Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 12-6-16 Online Edition

Sports
Charles Barkley Donates $2M To Two More HBCUs
Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Washington Picked For College Football Playoff
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
The College Football Playoff pairings are set.
After months of debate and 14 weeks of games, the com- mittee came down with its final decision Sunday. No. 1 Ala- bama will play No. 4 Washing- ton in the Peach Bowl.
The decision, as with other years past, is sure to create con- troversy. No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State will face off in the Fiesta Bowl.
Colin Kaepernick Benched By 49ers After Dismal 3 Quarters Vs. Bears
COLIN KAEPERNICK
After a dismal three-plus quarters of offense, San Fran- cisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly benched quarterback Colin Kaepernick for Blaine Gab- bert early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 26-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Kaepernick, who entered the game having thrown for more yards in the past four games than in any four-game stretch in his career, struggled mightily in the cold and snow of Soldier Field.
At the time the Niners pulled him for Gabbert, Kaepernick was 1-of-5 passing for 4 yards, with no touchdowns and no in- terceptions for a passer rating of 39.6. He was also sacked five times for 25 yards, leaving the Niners with negative-21 net passing yards and a 24-6 deficit at the time of his departure.
In the process, Kaepernick became the first quarterback in NFL history to be sacked five times and throw for fewer than 5 yards in a game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"I thought we needed a spark on offense, needed to get some- thing going," Kelly said. "[I] knew we were going to be throwing every down, so give Blaine a shot. That was it, nothing more."
Kaepernick said he was "surprised" he got pulled but didn't feel it was his place to put up a fight when quarterbacks coach Ryan Day informed him of the change despite getting so few chances to throw.
Oregon Meets With USF's Willie Taggart
BEAUTY UNLIMITED
STACY
This week’s Beauty Unlimited feature is Stacy, and it’s a pleasure to feature someone so rare and beau- tiful. Stacy is anxiously waiting for her opportunity to come, and knows she’ll have to continue to work hard and stay focused. Stacy wants to travel a lot, and she really loves the camera. Congratulations to Stacy as this week’s Beauty Unlimited feature.
USF coach Willie Tag- gart interviewed with Ore- gon athletic director Rob Mullens in the Dallas area on Friday, according to a source.
Taggart has a big-name proponent in his corner in former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who said he spoke to Oregon officials on Taggart's behalf. Dungy's son, Eric, played at Oregon from 2010- 13 before transferring to USF for his final season in 2014.
"I certainly think he's a good fit," Dungy said. "I had a chance to watch him coach a year when my son played there. I liked his style. I think he's a guy that can relate to the players very well.
"He's put together two win- ning programs (at Western Kentucky and USF). He knows the West Coast, having been (an assistant) at Stan- ford (from 2007-09). He has all the elements Oregon is looking for. He's a bright, young coach and it makes him easy to recommend."
Taggart, in his fourth year at USF, has increased the Bulls' win total from 2 to 4 to 8 to this year's 10-2 record,
WILLIE TAGGART
marking the best record in school history.
"Oregon is a different situa- tion," Dungy said. "You're not coming in taking some- thing from the ground floor. You need a coach that can come in and get players going and coach well. It's a big chal- lenge at Oregon, one that he would be successful at. You're not trying to become re- spectable, you're trying to win national championships -- it's a different kind of challenge."
Dungy, who lives in Tampa, said it would be bit- tersweet if Taggart ended up at Oregon.
"Oregon is a great job and hopefully he gets it," Dungy said. "If not, we're happy to still have him in Tampa."
Tiger Finishes Hero World Challenge At 4-Under
About a year and a half after brash sports pundit and ex-NBA legend Charles Barkley gave Morehouse College $1 million to help support the school’s new sports and journalism pro- gram, he is doing the same for two other HBCUs.
Barkley announced on Giving Tuesday that he is do- nating $1 million to Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Ala., and $1 mil- lion to Clark-Atlanta Univer- sity in Atlanta. “We are delighted to receive this gen- erous gift from Mr. Barkley,” said Clark Atlanta President Dr. Ronald A. Johnson. “This gift reflects Charles Barkley’s tremen- dous heart and his desire to make a significant, positive and lasting difference in the lives of others.”
“This is a transformational
CHARLES BARKLEY
gift to the institution and a true measure of Mr. Barkley’s commitment to advancing educational op- portunities,” said Alabama A&M president Andrew Hugine, Jr. His pledge marks the largest individual gift to Alabama A&M in the university’s 141-year history.
Barkley is a native of Leeds, Alabama and attended Auburn University, in Auburn, Alabama.
It's a good start.
Tiger Woods
concluded the
18th Hero World
Challenge by fin-
ishing 15th fol-
lowing a 4-over
76 on Sunday at
Albany Golf Club
in the overcast
and windy Ba-
hamas. He
posted a 72-hole
score of 4-under 284, 14 strokes behind 24-year-old Japanese star Hideki Mat- suyama of Japan, who shot 18-under and won for the fourth time in his last five starts..
"He's one of the players we're going to have to beat for a long time," said Woods, who doubles as tournament host.
Proceeds from the tourna- ment go to the Tiger Woods Foundation that has helped thousands of under- served kids enhance their ed- ucation and receive college scholarships for 20 years.
Idle for more than 15 months while recovering from two back operations, Woods didn't seriously con- tend and, as expected, showed rust and eventual fa- tigue. He also led the field with 24 birdies, fired a
TIGER WOODS
bogey-free 7-under 65 in the second round, and displayed flashes of the brilliance that have helped him win 79 PGA TOUR events, second only to Sam Snead with 82.
"It felt great to compete again," said Woods, who turns 41 on Dec. 30. "I missed it. I made a lot of birdies but I also made a lot of mistakes. I just need to balance it out."
His biggest concerns com- ing into the event were how his body would hold up walk- ing 72 holes -- 90 including Wednesday's pro-am -- and how long it would take to get comfortable in competition.
"Quite frankly, it felt a lit- tle weird not to play in a cart," Tiger said, adding that his legs were tired but his back felt fine. "[Condition- ing] is not quite there but it is coming."
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