Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 12-8-15 Edition

Sports
Jameis Winston Has Buccaneers Thinking Playoffs
Jameis Winston, left, got around Atlanta's Tyson Jackson for a first-quarter touchdown. It was not his most impressive run of the game.
Cam Newton Stays In Following Hit
CAM NEWTON
NEW ORLEANS -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was allowed to stay on the field for three plays to finish a touchdown drive before being tested for a concussion after taking a hard helmet to helmet hit that the referees did not call during his team's 41-38 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
It happened in the wake of the NFL and NFLPA's recent conference calls with teams and players to prevent another situ- ation such as the one that al- lowed St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum to continue playing after suffering a concussion.
Newton ultimately was tested in the locker room and cleared after taking a hit from linebacker Michael Mauti while trying to score in the third quarter. He did not miss a snap in the victory and threw five touchdown passes as the Panthers improved to 12-0.
Coach Ron Rivera said Newton was observed by the officials on the sideline during a timeout after the hit. Newton said the referee did an "unbe- lievable job of making sure I was all right."
Cam Newton Won't Let A Mean NFL Ref Stop Him From Giving A Kid A Football
Cam Newton is very in- tent on giving children the foot- ball after every Panthers touchdown. He goes out of his way to make sure that ball ends upinthehandsofakidinthe stands. One NFL ref didn't make it easy for Cam to con- tinue the tradition.
The referee was apparently not having it, despite Newton pleading. But, Newton would not be denied.
Pairings Set For College Football Playoff; Undefeated Clemson No. 1 Overall
When the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers made the Heisman Tro- phy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston the first overall pick in the draft this year, they bet that he would ig- nite a franchise that had not had a winning record in five seasons.
Winston has had an uneven start to his N.F.L. career, throwing nearly as many inter- ceptions as touchdowns and losing three out of his first four starts.
But with the team’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Winston lived up to his billing as a quarterback capable of cre- ating big plays with his feet or his arm.
Trailing by 3 points to the di- vision rival Atlanta Falcons with less than three minutes re- maining, Winston was push- ing his team down the field. From the Atlanta 43 on third- and-19, he dropped back to pass and saw his receivers cov- ered and the pocket collapsing, so he took off running.
About 10 yards down the field, he fell on top of two de-
fenders and the play looked over. But the whistle never blew because Winston’s knee never hit the ground. He quickly popped up, spun around to his right and ran for another 10 yards for a first down.
In the huddle four plays later, Winston said he asked his teammates, “Who wants to score a touchdown?,” and wide receiver Mike Evans replied, “Me, me, me.” Winston then threw Evans a 6-yard pass in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 4-point lead. Moments later, the Buccaneers sealed a 23-19 victory when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw an interception.
“How about the run by Jameis?” Buccaneers Coach Lovie Smith said to reporters after the game. “There’s no bet- ter running quarterback in the league right now.”
With the win, the Buccaneers moved to 6-6, the same record as the Falcons. By virtue of winning both matchups, the Buccaneers own the tiebreaker against the Falcons..
The College Football Playoff will feature four conference champions for the second con- secutive year, as Clemson, Al- abama, Michigan State and Oklahoma will play for the national championship.
There was little drama Sun- day for the playoff selection committee, which announced its choices after deliberating throughout the weekend in Grapevine, Texas. Jeff Long, chairman of the CFP selection committee, said the decision was easy to select the top four teams for the College Football Playoff, calling Clemson "clearly the No. 1 team in the country."
Clemson, the ACC champion and only remaining unbeaten team in the FBS, retained its top spot after beating North Carolina on Saturday night. The Tigers, seeking their first national title since 1981, will face No. 4 Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion, on Dec. 31 in a College Football Playoff semifi- nal in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Alabama, which won its sec- ond consecutive SEC champi- onship Saturday against Florida, finished No. 2 in the committee's final rankings. The Crimson Tide will face No. 3 Michigan State on Dec. 31 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Russell Wilson Is Becoming Sehawks' Undisputed Franchise Player
RUSSELL WILSON
MINNEAPOLIS -- As a 5- son was supposed to be the guy
Willie Taggart ends a lot of conversations by saying have a good day -- if you want to.
Now the University of South Florida head football coach has put together two good days, thanks to his eternal optimism.
Taggart agreed in principle to a raise and a five-year contract extension Saturday that will in- clude more money for his assis- tant coaches.
"Excited for another great five years with my guy (Tag- gart)," USF athletic director Mark Harlan tweeted. "Now we need all Bulls Nation to join in."
Not long after, Taggart tweeted, "Stay true to the peo- ple who believe in you, 5 more years. Go Bulls!!"
A few months ago, Willie Taggart was on the proverbial hot seat. Now, the former Man- atee High quarterback great and All-American at Western Kentucky is arguably one of the hottest commodities in college football.
Taggart started the season at 1-3 amid discontent from fans. But he stayed true to his plan, and the Bulls responded by winning seven of their final eight games -- a loss to Navy the only blemish.
USF qualified for its first bowl game since 2010 and is expected to accept an invitation to the Miami Beach Bowl on Sunday, where the Bulls would face Western Kentucky, the school where Taggart began
his college coaching career. The game is scheduled for Dec. 21 at Marlins Stadium in Miami. The Hilltoppers (11-2) won the Conference USA championship by defeating Southern Mississippi earlier
Saturday.
Taggart interviewed for the
South Carolina job Friday and speculation grew the school was going to have give him a significant raise and extend his contract if USF wanted to keep him.
Harlan, hired after Taggart was already on the job, has been a staunch supporter of the coach and made it clear he would do what it takes to keep the 39-year-old.
Taggart, the only major col- lege head football coach from Manatee County, has added quite a bit of local flavor from his hometown. Ray Woodie, former player and head coach at Palmetto, was hired as USF assistant head coach, lineback- ers coach and special teams co- ordinator. Manatee High Hall-of-Fame coach Joe Kin- nan joined Taggart's staff this year as a consultant, and former Manatee High assistant coach Danny Hope is co-of- fensive coordinator for the Bulls.
Taggart is completing the third year of five-year deal that pays him $1.2 million annually. He went 2-10 his first season and 4-8 before beginning this season losing three of four.
Taggart, USF Agree To Five Year Contract Extension
Football coach and Manatee High graduate Willie Taggart greets people at the Bradenton Kiwanis Club luncheon June 24, 2014, in Bradenton.
foot-11 man playing a position defined by the extra-large likes of Tom Brady and Cam Newton, Russell Wilson was not built to carry a football team to a title. His modest size contributed to the notion that he was more than a game man- ager, and yet less than the full- fledged franchise player his new franchise-player contract pays him to be.
Wilson was supposed to be the beneficiary of a punishing defense and a running back who had less use for would-be tacklers than he did for re- porters who asked about the pain he inflicted on them. Wil-
who didn't really win the Super Bowl for theSeattle Seahawks two years ago, and the guy who most definitely lost the Super Bowl for the Seahawks last year, with considerable help from his coach, Pete Carroll, and offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell.
But the balance of in-house power is shifting in Seattle, tilt- ing dramatically toward the quarterback who is growing from a creative and oppor- tunistic scrambler into what he has clearly been over the past three weeks: the best player in the entire league.
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