National Sports Digest
Jayhawk surprise MIAMI (AP) — It may be time for the Kansas Jayhawks to give up the underdog role they love. The surprising Jayhawks exceeded expectations again Thursday night, racing to an early lead and hanging on to beat Virginia Tech 24-21 in the Orange Bowl. No. 8 Kansas (12-1) won in its first Bowl Championship Series game to set a team record for victories. A year ago the Jayhawks went 6-6. “People kept telling us we couldn’t win against this team, that we couldn’t win the big game, that we had no chance,” quarterback Todd Reesing said. “We took that to heart. We like being underdogs.” Perhaps this season’s biggest surprise, the high-scoring Jayhawks employed their usual assortment of tricks. They split their tackles wide alongside the receivers. They threw wrong-handed shovel passes. They pulled off a fake punt. The biggest shocker: They won with defense. While the offense was stymied most of the night, Kansas came up with three interceptions that led to 17 points, including All-American cornerback Aqib Talib’s 60-yard return for the game’s first score. He was chosen the game’s most valuable player. The victory answered critics who said the Jayhawks benefited from an easy schedule and were exposed by a loss to Missouri in the regular-season finale. “I guess they got to say we played somebody now!” Talib said. The No. 5 Hokies (11-3) lost their fourth consecutive BCS game. It was a bittersweet finish for the Hokies, who revived campus spirits this season following the April 16 massacre that left 33 students and professors dead. “It hurts right now,” quarterback Sean Glennon said. “But when we look at it tomorrow or next week, I don’t think anyone at Virginia Tech is going to be disappointed with this season.” The Jayhawks played in their first major bowl since the 1969 Orange Bowl, and they made a big splash at the start, racing to a 17-0 lead after 23 minutes. Virginia Tech closed the deficit to 17-14 before Glennon was intercepted by Thornton, whose 30-yard return gave Kansas the ball at the 2 with 11 minutes left. Reesing scored on the next play. Chris Harris also had an interception to set up a field goal, and the Jayhawks totaled five sacks. “Our kids were determined to play well,” coach Mark Mangino said. “A lot of folks counted us out of this one. We heard that for a month. But that’s OK. We always play better when we’re an underdog.” Virginia Tech drove 78 yards to score with 3 minutes left on Glennon’s 20-yard pass to Justin Harper. The Jayhawks’ Raimond Pendleton fielded the ensuing onside kick, and they ran out the clock. “It feels really great,” Kansas tackle Anthony Collins said. “Now I feel like USC and Florida and them feel every day. They don’t get any better than this. I know it ain’t the national championship, but it doesn’t get any better. We won the Orange Bowl.” Virginia Tech’s biggest gain came on special teams. Harper scored on an 84-yard punt return after taking a lateral on a reverse from Eddie Royal, who fielded the kick. The Jayhawks were the nation’s highest-scoring offense this season at 44 points per game, but they mounted only one scoring drive of more than 17 yards and left most of the big plays to their defense. The biggest was by Talib, who stepped in front of the intended receiver to intercept freshman Tyrod Taylor and ran along the Virginia Tech sideline untouched for a touchdown. “Coach had us in a call where I was able to jump any route,” Talib said. “The quarterback was late with the throw, and he threw me the ball.” Talib was mobbed in the end zone. Later, as the final seconds ticked off, he found himself in the middle of another celebration. “I think I started hyperventilating,” he said. “We won the Orange Bowl. That’s what I used to watch as a kid. Who would have thought that I could win the Orange Bowl and win the MVP? It’s awesome.” Belichick honored NEW YORK (AP) — New England’s undefeated season now includes yet another achievement: Bill Belichick is The Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year. The first coach since Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a spotless regular season, Belichick won the award for the second time in four years. In 2003, the Patriots went 14-2 and won their final 12 games. This time, Belichick’s team rampaged through the first part of the schedule, then won a handful of close games on their way to 16-0.
BASEBALL NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Clemens said former trainer Brian McNamee injected him with the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12 — not any performance-enhancing drugs. In the first excerpts released from the pitcher’s interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” which is to be broadcast Sunday night, Clemens maintained the denials he has issued since McNamee implicated him in the Mitchell report on doping in baseball, which was released Dec. 13. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics made their second major trade in three weeks, sending outfielder and fan favorite Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for three minor leaguers. The A’s — who dealt ace Dan Haren to Arizona on Dec. 14 — received left-hander Gio Gonzalez, right-hander Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
PRO FOOTBALL DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Bill Parcells decided Cam Cameron had to go, along with just about everyone else on the Miami Dolphins. Cameron was fired after winning only one game in his first year as an NFL head coach. The move means Miami will have its fifth coach in five seasons. ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Warren Sapp announced his retirement, ending the career of one of the best defensive tackles to play in the NFL. Sapp posted a two word message on his Web site, www.qbkilla.com, announcing his intention: “I’M DONE!” He had told teammates and coaches his plans after the season finale Sunday against San Diego. Sapp, who made seven Pro Bowls during his 13-year career, won The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999, and was a key cog in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl winning defense in the 2002 season.
TENNIS DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Dmitry Tursunov 7-5, 6-3 in the Qatar Open and next faces Andy Murray in a repeat of last year’s semifinal matchup. Third-seeded Murray advanced by defeating Thomas Johansson 7-6 (4), 6-0. Fourth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland also advanced to the semifinals for another repeat of the same match from last year. ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Lleyton Hewitt won 16 of the first 19 points to take a 4-0 lead, setting up a 6-2, 6-2 win over Jose Acasuso that put him into the quarterfinals of the Australian men’s hardcourt. Third-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, American Vince Spadea, and France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia also advanced. CHENNAI, India (AP) — Top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal brushed aside American qualifier Rajeev Ram 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Chennai Open quarterfinals. Nadal will next play fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Marin Cilic of Croatia and Robin Haase of the Netherlands also advanced. AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Lindsay Davenport advanced to the semifinals of the ASB Classic with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Italy’s Sara Errani. Davenport will face 17-year-old Austrian Tamira Paszek, who advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 win over second-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia. Also, New Zealand wild card Marina Erakovic upset top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5), and unseeded Aravane Rezai of France took little more than an hour to beat third-seeded Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 6-3 to set up the other semifinal. GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Amelie Mauresmo, top-seeded Nicole Vaidisova and defending champion Dinara Safina were among the big-name losers in the quarterfinals of the Australian women’s hardcourts. Mauresmo was beaten by fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder, with the Swiss winning 6-4 6-4 after leading 5-0 in the first set. China’s Li Na made it two-for-two in career matches against Vaidisova, beating the Czech player 6-3, 6-3 . Shahar Peer of Israel beat Safina of Russia 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8) in a 2 1/2-hour match, and will face Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. PERTH, Australia (AP) — Serena Williams and Mardy Fish won singles matches to give the United States a victory over Australia and a 3-0 record in the round-robin matches. The Americans are the only unbeaten team in Group B. Top-seeded Serbia qualified with a 2-1 win over Argentina, its third straight win in Group A. For the second night in a row, Jelena Jankovic retired in her singles match with a hamstring injury, but came back to team with Novak Djokovic to win the mixed doubles after Djokovic had leveled the match in his singles. In another Group B match, the Czech Republic beat India 2-1. In the other Group A match, France beat Taiwan 3-0. HONG KONG (AP) — Venus Williams beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-1, 6-2 in her first match of the year at the JB Group Classic exhibition tournament, a warmup for the Australian Open. Williams will next play Russia’s Elena Dementieva, who upset top seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. The other semifinal pits Russians Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze.
