Best Of The Fall: Sacred Heart Prep's Ben Burr-kirven Is Mercury News Football Player Of Year

By EDDIE PELLS MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said he was trying to throw the ball into the ground. Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray dove for it anyway and — luck of the Irish — the ball ended up right in his hands. A few seconds later, Gray and Notre Dame found themselves with a spot in the national title game after a thrill-a-minute 27-24 victory Thursday night in the Orange Bowl. Gray’s snag of Allar’s ill-advised pass across the middle at the Penn State 42 with 33 seconds left, set up a 19-yard drive that ended with Mitch Jeter’s winning 41-yard field goal. The Irish (14-1), seeded seventh in this, the first 12-team college playoff, will have a chance to bring their 12th title and first since 1988 back under the Golden Dome with a game Jan.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Trying to diagnose the true ceiling of this Colorado Avalanche team has been a season-long challenge, but anyone who wants to believe this club can win 16 playoff games in the spring should point to a sequence Thursday night in the second period. It was also the turning point of a 6-1 victory against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

The first time Davis Webb experienced the NFL playoffs as a player, he was a member of the Buffalo Bills. In fact, Webb backed up Josh Allen for three seasons from 2019-21 and the Bills were in the playoffs all three of those years. Now Webb, the Broncos quarterbacks coach, is going to the playoffs as a coach for the first time. His first game?

The first time Bill Parcells called Sean Payton was Christmas night, 2002. That conversation remains a gift, one unwrapped by the Broncos this season. In Year 2 of a project that was more of an HGTV rebuild than a heavy lift, Payton guided the Broncos into the playoffs for the first time since 2015. A year after marking his territory, Payton is claiming it — back in the postseason with his swagger and personality on full display. “Welcome new visitors,” he said with a smirk at the three-deep Wednesday news conference to discuss Sunday’s wild-card matchup at Buffalo. Among those least surprised he is in this spot is Parcells, his mentor and father figure.

Broncos (10-7) at Bills (13-4) When: Sunday, 11:00 a.m. MT Where: Highmark Stadium Radio/TV: 850 AM, 94.1 FM/CBS Broncos-Bills series: Denver is 17-22-1 in 40 regular-season games, and 0-1 in the postseason dating back to 1960; the Broncos won 24-22 in the last meeting, on Nov. 13, 2023, in Buffalo, and have lost three of the last four games against Buffalo. In the spotlight: Broncos’ man defense identity to be tested by Bills The identity of Denver’s defense will be tested on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has relied heavily on man coverage this season.

The first two road performances in the Big 12 couldn’t have been more disparate for the Colorado men’s basketball team. Different, yet still the same. Related Articles College Sports | Men’s basketball: CU Buffs fumble away chance for road win at UCF College Sports | Women’s basketball: CU Buffs hit road for tough test at No.