pace to score 65 goals in 2022-23, which would make him the second skater in franchise history to score 65 or more goals in a single season.
 Alexander Mogilny’s 76 goals in 1992-93 is the only other instance of a Sabres skater recording more than 65 goals in a single season.
• Entering play on Wednesday and dating back to Oct. 29, Thompson was ranked first in the NHL in goals (22) and ranked second in points (41) and points per game (1.86).
• Thompson leads all Sabres skaters in goals (23), points (44), even-strength goals (11), even-strength points (24), points per game (1.52), shots (135) and power-play goals (11).
• Thompson has recorded more power-play goals in 29 games in 2022-23 (11) than he did in 78 games in 2021-22 (10).
• Thompson ranks first among all Sabres forwards in time on ice per game (18:45) and time on ice per shift (0:50).
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Thompson leads all Sabres skaters with 59 individual high-danger scoring chances and he also leads the team with 47 individual high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5.
• Entering play on Wednesday, Thompson ranked third among all NHL skaters with 135 shots on goal and was one of three NHL players who had recorded 135 or more shots in 2022-23.
• Thompson owned the highest shooting percentage (17.0) among the three skaters who had recorded 135 or more shots on goal.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
• Five Sabres skaters (Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch) are currently scoring at a point per game pace or better through the team’s first 29 games.
• The Sabres have never had a season in which five or more players have recorded at least one point per game played (Min. 25 games played).
• The Sabres have converted on 29.2 percent of their power-play opportunities through their first 29 games of 2022-23.
• The current franchise record for power-play percentage in a single season is 24.5 percent, set in 2016-17.
• An NHL team has only recorded a power-play percentage of 29.2 percent or higher in a full season 6 times in NHL history.
• Buffalo currently owns a 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage of 52.8 percent, the highest mark by a Sabres team in a single season since the league began tracking the stat in 2009-10.
• Buffalo’s 3.93 goals scored per game is the highest by a Sabres team since the 1992-93 Sabres recorded 3.99 goals per game.

THE KIDS TABLE
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line combination consisting of Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn has produced 40 high-danger scoring chances and 92 scoring chances at 5-on-5 when playing together for the Sabres in 2022-23.
• All but five of the high-danger scoring chances they have created as a line have come at 5-on-5.
• Cozens (21), Peterka (20) and Quinn (21) are all 21 years of age or younger and entering play on Wednesday, Cozens and Quinn were both two of the eight NHL skaters aged 21 or younger who had recorded a point streak of five or more games in 2022-23.
• Quinn was one of two rookies who had recorded a point streak of six or more games this season.
• Quinn’s six-game point streak (Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, 2022) was the 34th point streak of six or more games by a Sabres skater aged 21 or younger and the first since Rasmus Dahlin recorded a six-game point streak from Feb. 9 to 22, 2020.
• At 5-on-5, the line’s expected goals for percentage is 62.03 and their corsi for percentage is 55.04.
• The line’s collective 5-on-5 corsi for percentage and 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage are higher than each individual member’s percentages without the other two.
• Entering play on Wednesday, Cozens ranked second in points (30) among NHL skaters aged 21 or younger.
• Cozens (Dec. 1 to 7, 2022) became one of 19 NHL skaters aged 21 or younger, and the first since Erik Karlsson (Jan. 20 to Feb. 25, 2012), to record three or more points in three consecutive games at least one time.
o Cozens has recorded three or more points on four occasions this season.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
• Buffalo is 8-1-0 in games in which Rasmus Dahlin records multiple points in 2022-23.
• Dahlin is on pace for 96 points this season, which would shatter Phil Housley’s single-season franchise points record by a Sabres defenseman (81).
• Dahlin would be the second defenseman in as many years to record 96 or more points in a single season (Roman Josi, 96).
• Entering play on Wednesday, among NHL defensemen, Dahlin ranked second in points per game (1.18), tied for second in goals (9), second in points (33), first in power-play points (18), tied for first in power-play goals (4), tied for fourth in assists (24), and fourth in time on ice per game (25:52).
• Dahlin has recorded a point in 22 of his 28 games played in 2022-23.
• Dahlin (724:04) is the only Sabres skater who has logged more than 700 minutes of ice time through the team’s first 29 games.
• Entering play on Wednesday, only five skaters in the NHL had skated more minutes than Dahlin in 2022-23.

AMERKS UPDATE
• Sean Malone’s goal on Saturday at Toronto tied the game at three with two minutes left in regulation, leading to Rochester’s shootout win.
• Malcom Subban recorded his third win of the season with 23 saves. He stopped five shots in overtime and all three attempts in the shootout.
• Jiri Kulich has been named to the preliminary roster for the Czech’s World Junior team, joining Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen (Sweden) as Sabres prospects expected to play in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Upcoming Schedule:
• Friday, Dec. 16th at Charlotte Checkers, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 17th at Charlotte Checkers, 6 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 23rd vs. Syracuse Crunch, 7:05 p.m.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 12/14 games)
• Buffalo Sabres: 114 GF (1st), 3.93 GF/GP (1st), 29.2 PP% (2nd), 32.6 S/GP (10th)
• Rasmus Asplund: 1 SHG (T-9th)
• Dylan Cozens: 1 SHG (T-9th), 2 SHP (T-5th)
• Rasmus Dahlin: 25:52 TOI/GP (4th), 18 PPP (T-5th)
• Casey Mittelstadt: 1 SHG (T-9th)
• Victor Olofsson: 1 OTG (T-8th)
• Tage Thompson: 23 G (T-2nd), 44 P (3rd), 1.52 P/GP (3rd), 24 EVP (T-8th), 11 PPG (T-2nd), 19 PPP (T-3rd), 1 SHG (T-9th), 135 S (3rd)
• Alex Tuch: 4 GWG (T-4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Shots: Thompson (135), Dahlin (90), Skinner (84)
Hits: Dahlin (43), Samuelsson (38), Lyubushkin (36)
Blocked Shots: Dahlin (45), Bryson (38), Power (37)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 7-3-0 (14), 43/28, 9/38, 25/32
11-20: 2-8-0 (4), 32/42, 12/42, 23/34
21-30: 4-3-2 (10), 39/33, 12/33, 24/33

OVERTIME RESULTS (1-2; 131-148 all-time)
Oct. 29 vs. CHI: W, 4-3 (GWG-Olofsson)
Nov. 28 vs. TBL: L, 6-5 (GWG-Stamkos)
Dec. 9 vs. PIT: L, 4-3 (GWG-Carter)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-0; 85-77 all-time)
Nov. 30 at DET: W, 5-4 (GWG-Quinn)

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time (MT) TV Radio
Thu, Dec 15 BUFFALO 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Sat, Dec. 17 NASHVILLE 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Mon, Dec. 19 NY ISLANDERS 7 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Wed, Dec. 21 MONTREAL 6 p.m. Altitude 92.5
Fri, Dec. 23 at Nashville 6 p.m. Altitude 92.5

  • NHL HOLIDAY BREAK, Dec. 24-26 –

LAST GAME – Dec. 13 (Colorado 3, Philadelphia 2 at Ball Arena)
J.T. Compher and Artturi Lehkonen each had a goal and one assist to lead the Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Ball Arena … Devon Toews also scored for Colorado and Pavel Francouz made 26 saves.
SF: 25 SA: 28 PP: 0-3 PK: 2-2

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO vs. BUFFALO
7:08 p.m.
Altitude / 92.5
TV: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter)
Radio: Conor McGahey
The Colorado Avalanche continues their season-long, five-game homestand tonight against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena… The Avs opened the five-game stay with a 3-2 victory over the Flyers on Tuesday … This homestand will also include visits from the Nashville Predators, New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens … The Avs are currently in a stretch that finds them playing seven of eight and 10 of 13 at home … The club will play every other day from Nov. 29 until the holiday break: 13 games in 25 days.

AVALANCHE & SABRES
The Avalanche and Sabres wrap up the season series with the second and final meeting of 2022-23 … Colorado won the first matchup 6-4 exactly two weeks ago (Dec. 1) in Buffalo … The Avalanche have won eight consecutive games in this series, tied for the club’s second-longest active win streak against any opponent (8-0-0 vs. Detroit, 9-0-0 vs. Los Angeles).

SCHEDULE vs. SABRES
Dec. 1 @ BUF (W, 6-4)
Dec. 15 vs. BUF

RECORD VS. SABRES
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96
Overall: 1-0-0 Overall: 2-0-0 Overall: 68-60-22 Overall: 24-10-4
Home: 0-0-0 Home: 1-0-0 Home: 40-23-12 Home: 12-5-2
Road: 1-0-0 Road: 1-0-0 Road: 28-37-10 Road: 12-5-2

FIN-ISH WHAT YOU STARTED
Mikko Rantanen tallied his fifth career hat trick, including the tying score with 8.1 seconds left in regulation and the game-winning goal in overtime to finish Sunday’s victory in St. Louis … Rantanen became the second player in Avalanche history to complete a hat trick with an overtime goal, joining Valeri Kamensky on Jan 3, 1998 at Pittsburgh … Overall, he’s the fourth skater in franchise history to accomplish the feat, as two Quebec Nordiques did it during the 1992-93 season: Owen Nolan on Nov. 26, 1992 at Toronto and Scott Young on Dec. 12, 1992 at San Jose … Rantanen’s five hat tricks are tied for the sixth most in franchise history and the third most since the team relocated behind Joe Sakic (10) and Peter Forsberg (7).

CROWDED DRESSING ROOM
The Avalanche have used 35 players this season (33 skaters, two goalies), the most of any team in the NHL … Colorado used 39 players in each of the last two seasons, which tied the Avalanche record (since relocating) also set in 2010-11, 2003-04 and 1998-99 … Colorado’s injury list is now at 154 and climbing which puts them unofficially fourth in the league behind Washington (187), Philadelphia (171) and Columbus (162).

MOST PLAYERS USED, 2022-23
35 ….. Colorado
34 ……Columbus
33 ……Toronto
30 ……Vancouver

DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Sunday afternoon’s 3-2 victory over the Blues was the Avalanche’s first of nine daytime contests season … The schedule originally called for 10 afternoon matchups but the Nov 25th game in Nashville was postponed due to a water main break at Bridgestone Arena … Following Sunday’s win the Avalanche are now 14-3-1 (.806) in day games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the second highest points percentage in afternoon contests during that span behind only Carolina (19-3- 2, .833) … The Avs finished 5-1-0 in day games last year, 3-0-0 at home.

THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE
Colorado ranks fourth in the NHL in power-play percentage at 28.1% (27-96) … The Avalanche had the NHL’s top-ranked power play for 55 consecutive days from Oct. 15–Dec. 9 … The Avs are 12-5-1 when scoring a PPG this year, 3-5-1 when failing to do so … Colorado tallied a power-play goal in a season-high eight consecutive games from Oct. 29–Nov. 26 … The Avalanche’s power play scored at a 32.8% clip during the 2022 playoffs, the highest rate on record (since 1977-78) by an NHL team that played at least 20 games … During the 2021-22 regular season, Colorado finished seventh in power-play percentage (24.0%) and led all teams in power-play goals (67).

REVERSE RETRO JERSEY
The Avalanche are 2-0-0 in their adidas Reverse Retro 2022 ADIZERO jerseys … Colorado will wear the RR jersey four times this season: Nov. 26 vs. Dallas (W, 4-1), Dec. 11 at St. Louis (W, 3-2 OT), Dec. 29 vs. Los Angeles and Jan. 2 vs. Vegas … The 2022 Colorado Avalanche Reverse Retro uniform pays tribute to its home state by incorporating colors of the Colorado flag while reintroducing the original jersey design donned in the 1995 inaugural season.

ALL HAIL CALE
Cale Makar recorded his 200th career point on Nov. 21 in Dallas, reaching the milestone faster than any defenseman in NHL history (195th game) … He appeared in his 200th career NHL game on Dec. 3 at Boston, with his 203 career points at the time the most ever by a defender through 200 contests … Among defensemen who appeared in at least 200 games during their career, only Makar (1.00), Bobby Orr (1.39) and Paul Coffey (1.09) averaged at least a point-per-game … Cale is tied for sixth among NHL blueliners in scoring this season with 25 points (6g/19a) in 27 contests … He leads the entire NHL in ice time, averaging 26:55 minutes per game.

SONG SUNG BLUE(LINE)
Colorado’s defensemen have combined for 68 points (13g/55a) this year, which ranks eighth among NHL teams … The Avs defense produced 64 goals last season, a franchise record and the most by any team since the 1992-93 Capitals (94) … The Avalanche’s blueline also lead all teams in points with a franchise-record 238, the most since the 1995-96 Red Wings had 240 … Colorado’s defensemen finished with 69 points (18g/51a) during the playoffs, the most by any blueline in a four-round postseason since the 1984-85 Oilers (77).

ONE MONTH AT A TIME
Colorado finished 8-3-0 in November, the 23rd consecutive month that the Avs have posted a .500 or better record in… And 21 of those 23 months featured a winning record.

FINNISH FIREWORKS
Led by Nathan MacKinnon’s seven combined points (0g/7a) and Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick in the opener, the Avalanche swept the two-game NHL Global Series from the Blue Jackets in early November, out-scoring Columbus 11-4 … Colorado’s six goals in the 6-3 opening win set an NHL record for a single game outside of North America while the 11 combined goals were also the most over a two-game overseas series … Rantanen’s hat trick was just the third outside of North America in history, while MacKinnon’s four helpers that first night set a record for the most assists in a single game outside of North America … Alexandar Georgiev started and won both games, allowing four goals 71 shots (2.02 GAA, .944 Sv%) … His two victories already equal the record for career wins in games played overseas … MacKinnon’s seven assists and eight career
points (he had one goal in the 2017 Global Series in Sweden) are both records for games played outside North America.

POSTPONEMENT
The Avalanche and Predators game at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 25 was postponed due to a water main break that significantly impacted the event level at the arena … The contest has been rescheduled for April 14 as Colorado’s final game of the regular season – it’s the second half of a back-to-back, the Avs play Winnipeg at home on April 13.

BACK-TO-BACK
The Avalanche will play 13 back-to-backs this season … They have competed in four back-to-backs so far, going 2-2-0 in the first game and 2-2-0 in the second … The Avalanche posted a 15-5-2 (.727) combined record in back-to-back games last season, the second-best mark behind Minnesota (.732, 19-6-3) … The Avs finished 7-3-1 in the first game and 8-2-1 in the second (.773), with only Tampa (10-0-2, .917) posting a better record in the second half of a back-to-back.

MILE HIGH MAINSTAY
Erik Johnson is in his 15th NHL season and 13th with the Avalanche … His 13 seasons rank fourth in franchise history behind only Joe Sakic (20), Adam Foote (17) and Milan Hejduk (14), with Foote the only other defenseman on that list … Johnson is the longest current tenured athlete of any of Denver’s four major sports teams, followed by Gabriel Landeskog and Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (both 12 seasons).

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH; AVS WIN STANLEY CUP
The Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup championship in 2022 following 1996 and 2001 … Colorado claimed its title by going 16-4 in the postseason, which included a pair of sweeps and defeating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning in six games during the Final … The Avs became the sixth team to win a Cup with four or fewer postseason losses since 1987 when the NHL went to four rounds of best-of-seven … And of those six only one team had fewer losses, the 1988 Oilers (two) … The Avalanche did not lose consecutive games all playoffs.

ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT
The 2021-22 Avalanche equaled the NHL record for the most combined regular season/playoff wins with 72 (56 regular season, 16 playoff), a feat only three teams in NHL history had achieved before … The 2021-22 Avalanche joined the 1995- 96 Red Wings, 1983-84 Oilers and 1976-77 Canadiens on that list.

RECORD REGULAR SEASON
The 2021-22 Avalanche set a franchise record with 56 wins and 119 points en route to winning their second straight division title and 11th since moving to Denver (13th in franchise history) … It marked the club’s first back-to-back division championships since their NHL-record run of nine straight from 1994-95 to 2002-03 … The Avs clinched the conference’s top spot despite facing a 10-point deficit behind the No. 1 seed on Dec. 3 … The last team to win their conference after overcoming a deficit of 10 or more points was the Rangers in 2014-15 (13) … After sweeping a back-to-back from Arizona on Jan. 15, the Avalanche remained in first place in the West over the final 106 days of the regular season … During a span of over two months from Feb 10–April 19, Colorado was first in the entire NHL for all but one day (68 out of 69)

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
The 2021-22 Avalanche posted their best home season in franchise history with a 32-5-4 record (68 points) … Colorado tied Florida for the league lead in home points, ending with the most home points in the NHL for the second straight season after tying Pittsburgh with 46 in 2020-21 … The Avs posted an 18-game home winning streak from Nov. 11–Jan. 30, the fifth longest run in NHL history, and had a franchise record 22-game home point streak (20-0-2) from Oct. 30–Feb. 10.

AINT NO MOUNTAIN HIGH, AINT NO VALLEY LOW
Colorado’s Stanley Cup championship came five years after a last-place finish in 2016-17 …. The Avs became the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to win a title within five years of a last place finish and the first since the 2009 Penguins … Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy the previous year in 2020-21, becoming the first NHL team to go from worst to first overall in four seasons or less since the Bruins in 1970-71.

DOWN BUT NEVER OUT
Ten of the Avalanche’s wins during the 2022 postseason were earned in come-from-behind fashion, including four third-period comebacks … Colorado’s 10 comeback wins tied the 2009 Penguins for the most in NHL history … The Avs trailed in all four of their series-clinching victories, the first team in NHL history to do so.

ROAD, SWEET ROAD
The Avalanche finished a league-best 9-1 on the road during the 2022 postseason, tied for the fewest road losses by a Stanley Cup champion since 1987 (the 2012 Kings and 1995 Devils were both 10-1) … Colorado earned all four series-clinching wins on the road.

MAGIC YEAR FOR MAKAR
After becoming the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy in 2021-22, Makar followed that up by winning the 2022 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP … At 23 years, 239 days, he became the youngest defenseman in 52 years to win the Conn Smythe and just the third overall to do so at age 23 or younger, joining Bobby Orr with the 1970 Bruins (22 years, 51 days) and Serge Savard with the 1969 Canadiens (23 years, 102 days) … Makar won the Conn Smythe just five days after receiving his first Norris Trophy … He became the third player to win both awards in the same season, following Orr in 1970 and Nicklas Lidstrom in 2002 … Makar led the Avalanche and all NHL defensemen with 29 points (8g/21a) in 20 games, the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in Stanley Cup Playoff history behind Paul Coffey (37) with the 1985 Oilers, Brian Leetch (34) with the 1994 Rangers and Al MacInnis (31) with the 1989 Flames.

IN BEDNAR WE TRUST
Jared Bednar is in his seventh season as the Avalanche’s head coach … Hired on Aug. 25, 2016, he is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Jon Cooper (March 25, 2013) and Mike Sullivan (Dec. 12, 2015) … Jared led the 2021-22 Avalanche to their most successful regular season in franchise history (56-19-7, 119 points) and continued that into the postseason with a 16-4 playoff mark en route to capturing the 2022 Stanley Cup … Bednar, who won a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016 and a Kelly Cup with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2009, became the first individual to win a championship in the NHL, AHL and ECHL as a head coach … He is the winningest coach in Avalanche history with a 255-178- 48 (.580) regular season record … Bednar owns a 40-22-1 (.635) record in 63 postseason games, the best playoff winning percentage among active coaches and the third highest all time (min 50 GP) behind Glen Sather (.706) and Toe Blake (.689).

SUPER JOE ACHIEVES RARE FIRST
General Manager (now President) Joe Sakic, who captained the Avalanche to a pair of titles in 1996 and 2001, became the first individual in league history to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and GM with the same organization … He was just the third to win a championship as a player and general manager with the same franchise, joining Serge Savard of the Canadiens and Milt Schmidt of the Bruins.

TIP OF CAP
Gabriel Landeskog enters his 12th NHL season and 11th as team captain … Landeskog was the youngest captain in NHL history when he assumed the role at 19 years, 286 days on Sept. 4, 2012, a title he held for four years before Connor McDavid was given the ‘C’ by Edmonton at 19 years, 266 days on Oct. 5, 2016 … Landeskog is the second-longest serving captain in franchise history behind only Joe Sakic (17 seasons, 16 consecutive) … Only three players have been captain of their current teams longer:

Sidney Crosby (PIT) ………………… 16th season (since 2007-08)
Jonathan Toews (CHI) …………….. 15th season (since 2008-09)
Alex Ovechkin (WSH) ……………… 14th season (since 2009-10)
Gabriel Landeskog (COL) …………11th season (since 2012-13)

SCHEDULE NOTES
The Avs will play 26 games against their division foes, meeting Arizona, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis Winnipeg four times each (two home/away) and Chicago (two home/one away) and Minnesota (one home/two away) three times apiece … Colorado will play 24 games versus the Pacific Division (three times each) and 32 against the Eastern Conference (one home/away).