SPORTS
Saturday, December 12, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3B
College Football
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By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Even before
the Heisman Trophy is handed out
Saturday night, it is tempting to
look ahead to 2016 and what could
be a doozy of a race for college
football’s most famous bronze
statue.
While Alabama’s Derrick Henry
is likely to both win the Heisman
and head to the NFL after the
Crimson Tide’s playoff run, the
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terback Deshaun Watson and Stan-
ford scat back Christian McCaffrey,
are sophomores who will return.
Add
Oklahoma’s
Baker
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Cook and LSU’s Leonard Fournette
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the top eight Heisman vote-getters
from this year will be back in 2016.
“It’s a monster class,” said Chris
Huston, a Heisman historian and
editor-in-chief of Heisman.com.
Henry, Watson and McCaffrey
arrived Friday in New York from
Atlanta, where they attended the
ESPN awards show at the College
Football Hall of Fame. They were
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jam that turned a 7-mile trip from
LaGuardia Airport to the Times
Square into a 2-hour journey. The
delay cost them lunch at an Italian
restaurant, but otherwise all was
well.
“I’m just enjoying the moment
and happy to be here,” Henry said.
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time event for most players, often
the culmination of a great career.
For Watson and McCaffrey, maybe
this is just a test run.
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be back. And if I happen to stay my
senior year I want to be back then,”
Watson said.
• The Heisman Trophy presen-
tation will be aired on ESPN on
Saturday starting at 5 p.m.
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
Heisman Trophy inalists, from left, Alabama’s Derrick Henry, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson pose for a selie above Times Square, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, in New York.
Only twice (2008 and ‘10) in the
previous 10 seasons have at least
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Heisman voting returned to school
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season.
The contenders in 2016 aren’t
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voting Saturday night.
Georgia’s Nick Chubb, one of
the preseason favorites this year,
will return from an injury, as well
as Washington State’s Luke Falk
and Baylor’s Seth Russell. Though
maybe Jarrett Stidham will be
the Baylor quarterback with the
Heisman hype?
Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett should
be the Buckeyes starting quarter-
back from Day 1 and there is a good
chance people will start noticing
that Oregon’s Royce Freeman is as
good as all those stud running backs
down South.
Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer
and Houston’s Greg Ward Jr. will
be trying to build upon breakout
seasons.
UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Penn
State’s Saquon Barkley are primed
for fantastic follow-ups to their
fabulous freshman seasons.
The Heisman race should have a
very different feel from this season,
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were back.
“The race was kind of a slow
burn,” Huston said.
TCU’s Trevone Boykin was the
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fourth in the 2014 voting, but that
back-loaded Big 12 schedule didn’t
do him any favors. Then he threw
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big game, a loss to Oklahoma State
on Nov. 7.
Fournette was rolling along
as the favorite heading into that
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Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Tide
stuffed Fournette and Henry ran for
210 yards and three touchdowns
on 38 carries, assuming the role of
front-runner.
McCaffrey,
Watson
and
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Henry just kept chugging along.
Conventional wisdom is the voting
for the 80th Heisman will be
relatively close, but Henry is the
odds-makers’ choice to become
the second Alabama player to win
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back to win it since the Tide’s Mark
Ingram in 2009.
Seniors have won 56 Heisman
trophies, but this will be the ninth
consecutive season with a non-se-
nior winner — the last was Ohio
State quarterback Troy Smith in
2006 — and everything is lined up
for 2016 to be more of the same.
Top players are arriving on
campus more prepared to play than
ever before, with an eye toward
jumping to the NFL after three
years. For college coaches, there is
no sense trying to save that talent.
“If you’re in a program like
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going to have NFL players, I
don’t think you can redshirt them
anymore,” said former Longhorns
coach Mack Brown, who is now an
analyst for ESPN. “You just got to
play them. You’re not going to get
more than three years out of a great
player, most likely.”
Like Watson and McCaffrey,
Cook, Fournette, Chubb, Freeman
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season.
“Now I know what it takes,”
McCaffrey said about becoming a
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than that is unacceptable for me.”
NFL
Seahawks seek to stay on a roll against struggling Ravens
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losing season since 2007,
Harbaugh hopes the crowd
Seattle
Baltimore
at M&T Bank Stadium will
BALTIMORE — Though
Seahawks
Ravens
show its support for a team
evidently still not ready
(7-5)
(4-8)
that hasn’t quit playing hard.
for prime time, the Seattle
Sunday, 10 a.m.
“I’m really hopeful that the
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at M&T Bank Stadium
fans — the Ravens fans —
looking more like defending
TV: FOX
take the situation for what it is
NFC champions.
and recognize the way we’re
The Seahawks (7-5) have
playing,” he said. “It’s a team
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the middle of the playoff back Joe Flacco, top receiver
RAWLS ROYCE: Lost in
hunt, and they intend to keep Steve Smith and linebacker
the performance by Wilson
the momentum going against Terrell Suggs.
last week was yet another
Thus, the perceived
the injury-depleted Baltimore
100-yard rushing day from
mismatch was moved to 1
Ravens (4-8) on Sunday.
rookie Thomas Rawls, who
“We’ve been battling all o’clock, which translates to
AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt
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year long,” Seattle coach 10 a.m. on the West Coast.
quarterback Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) 19 carries. It was his fourth
Pete Carroll said. “Like the Seahawks
Ravens, we’ve been in a lot Russell Wilson doesn’t throws against the Minnesota Vikings in the irst half 100-yard game of the season
of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 in Min- and provided Seattle with its
of close games that we didn’t H[SHFWWKDWWREHDSUREOHP
23rd straight game with at
³0RVW JDPHV ² H[FHSW neapolis.
turn in our favor that could
Some things to know out. He throws on time.”
least 100 yards rushing — tied
have made a big difference in the ones we have in Cali-
Wilson’s stellar play has with Carolina for the longest
our season early. We’ve hung fornia or Arizona — we DERXW WKH ¿UVW PHHWLQJ
together, and we’re trying to usually leave on Friday,” he between the Seahawks and been instrumental in the active streak in the NFL.
Seahawks’ resurgence.
Rawls is 10th in the league
said. “So that way we can Ravens since 2011:
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“I feel like we’re playing with 786 yards rushing and is
WILSON ON A ROLL:
The game was originally kind of wake our bodies up
Over the past two weeks, great football right now,” RQSDFHWREHWKH¿UVW6HDWWOH
scheduled for Sunday night. and get ready to go.”
The Ravens hope to have Wilson is 42 for 57 with he said. “We just want to running back other than
Back in September, it looked
Marshawn Lynch to rush
to be an attractive matchup enough bodies available eight touchdown passes and continue that.”
DOMINANCE
AT for 1,000 yards since Shaun
between two perennial to pull off an upset. Matt no interceptions. He threw
contenders. But while the Schaub, who took over for IRU¿YHVFRUHVLQDZLQRYHU +20(7KLVPDUNVWKH¿UVW $OH[DQGHU LQ ZKHQ
Seahawks have recovered Flacco two weeks ago, was Pittsburgh, then shredded the of three straight home games $OH[DQGHUZDVOHDJXH093
for the Ravens, who have
KEEPING IT CLOSE:
IURPDVORZVWDUWGH¿QHGE\ banged up in last Sunday’s Vikings in a 38-7 rout.
“They build their offense won 17 of their last 18 at Every one of Baltimore’s
tantalizingly tight defeats, 15-13 loss to Miami and is
around his talent,” Ravens home against NFC foes.
games this season has been
Baltimore hasn’t broken the iffy for the Seahawks.
This year, however, is decided by eight points or
“Right now, we’re taking coach John Harbaugh said.
habit.
Worse, the Ravens have it day by day, hour by hour,” “He has a heck of an arm. unlike any in recent memory. fewer, and the Ravens’ eight
Obviously, he can read things Although Baltimore appears defeats have come by a total
16 players on injured reserve, he said midweek.
By DAVID GINSBURG
Associated Press
of 34 points.
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how much longer Baltimore
can compete against some
of the better teams with so
many starters sidelined with
injuries.
“Well, we’re pretty numb
to it now,” said receiver
Kamar Aiken, the team’s
primary outside threat since
Smith tore his Achilles
tendon in Week 7. “We’re
just rolling, to be honest. We
really haven’t had any time
to sit back and really think
about all the injuries or sit
here and sulk on them.”
FLASHBACK: The last
time Seattle cornerback
Richard Sherman played
against Schaub, he was a
difference maker.
Late in the fourth quarter
in Houston two years
ago, Sherman jumped a
third-and-4 pass intended for
Owen Daniels and returned
it 58 yards for a touchdown
to tie the game at 20. Seattle
had seen Schaub run that play
repeatedly in that situation and
knew the pass was coming.
Seattle went on to win in
overtime.
“Yes, I do have fond
memories of that game and it
being a comeback,” Sherman
said.
Pro Rodeo
Title races coming to the wire with one go-round left
go-round win of this year’s
WNFR and 21st in his eight
year career as he edged Seth
Hardwick from Laramie,
LAS VEGAS — How Wyoming by half a point.
The reigning Pendleton
quickly things can change
in 24 hours at the Wrangler Round-Up steer wrestling
National Finals Rodeo champion and 2013 world
presented by Polaris Ranger. champion Hunter Cure of
With go-rounds paying +ROOLGD\ 7H[DV UHFRUGHG D
IRU ¿UVW 4.2 second run to share fourth
for second down to $4,230 in the go-round and hold
IRU VL[WK HDFK SHUIRUPDQFH fourth in the aggregate at 48.2
the Windham Weaponry seconds. He is 6.9 seconds
world standings change each behind Dakota Eldridge,
night. After all was said and but with his earnings moved
done on Friday, there were from fourth to third in the
55 changes in the aggregate world standings — $24,300
among all events and 59 ahead of Eldridge.
Casey Martin of Suophur,
changes in the world stand-
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ings.
Defending and four time second to Cure at the 2015
world champion, Kaycee Pendleton Round-Up and
Feild from Spanish Fork, UT won the Round-Up title in
scored 82 points to win the 2014 — earned the go-round
ninth go-round of bareback win at 3.5 seconds — just one
riding and increase his lead to tenth of a second faster than
$34,500 over Steven Peebles. Trevor Knowles of Mount
Peebles remains in the lead Vernon, Oregon. Knowles’
for the aggregate race with cousin, Blake of Heppner,
Feild third — a difference Oregon was just another
of $24,000. Peebles remains tenth of a second back until
as the Ram Top Gun leader the judges added on ten
with winnings of $145,913. seconds for a broken barrier.
For Feild, it was his fourth Five-time and reigning world
By CURT ROBINSON
For the East Oregonian
champion Luke Branquinho
from Los Alamos, California
was third at 3.8 seconds.
The scenario is some-
what the same for JoJo
LeMond from Andrews,
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of Scottsdale, Arizona in
the team roping. By JoJo’s
standards, what appeared
to be a “safety run” of not
throwing his head loop quite
so soon, turned into a run of
4.7 seconds good enough for
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the number two team in the
aggregate starting the night
— Coleman Proctor of Pryor,
Oklahoma and Jake Long
from Coffeyville, Kansas
— recording a disastrous 44
second time, LeMond and
Nogueira increased their
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a-half seconds over Luke
Brown from Stephenville,
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from Blanchard, Oklahoma.
The pair’s time of 50.2
seconds is 3.4 seconds faster
than the pace of Jake Barnes
and Clay O’Brien Cooper
when they set the record of
59.1 seconds on ten steers
in 1994. Derrick Begay
(AP Photo/John Locher)
Hunter Cure competes in the steer wrestling event
during the eighth go-round of the National Finals Ro-
deo Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, in Las Vegas.
of Seba Dalkai, Arizona
and Clay O’Brien Cooper
from Gardnerville, Nevada
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at 4.2 seconds and increased
their world standings lead
over LeMond and Nogueira
to nearly $67,000. However,
Colby Lovell of Madi-
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Koontz of Stephenville,
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go-round and jumped two
spots to fourth in the aggre-
gate.The go-round winner
was Pendleton Round-Up
co-champions Trevor Brazile
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with a time of 4.0 seconds
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dollars in career earnings.
Brazile then carried his
team roping momentum over
to the tie down roping as was
the only contestant to move
into the lead for the world title
during the ninth go-round.
Looking to tie the record of
the late Jim Shoulders who
three times won three world
titles in one year, Brazile
turned in a 7.4 second run to
share fourth in the go-round
with 2004 world champion
Monty Lewis of Hereford,
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The race for the world
championship in the saddle
bronc riding got a little clearer
during the ninth go-round as
Jacobs Crawley of Boerne,
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of Beaver, Utah are now the
only two men that have made
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horses and sit one and two in
the aggregate.
In bull riding, defending
world
champion
Sage
Kimzey of Strong City,
Oklahoma gained ground on
2012 world champion Cody
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on Friday night. Kimzey
took second place with an
84 point score to increase
his lead to $54,000 over
Teel. The go-round winner
for the second time was
former Pendleton Round-Up
champion Clayton Foltyn
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points.