CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin was in critical condition early Tuesday after the Bills say he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field following a tackle hours earlier, leading to the indefinite postponement of Buffalo’s pivotal Monday night showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills said in a statement: “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
EXPLAINER: What happened to Damar Hamlin?
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday night’s game, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game against the Cincinnati Bengals that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience. The 24-year-old Hamlin was administered CPR on the field, ESPN reported during the broadcast. Teammates surrounded Hamlin, shielding him from public view. Many were weeping and praying while Hamlin was treated on the field by team and independent medical personnel and local paramedics. He was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Teammate Stefon Diggs later went to visit Hamlin at the hospital while fans of both teams gathered outside.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs keep winning and Patrick Mahomes keeps making history and both are doing so despite some difficult offseason decisions that have prolonged their ability to do so. The biggest, of course, was the decision to trade Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. Rather than lavish on the game-breaking wide receiver a massive contract that would have made it difficult to maneuver financially for years to come, they traded him for a package of draft picks. Those have helped to fortify the roster while giving the Chiefs salary cap flexibility for years to come.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — No. 9 Penn State rallied past No. 7 Utah 35-21 in the 109th edition of the Rose Bowl. Nicholas Singleton broke a tiebreaking 87-yard touchdown run and KeAndre Lambert-Smith had the longest touchdown reception in Rose Bowl history on an 88-yard pass from Sean Clifford. Clifford passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive farewell to Penn State, and Singleton rushed for 120 yards and two more scores on a day of spectacular big plays by the Nittany Lions. Two-time Pac-12 champion Utah couldn’t rally with quarterback Cameron Rising sidelined by a second-half injury.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tulane tight end Alex Bauman caught a 6-yard touchdown from Michael Pratt with 9 seconds left to finish off a frantic finish by the 14th-ranked Green Wave in a 46-45 win over No. 8 Southern California in the Cotton Bowl. Bauman’s contested catch was part of 16 points in the final 4:07 for the Green Wave. The game-winning touchdown by the true freshman came after they got the ball back following a safety. Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams was 37-for-52 passing for 462 yards and a Cotton Bowl-record five touchdowns for USC, which finished 11-3. Tyjae Spears ran for 205 yards and a career-best four touchdowns for Tulane. The American Athletic Conference champions finished 12-2, an FBS-record 10-win turnaround after going 2-10 last season.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Massimo Biscardi made a 27-yard tiebreaking field goal with four seconds left, Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game's last play and No. 24 Mississippi State rallied to beat Illinois 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. It was the Bulldogs’ first game since coach Mike Leach died on Dec. 12 due to complications from a heart condition. Banks’ score came on Illinois’ fifth lateral following a completed pass after the Fighting Illini got the ball at their own 29. Will Rogers was 29 of 44 yards for 261 yards for Mississippi State. It was an emotional game full of tributes to Leach, who led the program for three years.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - No. 17 LSU (10-4) captured win No. 10 in Brian Kelly’s first season at the helm, as the Tigers dominated Purdue (8-6) in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday, Jan. 2. LSU roared to a 63-7 win. The Tigers set new Citrus Bowl records for most points scored, largest margin of victory, and total yards. Malik Nabers had a monster day and was named MVP of the game. He had nine catches for 163 yards and a 75-yard touchdown. He also threw two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. One of his passes was to Kyren Lacy for 45 yards and the other was a 5-yard touchdown toss to Jayden Daniels.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Top-ranked and defending national champion Georgia is looking for improvement despite sitting one win away from back-to-back titles. Quarterback Stetson Bennett and the Bulldogs weren't satisfied with their play in their dramatic 42-41 win over Ohio State in the Peach Bowl's College Football Playoff semifinal. Georgia is motivated to play better against No. 3 TCU in next week's national championship game in Englewood, California. Bennett threw for a career-high 398 yards with three touchdowns against Ohio State. He was critical of what he described as 30 minutes of bad football before he led the fourth-quarter comeback. The Bulldogs escaped with the win after Ohio State missed a 50-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game.
UNDATED (AP) — ESPN says the most competitive pair of semifinals in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff drew the largest New Year’s Eve viewership for games by the network. Dramatic victories by TCU over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl and Georgia over Ohio State in Peach Bowl on Saturday drew an average of 21.7 million viewers for ESPN. The seven-point combined margin was the smallest since the postseason system started in the 2014 season. ESPN says it was the third-most watched CFP semifinals, only surpassed by the first one played on Jan. 1, 2015 and the semifinals on New Year’s Day 2018.
UNDATED (AP) — Purdue solidified its No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll following UConn’s first loss of the season while No. 23 Charleston moved into the rankings for the first time in 20 years. The Boilermakers remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week. They received all but one first-place vote from a 61-person media panel in the poll released Monday. No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Kansas each moved up a spot, and No. 4 UConn dropped two spots after losing to Xavier. Arizona rounded out the top five.
MONDAY SCORES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 7 Buffalo 3 (1st Quarter)
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (9)Penn St. 35 (7)Utah 21
Final (14)Tulane 46 (8)Southern Cal 45
Final (24)Mississippi St. 19 Illinois 10
Final (16)LSU 63 Purdue 7
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Rutgers 65 (1)Purdue 64
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 102 Phoenix 83
Final Philadelphia 120 New Orleans 111
Final L.A. Lakers 121 Charlotte 115
Final Indiana 122 Toronto 114
Final Brooklyn 139 San Antonio 103
Final OT Cleveland 145 Chicago 134
Final Minnesota 124 Denver 111
Final Dallas 111 Houston 106
Final Portland 135 Detroit 106
Final 2OT Golden State 143 Atlanta 141
Final Miami 110 L.A. Clippers 100
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 2 Pittsburgh 1
Final Vegas 3 Colorado 2
Final Philadelphia 4 Anaheim 1