Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Tuesday, December 5, 2017 College Football Mayfield, Jackson, Love named Heisman Trophy finalists By RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield made Heisman Trophy history just by being selected as a finalist. Mayfield, reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville and Stanford running back Bryce Love were chosen as finalists for the 83rd Heisman Trophy on Monday night. The award for most outstanding college football player will be given out Saturday night in New York. Mayfield and Jackson are finalists for the second straight year, and Jackson is trying to become the second player to win two Heismans, joining former Ohio State star Archie Griffin. Mayfield, though, will come to Manhattan as the clear favorite. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 2015, but was not invited to New York. Last year, he was one of five finalists and finished third behind Jackson and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Mayfield is the seventh player to finish in the top five of Heisman voting three times , joining Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard of Army, Doak Walker of SMU, Griffin, Herschel Walker of Georgia and Tim Tebow of Florida. The Heisman has been naming finalists and bringing them to New York for the presentation since 1982. Mayfield is the ninth Okla- homa player to be selected as a finalist, matching Miami for the most from one school. Mayfielld Love Jackson Mayfield is trying to become the sixth Heisman winner from Oklahoma and third Sooners quarterback (Jason White and Sam Brad- ford) to win since 2003. This season, Mayfield has led the No. 2 Sooners (12-1) to the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma plays Georgia (12-1) in the Rose Bowl semifinal on Jan. 1. Mayfield leads the nation in efficiency rating at 203.76 Pro Football and has thrown for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns. Jackson’s numbers have been better than last season in some categories, but Louisville (8-4) has not had the big wins to go with it. With little fanfare, the quar- terback is averaging 411 total yards — up from 393 last season— and accounted for 42 touchdowns. “I’m honored to be chosen as a finalist with these two outstanding players,” Jackson said in a statement. “They both had great seasons and deserve this tremendous honor. I want to thank all my teammates and coaches for achieving this honor together.” Griffin won back-to-back Heisman trophies for Ohio State in 1974 and ‘75. Love is second in the nation in rushing at 164.42 yards per game and is aver- aging 8.32 yards per carry for the 15th-ranked Cardinal. An ankle injury slowed Love the last month of the season, but he still led the nation in rushes of at least 50 yards with 12. He also scored 17 touchdowns. Not making that cut was a couple of talented running backs. Penn State’s Saquon Barkley is second in the nation in all-purpose yards (179.5) and is fifth with 21 touchdowns, including two kickoff return touchdowns for the No. 9 Nittany Lions. He was also 2 for 2 passing with a touchdown. He was consid- ered the favorite heading into the final month of the season, but the Nittany Lions lost twice, and his production fell off until a late surge. San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny leads the nation in rushing (168.9) and all-pur- pose yards (224.8). Against Nevada three weeks ago, he scored on a rush, a kickoff return and a punt return. Penny had big games against Pac-12 teams Stanford and Arizona State early in the season but was held in check by San Diego State’s top Mountain West rivals, Fresno State and Boise State. College Football Steelers rally to stun Bengals Ducks headed to Vegas Bowl By JOE KAY Associated Press CINCINNATI — Chris Boswell kicked a field goal on the final play shortly after Antonio Brown caught a 6-yard touch- down pass NFL — taking a hit to the head while landing Pittsburgh in the end zone — and the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off another Cincinnati improbable comeback against the Cincinnati Bengals, rallying for a 23-20 victory Monday night. Down 17-0 early, the Steelers (10-2) extended their best start since 2004 in a physical game with a couple frightening injuries. Brown’s touchdown tied it at 20 with 3:51 to go, setting up Boswell’s 38-yard field goal, his second straight winner in the closing seconds. The Bengals (5-7) simply can’t find a way to beat their Ohio River rival, not even after getting off to the big early lead. They’ve dropped six straight and nine of 10 against Pittsburgh, including the Steelers’ 18-16 playoff win at Paul Brown Stadium in 2015 that included another Bengals meltdown. The hard-hitting game was full of personal fouls, penalties and injuries that could have a long-term effect, especially for the AFC North leaders. Pittsburgh lost leading tackler Ryan Shazier to a back injury in the first quarter. The linebacker was taken off the field on a cart and taken to a hospital for evaluation. Bengals linebacker Vontaze Preparation begins amidst Taggart, Florida State rumors By RYAN THORBURN The Register-Guard 23 20 AP Photo/Frank Victores Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell, left, cele- brates his game-winning field goal alongside Cincin- nati Bengals cornerback Josh Shaw (26) in Monday’s game in Cincinnati. Burfict was carted off in the fourth quarter after JuJu Smith-Schuster leveled him with a high hit, then taunted him by walking over him. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not have an update on Shazier’s status after the game. There were 11 personal fouls in another acrimonious rematch in their hard-edged series. The Bengals self-de- structed with 13 penalties for a team-record 173 yards. The AFC North-leading Steelers remain tied with New England for best record in the conference. They host the Patriots on Dec. 17. Bottled up by Cincinnati’s aggressive defense in the first half, Pittsburgh’s playmakers made the difference down the stretch, just as they have all season. They rallied to beat the Packers 31-28 last Sunday on Boswell’s 53-yard field goal on the final play, which was set up by Brown’s incredible sideline catch. After missing practice last week with an injured toe, Brown ran gingerly in pregame warmups and had another big game, finishing with 101 yards in eight catches. Le’Veon Bell ran for 76 yards and had another 106 yards on five catches, including a 35-yard touchdown play in which he remarkably kept his balance along the sideline — cornerback William Jackson pulled up, thinking there was no way he could stay inbound. It’s the first time that Bell and Brown each had 100 yards receiving in the same game. Ben Roethlisberger was 24 of 40 for 290 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. PRIME TIME OPPO- SITES The Steelers have won 11 straight prime-time games, including four already this season against the Lions (Sunday night), the Titans (Thursday night) and the Packers (last Sunday night). It’s been a horrific time slot for the Bengals, who are 11-24 on Monday night, dropping their past four. UP NEXT Steelers host second-place Baltimore (7-5) next Sunday night in their fourth prime- time game of the season. Bengals host the Bears (3-9), completing a stretch of three straight home games. EUGENE — Oregon is going to the Las Vegas Bowl. But what are the odds Willie Taggart will be in Sin City to coach the Ducks on Dec. 16 against No. 25 Boise State at Sam Boyd Stadium? Taggart, who is report- edly the top candidate to replace Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, didn’t provide the guaran- teed-lock fans and recruits want that he will remain at Oregon. “I can’t give you some- thing that I don’t have,” Taggart said during a news conference on Sunday at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex. “Nothing has changed.” Taggart is obviously waiting to see what happens with the Semi- noles’ coaching search before signing a contract extension that has been offered by Oregon. Until the vacancy in Tallahassee is filled, Taggart’s answer on whether he will be coaching the Ducks in the bowl game or during the 2018 season is the same: “Why wouldn’t I?” Further complicating preparation for the Las Vegas bowl are final exams at Oregon this week. The team will not practice again until next Saturday and will not be able to get all 15 of the allowed bowl practices in. The coaching staff will Las Vegas Bowl Oregon Boise State Ducks Broncos (7-5) (10-3) • Dec. 16, 12:30 p.m. • at Sam Boyd Stadium • TV: ABC also have to cancel a big recruiting weekend ahead of the new Dec. 20 early- signing period. Taggart said he had an 11 p.m. flight on Sunday to go visit prospects. “That’s the dilemma that we’re in because of the bowl game and when it is and the signing period,” Taggart said. “It’s really important that I get out and see all of our committed guys and get into their homes.” The Ducks practiced three times without having an opponent to prepare for. Taggart expects left tackle Tyrell Crosby, who is from Las Vegas, and running back Royce Freeman to both play in the bowl instead of skipping it to focus on the NFL draft. “It’s a bowl game I know our guys really wanted to play in,” Taggart said. “We get to play against a top-25 football team in Boise State. It’s going to be fun. Our guys are fired up for it and it’s another great opportunity for us.” In the two previous meetings between the programs, the Chris Petersen-coached Broncos won 37-32 at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 21, 2008, and 19-8 in Boise on Sept. 3, 2009. After the loss on the blue turf in Chip Kelly’s debut as Oregon’s head coach, running back LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State’s Byron Hout. “Blue,” Taggart said when asked what comes to mind when he thinks of Boise State. “The turf that they have and winning. They’re a program that’s won a lot of football games.” The Ducks were in line to go to the Cactus Bowl on Dec. 26 in Phoenix but moved up a spot in the Pac-12 pecking order when Petersen’s Wash- ington team was selected for the Fiesta Bowl, one of the coveted New Year’s Six Bowls. This will be Oregon’s third appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Ducks defeated Air Force 41-13 in 1997 and lost 38-8 to BYU in 2006. Boise State (10-3) defeated Fresno State 17-14 in the Mountain West championship game on Saturday night. Oregon, which finished the regular season 7-5 after missing out on a bowl last season at 4-8, will be at or near full strength with a healthy Justin Herbert at quarterback. The Ducks were 6-1 and averaged 51.2 points during the regular season when Herbert started and were 1-4 and averaged 15.0 points when the sophomore was out with a fractured collarbone. “I think it’s always good to go against really good competition and I do think it will give us an idea where we’re at with our football team,” Taggart said. “Whenever you can play a top-25 team, I think it’s great for your team, your program. “It’s great if you win it. If you don’t win it then it’s not good.” SCOREBOARD Local slate PREP BOYS BASKETBALL Tuesday Stanfield at Baker, 7 p.m. Hanford (WA) at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m. Pendleton at Southridge (WA), 7:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m. Helix at Pilot Rock, 7:30 p.m. Thursday Stanfield vs. Arlington (at Umatilla), 2 p.m. Pilot Rock vs. Riverside (at Umatilla), 3:30 p.m. Faith Bible vs. Echo (at Umatilla), 5:30 p.m. Union at Umatilla, 7 p.m. Friday Irrigon vs. Imbler (at Heppner), 4:30 p.m. Ione vs. Prarie City (at Condon), 4:30 p.m. Walla Walla (WA) at Pendleton, 7 p.m. Chiawana (WA) at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m. Mac-Hi at Heppner, 7:30 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. Salem Acadmey (at Kennedy), 7:30 p.m. Helix at Enterprise, 7:30 p.m. N. Clackamas Christian at Condon/Wheel- er, 7:30 p.m. Nixyaawii vs. Crane (at EOU), 7:30 p.m. Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, Arlington, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD Saturday Nixyaawii vs. Jordan Valley (at EOU), 12:30 p.m. Ione vs. North Clackamas Christian (at Condon), 12:30 p.m. Mac-Hi vs. Irrigon (at Heppner), 2:30 p.m. Prarie City at Condon/Wheeler, 3:30 p.m. Imbler at Heppner, 5:30 p.m. Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, Arlington, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD Helix vs. TBD (at Enterprise), TBD PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL Tuesday Hanford (WA) at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Pendleton at Southridge (WA), 5:45 p.m. Mac-Hi at Waitsburg (WA), 6 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Irrigon, 6 p.m. Helix at Pilot Rock, 6 p.m. Thursday Riverside vs. Pilot Rock (at Umatilla), 2 p.m. Stanfield vs. Mac-Hi (at Umatilla), 3:30 p.m. Union at Umatilla, 5:30 p.m. Echo vs. Faith Bible (at Umatilla), 7 p.m. Friday Irrigon vs. Imbler, 3 p.m. Ione vs. Prarie City (at Condon), 3 p.m. Chiawana (WA) at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Mac-Hi at Heppner, 6 p.m. Nixyaawii vs. Crane (at EOU), 6 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. King’s Way Christian (WA) (at Kennedy), 6 p.m. North Clackamas Christian at Condon/ Wheeler, 6 p.m. Helix at Enterprise, 6 p.m. Pendleton at Walla Walla (WA), 7 p.m. Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Mac-Hi, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD Saturday Nixyaawii vs. Jordan Valley (at EOU), 11 a.m. Ione vs. North Clackamas Christian (at Condon), 11 a.m. Mac-Hi vs. Irrigon (at Heppner), 1 p.m. Prarie City at Condon/Wheeler, 3:30 p.m. Imbler at Heppner, 4 p.m. Weston-McEwen vs. TBD (at Kennedy), TBD Helix vs. TBD (at Enterprise), TBD Riverside, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Mac-Hi, Echo vs. TBD (at Umatilla), TBD PREP WRESTLING Friday Hermiston at Post Falls (ID) Pendleton, Mac-Hi, Heppner at La Grande Tournament Irrigon at Culver Invitational, 8 a.m. Saturday Irrigon at Culver Invitational, 8 a.m. Riverside at Leonard Schutte Invite (WA) Echo at Nyssa Tournament PREP SWIMMING Saturday Pendleton, Hermiston at Baker, Noon MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Wednesday Multnomah JV at BMCC, 5 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Friday Edmonds at BMCC, 7:30 p.m. Saturday EOU at Linfield, 4 p.m. BMCC at Blazer Classic (Centralia, WA), TBA Sunday BMCC at Blazer Classic (Centralia, WA), TBA COLLEGE WRESTLING Saturday Warner Pacific, Clackamas CC at EOU, 4/6 p.m. Basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Boston 21 4 Toronto 14 7 Philadelphia 13 10 New York 11 12 Brooklyn 9 14 Southeast Division W L Washington 12 11 Miami 11 12 Charlotte 9 13 Orlando 10 15 Atlanta 5 18 Central Division Pct GB .840 — .667 5 .565 7 .478 9 .391 11 Pct GB .522 — .478 1 .409 2½ .400 3 .217 7 W L Pct GB Cleveland 17 7 .708 — Detroit 14 9 .609 2½ Milwaukee 12 10 .545 4 Indiana 13 11 .542 4 Chicago 3 19 .136 13 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB Houston 18 4 .818 — San Antonio 16 8 .667 3 New Orleans 12 12 .500 7 Memphis 8 15 .348 10½ Dallas 7 17 .292 12 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Portland 13 10 .565 — Denver 13 10 .565 — Minnesota 14 11 .560 — Utah 13 11 .542 ½ Oklahoma City 10 12 .455 2½ Pacific Division W L Pct GB Golden State 19 6 .760 — L.A. Clippers 8 14 .364 9½ Phoenix 9 16 .360 10 L.A. Lakers 8 15 .348 10 Sacramento 7 16 .304 11 ———— Monday’s Games Charlotte 104, Orlando 94 Indiana 115, New York 97 Phoenix 115, Philadelphia 101 Boston 111, Milwaukee 100 Brooklyn 110, Atlanta 90 Cleveland 113, Chicago 91 Golden State 125, New Orleans 115 Memphis 95, Minnesota 92 Dallas 122, Denver 105 San Antonio 96, Detroit 93 Utah 116, Washington 69 Tuesday’s Games Phoenix at Toronto, 4:30 p.m. Utah at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Washington at Portland, 7 p.m. NCAA Men’s Basketball Top 25 Monday’s Games No. 23 Baylor 84, Sam Houston State 56 Florida State 83, No. 5 Florida 66 Tuesday’s Games No. 3 Michigan State at Rutgers, 4 p.m. No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 12 Gonzaga, 4 p.m. (ESPN) No. 9 Notre Dame vs. Ball State, 4 p.m. No. 10 Miami vs. Boston, 4 p.m. No. 15 Virginia at No. 18 West Virginia, 4 p.m. (ESPNU) No. 6 Wichita State vs. South Dakota State, 5 p.m. No. 22 Nevada at Texas Tech, 5 p.m. No. 1 Duke vs. St. Francis (PA), 6 p.m. (ESPNU) No. 7 Texas A&M at Arizona, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) No. 14 Minnesota at Nebraska, 6 p.m. No. 20 TCU vs. SMU, 6 p.m. Pac-12 Tuesday Eastern Kentucky at Oregon State, 7 p.m. (PAC12) Texas A&M at Arizona, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Utah at Butler, 6 p.m. (FS1) NCAA Women’s Basketball Top 25 Monday No. 24 Michigan 86, Detroit Mercy 50 Tuesday No. 4 Louisville vs. Tenn-Martin, 4 p.m. No. 5 South Carolina vs. Charleston, 4 p.m. No. 20 Kentucky vs. Evansville, 4 p.m. No. 8 Baylor vs. North Dakota, 5 p.m. Football NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF New England 10 2 0 .833 348 Buffalo 6 6 0 .500 227 N.Y. Jets 5 7 0 .417 266 Miami 5 7 0 .417 209 South W L T Pct PF Tennessee 8 4 0 .667 266 Jacksonville 8 4 0 .667 299 Houston 4 8 0 .333 296 Indianapolis 3 9 0 .250 205 North W L T Pct PF Pittsburgh 10 2 0 .833 281 Baltimore 7 5 0 .583 280 Cincinnati 5 7 0 .417 219 Cleveland 0 12 0 .000 176 West W L T Pct PF Kansas City 6 6 0 .500 303 L.A. Chargers 6 6 0 .500 268 Oakland 6 6 0 .500 249 Denver 3 9 0 .250 206 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF Philadelphia 10 2 0 .833 361 Dallas 6 6 0 .500 286 Washington 5 7 0 .417 272 N.Y. Giants 2 10 0 .167 189 South W L T Pct PF New Orleans 9 3 0 .750 353 Carolina 8 4 0 .667 269 Atlanta 7 5 0 .583 274 Tampa Bay 4 8 0 .333 243 North W L T Pct PF Minnesota 10 2 0 .833 285 Detroit 6 6 0 .500 314 Green Bay 6 6 0 .500 258 Chicago 3 9 0 .250 191 West W L T Pct PF L.A. Rams 9 3 0 .750 361 Seattle 8 4 0 .667 290 PA 223 283 288 298 PA 282 178 309 330 PA 213 207 238 308 PA 274 212 278 315 PA 215 284 314 291 PA 243 238 244 288 PA 204 308 281 267 PA 222 222 Arizona 5 7 0 .417 219 310 San Francisco 2 10 0 .167 202 298 ——— Week 13 Scores Dallas 38, Washington 14 Minnesota 14, Atlanta 9 San Francisco 15, Chicago 14 New England 23, Buffalo 3 Green Bay 26, Tampa Bay 20, OT Jacksonville 30, Indianapolis 10 Baltimore 44, Detroit 20 N.Y. Jets 38, Kansas City 31 Miami 35, Denver 9 Tennessee 24, Houston 13 L.A. Chargers 19, Cleveland 10 New Orleans 31, Carolina 21 Oakland 24, N.Y. Giants 17 L.A. Rams 32, Arizona 16 Seattle 24, Philadelphia 10 Pittsburgh 23, Cincinnati 20 Week 14 Thursday’s Games New Orleans at Atlanta, 5:25 p.m. Sunday’s Games Oakland at Kansas City, 10 a.m. San Francisco at Houston, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Carolina, 10 a.m. Chicago at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Green Bay at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Detroit at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Washington at L.A. Chargers, 1:05 p.m. Tennessee at Arizona, 1:05 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Denver, 1:05 p.m. Seattle at Jacksonville, 1:25 p.m. Philadelphia at L.A. Rams, 1:25 p.m. Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 5:30 p.m. Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Tampa Bay 26 18 6 2 Toronto 28 17 10 1 Montreal 28 13 12 3 Boston 25 12 9 4 Detroit 27 10 12 5 Ottawa 25 9 10 6 Florida 27 10 13 4 Buffalo 27 6 17 4 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Columbus 27 17 9 1 N.Y. Islanders 26 16 8 2 New Jersey 26 15 7 4 Washington 28 16 11 1 Pittsburgh 28 15 10 3 N.Y. Rangers 26 14 10 2 Carolina 25 11 9 5 Philadelphia 27 9 11 7 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Winnipeg 27 17 6 4 Nashville 27 17 7 3 St. Louis 27 17 8 2 36 88 72 Dallas 27 16 10 1 33 84 76 Minnesota 26 13 10 3 29 78 77 Chicago 27 12 10 5 29 82 73 Colorado 25 12 11 2 26 79 82 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Los Angeles 28 17 8 3 37 85 61 Vegas 26 16 9 1 33 90 82 San Jose 26 14 10 2 30 66 61 Vancouver 27 13 10 4 30 75 77 Calgary 27 14 12 1 29 80 88 Anaheim 27 11 11 5 27 72 82 Edmonton 27 11 14 2 24 78 92 Arizona 30 7 18 5 19 73 104 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ———— Monday’s Games Washington 4, San Jose 1 N.Y. Islanders 5, Florida 4, SO Nashville 5, Boston 3 Philadelphia 5, Calgary 2 Tuesday’s Games New Jersey at Columbus, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. St. Louis at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Nashville at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Buffalo at Colorado, 6 p.m. Anaheim at Vegas, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Carolina at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Soccer MLS CUP Saturday: Seattle at Toronto, 1 p.m. (ESPN) Golf Pts 38 35 29 28 25 24 24 16 GF 95 99 78 69 74 74 79 56 GA 67 84 86 73 90 86 93 94 Pts 35 34 34 33 33 30 27 25 GF 79 99 80 84 83 87 72 75 GA 66 86 80 84 91 78 77 83 Pts GF GA 38 94 71 37 87 78 PGA Hero World Challenge Sunday At Albany Golf Club Nassau, Bahamas Purse: $3.5 million Yardage: 7,309; Par: 72 Final Leaderboard Rickie Fowler 67-70-72-61—270 Charley Hoffman 69-63-70-72—274 Tommy Fleetwood 66-69-74-67—276 Jordan Spieth 68-67-72-69—276 Hideki Matsuyama 71-66-72-68—277 Patrick Reed 72-66-71-68—277 Justin Rose 68-68-71-70—277 Francesco Molinari 69-68-71-70—278 Matt Kuchar 67-70-72-71—280 Tiger Woods 69-68-75-68—280 Justin Thomas 69-70-74-68—281 Kevin Kisner 70-72-75-70—287 Alex Noren 73-69-74-71—287 Daniel Berger 75-73-70-70—288 Kevin Chappell 68-70-74-76—288 Dustin Johnson 68-72-76-72—288 Henrik Stenson 70-71-77-71—289 Brooks Koepka 71-78-72-70—291 -18 -14 -12 -12 -11 -11 -11 -10 -8 -8 -7 -1 -1 E E E +1 +3