SPORTS HEADLINES

Texans intercept Herbert a career-high 4 times in a 32-12 win over Chargers in wild-card playoff

HOUSTON (AP) — Eric Murray returned one of Justin Herbert’s career-high four interceptions for a touchdown, C.J. Stroud threw a TD pass and the Houston Texans rolled past the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in a wild-card playoff game. It’s the second straight year Stroud and the Texans (11-7) won in the first round after they beat Cleveland last season. Herbert threw just three interceptions in the regular season and had never thrown more than two in a game before facing a Texans secondary led by AP All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley, who grabbed two Saturday.

Texans get 2 points on blocked extra point return vs. Chargers, 1st in NFL playoff history

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s D’Angelo Ross returned a blocked extra point for two points in the fourth quarter of the Texans wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers. It was the first such play in NFL postseason history. The play came after Ladd McConkey scored on an 86-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. Cameron Dicker’s extra point attempt was blocked by Denico Autry. Dicker tried to knock the ball down, but it bounced off his hands and Ross grabbed it and returned it for the score that pushed Houston’s lead to 25-12. The NFL began awarding two points for an extra point returned to the end zone in 2015.

Clear skies and clear minds: Rams regroup in Arizona to prepare for playoff game vs. Vikings

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Everything seemed pretty normal for the Los Angeles Rams during practice at their temporary home on a beautiful afternoon in suburban Phoenix. The music was blaring Saturday, coaches shouting, footballs flying and even some palm trees swaying in the background to give it a Southern California vibe. Running back Kyren Williams said the Rams also had clear minds. The Rams are preparing for Monday’s NFL playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at the practice facility of their division rival Arizona Cardinals. They made their way to the desert Friday nights, escaping from days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

Ohio State, Notre Dame to meet for title, long after upset losses

Two upset losses stood out among the rest in college football this season. Notre Dame suffered one of them. Ohio State the other. In years past, that might have been enough to knock both teams out of the hunt for a national title. This year, with the debut of the 12-team playoff, those two teams will play for it. The Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14 on Friday night to set up a Jan. 20 meeting against the Fighting Irish. Ohio State hasn’t lost since it fell 13-10 to Michigan in November. Notre Dame hasn’t lost since it fell 16-14 to Northern Illinois way back in September.

Another bitter loss in ‘The Game’ didn’t keep Ohio State from getting a national title shot

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ohio State this time gets the chance to play for the national title after another bitter loss to its biggest rival. The Buckeyes are coming off a win over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl that came six weeks after ending the regular season with a home loss to Michigan. Now they play Notre Dame on January 20 in Atlanta. The Cotton Bowl wasn’t a semifinal game last season when Ohio State lost while still feeling the sting of a loss in the regular-season finale to the Wolverines that ended its hopes for Big Ten and national titles after being undefeated until that point.

Stormy start to Australian Open with early matches suspended because of rain

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Heavy rain forced the suspension of matches on outside courts about an hour into the first day of the Australian Open. Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic champion and runner-up here last year, was able to continue playing 20-year-old qualifier Anca Todoni on Rod Laver Arena, one of three covered stadiums at Melbourne Park. They had just finished the pre-match formalities on the main show court when play was delayed by a few minutes so that the roof could be closed. They continued indoors. When it started to rain outside, it poured. Spectators scrambled for any cover they could find. Tournament organizers suspended play on all outside courts until at least 2 p.m. local time.

J.J. Spaun takes the lead at Sony Open with a wide-open chase in the wind of Waialae

HONOLULU (AP) — J.J. Spaun finished with a birdie for a 65 and has a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Sony Open. As usual, it should be a sprint to the finish at windy Waialae. Stephen Jaeger had the low round of the tournament with a 62. That took him from a tie for 42nd to one shot out of the lead and a part of the final group. Also one shot behind were Eric Cole and Patrick Fishburn. Fourteen players were within three shots of the lead. Fishburn had a chance to pull away until a few bogeys.

Santa Anita postpones weekend racing as track is staging area for fire relief efforts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A flareup of the wildfire on the west side of Los Angeles that prompted new evacuations has caused Santa Anita to cancel horse racing this weekend. The track in Arcadia is near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena. Track officials had said Friday that it would go ahead with Saturday racing, pending air quality conditions. However, they decided that given overnight developments involving the Palisades fire on the west side of Los Angeles there will be no racing. Pepperdine has postponed its men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader on Saturday. USC is planning to play a women’s basketball game against Penn State on Sunday night.

NBA postpones Rockets vs. Hawks game because of winter storm

ATLANTA (AP) — The game between the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks scheduled for Saturday has been postponed because of a winter storm. The NBA said the decision was made “to prioritize the safety of the players, fans and staff due to the severe weather and hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area.” The league said a date for a rescheduled game will be announced at a later time. A winter storm dumped snow and ice on the Atlanta area Friday and roads were expected to refreeze Saturday night.

Ohio State favored by 9 1/2 points over Notre Dame, 2nd-largest spread in CFP title game history

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ohio State is favored by 9 1/2 points over Notre Dame in the College Football Championship national title game. That’s the second-largest point spread in the 10-year history of the playoff. Georgia was favored by 13 1/2 points over TCU two years ago and easily covered with a 65-7 victory. Several handicappers say they don’t expect a repeat of that blowout and believe Notre Dame can keep the game close. Ohio State has won its three playoff games by 14 points or more. Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24 in the semifinals on a field goal in the waning seconds.

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