🏈 College Football Bowl Glance for all 47 games

K-State MBB vs. Cincinnati - 5 p.m. pregame, 6 p.m. tipoff (KHMY) Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)

HutchCC WBB/MBB vs. Cowley - 1:45 p.m. pregame, 2 p.m. tipoff (KHUT, KWBW) K-State MBB at TCU - 2 p.m. pregame, 3 p.m. tipoff (KHMY)

Chiefs at Broncos - 2 p.m. pregame, 3:25 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725282945901.png" alt="EAGLE Media" />
 <figcaption>EAGLE Media</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/ce/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KHMY2">KHMY-FM (93.1)</a> <a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT">KHUT-FM (102.9)</a> <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5)</a>Monday, Dec. 30K-State MBB vs. Cincinnati - 5 p.m. pregame, 6 p.m. tipoff (KHMY) Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)Tuesday, Dec. 31Wednesday, Jan. 1Thursday, Jan. 2Friday, Jan. 3Saturday, Jan. 4 HutchCC WBB/MBB vs. Cowley - 1:45 p.m. pregame, 2 p.m. tipoff (KHUT, KWBW) K-State MBB at TCU - 2 p.m. pregame, 3 p.m. tipoff (KHMY)Sunday, Jan. 5Chiefs at Broncos - 2 p.m. pregame, 3:25 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)

🎧 EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar (Dec. 30-Jan. 5)

<a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-week-18-schedule-for-2024-season-with-vikings-lions-on-sunday-night-football">Information from NFL.com</a>

The NFL released its Week 18 schedule on Sunday night for Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, and the regular season will come to a close in Detroit.

The Minnesota Vikings (14-2) and Detroit Lions (13-2) will square off for the NFC North title and the conference's No. 1 seed in the playoffs on&nbsp;Sunday Night Football.

Week 18 action kicks off with a Saturday doubleheader, however, which features the Cleveland Browns (3-13) facing the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, and the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) at the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.

As for the Chiefs, they will play the Broncos at&nbsp;3:25 p.m. on Sunday, January 5.&nbsp;

The game will take place at the same time as the Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets. The Dolphins can make the playoffs with a win coupled with a Broncos loss. The Chiefs are 8-point underdogs in the matchup and expected to sit multiple notable starters.

The other game that could be affected by the Chiefs’ outcome is the Bengals and Steelers. With a win and a loss by Denver and Miami, the Bengals would be the AFC’s No. 7 seed.

The Chiefs already hold the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1734529800517.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz (11) passes in the pocket against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz (11) passes in the pocket against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-week-18-schedule-for-2024-season-with-vikings-lions-on-sunday-night-football">Information from NFL.com</a>The NFL released its Week 18 schedule on Sunday night for Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, and the regular season will come to a close in Detroit.The Minnesota Vikings (14-2) and Detroit Lions (13-2) will square off for the NFC North title and the conference's No. 1 seed in the playoffs on&nbsp;Sunday Night Football.Week 18 action kicks off with a Saturday doubleheader, however, which features the Cleveland Browns (3-13) facing the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, and the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) at the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.As for the Chiefs, they will play the Broncos at&nbsp;3:25 p.m. on Sunday, January 5.&nbsp;The game will take place at the same time as the Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets. The Dolphins can make the playoffs with a win coupled with a Broncos loss. The Chiefs are 8-point underdogs in the matchup and expected to sit multiple notable starters.The other game that could be affected by the Chiefs’ outcome is the Bengals and Steelers. With a win and a loss by Denver and Miami, the Bengals would be the AFC’s No. 7 seed.The Chiefs already hold the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

🏈 Chiefs and Broncos to play Sunday at 3:25 p.m.

AP Sports Summary for December 30th, 2024:

Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit next Sunday night for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love's only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game.

Jayden Daniels dazzles again as Commanders clinch a playoff spot by beating Falcons 30-24 in OT

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff spot by beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in overtime. Jayden Daniels ran for a season-high 127 yards and threw for 227 and three touchdowns to make the postseason in his rookie year in the NFL. He outdueled fellow top-10 draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in a game each had an interception. The Commanders can move up to the sixth seed in the NFC if they win at Dallas next weekend. The Falcons lost control of their playoff chances and now can only get in if they beat Carolina and Tampa Bay loses to New Orleans in Week 18.

Falcons run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock multiple times in an overtime loss at the Washington Commanders. Coach Raheem Morris declined to use all three of his timeouts in the first half and two more in the second. Morris defended most of how he handled the situations other than saying it was reasonable to second-guess not taking a timeout near the end of regulation. Riley Patterson's 56-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired, sending the game to overtime.

NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18

The NFC's No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18.

Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined Jets

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo's defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record.

Thompson-Herro fight leads to ejections of multiple players and coaches in Heat's victory in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami's 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday. Thompson and Herro became entangled with Miami about to inbound the ball leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and tossed him, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson "body slams Herro." Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.

LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader

When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career.

Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl

ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State's biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren't the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That's a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there's no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year's Day.

Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissioner

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State's College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State's backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula's decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times.

Crosby breaks Lemieux's Penguins career assists record in 3-2 victory over the Islanders

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists on Michael Bunting's power-play goal and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday night. Crosby has 1,034 assists, good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players — Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman — have more assists with a single team. The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1,310-regular-season games. Lemieux played 915. Evgeni Malkin added the deciding power-play goal in the third for Pittsburgh, which has 14 goals with the man advantage in its last 13 games. Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Penguins win for the seventh time in their last eight home games. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his first start since Dec. 17.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

		W. Michigan	at	(18)Michigan St.	3 p.m.	

		Bethune-Cookman	at	(19)Mississippi St.	9 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Monday, December 30th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Monday, December 30th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 30th, 2024:<div><iframe title="AP Early Morning Sports for December 30th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=sm2hk-178ca04-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over PackersMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit next Sunday night for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love's only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game.Jayden Daniels dazzles again as Commanders clinch a playoff spot by beating Falcons 30-24 in OTLANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff spot by beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in overtime. Jayden Daniels ran for a season-high 127 yards and threw for 227 and three touchdowns to make the postseason in his rookie year in the NFL. He outdueled fellow top-10 draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in a game each had an interception. The Commanders can move up to the sixth seed in the NFC if they win at Dallas next weekend. The Falcons lost control of their playoff chances and now can only get in if they beat Carolina and Tampa Bay loses to New Orleans in Week 18.Falcons run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clockLANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have run out of time to control their path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock multiple times in an overtime loss at the Washington Commanders. Coach Raheem Morris declined to use all three of his timeouts in the first half and two more in the second. Morris defended most of how he handled the situations other than saying it was reasonable to second-guess not taking a timeout near the end of regulation. Riley Patterson's 56-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired, sending the game to overtime.NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18The NFC's No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18.Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined JetsORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo's defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record.Thompson-Herro fight leads to ejections of multiple players and coaches in Heat's victory in HoustonHOUSTON (AP) — Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami's 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday. Thompson and Herro became entangled with Miami about to inbound the ball leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and tossed him, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson "body slams Herro." Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan.LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leaderWhen LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career.Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach BowlATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State's biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren't the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That's a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there's no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year's Day.Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissionerSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State's College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State's backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula's decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times.Crosby breaks Lemieux's Penguins career assists record in 3-2 victory over the IslandersPITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists on Michael Bunting's power-play goal and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday night. Crosby has 1,034 assists, good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players — Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman — have more assists with a single team. The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1,310-regular-season games. Lemieux played 915. Evgeni Malkin added the deciding power-play goal in the third for Pittsburgh, which has 14 goals with the man advantage in its last 13 games. Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Penguins win for the seventh time in their last eight home games. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his first start since Dec. 17.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Orlando	102	Brooklyn	101	Final	Indiana	123	Boston	114	Final	Atlanta	136	Toronto	107	Final	Oklahoma City	130	Memphis	106	Final	Miami	104	Houston	100	Final	Minnesota	112	San Antonio	110	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Buffalo	4	St. Louis	2	Final	Anaheim	5	Edmonton	3	Final	Detroit	4	Washington	2	Final	Montreal	5	Tampa Bay	2	Final	Pittsburgh	3	N-Y Islanders	2	Final	Ottawa	3	Minnesota	1	Final	Vegas	3	Calgary	0	Final	Dallas	5	Chicago	1	Final	Los Angeles	5	Philadelphia	4	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Buffalo	40	N-Y Jets	14	Final	Jacksonville	20	Tennessee	13	Final	Las Vegas	25	New Orleans	10	Final	N-Y Giants	45	Indianapolis	33	Final	Philadelphia	41	Dallas	7	Final	Tampa Bay	48	Carolina	14	Final	Miami	20	Cleveland	3	Final	Minnesota	27	Green Bay	25	Final OT	Washington	30	Atlanta	24	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(5)Alabama	105	S. Dakota St.	82	Final	(6)Florida	85	Stetson	45	Final	(9)Oregon	89	Weber St.	49	Final	(12)Oklahoma	89	Prairie View	67	Final	(21)Purdue	83	Toledo	64	Final	(24)Illinois	117	Chicago St.	64	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Chicago	at	Charlotte	7 p.m.			New York	at	Washington	7 p.m.			L.A. Clippers	at	New Orleans	8 p.m.			Denver	at	Utah	9 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Golden State	10 p.m.			Dallas	at	Sacramento	10 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Portland	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		N-Y Rangers	at	Florida	7 p.m.			Nashville	at	Winnipeg	7:30 p.m.			Utah	at	Seattle	8 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		Detroit	at	San Francisco	8:15 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL		Iowa	at	(23)Missouri	2:30 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		Monmouth (NJ)	at	(2)Auburn	6:30 p.m.			(3)Iowa St.	at	Colorado	9 p.m.			(14)Gonzaga	at	Pepperdine	10 p.m.			(15)Houston	at	Oklahoma St.	8 p.m.			(17)Cincinnati	at	Kansas St.	7 p.m.			W. Michigan	at	(18)Michigan St.	3 p.m.			Bethune-Cookman	at	(19)Mississippi St.	9 p.m.			Oakland	at	(23)Arkansas	8 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Monday

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735525191236.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;
 
WICHITA, Kan. &nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/xavier-bell/9058" rel="smarttag">Xavier Bell</a>&nbsp;picked up where he left off before Christmas break with a game and career-high 29 points in Wichita State&apos;s win over Friends, 87-72, Sunday evening in Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State finishes the non-conference slate at 10-3, its best out of conference record since 2019-20 when the Shockers went 12-1 vs. non-league members. Bell tallied his third straight 20-point game behind a career-high 29 points. He scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half. He joins&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582" rel="smarttag">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;as the last two Shockers to score 20-plus in a half. Bell was efficient all night getting to the rim. He finished 11-of-16 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the line. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/9056" rel="smarttag">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;recorded his second straight double-double and third of the season behind 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/corey-washington/9068" rel="smarttag">Corey Washington</a>&nbsp;came off the bench for the first time this season and logged 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/aj-mcginnis/9064" rel="smarttag">AJ McGinnis</a>&nbsp;scored eight of his 11 points in the first five minutes of the game. Nine of his 11 came from beyond the arc. Wichita State shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third straight game, finishing at 51.7 percent. The Falcons knocked down 11 three-pointers and shot 36.6 percent overall. The Shockers outrebounded Friends by 12, despite giving up 15 offensive rebounds. Wichita State stormed out to an early 14-4 lead over the game&apos;s first 4:27 only to see Friends punch back with a 13-4 run to pull within a point, 18-17. Nearly two minutes later the Falcons would tie the game at 20-20. A personal 7-0 run from Bell pushed the margin back to seven and the Shockers would get it back to 12 with 1:54 left until halftime. Back-to-back triples from Friends made it 43-36 before Bell&apos;s 21st point of the half made it 45-36 at halftime. Wichita State immediately pushed the margin back to 11 to open the second half and it would stay in double digits for the remainder of the game. The Shockers led by as many as 21 in the second half. While Bell stole the show in the first half, Ballard and Washington combined to score 24 of the team&apos;s 42 points after halftime. Thirteen of Ballard&apos;s 17 points came in the second half, missing his career high by one point. Up Next Wichita State opens the New Year with its conference opener in the City of Brotherly Love. The Shockers and Owls tip off Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.</div>

🏀 Shockers win non-con over Falcons

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735524989149.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Wichita State Athletics
 
WICHITA &ndash;&nbsp;Wichita State battled back from down 14 to make it a one-point game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn&apos;t enough to overtake the Mean Green in the American Athletic Conference opener Sunday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena. &nbsp; <a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/taylor-jameson/9003" rel="smarttag">Taylor Jameson</a>&nbsp;hit five threes on her way to a 17-point performance to lead all scoring.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jayla-murray/8998" rel="smarttag">Jayla Murray</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/salese-blow/8995" rel="smarttag">Salese Blow</a>&nbsp;also finished in double figures for the Shockers with 14 and 10 points, respectively, and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/bre-yon-white/9014" rel="smarttag">Bre&apos;Yon White</a>&nbsp;led Wichita State in rebounding for the seventh time this season with nine. Jameson had a season-high six boards. &nbsp; Desiree Wooten led the Mean Green with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Tommisha Lampkin had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. &nbsp; The Shockers shot just 29.2 percent (19-for-65) from the floor and 42.9 percent from the free throw line (9-for-21) but had their best three-point shooting day of the season hitting 9-for-19 (47.4 percent). &nbsp; Wichita State held North Texas to 2-for-17 (.118) from behind the arc, the lowest three-point percentage of a Shocker opponent this season. &nbsp; Averaging just 4.9 three pointers per game coming into the contest, the Shockers opened the game with three in the first five minutes courtesy of Murray (2) and Blow (1). The first quarter saw three lead changes and three ties, and the Shockers led by five before the Mean Green took a four-point lead at the end of the quarter and never again relinquished the lead. &nbsp; The Shockers struggled offensively in the second quarter, shooting just 2-for-14 (.143), while the Mean Green went on a 13-3 run to go into halftime up 14. &nbsp; After halftime, Jameson hit her third three of the afternoon before picking Jaaucklyn Moore&apos;s pocket and dishing it to Blow for her to drain another three, cutting the deficit to eight midway through the third quarter. A pair of layups from&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jasmine-peaks/9016" rel="smarttag">Jasmine Peaks</a>sparked some momentum for the Shockers in the fourth, Jameson hit her fifth three of the day to make it a one-point game with a little over three minutes remaining. &nbsp; North Texas&apos;s Wooten and Tommisha Lampkin didn&apos;t let the Shockers gain the lead, scoring seven-straight for the Mean Green and stretching the lead back to 10. Murray made two second-chance layups down the stretch, but it wasn&apos;t enough to overtake the Mean Green. &nbsp; The Shockers fall to 6-8 (0-1 AAC), and North Texas improve to 9-4 (1-0 AAC). &nbsp; Wichita State hits the road to take on Memphis on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 3 p.m.</div>

🏀 Shocker women drop AAC opener

AP Sports Summary for December 29th, 2024:

Ahkello Witherspoon makes last-minute interception to preserve Rams' 13-9 win over Arizona

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ahkello Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams barely maintained command of the NFC West race with a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Puka Nacua had 129 yards receiving and Kyren Williams scored the only touchdown for the Rams (10-6), who grinded through a difficult offensive night and survived a hair-raising fourth quarter for their fifth consecutive victory. The Rams host Seattle (9-7) in their regular-season finale next weekend, but they could already have coach Sean McVay's fourth division title clinched before then. The Rams narrowly avoided a winner-take-all finale against Seattle by holding off the Cardinals.

Burrow throws 3-yard TD pass to Higgins in OT as the Bengals beat the Broncos 30-24

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:07 left in overtime, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a wild 30-24 win over the Denver Broncos. Following a Broncos punt, Burrow completed a 31-yard pass to Higgins to the Denver 3, then went back to the lanky receiver for the game-ending play. Higgins finished with 11 receptions for 131 yards. Cade York had a chance to win it for the Bengals with about three minutes left in overtime, but his 33-yard field goal bounced off the left upright. Denver then went three-and-out, including a Bo Nix incompletion on third down, handing the ball right back to Cincinnati.

Herbert tosses 3 TD passes and Chargers secure a playoff spot with a 40-7 rout of Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Chargers clinched their second playoff appearance in three seasons with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. The win also secured the fourth postseason appearance in Jim Harbaugh's five seasons as an NFL coach, adding to the three he made during his stint with tAshe San Francisco 49ers. Herbert finished 26 of 38 for 281 yards to become the third player in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in each of his first five seasons. The Patriots have lost six straight games, their second such losing streak of the season. They are now 2-14 the last two seasons at home.

Snoop's game: Snoop Dogg thrills the crowd in the bowl that bears his name

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Miami of Ohio beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction. The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin &amp; Juice by Dre and Snoop was much a spectacle as a football game. Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, from a pregame tailgate to the postgame trophy presentation. Snoop Dog donned a headset on Colorado State's sideline, spent some time in the broadcast and even led both marching bands as conductor during their halftime performance. Snoop Dogg saved the best for last, rolling out in a light green, lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in his hand as fans screamed his name.

Hunter and Sanders close successful chapter at Colorado despite blowout loss to BYU in Alamo Bowl

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder — both on the field and off — was probably immeasurable. With two dynamic stars playing their final college game, the 20th-ranked Buffaloes were blown out 36-14 by No. 17 BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner and two-way sensation, caught four passes for a game-high 106 yards and a touchdown. The lockdown cornerback also made four solo tackles. Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, was 16-of-23 passing for 208 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are both expected to be picked high in the NFL draft next spring.

Brawl mars end of Miltary Bowl as in-state rivals East Carolina and NC State square off

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — East Carolina and NC State began brawling near the end of ECU's 26-21 victory in the Military Bowl. And the teams won't have to wait long to see each other again. They face off to open next season. Emotions were understandably high for this matchup. NC State and East Carolina are about 80 miles apart. They don't play every season, but they've been on each other's schedule plenty over the years. An interception gave East Carolina the ball with 44 seconds left, needing only to run out the clock. After a run up the middle, the fight broke out around the hash marks closer to the ECU sideline.

Bryson Daily leads No. 19 Army to 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army's 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. Daily ran for 127 yards on 27 carries and was 2-of-9 passing for 65 yards to help Army set a program victory record at 12-2. Hayden Reed added 114 yards rushing and a TD on 20 carries. Army entered the game with a nation-best 298.9 yards rushing per game and punished the Bulldogs (5-8), a late replacement for Sun Belt champion Marshall.

Djokovic says players have 'been kept in the dark' on Sinner, Swiatek doping breaches

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — On the eve of his return to the court, Novak Djokovic has weighed in on the tennis' high profile doping cases and criticized what he perceives as double standards in the sport. The former world No.1, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at next month's Australian Open, expressed his frustration at being "kept in the dark" regarding top-ranked Jannik Sinner's doping case. The Serbian also criticized the lack of transparency from tennis authorities around doping breaches.

Eli Manning and Antonio Gates are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former Defensive Players of the Year Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs, and prolific tight end Antonio Gates are among the finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The Hall on Saturday announced the names of the 15 modern-era finalists who advanced from a group of 25 to the final stage of voting. The selection committee will vote next month to pick the class of between three and five modern-era players that will be announced the week of the Super Bowl.

Shohei Ohtani to become a father for the 1st time in 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is adding a newcomer to his family lineup. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar has posted on his Instagram account that he and wife Mamiko Tanaka are expecting a baby in 2025. The photo shows the couple's beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that is covered by a baby emoji. Ohtani announced in February that he had married Tanaka, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan. The news from the intensely private player stunned Ohtani's teammates and his fans.

Final	(13)Texas A&amp;M	92	Abilene Christian	54	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, December 29th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, December 29th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 29th, 2024:<div><iframe title="AP Early Morning Sports for December 29th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=3dmtx-178a304-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Ahkello Witherspoon makes last-minute interception to preserve Rams' 13-9 win over ArizonaINGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ahkello Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams barely maintained command of the NFC West race with a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Puka Nacua had 129 yards receiving and Kyren Williams scored the only touchdown for the Rams (10-6), who grinded through a difficult offensive night and survived a hair-raising fourth quarter for their fifth consecutive victory. The Rams host Seattle (9-7) in their regular-season finale next weekend, but they could already have coach Sean McVay's fourth division title clinched before then. The Rams narrowly avoided a winner-take-all finale against Seattle by holding off the Cardinals.Burrow throws 3-yard TD pass to Higgins in OT as the Bengals beat the Broncos 30-24CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw his third touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 1:07 left in overtime, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a wild 30-24 win over the Denver Broncos. Following a Broncos punt, Burrow completed a 31-yard pass to Higgins to the Denver 3, then went back to the lanky receiver for the game-ending play. Higgins finished with 11 receptions for 131 yards. Cade York had a chance to win it for the Bengals with about three minutes left in overtime, but his 33-yard field goal bounced off the left upright. Denver then went three-and-out, including a Bo Nix incompletion on third down, handing the ball right back to Cincinnati.Herbert tosses 3 TD passes and Chargers secure a playoff spot with a 40-7 rout of PatriotsFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Chargers clinched their second playoff appearance in three seasons with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. The win also secured the fourth postseason appearance in Jim Harbaugh's five seasons as an NFL coach, adding to the three he made during his stint with tAshe San Francisco 49ers. Herbert finished 26 of 38 for 281 yards to become the third player in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in each of his first five seasons. The Patriots have lost six straight games, their second such losing streak of the season. They are now 2-14 the last two seasons at home.Snoop's game: Snoop Dogg thrills the crowd in the bowl that bears his nameTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Miami of Ohio beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction. The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin &amp; Juice by Dre and Snoop was much a spectacle as a football game. Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, from a pregame tailgate to the postgame trophy presentation. Snoop Dog donned a headset on Colorado State's sideline, spent some time in the broadcast and even led both marching bands as conductor during their halftime performance. Snoop Dogg saved the best for last, rolling out in a light green, lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in his hand as fans screamed his name.Hunter and Sanders close successful chapter at Colorado despite blowout loss to BYU in Alamo BowlSAN ANTONIO (AP) — On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder — both on the field and off — was probably immeasurable. With two dynamic stars playing their final college game, the 20th-ranked Buffaloes were blown out 36-14 by No. 17 BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner and two-way sensation, caught four passes for a game-high 106 yards and a touchdown. The lockdown cornerback also made four solo tackles. Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, was 16-of-23 passing for 208 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are both expected to be picked high in the NFL draft next spring.Brawl mars end of Miltary Bowl as in-state rivals East Carolina and NC State square offANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — East Carolina and NC State began brawling near the end of ECU's 26-21 victory in the Military Bowl. And the teams won't have to wait long to see each other again. They face off to open next season. Emotions were understandably high for this matchup. NC State and East Carolina are about 80 miles apart. They don't play every season, but they've been on each other's schedule plenty over the years. An interception gave East Carolina the ball with 44 seconds left, needing only to run out the clock. After a run up the middle, the fight broke out around the hash marks closer to the ECU sideline.Bryson Daily leads No. 19 Army to 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence BowlSHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army's 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. Daily ran for 127 yards on 27 carries and was 2-of-9 passing for 65 yards to help Army set a program victory record at 12-2. Hayden Reed added 114 yards rushing and a TD on 20 carries. Army entered the game with a nation-best 298.9 yards rushing per game and punished the Bulldogs (5-8), a late replacement for Sun Belt champion Marshall.Djokovic says players have 'been kept in the dark' on Sinner, Swiatek doping breachesBRISBANE, Australia (AP) — On the eve of his return to the court, Novak Djokovic has weighed in on the tennis' high profile doping cases and criticized what he perceives as double standards in the sport. The former world No.1, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at next month's Australian Open, expressed his frustration at being "kept in the dark" regarding top-ranked Jannik Sinner's doping case. The Serbian also criticized the lack of transparency from tennis authorities around doping breaches.Eli Manning and Antonio Gates are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of FameTwo-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former Defensive Players of the Year Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs, and prolific tight end Antonio Gates are among the finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The Hall on Saturday announced the names of the 15 modern-era finalists who advanced from a group of 25 to the final stage of voting. The selection committee will vote next month to pick the class of between three and five modern-era players that will be announced the week of the Super Bowl.Shohei Ohtani to become a father for the 1st time in 2025LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is adding a newcomer to his family lineup. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar has posted on his Instagram account that he and wife Mamiko Tanaka are expecting a baby in 2025. The photo shows the couple's beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that is covered by a baby emoji. Ohtani announced in February that he had married Tanaka, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan. The news from the intensely private player stunned Ohtani's teammates and his fans.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Atlanta	120	Miami	110	Final	Oklahoma City	106	Charlotte	94	Final OT	New York	136	Washington	132	Final	Chicago	116	Milwaukee	111	Final	Golden State	109	Phoenix	105	Final	Denver	134	Detroit	121	Final	Philadelphia	114	Utah	111	Final	Portland	126	Dallas	122	Final	L.A. Lakers	132	Sacramento	122	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Montreal	4	Florida	0	Final OT	Seattle	5	Vancouver	4	Final	Philadelphia	3	Anaheim	1	Final OT	Los Angeles	4	Edmonton	3	Final	Boston	4	Columbus	0	Final	Winnipeg	4	Ottawa	2	Final	Washington	5	Toronto	2	Final	Carolina	5	New Jersey	2	Final	Tampa Bay	6	N-Y Rangers	2	Final	N-Y Islanders	6	Pittsburgh	3	Final	Calgary	3	San Jose	1	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	L.A. Chargers	40	New England	7	Final OT	Cincinnati	30	Denver	24	Final	L.A. Rams	13	Arizona	9	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALLFinal	(18)Iowa St.	42	(15)Miami	41	Final	(17)BYU	36	(20)Colorado	14	Final	(19)Army	27	Louisiana Tech	6	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(13)Texas A&amp;M	92	Abilene Christian	54	Final	(22)UCLA	65	(14)Gonzaga	62	Final	Memphis	87	(16)Mississippi	70	Final	Utah St.	67	(20)San Diego St.	66	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Brooklyn	at	Orlando	3:30 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Toronto	6 p.m.			Indiana	at	Boston	6 p.m.			Memphis	at	Oklahoma City	7 p.m.			Miami	at	Houston	7 p.m.			San Antonio	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Buffalo	at	St. Louis	3 p.m.			Edmonton	at	Anaheim	4 p.m.			Montreal	at	Tampa Bay	5 p.m.			Washington	at	Detroit	5 p.m.			N-Y Islanders	at	Pittsburgh	5:30 p.m.			Calgary	at	Vegas	8 p.m.			Ottawa	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.			Dallas	at	Chicago	8:30 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Los Angeles	9 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		Carolina	at	Tampa Bay	1 p.m.			Dallas	at	Philadelphia	1 p.m.			Indianapolis	at	N-Y Giants	1 p.m.			Las Vegas	at	New Orleans	1 p.m.			N-Y Jets	at	Buffalo	1 p.m.			Tennessee	at	Jacksonville	1 p.m.			Miami	at	Cleveland	4:05 p.m.			Green Bay	at	Minnesota	4:25 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Washington	8:20 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		S. Dakota St.	at	(5)Alabama	3 p.m.			Stetson	at	(6)Florida	1 p.m.			Weber St.	at	(9)Oregon	5 p.m.			Prairie View	at	(12)Oklahoma	2 p.m.			Toledo	at	(21)Purdue	6 p.m.			Chicago St.	at	(24)Illinois	2 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Sunday

AP Sports Summary for December 28th, 2024:

Corbin Burnes and Arizona Diamondbacks agree to $210 million, 6-year deal, AP source says

PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. The 30-year-old Burnes was perhaps the top free agent pitcher on the market after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for Baltimore last season. The Orioles acquired the right-hander in a February trade after he spent his first six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kings fire coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his 3rd season

The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third season with the team mired in a five-game losing streak. General manager Monte McNair called the move a "difficult decision" and thanked Brown for his work. Assistant Doug Christie will take over as interim coach with his first game coming Saturday night at the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown was the unanimous choice for NBA Coach of the Year in his first season in 2022-23, when he helped Sacramento end the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons.

Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against Dallas

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against Dallas. Hurts is still in the NFL concussion protocol. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against Washington. Hurts was injured early at Washington after his head slammed against the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Hurts isn't healthy enough to play just yet.

McCord throws for 453 yards, 5 TDs in No. 22 Syracuse's 52-35 Holiday Bowl win over Washington State

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns to break Deshaun Watson's Atlantic Coast Conference season passing record and lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 52-35 victory over depleted-yet-scrappy Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night. LeQuint Allen rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 1,000-yard season for the Orange (10-3), who had their first 10-win season since 2018. Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni (1991) as the only Orange coaches since World War II to win 10 game in their first season. The Cougars (8-5) lost their fourth straight game but were spirited despite losing coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest, quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma, both coordinators and the quarterbacks and running backs coach.

Southern California overcomes 17-point deficit to beat Texas A&amp;M 35-31 in Las Vegas Bowl

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give Southern California a 35-31 victory over Texas A&amp;M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday night. A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point deficit. After Texas A&amp;M quarterback Marcel Reed raced 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to regain the lead, Maiava drove Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter by scoring 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead.

Taylen Green leads Arkansas to 39-26 victory over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylen Green threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards in Arkansas' 39-26 victory over Texas Tech on Friday night in the Liberty Bowl. Green completed 11 of 21 passes and Arkansas (7-6) had 573 yards of total offense. J'Koby Williams rushed for 123 yards and a TD for Texas Tech (8-5). Will Hammond threw for 280 yards and a touchdown. The Red Raiders took a shot before game time when leading running back Tahj Brooks, who rushed for 1,505 yards, opted not to play for "personal reasons." The first half was highlighted by big scoring plays, including a 54-yard run by Williams and a 94-yard pass from Green to receiver Dazmin James, the longest pass play in Liberty Bowl history.

Navy gets 95-yard TD run from Horvath and stops 2-point try to beat Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Blake Horvath set a Navy record with a 95-yard touchdown run and scored a go-ahead 6-yarder with 4:34 left as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late 2-point conversion attempt to beat Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Sooners got a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. to Jake Roberts with six seconds left, but Hawkins was sacked by Justin Reed on the conversion try. Navy reached 10 wins for the first time since 2019, which had been their last winning season. Oklahoma has its second losing season in Brent Venables' three years as coach.

Dodgers set to re-sign outfielder Teoscar Hernández for $66 million over 3 years, AP source says

Teoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The free agent outfielder has agreed with the reigning World Series champions on a $66 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press late Friday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. Hernández hit .272 with a career-high 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 regular-season games last season, helping the Dodgers win their second title in five years.

Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78

Longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died from cancer. He was 78. His family announced his death in a statement released by CBS on Friday. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his career.

Scottie Scheffler injures right hand on a broken glass, withdraws from PGA Tour opener in Hawaii

Scottie Scheffler injured his right hand on a broken glass preparing Christmas dinner, forcing the top-ranked player to withdraw from the PGA Tour's season-opening event in Hawaii. Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement: "Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass," Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement. "Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery. He has been told that he should be back to 100% in three to four weeks." Scheffler withdrew from The Sentry, the winners-only tournament Jan. 2-5 at Kapalua Resort. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express on Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, California.

Final	(25)Baylor	107	Arlington Baptist	53	

		Abilene Christian	at	(13)Texas A&amp;M	4 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, December 27th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, December 27th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 28th, 2024:Corbin Burnes and Arizona Diamondbacks agree to $210 million, 6-year deal, AP source says<div><iframe title="AP Early Morning Sports for December 28th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=93cuv-178989b-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. The 30-year-old Burnes was perhaps the top free agent pitcher on the market after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for Baltimore last season. The Orioles acquired the right-hander in a February trade after he spent his first six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.Kings fire coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his 3rd seasonThe Sacramento Kings have fired coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third season with the team mired in a five-game losing streak. General manager Monte McNair called the move a "difficult decision" and thanked Brown for his work. Assistant Doug Christie will take over as interim coach with his first game coming Saturday night at the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown was the unanimous choice for NBA Coach of the Year in his first season in 2022-23, when he helped Sacramento end the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons.Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against DallasPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won't play Sunday against Dallas. Hurts is still in the NFL concussion protocol. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against Washington. Hurts was injured early at Washington after his head slammed against the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Hurts isn't healthy enough to play just yet.McCord throws for 453 yards, 5 TDs in No. 22 Syracuse's 52-35 Holiday Bowl win over Washington StateSAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns to break Deshaun Watson's Atlantic Coast Conference season passing record and lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 52-35 victory over depleted-yet-scrappy Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night. LeQuint Allen rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 1,000-yard season for the Orange (10-3), who had their first 10-win season since 2018. Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni (1991) as the only Orange coaches since World War II to win 10 game in their first season. The Cougars (8-5) lost their fourth straight game but were spirited despite losing coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest, quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma, both coordinators and the quarterbacks and running backs coach.Southern California overcomes 17-point deficit to beat Texas A&amp;M 35-31 in Las Vegas BowlLAS VEGAS (AP) — Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give Southern California a 35-31 victory over Texas A&amp;M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Friday night. A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point deficit. After Texas A&amp;M quarterback Marcel Reed raced 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to regain the lead, Maiava drove Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter by scoring 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead.Taylen Green leads Arkansas to 39-26 victory over Texas Tech in the Liberty BowlMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylen Green threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards in Arkansas' 39-26 victory over Texas Tech on Friday night in the Liberty Bowl. Green completed 11 of 21 passes and Arkansas (7-6) had 573 yards of total offense. J'Koby Williams rushed for 123 yards and a TD for Texas Tech (8-5). Will Hammond threw for 280 yards and a touchdown. The Red Raiders took a shot before game time when leading running back Tahj Brooks, who rushed for 1,505 yards, opted not to play for "personal reasons." The first half was highlighted by big scoring plays, including a 54-yard run by Williams and a 94-yard pass from Green to receiver Dazmin James, the longest pass play in Liberty Bowl history.Navy gets 95-yard TD run from Horvath and stops 2-point try to beat Oklahoma in Armed Forces BowlFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Blake Horvath set a Navy record with a 95-yard touchdown run and scored a go-ahead 6-yarder with 4:34 left as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late 2-point conversion attempt to beat Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Sooners got a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. to Jake Roberts with six seconds left, but Hawkins was sacked by Justin Reed on the conversion try. Navy reached 10 wins for the first time since 2019, which had been their last winning season. Oklahoma has its second losing season in Brent Venables' three years as coach.Dodgers set to re-sign outfielder Teoscar Hernández for $66 million over 3 years, AP source saysTeoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The free agent outfielder has agreed with the reigning World Series champions on a $66 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press late Friday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical. Hernández hit .272 with a career-high 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 regular-season games last season, helping the Dodgers win their second title in five years.Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78Longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died from cancer. He was 78. His family announced his death in a statement released by CBS on Friday. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his career.Scottie Scheffler injures right hand on a broken glass, withdraws from PGA Tour opener in HawaiiScottie Scheffler injured his right hand on a broken glass preparing Christmas dinner, forcing the top-ranked player to withdraw from the PGA Tour's season-opening event in Hawaii. Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement: "Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass," Scheffler's manager, Blake Smith, said Friday in a statement. "Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery. He has been told that he should be back to 100% in three to four weeks." Scheffler withdrew from The Sentry, the winners-only tournament Jan. 2-5 at Kapalua Resort. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express on Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, California.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	New York	108	Orlando	85	Final	Boston	142	Indiana	105	Final	San Antonio	96	Brooklyn	87	Final	Minnesota	113	Houston	112	Final	Memphis	132	New Orleans	124	Final	Cleveland	149	Denver	135	Final	Dallas	98	Phoenix	89	Final	L.A. Clippers	102	Golden State	92	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	5	Detroit	2	Final	Buffalo	6	Chicago	2	Final	New Jersey	4	Carolina	2	Final	Columbus	6	Boston	2	Final OT	Minnesota	3	Dallas	2	Final	St. Louis	7	Nashville	4	Final	Colorado	4	Utah	1	Final	Vegas	6	San Jose	3	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALLFinal	(22)Syracuse	52	Washington St.	35	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(25)Baylor	107	Arlington Baptist	53	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Miami	at	Atlanta	3 p.m.			Oklahoma City	at	Charlotte	6 p.m.			New York	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Milwaukee	at	Chicago	8 p.m.			Phoenix	at	Golden State	8:30 p.m.			Detroit	at	Denver	9 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Utah	9:30 p.m.			Dallas	at	Portland	10 p.m.			Sacramento	at	L.A. Lakers	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Montreal	at	Florida	1 p.m.			Edmonton	at	Los Angeles	4 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Anaheim	4 p.m.			Seattle	at	Vancouver	4 p.m.			Columbus	at	Boston	7 p.m.			N-Y Rangers	at	Tampa Bay	7 p.m.			New Jersey	at	Carolina	7 p.m.			Ottawa	at	Winnipeg	7 p.m.			Washington	at	Toronto	7 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	N-Y Islanders	7:30 p.m.			Calgary	at	San Jose	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		L.A. Chargers	at	New England	1 p.m.			Denver	at	Cincinnati	4:30 p.m.			Arizona	at	L.A. Rams	8:10 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL		(18)Iowa St.	at	(15)Miami	3:30 p.m.			(17)BYU	at	(20)Colorado	7:30 p.m.			Louisiana Tech	at	(19)Army	9:15 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		Abilene Christian	at	(13)Texas A&amp;M	4 p.m.			(14)Gonzaga	at	(22)UCLA	4 p.m.			(16)Mississippi	at	Memphis	2 p.m.			Utah St.	at	(20)San Diego St.	6 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Saturday

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735329805054.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash;&nbsp;Ray Bechard, the winningest coach in Kansas volleyball history and a five-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, announced his retirement Friday after 27 seasons at the helm. &nbsp; Bechard, who coached 26 All-Americans during his time at Kansas and led the Jayhawks to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, amassed a 496-313 record at KU. His .613 winning percentage is the best by a Kansas volleyball coach in program history. &nbsp; &quot;It&apos;s been the honor of a lifetime to fulfill the role as Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Kansas for the last 27 years,&quot; Bechard said. &quot;This professional journey was made possible by a supportive administration, a coaching staff that worked tirelessly and together and by countless young women who competed with grit and demonstrated grace, while representing the university with class. &nbsp; &quot;I&apos;m proud of what we accomplished during my time at Kansas; we built a program that was nationally competitive and nationally respected.&quot; &nbsp; A Grinnell, Kansas native, Bechard took the reins of his dream job in 1998 after 13 seasons at Barton County Community College. He rewrote the Kansas volleyball record books, including being named the 2015 National Coach of the Year after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four. He is also a member of the Kansas Volleyball Association Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and is a three-time AVCA Region Coach of the Year. &nbsp; A Jayhawk to the core, Bechard coached his daughter, Ashley, for four seasons at KU. His son Brennan, played for the men&apos;s basketball team and currently serves as the program&apos;s Director of Scouting. &nbsp; &quot;Ray Bechard is a University of Kansas icon and has had one of the most influential and accomplished careers in college volleyball,&quot; Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. &quot;We are forever grateful for the incredible impact he made on so many in our athletic department, with his student-athletes being at the forefront. Coach B enriched the lives of countless people and is the architect of a program that has flourished on and off the court throughout his tenure. We will miss him dearly and will work with the same intensity and passion he coached with to continue the legacy he built.&quot; &nbsp; Throughout his Kansas career, Bechard led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament 13 times, including three Sweet 16 appearances and a spot in the National Semifinals in 2015. Kansas also finished the season in the AVCA Top 25 rankings seven times. Prior to his arrival, Kansas had never qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The longtime coach finished his illustrious career in style, posting winning seasons in 16 of his final 17 seasons leading the program. Additionally during his tenure, Kansas unveiled Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena in 2019, a result of the program&apos;s success and popularity under Bechard. &nbsp; Not only did Bechard leave an indelible mark at Kansas, but he also cemented himself as one of the best coaches ever in the Big 12 Conference. He finishes his career with 238 Big 12 wins, which ranks second all-time. He departs the league having coached more Big 12 matches than any coach in conference history. Bechard&apos;s success at Kansas followed a brilliant career at Barton, where he won 92 percent of his matches (716-90), won 13 conference championships and advanced to 10 NJCAA Final Fours. &nbsp; &quot;We are grateful for all Coach Bechard has done for our university and our student-athletes during his remarkable career at KU,&quot; Chancellor Douglas A. Girod said. &quot;Beyond the excellence his programs displayed on the court, Coach Bechard was a terrific ambassador for our university and always represented us well on the national stage. We wish him the best in retirement and thank him for his contributions to KU.&quot; &nbsp; A staple for Bechard throughout his career was player development, which was evident by the accolades his student-athletes earned. Bechard coached 12 AVCA All-Americans, including First Team selections Kelsie Payne (2015 and 2016) and Ainise Havili (2015) and Second Team selection Caroline Jarmoc (2012), on top of Third Team selections&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/reagan-cooper/10318" rel="smarttag">Reagan Cooper</a>&nbsp;(2023) and&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/camryn-turner/10268" rel="smarttag">Camryn Turner</a>(2024). He also saw several other Jayhawks earn All-America honorable mention from the AVCA including Josi Lima, Erin McNorton, Sara McClinton, Chelsea Albers, Cassie Wait, Madison Rigdon,&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/caroline-bien/10231" rel="smarttag">Caroline Bien</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/toyosi-onabanjo/10221" rel="smarttag">Toyosi Onabanjo</a>. &nbsp; In his first season at KU in 1998, Bechard improved the Jayhawks&apos; win total by six matches from the previous season and then posted five-straight winning seasons, before leading the program to its first ever NCAA Tournament selection in 2003. That squad, led by Lima, went 22-11 on the year and advanced to the second round of the tournament. That marked the first of three-straight postseason appearances for Bechard and the Jayhawks. &nbsp; Bechard and the Jayhawks started another postseason streak in 2012 when the team went 26-7 on the season, advanced to the second round and finished the year ranked No. 25 in the final AVCA Top 25 of the season for the first time in program history. The following season, Kansas went 25-8 and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever and finished second in the Big 12. Two seasons later, led by Payne and Havili, Kansas went 30-3, advanced to the Final Four and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country. &nbsp; The following season, Kansas went 15-1 in Big 12 play and won the program&apos;s first-ever Big 12 Championship and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the country. Bechard finished his career on a four-year NCAA Tournament streak, including another Sweet 16 appearance in 2021. &nbsp; &quot;I&apos;m thankful for the support of Chancellor Girod, Director of Athletics Travis Goff and sport administrator Nicole Corcoran,&quot; Bechard said. &quot;They will find the right person to elevate this nationally prominent program to even greater heights. This decision, though a difficult one, won&apos;t change my devotion to this athletic department and volleyball program.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I&apos;m looking forward to the time it will allow for a more consistent presence in the lives of my wife, children and grandkids who all have supported me in my coaching career. Thank you, Jayhawk Nation!&quot; &nbsp; Kansas will now begin a national search for its next leader.</div>

🏐 Bechard retires after 27 seasons at KU

HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas has been named the 2024 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced on Friday.

Dallas will be presented the award at the 2025 AFCA Convention on Monday, Jan. 13 in Charlotte, N.C.

He helped guide the Blue Dragons to their second national championship in program history, with a 28-23 win over Iowa Western on Wednesday, Dec. 18 in Canyon, Texas.

The Blue Dragons have gone 49-5 in Dallas' five seasons, including both of the national championships, the first which came in the spring of 2021.

Hutchinson Community College Head Coach Drew Dallas has been named the 2024 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year. The award will be presented to Dallas during the 2025 AFCA Convention on Monday, January 13, in Charlotte, North Carolina.&nbsp;

Dallas earned his second ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor after leading Hutchinson to a 11-1 record, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) title and the program’s second National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship. This was the Blue Dragons third appearance in the NJCAA national championship game. In his first season as head coach, Dallas led Hutchinson to an 8-0 record and the program’s first NJCAA national title in 2020/21. He has an overall record of 49-5 in his five seasons as head coach with four KJCCC titles. Dallas won his first ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor in 2022 after leading Hutchinson to an 11-1 record and an appearance in the NJCAA title game.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A native of Salina, Kansas, Dallas was a quarterback at Fort Hays State from 2004-05, then finished his playing career at Kansas Wesleyan from 2006-07. He began his coaching career at KWU, coaching quarterbacks and receivers in 2009 and 2010 before moving on to Angelo State in 2011. Dallas was with the NCAA Division II program for eight seasons, coaching tight ends in 2011, then receivers from 2012-15. In his final three years, he was the offensive coordinator, helping the Rams to two Heart of Texas Bowl games in 2017 and 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dallas joined the Hutchinson staff in 2019 as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach. The Blue Dragons finished 10-2 that year with a win in the Salt City Bowl. Under Dallas, the offense ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring, No. 4 in rushing offense and No. 10 in total offense.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In his short time as head coach, Dallas has racked up the awards. He is a four-time KJCCC Coach of the Year and won Wichita Area Sports Commission Coach of the Year and NJCAA National Coach of the Year for the 2020-21 season. Dallas has produced 33 NJCAA All-Americans, 23 All-KJCCC selections, six KJCCC Players of the Year and two NJCAA National Players of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

About the ACCFCA:&nbsp;Before 2000, the two junior college associations, the California Community College Football Coaches Association, and the National Junior College Football Coaches Association, each had its own Coach of the Year. In 2000, the AFCA invited the organizations to meet at the AFCA Convention. Three national goals were set: to form a national community college football coaches’ association, to study the possibility of a national championship game between the two organizations and to select a yearly National Coach of the Year who would be recognized by the AFCA. Their initial goal, to create an umbrella coaches association, has been accomplished.&nbsp;

In 2002, the American Community College Football Coaches Association selected its first national coach of the year, Michael White of Reedley College. Past winners of the ACCFCA Coach of the Year are: Troy Morrell, Butler Community College, 2003; Tim Hatten, Pearl River Community College, 2004; Don Dillon, American River College, 2005; John Featherstone, El Camino College, 2006; Jeff Chudy, Bakersfield College, 2007; Jeff Jordan, Butte College, 2008; Brad Franchione, Blinn College, 2009; Bob Jastrab, Mt. San Antonio College, 2010; Bert Williams, Georgia Military College, 2013; Buddy Stephens, East Mississippi Community College, 2011 and 2014; Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, 2015; Jeff Sims, Garden City Community College, 2016; Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western Community College, 2012 and 2017; Steve Mooshagian, Ventura College, 2018; Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2019; Kurt Taufa’asau, New Mexico Military Institute, 2021; Drew Dallas, Hutchinson Community College, 2022 and Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735316370912.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy AFCA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy AFCA</figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas has been named the 2024 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced on Friday.Dallas will be presented the award at the 2025 AFCA Convention on Monday, Jan. 13 in Charlotte, N.C.Dallas also won the award in 2022.He helped guide the Blue Dragons to their second national championship in program history, with a 28-23 win over Iowa Western on Wednesday, Dec. 18 in Canyon, Texas.The Blue Dragons have gone 49-5 in Dallas' five seasons, including both of the national championships, the first which came in the spring of 2021.---AFCAHutchinson Community College Head Coach Drew Dallas has been named the 2024 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year. The award will be presented to Dallas during the 2025 AFCA Convention on Monday, January 13, in Charlotte, North Carolina.&nbsp;Dallas earned his second ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor after leading Hutchinson to a 11-1 record, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) title and the program’s second National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship. This was the Blue Dragons third appearance in the NJCAA national championship game. In his first season as head coach, Dallas led Hutchinson to an 8-0 record and the program’s first NJCAA national title in 2020/21. He has an overall record of 49-5 in his five seasons as head coach with four KJCCC titles. Dallas won his first ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor in 2022 after leading Hutchinson to an 11-1 record and an appearance in the NJCAA title game.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A native of Salina, Kansas, Dallas was a quarterback at Fort Hays State from 2004-05, then finished his playing career at Kansas Wesleyan from 2006-07. He began his coaching career at KWU, coaching quarterbacks and receivers in 2009 and 2010 before moving on to Angelo State in 2011. Dallas was with the NCAA Division II program for eight seasons, coaching tight ends in 2011, then receivers from 2012-15. In his final three years, he was the offensive coordinator, helping the Rams to two Heart of Texas Bowl games in 2017 and 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dallas joined the Hutchinson staff in 2019 as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach. The Blue Dragons finished 10-2 that year with a win in the Salt City Bowl. Under Dallas, the offense ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring, No. 4 in rushing offense and No. 10 in total offense.&nbsp;&nbsp;In his short time as head coach, Dallas has racked up the awards. He is a four-time KJCCC Coach of the Year and won Wichita Area Sports Commission Coach of the Year and NJCAA National Coach of the Year for the 2020-21 season. Dallas has produced 33 NJCAA All-Americans, 23 All-KJCCC selections, six KJCCC Players of the Year and two NJCAA National Players of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;About the ACCFCA:&nbsp;Before 2000, the two junior college associations, the California Community College Football Coaches Association, and the National Junior College Football Coaches Association, each had its own Coach of the Year. In 2000, the AFCA invited the organizations to meet at the AFCA Convention. Three national goals were set: to form a national community college football coaches’ association, to study the possibility of a national championship game between the two organizations and to select a yearly National Coach of the Year who would be recognized by the AFCA. Their initial goal, to create an umbrella coaches association, has been accomplished.&nbsp;In 2002, the American Community College Football Coaches Association selected its first national coach of the year, Michael White of Reedley College. Past winners of the ACCFCA Coach of the Year are: Troy Morrell, Butler Community College, 2003; Tim Hatten, Pearl River Community College, 2004; Don Dillon, American River College, 2005; John Featherstone, El Camino College, 2006; Jeff Chudy, Bakersfield College, 2007; Jeff Jordan, Butte College, 2008; Brad Franchione, Blinn College, 2009; Bob Jastrab, Mt. San Antonio College, 2010; Bert Williams, Georgia Military College, 2013; Buddy Stephens, East Mississippi Community College, 2011 and 2014; Mark McElroy, Saddleback College, 2015; Jeff Sims, Garden City Community College, 2016; Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western Community College, 2012 and 2017; Steve Mooshagian, Ventura College, 2018; Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2019; Kurt Taufa’asau, New Mexico Military Institute, 2021; Drew Dallas, Hutchinson Community College, 2022 and Tom Craft, Riverside City College, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈 Dallas named ACCFCA Coach of the Year

AP Sports Summary for December 27th, 2024:

Seahawks players say team that hires Pete Carroll would be fortunate to have him

CHICAGO (AP) — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith put in a good word for former coach Pete Carroll, saying any team would be fortunate to have him on the sideline. So did his teammates. Smith says Carroll is a "special human being" who is "always going to be upbeat." ESPN reported this week that he is interested in returning to coaching after moving into an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of last season. Carroll led Seattle to its lone Super Bowl championship during a 14-year run that included 10 trips to the playoffs. He is also won a national championship at USC. The Bears are looking for a coach to replace the fired Matt Eberflus. The Giants and Saints also fired coaches this season.

Woolen's late interception seals win as Seahawks beat struggling Bears 6-3 to boost playoff hopes

CHICAGO (AP) — Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams' late pass and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss. Jason Myers kicked field goals on the game's first possession and near the end of the second quarter. Woolen picked off a deep pass intended for Keenan Allen at the Seattle 22 with 20 seconds left, ending Williams' NFL rookie-record string of passes without an interception at 353. The Seahawks (9-7) made just enough plays to come away with a win they sorely needed after dropping two in a row. Leonard Williams had two of Seattle's seven sacks. Chicago dropped to 4-12.

At least 65 million tune in for Netflix NFL Christmas Day games. NBA holiday ratings also skyrocket

LeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas. That shouldn't be a problem. In the battle for TV viewers, sports fans will be among the big winners. Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen. The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday. The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.

Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issue

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team says additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team says surgery isn't expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend's 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay.

Pat Riley says the Miami Heat will not trade Jimmy Butler

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — If Jimmy Butler wants a trade, the Miami Heat have no plans to make him happy. Heat President Pat Riley — in a rare move — spoke out to address rumors Thursday, saying the team has no plans to trade Butler. It's a clear sign that, if necessary, the team will be willing to let Butler leave as a free agent and get nothing in return. Riley says in a release distributed by the team "we usually don't comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches."

Jaden Ivey's 4-point play with 3 seconds left rallies Pistons past Kings 114-113

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3 seconds left and the Detroit Pistons rallied past the struggling Sacramento Kings 114-113. With the Pistons trailing by three, Ivey made a 3-pointer in the right corner and was fouled by De'Aaron Fox. Ivey hit the free throw to cap a 19-point comeback in the second half. Fox missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points to lead the Pistons. Malik Beasley added 22 off the bench, including six 3-pointers. The Kings, who played without Domantas Sabonis, led 68-53 at halftime after shooting 54% in the half. Fox paced Sacramento with 26 points.

Tucker Gleason runs and passes for 5 OT scores as Toledo beats Pitt 48-46 in bowl-record 6 overtimes

DETROIT (AP) — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field. The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday. Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game.

Dylan Edwards scores 3 TDs, Kansas State rallies to beat Rutgers 44-41 in Rate Bowl

PHOENIX (AP) — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl. The Scarlet Knights led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja'shon Benjamin's 7-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half. Edwards scored on 65-yard touchdown run and Garrett Oakley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull Kansas State within five. Rutgers stretched the lead to 41-29, but Kansas State scored twice after that and stopped the Scarlet Knights on downs to close it out.

2 sailors die in the stormy first night of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, organizers say

Two sailors on separate boats have been killed in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event's long history of deaths at sea. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, which administers the yacht race, said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. Officials later said a sailor was washed overboard on another boat, but was rescued. That crew member was from Hobart yacht Porco Rosso, and he drifted a kilometer from the yacht before being rescued. The race will continue.

US sex-abuse watchdog fires investigator after learning of his arrest for stealing drug money

DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport abruptly fired one of its investigators last month after learning he'd been arrested for stealing money confiscated after a drug bust he was part of during his previous job as a police officer. Jason Krasley left his job with the Allentown Police Department in Pennsylvania in 2021 and was hired by the Denver-based SafeSport center to look into sensitive cases involving sex abuse and harassment. The center said it conducts multiple interviews and a "comprehensive background check" of potential employees. The center said it was looking into cases Krasley handled to make sure they were dealt with appropriately.

		Arlington Baptist	at	(25)Baylor	7 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Friday, December 27th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Friday, December 27th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 27th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8629703/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Seahawks players say team that hires Pete Carroll would be fortunate to have himCHICAGO (AP) — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith put in a good word for former coach Pete Carroll, saying any team would be fortunate to have him on the sideline. So did his teammates. Smith says Carroll is a "special human being" who is "always going to be upbeat." ESPN reported this week that he is interested in returning to coaching after moving into an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of last season. Carroll led Seattle to its lone Super Bowl championship during a 14-year run that included 10 trips to the playoffs. He is also won a national championship at USC. The Bears are looking for a coach to replace the fired Matt Eberflus. The Giants and Saints also fired coaches this season.Woolen's late interception seals win as Seahawks beat struggling Bears 6-3 to boost playoff hopesCHICAGO (AP) — Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams' late pass and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss. Jason Myers kicked field goals on the game's first possession and near the end of the second quarter. Woolen picked off a deep pass intended for Keenan Allen at the Seattle 22 with 20 seconds left, ending Williams' NFL rookie-record string of passes without an interception at 353. The Seahawks (9-7) made just enough plays to come away with a win they sorely needed after dropping two in a row. Leonard Williams had two of Seattle's seven sacks. Chicago dropped to 4-12.At least 65 million tune in for Netflix NFL Christmas Day games. NBA holiday ratings also skyrocketLeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas. That shouldn't be a problem. In the battle for TV viewers, sports fans will be among the big winners. Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen. The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday. The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issueFRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team says additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team says surgery isn't expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend's 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay.Pat Riley says the Miami Heat will not trade Jimmy ButlerORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — If Jimmy Butler wants a trade, the Miami Heat have no plans to make him happy. Heat President Pat Riley — in a rare move — spoke out to address rumors Thursday, saying the team has no plans to trade Butler. It's a clear sign that, if necessary, the team will be willing to let Butler leave as a free agent and get nothing in return. Riley says in a release distributed by the team "we usually don't comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches."Jaden Ivey's 4-point play with 3 seconds left rallies Pistons past Kings 114-113SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3 seconds left and the Detroit Pistons rallied past the struggling Sacramento Kings 114-113. With the Pistons trailing by three, Ivey made a 3-pointer in the right corner and was fouled by De'Aaron Fox. Ivey hit the free throw to cap a 19-point comeback in the second half. Fox missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points to lead the Pistons. Malik Beasley added 22 off the bench, including six 3-pointers. The Kings, who played without Domantas Sabonis, led 68-53 at halftime after shooting 54% in the half. Fox paced Sacramento with 26 points.Tucker Gleason runs and passes for 5 OT scores as Toledo beats Pitt 48-46 in bowl-record 6 overtimesDETROIT (AP) — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field. The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday. Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game.Dylan Edwards scores 3 TDs, Kansas State rallies to beat Rutgers 44-41 in Rate BowlPHOENIX (AP) — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl. The Scarlet Knights led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja'shon Benjamin's 7-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half. Edwards scored on 65-yard touchdown run and Garrett Oakley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull Kansas State within five. Rutgers stretched the lead to 41-29, but Kansas State scored twice after that and stopped the Scarlet Knights on downs to close it out.2 sailors die in the stormy first night of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, organizers sayTwo sailors on separate boats have been killed in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event's long history of deaths at sea. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, which administers the yacht race, said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. Officials later said a sailor was washed overboard on another boat, but was rescued. That crew member was from Hobart yacht Porco Rosso, and he drifted a kilometer from the yacht before being rescued. The race will continue.US sex-abuse watchdog fires investigator after learning of his arrest for stealing drug moneyDENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport abruptly fired one of its investigators last month after learning he'd been arrested for stealing money confiscated after a drug bust he was part of during his previous job as a police officer. Jason Krasley left his job with the Allentown Police Department in Pennsylvania in 2021 and was hired by the Denver-based SafeSport center to look into sensitive cases involving sex abuse and harassment. The center said it conducts multiple interviews and a "comprehensive background check" of potential employees. The center said it was looking into cases Krasley handled to make sure they were dealt with appropriately.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Miami	89	Orlando	88	Final	Oklahoma City	120	Indiana	114	Final	Washington	113	Charlotte	110	Final	Atlanta	141	Chicago	133	Final	Houston	128	New Orleans	111	Final	Memphis	155	Toronto	126	Final	Brooklyn	111	Milwaukee	105	Final	Portland	122	Utah	120	Final	Detroit	114	Sacramento	113	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Seattle	6	Chicago	3	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		New York	at	Orlando	7 p.m.			Indiana	at	Boston	7:30 p.m.			San Antonio	at	Brooklyn	7:30 p.m.			Memphis	at	New Orleans	8 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Houston	8 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Denver	9 p.m.			Dallas	at	Phoenix	9 p.m.			Golden State	at	L.A. Clippers	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Boston	at	Columbus	7 p.m.			Carolina	at	New Jersey	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Buffalo	7 p.m.			Toronto	at	Detroit	7 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Dallas	8 p.m.			Nashville	at	St. Louis	8 p.m.			Colorado	at	Utah	9:30 p.m.			Vegas	at	San Jose	10:30 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL		(22)Syracuse	at	Washington St.	8 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		Arlington Baptist	at	(25)Baylor	7 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Friday

PHOENIX (AP) — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl on Thursday night.

The Scarlet Knights (7-6) led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja'shon Benjamin's 7-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half. But Edwards and the Wildcats (9-4) stormed back.

Edwards scored on 65-yard touchdown run and, after an interception thrown by Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis, Garrett Oakley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull Kansas State within five. The Wildcats failed 2-point conversions after both touchdowns.

Rutgers briefly regained momentum, going up 41-29 early in the fourth quarter on Antwan Raymond's 1-yard TD run on a fake tush push.

Kansas State answered with Avery Johnson's 9-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Jackson. Edwards followed with his 36-yard score, capping an impressive night in place of DJ Giddens, who opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft.

Kansas State closed it out by stopping Rutgers on fourth down near midfield with just under two minutes left

Johnson threw for three touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Edwards in the second quarter, finishing with 195 yards on 15-of-30 passing.

Raymond ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns in place of leading rusher Kyle Monangai, who also opted out to prepare for the NFL draft.

Kaliakmanis threw for 237 yards and a touchdown with an interception on 14-of-32 passing.

Kansas State: The Wildcats struggled defensively until they needed it most, shutting down Rutgers most of the second half. Edwards took it from there, racking up 223 total yards — none bigger than his final TD run.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights had a second straight bowl win within their grasp, but let it slip through their fingers with a slew of defensive miscues in the second half.

Kansas State: Johnson, Edwards and RB Joe Jackson are underclassmen, as is leading tackler Austin Romaine. DE Brendan Mott and LB Austin Moore, anchors to K-State's defense, played their final college games.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights will have plenty of holes to fill in the offseason. Kaliakmanis is one of six senior starters on offense, and the defense has eight.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a>. AP college football:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735263327099.png" alt="Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored 3 touchdowns -photoK-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored 3 touchdowns -photoK-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX (AP) — Dylan Edwards ran for 196 yards and scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter, helping Kansas State rally past Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl on Thursday night.The Scarlet Knights (7-6) led by 10 at halftime and went up 34-17 on Ja'shon Benjamin's 7-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half. But Edwards and the Wildcats (9-4) stormed back.Edwards scored on 65-yard touchdown run and, after an interception thrown by Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis, Garrett Oakley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull Kansas State within five. The Wildcats failed 2-point conversions after both touchdowns.Rutgers briefly regained momentum, going up 41-29 early in the fourth quarter on Antwan Raymond's 1-yard TD run on a fake tush push.Kansas State answered with Avery Johnson's 9-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Jackson. Edwards followed with his 36-yard score, capping an impressive night in place of DJ Giddens, who opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft.Kansas State closed it out by stopping Rutgers on fourth down near midfield with just under two minutes leftJohnson threw for three touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Edwards in the second quarter, finishing with 195 yards on 15-of-30 passing.Raymond ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns in place of leading rusher Kyle Monangai, who also opted out to prepare for the NFL draft.Kaliakmanis threw for 237 yards and a touchdown with an interception on 14-of-32 passing.<h2>Takeaways</h2>Kansas State: The Wildcats struggled defensively until they needed it most, shutting down Rutgers most of the second half. Edwards took it from there, racking up 223 total yards — none bigger than his final TD run.Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights had a second straight bowl win within their grasp, but let it slip through their fingers with a slew of defensive miscues in the second half.<h2>Up next</h2>Kansas State: Johnson, Edwards and RB Joe Jackson are underclassmen, as is leading tackler Austin Romaine. DE Brendan Mott and LB Austin Moore, anchors to K-State's defense, played their final college games.Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights will have plenty of holes to fill in the offseason. Kaliakmanis is one of six senior starters on offense, and the defense has eight.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a>. AP college football:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

🏈 Kansas State rallies to beat Rutgers in Rate Bowl

AP Sports Summary for December 26th, 2024:

Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC's top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by the Steelers (10-6). Pittsburgh has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit. Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Kelce also became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

Jackson breaks Vick's NFL rushing record for QBs in Ravens' rout over Texans

HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore's Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday. Jackson moved past Vick on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Jackson had 87 yards rushing to give him 6,110 yards, moving him past Vick, who piled up 6,109 in his 13-year career.

LeBron James scores 31 in record 19th Christmas Day game as Lakers hold off Curry, Warriors 115-113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 115-113. Curry scored 38 with eight 3s, hitting one under pressure from the baseline with 12 seconds left and another with 2:49 remaining only for James to answer from long range on the other end. Reaves recorded a triple-double.

Bridges scores season-high 41, Knicks withstand Wembanyama's monster Christmas debut to edge Spurs

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a season-high 41 points, and the New York Knicks overcame 42 from Victor Wembanyama in a monster Christmas debut to edge the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 on Wednesday. Wembanyama set a Spurs record for points on the holiday and added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. The reigning Western Conference player of the week made six 3-pointers. But Bridges shot 17 for 25 from the field, 6 for 9 behind the arc, to make sure the Knicks had just enough offense to win their fifth in a row and improve to 20-10.

Durant and Beal score 27 points each, Suns beat Nuggets 110-100 to close out Christmas slate

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 110-100 night in the nightcap to the NBA's Christmas slate of games. Phoenix led by seven after three quarters and stretched it to 99-81 by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. The Suns pushed the lead to 15 and held off the Nuggets down the stretch to end a three-game losing streak. Nikola Jokic had 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 and Russell Westbrook had 17. Jamal Murray had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists after missing Monday's game with a sprained ankle.

Embiid shakes off pregame fall, leads Sixers to 118-114 win over Celtics

BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 32 with 15 rebounds for Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 23 and Derrick White had 21. Boston wore red socks and leggings with their green jerseys for an extra dose of Christmas spirit. Embiid made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and sank a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left to turn back Boston's final rally.

Mavs brace for another Doncic absence, with more evidence of how to stay afloat

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks will have to wait to see how long they'll be without Luka Doncic because of his latest left calf injury. They also have another example of how to stay afloat until the superstar's return. Doncic exited late in the second quarter of a 105-99 Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, and the deflated Mavs found themselves down 28 points late in the third. Yet, Kyrie Irving had a 3-point attempt in the final minute that would have put Dallas in front. His shot was short, as was the rally. There was no update on Doncic after the game. The Mavs are 6-2 in games without him this season.

Pro Picks: Chargers over Patriots is the best bet and Broncos and Vikings will pull off upsets

Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There's going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day that featured four of the AFC's top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs trounced Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens routed C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 31-2. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday's schedule light at nine games.

Comanche, defending champion LawConnect lead early in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

SYDNEY (AP) — Comanche has taken an eight nautical-mile lead over defending line honors champion and fellow 100-foot super maxi LawConnect early in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. LawConnect, which led the 104-yacht fleet out of Sydney harbor on Thursday, gave up the lead when a furling line malfunctioned, but managed to recover, having suffered a similar problem early in last year's race. Reigning overall handicap winner Alive became the first yacht to retire from the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race. The 66-footer quit off Wollongong in New South Wales state with engine and electrical issues.

Lakers big man Anthony Davis exits Christmas game with sprained left ankle

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn't return for Los Angeles against Golden State after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter. Davis stepped awkwardly and rolled the ankle while moving through the paint toward the Lakers basket and exited with 4:48 remaining in the quarter. He went to the locker room and initially was listed as questionable to come back.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, December 26th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, December 26th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for December 26th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8629245/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC's top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by the Steelers (10-6). Pittsburgh has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit. Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Kelce also became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.Jackson breaks Vick's NFL rushing record for QBs in Ravens' rout over TexansHOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore's Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday. Jackson moved past Vick on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Jackson had 87 yards rushing to give him 6,110 yards, moving him past Vick, who piled up 6,109 in his 13-year career.LeBron James scores 31 in record 19th Christmas Day game as Lakers hold off Curry, Warriors 115-113SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 115-113. Curry scored 38 with eight 3s, hitting one under pressure from the baseline with 12 seconds left and another with 2:49 remaining only for James to answer from long range on the other end. Reaves recorded a triple-double.Bridges scores season-high 41, Knicks withstand Wembanyama's monster Christmas debut to edge SpursNEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a season-high 41 points, and the New York Knicks overcame 42 from Victor Wembanyama in a monster Christmas debut to edge the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 on Wednesday. Wembanyama set a Spurs record for points on the holiday and added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. The reigning Western Conference player of the week made six 3-pointers. But Bridges shot 17 for 25 from the field, 6 for 9 behind the arc, to make sure the Knicks had just enough offense to win their fifth in a row and improve to 20-10.Durant and Beal score 27 points each, Suns beat Nuggets 110-100 to close out Christmas slatePHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 110-100 night in the nightcap to the NBA's Christmas slate of games. Phoenix led by seven after three quarters and stretched it to 99-81 by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. The Suns pushed the lead to 15 and held off the Nuggets down the stretch to end a three-game losing streak. Nikola Jokic had 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 and Russell Westbrook had 17. Jamal Murray had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists after missing Monday's game with a sprained ankle.Embiid shakes off pregame fall, leads Sixers to 118-114 win over CelticsBOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 32 with 15 rebounds for Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 23 and Derrick White had 21. Boston wore red socks and leggings with their green jerseys for an extra dose of Christmas spirit. Embiid made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and sank a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left to turn back Boston's final rally.Mavs brace for another Doncic absence, with more evidence of how to stay afloatDALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks will have to wait to see how long they'll be without Luka Doncic because of his latest left calf injury. They also have another example of how to stay afloat until the superstar's return. Doncic exited late in the second quarter of a 105-99 Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, and the deflated Mavs found themselves down 28 points late in the third. Yet, Kyrie Irving had a 3-point attempt in the final minute that would have put Dallas in front. His shot was short, as was the rally. There was no update on Doncic after the game. The Mavs are 6-2 in games without him this season.Pro Picks: Chargers over Patriots is the best bet and Broncos and Vikings will pull off upsetsPlayoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There's going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day that featured four of the AFC's top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs trounced Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens routed C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 31-2. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday's schedule light at nine games.Comanche, defending champion LawConnect lead early in Sydney to Hobart yacht raceSYDNEY (AP) — Comanche has taken an eight nautical-mile lead over defending line honors champion and fellow 100-foot super maxi LawConnect early in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. LawConnect, which led the 104-yacht fleet out of Sydney harbor on Thursday, gave up the lead when a furling line malfunctioned, but managed to recover, having suffered a similar problem early in last year's race. Reigning overall handicap winner Alive became the first yacht to retire from the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race. The 66-footer quit off Wollongong in New South Wales state with engine and electrical issues.Lakers big man Anthony Davis exits Christmas game with sprained left ankleSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn't return for Los Angeles against Golden State after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter. Davis stepped awkwardly and rolled the ankle while moving through the paint toward the Lakers basket and exited with 4:48 remaining in the quarter. He went to the locker room and initially was listed as questionable to come back.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	New York	117	San Antonio	114	Final	Minnesota	105	Dallas	99	Final	Philadelphia	118	Boston	114	Final	L.A. Lakers	115	Golden State	113	Final	Phoenix	110	Denver	100	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Kansas City	29	Pittsburgh	10	Final	Baltimore	31	Houston	2	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Charlotte	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Miami	at	Orlando	7 p.m.			Oklahoma City	at	Indiana	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.			Brooklyn	at	Milwaukee	8 p.m.			Houston	at	New Orleans	8 p.m.			Toronto	at	Memphis	8 p.m.			Detroit	at	Sacramento	10 p.m.			Utah	at	Portland	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		Seattle	at	Chicago	8:15 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Thursday

PHOENIX (AP) — Kansas State did not finish the regular season the way it wanted to.

In the thick of the Big 12 race — potentially the College Football Playoff — heading into the final month, the Wildcats stumbled to three losses in their final four games.

The good news: they played well enough early in the season to earn a chance to end it on a good note in Thursday's Rate Bowl against Rutgers.

“I hate losing in general,” Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson said. "We earned this opportunity to play another game. We just want to go out and showcase some of the things that we didn’t get to showcase."

The Wildcats got the season off to a good start, their only loss in the first seven games coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-state-byu-football-score-5194ee3d903917bfd5cf08cfcf551cb8">against BYU on Sept. 21</a>. Then things started teetering as teams found a way to slow Kanas State's power-running offense.

With opponents stacking the line to slow running back DJ Giddens, the Wildcats were far less productive offensively, scoring nine fewer points and putting up nearly 50 fewer yards over the final four games compared to the first eight.

“You can look at taking a loss two different ways: you can either sit there and sulk in it or you can sit there and find something to get better on,” Kansas State center Hadley Panzer said.

Rutgers (7-5) had its rough stretch in the middle of the season, losing four straight games. The Scarlet Knights rebounded to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rutgers-michigan-state-4114-c5eefb409ddc2911c120d0f012bae461">beat Michigan State</a>&nbsp;in the regular-season finale after losing to No. 21 Illinois by a touchdown.

Rutgers has had one of its best offensive seasons in years, averaging 27.9 points per game — best since 2009. The Scarlet Knights also are one of the nation's best teams at taking care of the ball, ranking eighth nationally in turnovers, committing only eight.

Rutgers is playing bowl games in consecutive years for the first time since a run of four straight from 2011-14.

“We fought through some real adversity this season, injuries to a level that I haven’t really seen very much in my 37 years of doing this, but a team that kind of reinvented itself midseason,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said.

Both teams will be without their top running backs with Giddens and Rutgers' Kyle Monangai opting out to prepare for the NFL draft.

Giddens led the Wildcats with 1,343 yards and seven touchdowns. Dylan Edwards, a transfer from Colorado, will likely carry more of the load after averaging 3.6 yards per carry as Giddens' backup.

Monangai ran for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the Scarlet Knights. Antwan Raymond was Rutgers' second-leading rusher with 344 yards.

The game will be played at Chase Field, home of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. ... Kansas State is playing in the Rate Bowl for the fifth time. The Wildcats beat UCLA 35-17 the previous time in the desert in 2017 when it was called the Cactus Bowl. ... Athan Kaliakmanis has attempted every pass for Rutgers this season, throwing for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns.. ... The Wildcats led the Big 12 and were 22nd nationally against the run, allowing 114.9 yards per game. ... Rutgers has won 10 straight nonconference games and 14 of its past 15. ... K-State's Avery Johnson joins Alabama's Jalen Milroe as the only Power 4 quarterbacks with at least 2,500 passing yards and 525 rushing yards.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728803392909.jpeg" alt="Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) connected with wide receiver Jayce Brown (1) for two touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Colorado/ Photo courtesy of K State Football on X" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) connected with wide receiver Jayce Brown (1) for two touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Colorado/ Photo courtesy of K State Football on X</figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX (AP) — Kansas State did not finish the regular season the way it wanted to.Not by a long shot.In the thick of the Big 12 race — potentially the College Football Playoff — heading into the final month, the Wildcats stumbled to three losses in their final four games.The good news: they played well enough early in the season to earn a chance to end it on a good note in Thursday's Rate Bowl against Rutgers.“I hate losing in general,” Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson said. "We earned this opportunity to play another game. We just want to go out and showcase some of the things that we didn’t get to showcase."The Wildcats got the season off to a good start, their only loss in the first seven games coming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-state-byu-football-score-5194ee3d903917bfd5cf08cfcf551cb8">against BYU on Sept. 21</a>. Then things started teetering as teams found a way to slow Kanas State's power-running offense.With opponents stacking the line to slow running back DJ Giddens, the Wildcats were far less productive offensively, scoring nine fewer points and putting up nearly 50 fewer yards over the final four games compared to the first eight.“You can look at taking a loss two different ways: you can either sit there and sulk in it or you can sit there and find something to get better on,” Kansas State center Hadley Panzer said.Rutgers (7-5) had its rough stretch in the middle of the season, losing four straight games. The Scarlet Knights rebounded to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rutgers-michigan-state-4114-c5eefb409ddc2911c120d0f012bae461">beat Michigan State</a>&nbsp;in the regular-season finale after losing to No. 21 Illinois by a touchdown.Rutgers has had one of its best offensive seasons in years, averaging 27.9 points per game — best since 2009. The Scarlet Knights also are one of the nation's best teams at taking care of the ball, ranking eighth nationally in turnovers, committing only eight.Rutgers is playing bowl games in consecutive years for the first time since a run of four straight from 2011-14.“We fought through some real adversity this season, injuries to a level that I haven’t really seen very much in my 37 years of doing this, but a team that kind of reinvented itself midseason,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said.<h2>Missing running backs</h2>Both teams will be without their top running backs with Giddens and Rutgers' Kyle Monangai opting out to prepare for the NFL draft.Giddens led the Wildcats with 1,343 yards and seven touchdowns. Dylan Edwards, a transfer from Colorado, will likely carry more of the load after averaging 3.6 yards per carry as Giddens' backup.Monangai ran for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the Scarlet Knights. Antwan Raymond was Rutgers' second-leading rusher with 344 yards.<h2>Facts &amp; figures</h2>The game will be played at Chase Field, home of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. ... Kansas State is playing in the Rate Bowl for the fifth time. The Wildcats beat UCLA 35-17 the previous time in the desert in 2017 when it was called the Cactus Bowl. ... Athan Kaliakmanis has attempted every pass for Rutgers this season, throwing for 2,459 yards and 17 touchdowns.. ... The Wildcats led the Big 12 and were 22nd nationally against the run, allowing 114.9 yards per game. ... Rutgers has won 10 straight nonconference games and 14 of its past 15. ... K-State's Avery Johnson joins Alabama's Jalen Milroe as the only Power 4 quarterbacks with at least 2,500 passing yards and 525 rushing yards.

🏈 Kansas State returns to desert to face Rutgers in the Rate Bowl

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andy Reid&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/netflix/status/1872029213467070576">donned a Santa Claus suit</a>&nbsp;in a giddy Kansas City Chiefs locker room on Christmas Day, then handed his team a present it increasingly looks like it deserves: home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

How Reid managed to slide into the costume so quickly after Kansas City's clinical 29-10 victory over the reeling Pittsburgh Steelers to lock up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven years is a mystery (though he hinted there's an elf involved).

How Reid's team manages to pull away from the pack year after year is not.

A lot of Patrick Mahomes. A dash of Travis Kelce. A splash of speed. A defense that quietly goes about its business, even when its leader is standing on the sideline in sweatpants.

Yes, it has been ugly — by Kansas City's lofty standards — at times while the Chiefs have chased a third straight championship. Yet as the playoffs loom, the group that looked so vulnerable for most of the season suddenly seems to be rounding into form.

And the road to the Super Bowl will once again go through Arrowhead Stadium. Just the way the Chiefs like it.

“Getting the No. 1 seed is important,” Mahomes said after throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. “It's like winning a playoff game.”

Even if how the Chiefs locked it up didn't exactly feel like one.

Kansas City (15-1) spent three hours toying with the Steelers (10-6) like a cat batting around shreds of leftover wrapping paper. The Chiefs raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by Pittsburgh, which has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit.

“That sucked, to be blunt,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1735175096524.jpeg" alt="Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, as Santa Claus, celebrates Kansas City clinching a first round bye after a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day/ Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, as Santa Claus, celebrates Kansas City clinching a first round bye after a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day/ Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs</figcaption>
 </figure>PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andy Reid&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/netflix/status/1872029213467070576">donned a Santa Claus suit</a>&nbsp;in a giddy Kansas City Chiefs locker room on Christmas Day, then handed his team a present it increasingly looks like it deserves: home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.How Reid managed to slide into the costume so quickly after Kansas City's clinical 29-10 victory over the reeling Pittsburgh Steelers to lock up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven years is a mystery (though he hinted there's an elf involved).How Reid's team manages to pull away from the pack year after year is not.A lot of Patrick Mahomes. A dash of Travis Kelce. A splash of speed. A defense that quietly goes about its business, even when its leader is standing on the sideline in sweatpants.Yes, it has been ugly — by Kansas City's lofty standards — at times while the Chiefs have chased a third straight championship. Yet as the playoffs loom, the group that looked so vulnerable for most of the season suddenly seems to be rounding into form.And the road to the Super Bowl will once again go through Arrowhead Stadium. Just the way the Chiefs like it.“Getting the No. 1 seed is important,” Mahomes said after throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. “It's like winning a playoff game.”Even if how the Chiefs locked it up didn't exactly feel like one.Kansas City (15-1) spent three hours toying with the Steelers (10-6) like a cat batting around shreds of leftover wrapping paper. The Chiefs raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by Pittsburgh, which has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit.“That sucked, to be blunt,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.It often does when Pittsburgh is on one side of the line of scrimmage and Mahomes is on the other. Mahomes is now 4-0 against the Steelers with 17 touchdowns against just one interception. He connected on first-half scoring tosses to&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Chiefs/status/1871983092845466095">Xavier Worthy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Chiefs/status/1871987062208974878">Justin Watson</a>&nbsp;and added a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/netflix/status/1872016529535140085">history-making 12-yard touchdown flip</a>&nbsp;to Kelce to seal it in the fourth quarter.The grab was the 77th scoring reception of Kelce's career, breaking a franchise record set by Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. The 35-year-old Kelce celebrated by dunking the ball over the goal post, a nod to Gonzalez's signature move. The gesture drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, though it hardly mattered. Harrison Butker made the longer extra point and the Chiefs were firmly in control.“It's just showing Tony some love,” Kelce said with a laugh on the day he joined Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the only tight ends to reach 1,000 receptions. Kelce finished with eight catches for 84 yards while playing for an offense that is starting to get its swagger back.The defense wasn't bad either, even with five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Chris Jones sidelined by a calf injury. Jones' teammates hardly looked gassed while playing for the third time in 11 days.“It was tough,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “I mean, three games in 11 days is crazy for anybody. But I thought we handled it very well.”The Steelers did not. Pittsburgh went 0-3 during the span, a brutal stretch against Super Bowl contenders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steelers-eagles-score-24db5750df97b5eaa6e5222142cdae7d">Philadelphia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steelers-ravens-score-62c43cd44faeabe6351f4f212bad4f12#:~:text=Steelers%2034%2D17-,Lamar%20Jackson%20and%20the%20Ravens%20draw%20even%20atop%20the%20AFC,1st%2Dplace%20Steelers%2034%2D17&amp;text=BALTIMORE%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Lamar%20Jackson,of%20the%20season%20so%20far.">Baltimore</a>&nbsp;and Kansas City in which the Steelers looked outclassed.Perhaps more troubling than the losses is the way they played out. Pittsburgh lost each contest by at least 14 points and could find itself starting the postseason on the road after playing fast-and-loose with the two-game division lead it enjoyed just three weeks ago.“I think that there's highs and lows in every season,” Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson said after throwing for 205 yards with&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Chiefs/status/1871988769412218919">an ill-timed pick</a>&nbsp;in the end zone in the first quarter. “We've got to make sure that we end this last game on the right footing and right belief.”That hasn't been an issue in years in Kansas City. Not with Mahomes at the controls. He spread his 29 completions to eight different players, including a career-best eight to Worthy and four to Hollywood Brown, whose return from injury has given the Chiefs another playmaker in what is starting to look like another stacked deck.“We're playing, especially offensively, our best football of the year,” Mahomes said.Looks like it. The two-time MVP hardly bothered by the ankle injury he suffered against Cleveland, throwing touchdowns to cap Kansas City's first two drives. And while the Steelers drew within 13-7 and 16-10, they never had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the second half.Instead, the Chiefs — who spent most of the first three months of the season squeaking by most weeks — zoomed away with the No. 1 seed and several weeks to rest before a bid for a three-peat that certainly looks doable.<h2>Injuries</h2>Chiefs: RB Isiah Pacheco left in the second half with a rib injury.Steelers: DT Cam Heyward exited briefly in the fourth quarter but managed to return.<h2>Up next</h2>Chiefs: finish up the regular season by heading to Denver.Steelers: host Cincinnati in the regular-season finale.