The University of Central Florida Knights finished off a perfect season Monday when they defeated the No. 9 Auburn Tigers in the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl 34-27. UCF, who went 0-12 two seasons ago, finished the year as the only undefeated team in college football after beating an Auburn team that was the only program to beat both No. 4 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia, the two team’s that will play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 8. College football is the only sport in which an undefeated team like UCF doesn’t get the chance to play for all the marbles, so the Knights elected to troll the College Football Playoff Committee who ranked UCF 12th ent... NESN.com
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NFL Rumors: Texans Expected To Pursue Nick Caserio, Monti Ossenfort For GM Job
Add two New England Patriots executives to the growing list of team staffers drawing interest for job openings around the league. The Houston Texans have hired a search firm to replace departed general manager Rick Smith, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday. According to Rapoport, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio and New England director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort both are “expected to receive interest” from Houston in its search. Buffalo Bills vice president of player personnel Brian Gaine and Green Bay Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst also are on the Texans’ short list, per Rapoport. Smit... NESN.com
Georgia Players Talk Trash To Baker Mayfield Before 2018 Rose Bowl
Baker Mayfield already is getting under Georgia’s skin. Hours before kickoff for the 2018 Rose Bowl, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner was out on the field in Pasadena, Calif., running routes and catching passes, as he does before every game, in both the Oklahoma and Georgia end zones. Mayfield has been battling a cold that caused him to miss the No. 2 Sooners’ media availability this week, but he seemed fine during his pregame routine. But once the star signal-caller took the pass-catching show to Georgia’s end zone, the Bulldogs’ wide receivers had an issue with Mayfield being in their panited area. The first game of the 2018 College... NESN.com
NFL Playoff Schedule 2018: Dates, Kickoff Times, TV Listings For Each Game
The NFL postseason is upon us. The fields in both the AFC and NFC officially are locked in after a rather eventful Week 17. The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC will run through New England, as the Patriots secured home-field advantage with a win over the New York Jets. The Buffalo Bills, on the other hand, snuck into the postseason thanks to the Baltimore Ravens’ stunning loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. In the NFC, the road to the big game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota will run through Philadelphia, as the Eagles own the No. 1 seed for the first time since the 2004 campaign. Elsewhere, the defending NFC champion Atlanta
Ryan Spooner ‘Happy To Help Out’ In Bruins’ Impressive Win Vs. Senators
The Boston Bruins got contributions from almost everyone in their 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Ryan Spooner, who hadn’t scored in seven games, potted two goals and center David Krejci scored in his first game back from an upper body injury. Meanwhile, Tuukka Rask stopped all 25 shots that were sent his way to record his second shutout of the season and improve Boston’s record in the month of December to 10-2-2. After the game, Spooner told reporters that he’s “happy to help” his team out during their recent hot stretch. To hear his postgame comments, check out the “NESN Sports Today” video above, presented by... NESN.com
Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Tries, Fails At Alley-Oop To Himself
Friendly reminder to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: you are not LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers guard tried to channel the King during his team’s 121-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. During the third quarter, Pope put on his fancy pants and tried to alley-oop the ball to himself off the backboard. But as you’ll see in the video below, he failed miserably. Shame. The only scenario in which this would be acceptable is if the shot clock were running out and Pope’s options were limited. But there were 10 seconds left on the clock, so he really has no excuse. With the loss, the Lakers dropped to 11-23 on the season, good... NESN.com
Isaiah Thomas ‘Tried To Force’ Cavs To Let Him Play On Wednesday
The delay on Isaiah Thomas’ return to the court will continue indefinitely, and it’s not without some brushback from the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard. Thomas has yet to make his debut since being traded from the Boston Celtics over the summer, and his timetable for return often has been up in the air as he’s rehabbed a hip injury. At one point, however, signs were pointing towards a potential return by the end of the calendar year. But on Wednesday, the 28-year-old was ruled out in the Cavs; loss to the Sacramento Kings. And he reportedly wasn’t too happy about it. After getting scratched, signs thereafter pointed toward a re... NESN.com