B2 | Saturday, December 19,2020 | MyPlainview.com |Plainview Herald SPORTS

WEEKEND PREVIEW Playoff bids likely on line for Clemson, Ohio State By Eric Olson Notre Dame won the reg- 16: Notre Dame’s win AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL ular-season meeting 47-40 streak, longest in the Foot- WRITER in two overtimes. DJ Uaiga- ball Bowl Subdivision. lelei quarterbacked Clem- 19: Cincinnati’s home Clemson and Ohio State son that day because Tre- win streak entering the go into the weekend with vor Lawrence was in the American Athletic Confer- the most at stake, and Texas COVID-19 protocol. Law- ence championship game A&M waiting in the wings if rence will be back. He has against Tulsa at Nippert Sta- it takes care of business. lost only once as a starter, dium. Nine Football Bowl Sub- and that was in last season’s 33: UAB wins since re- division conferences will national championship starting the program in hold championship games game against LSU. 2017, most in Conference Friday and Saturday. A The Irish’s defensive line USA. smattering of other games arguably is best in the na- 102: Points allowed by will be played, all resched- tion and held Travis Eti- Northwestern, fewest uled to this week because of enne to 28 yards on 18 car- through seven games since COVID-19 issues. ries in the first game, his 1995. Titles games in the Atlan- lowest total in three years. 1912: The most recent tic Coast Conference and year Iowa State won a con- Big Ten are most likely to Heisman watch ference championship. impact the College Football Heisman Trophy voters Playoff. have until Monday to sub- Under the radar • Clemson (9-1, No. 3 mit their ballots. Those UAB at Marshall, Confer- CFP) meets Notre Dame who are undecided can use ence USA championship (10-0, No. 2) in the ACC the SEC championship game. game and would lock up a game to sort things out. The UAB is in the conference sixth straight playoff ap- three top contenders will championship game for the pearance with a win. The be on the field. third straight year and Mar- Tigers might sneak in with a The favorite, Alabama shall for the first time since close loss, though no two- quarterback Mac Jones, has winning the title in 2014. loss team has ever been se- thrown for 3,321 yards, The teams have highly lected. The Irish, short of completing 76% with 27 ranked defenses, but keep getting blown out, probably touchdowns and just three an eye on the quarterbacks. are in regardless. interceptions. UAB’s Tyler Johnston III, • Ohio State (5-0, No. 4) DeVonta Smith, Jones’ fa- who missed five games with should claim a playoff spot vorite target, has caught 83 ashoulder injury, was with a win over Northwest- balls for 1,327 yards. With 15 sharp in his return last ern (6-1) in the Big Ten. touchdown catches, he week against Rice. Marshall • Alabama (10-0, No. 1) is would tie Amari Cooper for freshman Grant Wells has 11 on track to be the playoff’s the school single-season re- completions of 40 yards or top seed if it beats Florida cord with one against Flori- longer. (8-2) in the SEC. The Crim- da. son Tide are as good as in, Abig performance Satur- On the hot seat even if the Gators upset day might allow Gators Houston’s Dana Holgor- them. quarterback Kyle Trask to sen might be in real trouble • Texas A&M (7-1, No. 5) make up ground he lost in if not for the fat five-year, would be first in line to fill a the LSU game. Trask is far $20 million contract he spot if Clemson or Ohio ahead of the next closest signed upon his hiring two State is bounced out of the QB in passing yards (3,717) years ago. top four — as long as it wins and TD passes (40). Though The Cougars are 3-4 and at Tennessee (3-6) in a game he was intercepted twice have accepted an invitation rescheduled from Nov. 14. last week, he has thrown to play Hawaii in the New The playoff field will be just five picks for the sea- Mexico Bowl on Dec. 24. announced Sunday. son. Holgorsen is 7-12 in two sea- sons, 4-8 in the American Best game Numbers to know Athletic Conference, and is No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 2 0: Sacks allowed by Buf- testing the patience of Cou- Notre Dame falo. gars fans.

COMMENTARY SEC Championship game a Merry study in sturdy quarterbacks By Steve Hummer of Trask’s 40 touchdown getting pretty beat up by ATLANTA passes (Jones has 27). But now, but as he said, “I JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION they also seem to have always told myself I’m not Christmas taken the same path to this going to switch backpacks The first Florida quarter- game, a narrow dirt road- until we get back here. … back to capture the atten- way as opposed to the Luckily we got the chance tion of Michael McCorkle interstate that phenoms to go back this year. It can Jones was a natural. Com- travel. They are two kin- finally get replaced.” ing of age as a kid quarter- dred spirits bound by a He was injured and back himself in Jackson- common, up-from-the- sidelined in 2017 and ap- ville, young “Mac” Jones bench back story. peared in only four games had little choice but to join Neither was a hotshot as a backup the following Tim Tebow’s legion. recruit coming out of high season. Stepping in against If that meant doing the school, each labeled three- Kentucky in 2019 after hokey fan thing - standing star prospects. In fact, starter Feleipe Franks was in line at the mall to get his Trask didn’t start in high injured, Trask seized the picture taken with his fave school, playing behind job and didn’t give it back. -then so be it. And pho- current Miami quarterback One can’t help but see a tographic evidence today D’Eriq King at Manvel little of himself in the oth- exists of a middle-school- (Texas) High. Fortunately er. “I know he’s a great aged Jones in his No. 15 for him, Manvel routed quarterback on and off the Florida jersey, posing with enough opponents that field,” Trask said of Jones. the once-great Gator and a Trask managed significant “We’ve had to overcome certain stiff-arming bronze playing time and got to some obstacles throughout figure Tebow won in 2007. commit some of his work our careers. We both came It’s a trophy Jones may get to tape. to big-time football close and personal with Both Jones and Trask schools. Now we’re having again. have had to wait their turn the opportunity to play Just days away from to start, exhibiting a pa- against each other, which facing those same Gators in tience hard to find these is really cool.” the SEC Championship days when everyone seems Nick Saban, that old game, the current prince to have one foot in the softie, is a sucker for sto- of Alabama football ex- transfer portal. ries like these. plained himself this week: Jones redshirted in 2017 “I know (Trask) has had “It was just a cool experi- and watched while Tua atough road coming up, ence. Obviously, Tim is a Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts just like Mac has, kind of,” great player, but he also took up all the oxygen in the Alabama coach said. “I did a lot of great things off the quarterback room. Last have a lot of respect for the field. I just looked up year he was tossed into the guys that stick with it, to him when I was youn- fray in November when persevere, come through a ger.” Tagovailoa sustained a lot of adversity, go through Asecond Florida quar- serious hip injury that growing pains. When they terback has Jones’ un- ended his college career. get an opportunity, they divided attention now. Some may have doubted take advantage of it, do it Only this one’s a peer. The Jones after throwing a pair extremely well. Gators’ Kyle Trask is Jones’ of interceptions in a 2019 “It’s good to see that opposite in Saturday’s loss to Auburn (one of there are guys that play the game, a matchup that may those a pick-six); some game that still do that. It’s decide which one wins anointed freshman Bryce good to see them have both a title and a Heisman Young the one to watch success after they go Trophy. That will leave this season. But no one through those ups and little time for autograph seems to be too terribly downs and adversities.” signings. troubled now as he has led Jones and Trask have The matchup between the unbeaten Crimson Tide managed their teams all Jones and Trask is at the and is on the Heisman the way to the SEC’s last core of Saturday’s champi- short list. game. They have managed onship game. Not only The last time Florida to combine for the best have these two put togeth- was in the SEC Champi- quarterback matchup in er fabulous seasons - Trask onship game - 2016 - Trask the history of this champi- leads the FBS in passing spectated as a redshirt onship game - never before yards (3,717) while Jones freshman. He still carries have Heisman finalists met HappyBank.com ranks fourth (3,321); and no around the backpack he in this game. They have one is within single digits got from that game. It’s managed to persevere.