TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Clemson dethroned defending national champion Alabama 35-31 last night to win the College Football Playoff. Tigers junior QB DeShaun Watson passed for 420 yards and three TDs, including the game-winning 2-yard TD pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second left. Clemson ended Alabama’s 26-game win streak by scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter against a team that had allowed just 32 fourth quarter points the entire 14-game season.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)— The 3-13 Jacksonville Jaguars hired Doug Marrone (muh-ROHN) as head coach and brought back Tom Coughlin (KAWF’-lihn) to oversee football operations. Marrone replaces Gus Bradley, who was fired in late November after going 14-48 in three-plus seasons. Coughlin was the Jags first coach before leaving to lead the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Davis had 40 points and 18 rebounds before leaving with a left hip injury after a hard foul in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks, who started the game without Derrick Rose and lost Carmelo Anthony to an ejection. Rose was not with the team for unspecified reasons. Anthony left late in the third quarter after getting thrown out for arguing with the officials.
MONTREAL (AP) — Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH’-kin) tied Canadiens great Maurice “Rocket” Richard (ree-SHARD’) with his 544th career goal and had two assists in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 victory over Montreal last night for their sixth straight win. Ovechkin tied Richard for 29th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. His three points moved him with one of 1,000 career points.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State All-American Curtis Samuel is giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Samuel was the Buckeyes’ best offensive player in 2016 while playing a hybrid receiver-running back position. The junior had 1,636 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns.
