The No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes had revenge on their mind against the No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks heading into the Rose Bowl. 

The last time the two teams faced off in Week 7 of the regular season, Oregon narrowly defeated Ohio State 32-31, thanks to a late game blunder by Buckeyes QB Will Howard. The College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday was an entirely different story.

The Buckeyes blew out the Ducks 41-21 to advance to the CFP semifinal, where they will face No. 5 seed Texas. Ohio State jumped to a 34-0 lead over Oregon in the first half and weathered any attempts at a comeback from the Ducks.

‘We came out and we played angry and it showed. We jumped out to an early lead and it was hard for them to come back,’ Howard said postgame. ‘We got two more. We aren’t done yet.’

Howard completed 17 of 26 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.3 yards per play. Freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith, who finished with seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns, was named the offensive MVP. Running back TreVeyon Henderson had two scores of his own with eight carries for 94 yards and three receptions for 20 yards. Receiver Emeka Egbuka also had a touchdown with five receptions for 72 yards.

Ohio State dominated the line of scrimmage and Oregon’s run game was nonexistent as a result. Oregon registered minus-23 rushing yards the entire game, compared to 181 rushing yards from Ohio State. 

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel completed 29 of 41 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, both to receiver Traeshon Holden, who finished with seven receptions for 116 yards. Running back Jordan James had seven carries for 14 yards and two receptions for seven yards before he exited the game in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury. 

Here is how everything unfolded from Ohio State’s Rose Bowl victory.

Rose Bowl highlights: Watch Ohio State’s rout against Oregon

Rose Bowl defensive player of the game

Senior linebacker Cody Simon recorded two of Ohio State’s eight sacks against Dillon Gabriel and was named the Rose Bowl’s defensive player of the game. Simon had 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and one pass breakup.

Rose Bowl offensive player of the game

Ohio State’s dynamic freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith was named the offensive player of the game after hauling in seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon forced to punt

The Ducks picked up one first down, but a sack on third down by Ohio State’s Cody Simon forced Oregon into a fourth-and-long situation. Coach Dan Lanning chose to punt the ball away with time running out on the Ducks’ season.

Ohio State milking the clock

The Buckeyes ran the ball on four of six plays of the ensuing drive, including 21 yards on three carries by Quinshon Judkins. An incomplete pass on third-and-9 stopped the clock, though, and Oregon will get the ball back with 6:07 left to play.

Oregon score: Traeshon Holden 27-yard TD pass from Dillon Gabriel

The Ducks are back on the board with a record-tying touchdown pass by QB Dillon Gabriel.

After hooking up with Traeshon Holden for a 27-yard score, Gabriel ties Case Keenum for the most TD passes in FBS history with 155.

The key play of the drive was a fourth-down conversion on a Gabriel-to-Tez Johnson pass play on fourth-and-11. Gabriel is up to 289 yards passing and two TDs. Ohio State 41, Oregon 21

Ohio State punts after sack

An offensive holding pass called on Ohio State set them behind the sticks and the Buckeyes couldn’t recover. On third-and-11, Ohio State QB Will Howard was sacked for the first time of the night for a 5-yard loss, bringing the Buckeyes to fourth-and-16. Ohio State subsequently punted.

Oregon punts after sack 

The Ducks’ next drive stalled after Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom sacked Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel for a 2-yard loss on Oregon’s 41-yard line. 

Ohio State score: TreVeyon Henderson 8-yard TD run

Ohio State is back in the driver’s seat, thanks to TreVeyon Henderson’s 8-yard touchdown run. Buckeyes QB Will Howard found receiver Jeremiah Smith twice on the drive – for 10-yard and 16-yard receptions – and a face mask penalty called on Oregon against RB Quinshon Judkins set the Buckeyes up on the goal line. 

Henderson is up to four carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State 41, Oregon 15

Oregon momentum stalls with three-and-out

Oregon’s offensive line surrendered back-to-back sacks, leading to a three-and-out of their own. Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer caught Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel for a 7-yard loss, followed by a sack from LB Cody Simon for a 6-yard loss. Facing fourth-and-23, Oregon punted the ball away on its own 12-yard line. 

Three-and-out for Ohio State 

Oregon’s offense is warming up, and so is the Ducks’ defense. Oregon forced Ohio State’s first three-and-out of the game after Buckeyes QB Will Howard failed to connect with WR Emeka Egbuka. Oregon gets the ball back with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

Oregon score: Noah Whittington 2-yard TD run

With the Ducks backed up on their own 13-yard-line, QB Dillon Gabriel scrambled on third-and-22 before connecting with receiver Justius Lowe on a 21-yard pass to set Oregon up with a manageable fourth-and-1. Gabriel kept the ball and rushed for one yard to move the sticks and keep their opening, second-half drive alive.

Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson had two catches on the drive – a 17-yard and 25-yard reception – to bring the Ducks to Ohio State’s 2-yard line. RB Noah Whittington punched the ball in the end zone to cap Oregon’s 11-play, 75-yard drive. The Ducks now trail the Buckeyes 34-15.

Halftime: Ohio State 34, Oregon 8

Ohio State has dominated all phases of the game through the first half. QB Will Howard completed 11 of 18 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 14.9 yards per play. Receiver Jeremiah Smith has five receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while Emeka Egbuka has four receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. Running back TreVeyon Henderson added two carries for 70 yards and one touchdown. 

Ohio State has recorded 390 total yards in the first half, compared to 139 total yards for Oregon.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel completed 15 of 23 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Traeshon Holden has four receptions for 67 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jordan James had seven carries for 14 yards and two receptions for seven yards before he exited the game in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury. Oregon has collectively rushed for only 13 yards through the first half. 

There have been no penalties or turnovers by either team in the matchup so far. 

Oregon score: Traeshon Holden 5-yard TD pass from Dillon Gabriel

The Ducks were able to get on the board before heading into the locker room at halftime. Instead of settling for a field goal on Ohio State’s 5-yard line with three seconds remaining in the half, Oregon went for a touchdown. QB Dillon Gabriel scrambled and prolonged the play at the goal line before finding receiver Traeshon Holden in the back of the end zone for Oregon’s first score of the night. Gabriel then connected with receiver Justius Lowe for a successful two-point conversion.

‘It’s great to get a score at the end of the half and build a little momentum as we carry this into halftime,’ Oregon coach Dan Lanning told ESPN as he was walking off the field. 

Oregon gets the ball in the second half. Ohio State 34, Oregon 8

Ohio State score: Jayden Fielding 36-yard field goal

Oregon slowed down the Ohio State offense, if only slightly. The Buckeyes settled for a field goal after their 10-play, 43-yard drive stalled in the red zone. Ohio State leads 34-0 with 2:59 remaining in the first half.  

Oregon has fourth three-and-out

Another drive, another three-and-out for the Ducks. Oregon’s RB Noah Whittington couldn’t get anything going on the ground and lost two-yards on a run attempt to open their sixth possession of the game. QB Dillon Gabriel couldn’t connect with Kenyon Sadiq and Traeshon Holden on the next plays, resulting in the Ducks’ fourth three-and-out of the game. 

Ohio State score: TreVeyon Henderson 66-yard TD run

Ohio State needed only one play to reach the end zone again. QB Will Howard handed the ball off to TreVeyon Henderson at the Buckeyes’ own 34-yard line and Henderson exploded for a 66-yard touchdown along the sideline. Ohio State now leads 31-0 with 8:47 remaining in the first half. Henderson has two carries for 70 yards on the day.

Another three-and-out for Oregon

The Ducks had no answer for the Buckeyes and surrendered another three-and-out, marking Oregon’s third of the game. In five total possessions in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks have punted four times and turned the ball over on downs once. 

Ohio State score: Jeremiah Smith 43-yard TD pass from Will Howard

Yes again.

The flood gates have opened and Ohio State extended its lead over Oregon. QB Will Howard found receiver Jeremiah Smith wide open for a 43-yard touchdown to go up 24-0 over the Ducks. The drive lasted all of 42 seconds. The Buckeyes had great field position after the Ducks failed to convert fourth down at their own 48-yard line.

Howard is up to 255 yards and three touchdowns on the day, averaging 18.2 yards per play. Smith has five receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon turns ball over on downs 

Oregon turned over the ball on downs at their own 48-yard line. Trailing 17-0, Oregon attempted to convert a fourth-and-3 to keep their drive alive, but QB Dillon Gabriel’s pass intended for Terrance Ferguson was broken up. 

The Ducks have struggled to get anything going in the air or on the ground so far. Ohio State has held Oregon to only 60 total yards, compared to 238 for the Buckeyes. Gabriel has completed 8 of 12 passes for 47 yards and the team only has 13 rushing yards as a whole. 

Rose Bowl view from above

Check out this impressive view of the Rose Bowl Stadium before kickoff of the Ohio State-Oregon College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

Ohio State score: Jayden Fielding 46-yard field goal

The Buckeyes are rolling. QB Will Howard connected with receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 32-yard pass on third down to move the chains and set Ohio State up on Oregon’s 47-yard-line. Howard hit receiver Emeka Egbuka for a 15-yard completion, but the Buckeyes’ drive stalled. Ohio State settled for a 46-yard field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding to extend their lead to 17-0 with 14:50 remaining in the second quarter. 

End of first quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 0

The Buckeyes red-hot offense is moving the ball again as the first quarter comes to an end in Pasadena. Will Howard already has 212 yards passing and Jeremiah Smith already has 118 yards receiving. They connected again on a 32-yard pass pass during the most recent possession.

Oregon gets first first down, but has to punt again

Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks offense moved the ball much better in this possession, but it ended the same way: punting. Oregon got two first downs and even crossed into Ohio State territory, but stalled out at the Buckeyes 49. Ohio State resumes possession with a 14-0 lead and 3:38 left in the first quarter.

Ohio State score: Emeka Egbuka 46-yard TD from Will Howard

Will Howard and the Ohio State offense is on absolute fire to start this Rose Bowl. On the third play of the Buckeyes’ third possession, Howard hit Emeka Egbuka with a perfectly placed pass for a 46-yard touchdown. After the PAT, the Buckeyes have a 14-0 lead over undefeated Oregon. Howard is 6 for 9 for 165 yards and two touchdowns already.

Another three-and-out for Oregon

Ohio State’s defense is looking awfully stout early. Dillon Gabriel completed a first-down pass to Jordan James for just two yards, and then Gabriel threw two incompletions to bring out the punting unit. A 31-yard punt went out of bounds and gives Ohio State the ball at its own 47.

Ohio State’s offense stalls during second possession

Jeremiah Smith made a spectacular 29-yard catch on the first play and a 12-yard reception on the third play to give the Buckeyes a first-and-10 from the Oregon 36. But the Ducks’ defense stood its ground after that, forcing the Buckeyes to punt. Oregon will have the ball with 9:17 left in the first quarter.

Jeremiah Smith Big Ten touchdown record

Jeremiah Smith’s touchdown gives him the most receiving touchdown by a freshman in Big Ten history with 14.

Oregon’s first possession: Three and out

Dillon Gabriel completed his first two passes for 10 yards, but the Ducks fell a yard short of a first down and were forced to punt during their first possession. Ohio State will get the ball back with 11:53 left in the first quarter.

Ohio State score: Jeremiah Smith 45-yard TD from Will Howard

The Buckeyes got on the board quickly, with Will Howard finding tight end Gee Scott Jr. for a 30-yard pass on the first play of the game, and then getting Jeremiah Smith a short pass that the freshman turned into a 45-yard score. The PAT was good. Ohio State 7, Oregon 0

Rose Bowl Grand Marshal

Tennis legend Billie Jean King is the 2025 Grand Marshal of the Rose Bowl. Her coin toss went Oregon’s way, and the Ducks deferred. Ohio State chose to get the ball to open the game.

Ohio State uniforms in Rose Bowl

The Buckeyes are wearing white jerseys with gray pants. They have their traditional gray helmets with a thick scarlet stripe, but roses are included within the stripe to pay homage to playing in the Rose Bowl.

Oregon uniforms in Rose Bowl

Oregon is wearing green jerseys with yellow lettering and white pants. They’ll go with silver helmets the include green ‘feather’ stripes.

What channel is Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon?

Since the Chick fil-A Peach Bowl between Texas and Arizona State has gone to overtime, the broadcast for the Rose Bowl will begin on ESPN2. It will move to ESPN at the conclusion of the Peach Bowl.

When is Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon?

The Rose Bowl CFP quarterfinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks kicks off at 5 p.m. ET at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

How to watch Ohio State and Oregon in Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.

Watch Penn State take on Boise State with a Fubo subscription

Ohio State vs. Oregon: Rose Bowl odds

The Ohio State Buckeyes are favorites to defeat the Oregon Ducks, according to BetMGM.

Odds as of Wednesday, Jan. 1

Spread: Ohio State (-2.5)
Moneyline: Ohio State (-135); Oregon (+115)
Over/under: 55.5

Predictions for Rose Bowl, Ohio State vs. Oregon:

USA TODAY: No. 1 Oregon over Ohio State

Paul Myerberg writes, ‘Oregon’s been here before, scoring a 32-31 win during the regular season, and can use the same blueprint to score a second victory against the Buckeyes. While the Buckeyes can shift this narrative with a strong game against Tennessee, these resemble two teams moving in different directions: Oregon up, Ohio State down. Beating the Ducks would demand a major uptick in production and explosiveness from an offense that has scuffled since late October.’

Cory Pappas, Sports Illustrated: Oregon 31, Ohio State 28

Pappas writes, ‘In their last meeting in October, it came down to the last play, and the same could be true this go around. Despite the game being a much closer proximity to Oregon, Ohio State fans will still travel and the crowd will likely be a 50/50 split. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has earned the trust of Ducks fans, and Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard and the Ohio State offense scored at will against Tennessee.’

FOX Sports: Ohio State 26, Oregon 25

FOX Sports believes the Buckeyes have a slight advantage, pointing at Ohio State’s 56.7% chance to win based on implied probability. That said, the Ducks have won each of the past two meetings against Ohio State.

Jaren Kawada, ClutchPoints: Oregon to win

Kawada writes, ‘The biggest discrepancies seem to favor Oregon. It is hard to see (Ohio State quarterback Will) Howard throwing for 300 yards against this secondary a second time, especially with (Oregon defensive end Jordan) Burch now in the lineup. Oregon should expect a bigger impact from the Buckeyes’ backfield, but Ohio State has not topped 180 rushing yards since losing star tackle Josh Simmons for the year in the first matchup.’

Bowl game picks  

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks for all of the college football bowl games. 

Ohio State vs. Oregon all-time record 

The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes have faced each other 11 times in their history. Ohio State owns a 9-2 record in the series.

The Ducks beat the Buckeyes in the most recent matchup, 32-31, on Oct. 12, 2024

College Football Playoff bracket: Quarterfinals updated results, schedule

The CFP quarterfinal games are being played over the course of two days, with No. 6 seed Penn State kicking the action off on New Year’s Eve by beating No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The final three quarterfinal games will all take place on Wednesday, New Year’s Day.

All times Eastern

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State def. No. 3 Boise State, 31-14

Wednesday, Jan. 1

Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (OT)
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, postponed

Thursday, Jan. 2

Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)

College Football Playoff first round results

Friday, Dec. 20

No. 7 Notre Dame def. No. 10 Indiana, 27-17

Saturday, Dec. 21

No. 6 Penn State def. No. 11 SMU, 38-10
No. 5 Texas def. No. 12 Clemson, 38-24
No. 8 Ohio State def. No. 9 Tennessee, 42-17

When are the College Football Playoff semifinals?

The CFP semifinal games will be played on Jan. 9-10.

Thursday, Jan. 9

Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. Sugar Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

Friday, Jan. 10

Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. Rose Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

CFP national championship game schedule

Monday, Jan. 20

Game: Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

CFP rankings 

Oregon (Big Ten champion, No. 1 seed)*
Georgia (SEC champion, No. 2 seed)*
Texas (No. 5 seed)
Penn State (No. 6 seed)
Notre Dame (No. 7 seed)
Ohio State (No. 8 seed)
Tennessee (No. 9 seed)
Indiana (No. 10 seed)
Boise State (MWC champion, No. 3 seed)*
SMU (No. 11 seed)
Alabama
Arizona State (Big 12 champion, No. 4 seed)*
Miami
Mississippi
South Carolina
Clemson (ACC champion, No. 12 seed)**

*first-round bye; **automatic bid

Ohio State’s Will Howard gets second chance

A quarterback’s lowlights are remembered as much as his highlights, depending on a game’s outcome, and that might influence perception of Howard. He threw two interceptions in Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. One set up the Wolverines at the 2-yard line for their lone touchdown. The other occurred inside the red zone and thwarted a Buckeyes scoring opportunity. Howard played at his worst in Ohio State’s biggest regular-season game.

That wasn’t the case when the Buckeyes lost to Oregon. Howard threw for a season-high 326 yards, but the play most remembered most was his moment-too-late slide at the end of a scramble, while time expired. If he had slid a couple of steps sooner, the Buckeyes would have had an attempt at a long game-winning field goal.

‘The way that last (game against Oregon) ended doesn’t sit right with me,” Howard said. “It still doesn’t. It still bugs me. And I’m just thankful for the opportunity that we get another crack at them.’ — Blake Toppmeyer

College football bowl game schedule: Entire postseason lineup

College football bowl season began Dec. 14 and will run through Jan. 20 with the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta. Click here for the schedule of all upcoming bowls, including the College Football Playoff, and the results of already completed games.

College football 2024 season predictions 

The experts at USA TODAY Sports offered predictions for the 2024 season before it started, including which 12 teams would make the College Football Playoff.

Scooby Axson: Ohio State 
Jordan Mendoza: Oregon 
Paul Myerberg: Georgia 
Erick Smith: Georgia 
Eddie Timanus: Ohio State 
Dan Wolken: Ohio State 

Bowl seasons change: What to do about college football’s postseason?

The timing is good to think about changes. In 2026, when all the current agreements expire, the College Football Playoff is likely to expand to 14 teams. That will undoubtedly have a downstream impact on the bowls, of which there are currently 35 outside of those tied to the playoff.

The reality check here is bowl season, for all its problems, is inexorably linked to ESPN’s December programming schedule. In fact, ESPN owns and operates 17 of those games itself and has broadcast agreements with nearly all of the others. Good luck convincing college football’s most important business partner that bowl games are no longer worthwhile when they’re filling television windows over the holidays that generate more viewers than the NBA, college basketball or NHL regular-season games that would likely take their place. — Dan Wolken

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Quinn Ewers stepped up in overtime and helped No. 5 Texas pull out a thrilling 39-31 win against No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Ewers finished with 322 passing yards and four total touchdowns for the Longhorns, who led 14-0 early in the first quarter after a 75-yard punt return for a score by Silas Bolden but were held out of rhythm by the Sun Devils’ ball-control offense.

Arizona State held possession for nearly 38 minutes of regulation and ran 94 total plays for 495 yards, including 20 plays in the third quarter to the Longhorns’ five. Texas gained 375 yards on 60 plays and had just 53 rushing yards on 30 carries.

The Longhorns led 24-8 five minutes into the fourth quarter after Ewers scrambled for a short touchdown run.

The ASU gameplan eventually wore on Texas, however, helping the Sun Devils even the score at 24-24 after a 42-yard touchdown pass by running back Cam Skattebo with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter and a short Skattebo scoring run with five minutes remaining.

After a controversial non-call on a potential targeting penalty against Texas forced Arizona State to punt with just over a minute left, the Longhorns took possession at their 20-yard line and went 61 yards in eight plays to set up kicker Bert Auburn’s 38-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

But after he missed a longer attempt earlier in the fourth quarter, Auburn’s try doinked off the left upright to force extra frames.

The Sun Devils scored on another Skattebo touchdown run on their first overtime possession, with the drive extended on a key fourth-down conversion on a sneak from quarterback Sam Leavitt and his 16-yard run on third down to set up first-and-goal.

Texas’ overtime possession began with an incompletion, a run for no gain, a short gain on a completion on the left sideline and a false-start penalty. But needing 13 yards to convert on fourth down, Ewers laid a pass over the top of the Arizona State defense to Matthew Golden for a 28-yard touchdown to even the score at 31-31.

Starting on offense in the second frame, Ewers hit tight end Gunnar Helm for a 25-yard score on the first play and then found Golden for the two-point conversion to go ahead 39-31.

The Sun Devils’ second possession ended with Leavitt intercepted by Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba, sealing the win.

The Longhorns will next face the winner of the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State.

Defensively, the Longhorns focused on slowing down Skattebo, who entered the playoff ranked fifth in the Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards per game.

Skattebo was held in check for the first half but began to churn out yardage and make his presence felt in the third quarter. He finished with 141 rushing yards on 29 carries, a team-high 86 receiving yards and three combined scores, putting together perhaps the most impressive individual performance of the postseason.

With the Sun Devils failing to contain the Longhorns’ pass rush, ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt had to constantly scramble and throw on the run and finished 23 of 43 for 209 yards, averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt.

Ewers hit on 19 of his 29 attempts for the Longhorns. Quintrevion Wisner ran for 45 yards on 18 carries with 40 receiving yards and Golden had a game-high 149 yards and a touchdown.

The loss ends a dream season for the Sun Devils, who won just three games last season but stormed to the Big 12 crown and earned a bye into the quarterfinals by beating Iowa State in the conference championship game.

Quinn Ewers stepped up in overtime and helped No. 5 Texas pull out a thrilling 39-31 win against No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Ewers finished with 322 passing yards and four total touchdowns for the Longhorns, who led 14-0 early in the first quarter after a 75-yard punt return for a score by Silas Bolden but were held out of rhythm by the Sun Devils’ ball-control offense.

Arizona State held possession for nearly 38 minutes of regulation and ran 94 total plays for 495 yards, including 20 plays in the third quarter to the Longhorns’ five. Texas gained 375 yards on 60 plays and had just 53 rushing yards on 30 carries.

The Longhorns led 24-8 five minutes into the fourth quarter after Ewers scrambled for a short touchdown run.

The ASU gameplan eventually wore on Texas, however, helping the Sun Devils even the score at 24-24 after a 42-yard touchdown pass by running back Cam Skattebo with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter and a short Skattebo scoring run with five minutes remaining.

After a controversial non-call on a potential targeting penalty against Texas forced Arizona State to punt with just over a minute left, the Longhorns took possession at their 20-yard line and went 61 yards in eight plays to set up kicker Bert Auburn’s 38-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

But after he missed a longer attempt earlier in the fourth quarter, Auburn’s try doinked off the left upright to force extra frames.

The Sun Devils scored on another Skattebo touchdown run on their first overtime possession, with the drive extended on a key fourth-down conversion on a sneak from quarterback Sam Leavitt and his 16-yard run on third down to set up first-and-goal.

Texas’ overtime possession began with an incompletion, a run for no gain, a short gain on a completion on the left sideline and a false-start penalty. But needing 13 yards to convert on fourth down, Ewers laid a pass over the top of the Arizona State defense to Matthew Golden for a 28-yard touchdown to even the score at 31-31.

Starting on offense in the second frame, Ewers hit tight end Gunnar Helm for a 25-yard score on the first play and then found Golden for the two-point conversion to go ahead 39-31.

The Sun Devils’ second possession ended with Leavitt intercepted by Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba, sealing the win.

The Longhorns will next face the winner of the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State.

Defensively, the Longhorns focused on slowing down Skattebo, who entered the playoff ranked fifth in the Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards per game.

Skattebo was held in check for the first half but began to churn out yardage and make his presence felt in the third quarter. He finished with 141 rushing yards on 29 carries, a team-high 86 receiving yards and three combined scores, putting together perhaps the most impressive individual performance of the postseason.

With the Sun Devils failing to contain the Longhorns’ pass rush, ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt had to constantly scramble and throw on the run and finished 23 of 43 for 209 yards, averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt.

Ewers hit on 19 of his 29 attempts for the Longhorns. Quintrevion Wisner ran for 45 yards on 18 carries with 40 receiving yards and Golden had a game-high 149 yards and a touchdown.

The loss ends a dream season for the Sun Devils, who won just three games last season but stormed to the Big 12 crown and earned a bye into the quarterfinals by beating Iowa State in the conference championship game.

Cam Skattebo put Arizona State football on his back in the Peach Bowl, but his heroic efforts were not enough. 

The Texas Longhorns defeated the Sun Devils 39-31 in double overtime on Wednesday in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in Atlanta. Things looked dire for Arizona State in the fourth quarter as the Sun Devils trailed by as many as 16 points and their star running back appeared to be struggling on the sidelines.

The ESPN broadcast showed Skattebo battling fatigue on the bench. The network reported that Skattebo was trying to get in more fluids and catch his breath after he was “vomiting profusely’ on the sidelines, leaving his health status for the remainder of the game up in the air.

Skattebo not only reentered the game, but he led a comeback to force overtime.

Despite looking visibly exhausted, Skattebo checked back into the game and helped the Sun Devils score 16 unanswered points. Skattebo connected with WR Malik McClain for a 42-yard touchdown pass to cut the Longhorns’ lead to 24-16 with 6:31 remaining in the game. Following Arizona State’s interception of Texas QB Quinn Ewers the next possession, Skattebo rushed for a two-yard touchdown and then successfully converted a two-point conversion to tie the game 24-24 with 5:00 minutes remaining in the game. The Peach Bowl eventually went to overtime following Texas’ missed field goal that would have won the game.

In overtime, Skattebo gave the Sun Devils the lead on a three-yard touchdown run, but Texas answered back with two straight touchdowns to take the lead 39-31. Arizona State was unable to score on their next OT possession to give Texas the win.

Skattebo finished the game with 30 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to one 42-yard passing touchdown for a touchdown and eight receptions for 99 receiving yards.

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“You have been called to this kingdom for such a time as this.” — Esther 4:13-14.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — He stood in the empty locker room at State Farm Stadium, trying to make sense of it all. The loss, the end of a unique season. The sudden finality. 

But Boise State coach Spencer Danielson couldn’t stop evangelizing.

It’s so much more than proving you belong after a closer than it looked 34-14 loss to Penn State in the College Football Playoff. This is about proving what you’re doing works — even if it doesn’t fit in a now cash-based sport quickly losing its soul.

“We’re different,’ Danielson said. ‘What we are doing here is not happening in college football.” 

Now he’s getting lathered up. Now, after inviting USA TODAY Sports to spend the weekend with his team to see their process of equal parts coaching, development, accountability, and yes, love, the unraveling of college football is coming into focus.

He can’t hold back anymore.    

“You’ve got coaches and programs and administrations that now have golden handcuffs. They’re beholden to the money,” Danielson said. “They’ve changed what they believe to win games. They don’t want to, but everyone else is doing it. So what choice do they have?”

He pauses and runs his hands through his neatly brushed hair. He’s 36, and has been a head coach for all of 13 months, but believes deeply that he has been called to this moment, with this program.

There’s a plan for everyone, he says. When it’s placed so plainly in front of you, there’s no alternative.  

“Once you do that, once you change what you believe as a coach and a person,” Danielson continues, “You can never go back. Because you’ll have to change everything.”

Making sense of where college football is headed

Someone has to say it, he says. Someone has to make sense of where college football is headed. 

It would’ve had a much greater impact had Boise State not fallen apart in the fourth quarter after closing to a three-point deficit. A much greater impact after SEC big spenders Alabama and South Carolina – whining for the last month about missing the CFP – were embarrassed in bowl games.

As it is, it’s hard to ignore what has happened in 13 short months since Danielson was first named interim coach and eventually head coach at Boise State. They’ve won back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships for the first time in school history, and returned to national relevance for the first time in a decade. They earned a top four seed in the College Football Playoff, and the first-round bye that goes with it. 

They had a Heisman Trophy runner-up in star tailback Ashton Jeanty, who came within 27 yards of Barry Sanders’ immortal single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards. Jeanty, like Boise State, proved he deserved to be on the big stage, too — rushing for 104 tough yards on 30 carries against the No. 6 rush defense in the nation.

Long after the game, Penn State coach James Franklin found Jeanty as he walked from the Broncos’ locker room. He reached out and grabbed Jeanty’s hand and held tight. 

“I love the way you play, man,” Franklin said. “I love what you’re about, and how you carry yourself. We need more like you in our game.” 

Ashton Jeanty part of different college football model

This is real and tangible, everyone. A direct reflection of investing emotionally and physically over financially, and laying out a clear path to success on and off the field. 

Or the exact opposite of the current model.

Make no mistake, this isn’t about refusing to pay players. Boise State found a way to pay Jeanty what it could through its collective — but only after Jeanty turned down a $1 million dollar-plus deal from multiple Power Four conference schools.

He told USA TODAY Sports in October that he left “a lot” of money on the table because he was invested in Boise State, “and they were invested in developing me, the player and the person.” 

There’s no disconnect here. Danielson, like about every other coach, believes players deserve their fair share. It’s just that money and free player movement has dismantled the longstanding ideal of developing players and young men.

The idea of earning has been replaced by giving. And while some programs are flourishing, more and more are struggling because they’ve gotten away from what made them unique in the first place.

Now we have players suing coaches and collectives for broken deals, and collectives refusing to pay players who don’t perform or refuse to play. 

Nick Saban, the greatest coach in the sport’s history, left Alabama after last season because he was sick of it. If he’s over it, what does it say about the rest of the sport?

More to the point, what does it say about Boise State and the program Danielson has built — that the Broncos were in a one possession game with mighty Penn State late in the third quarter of a playoff game, and nearly pulled the unthinkable again?

Or that after Penn State pulled away and won, Boise State stayed on the field together for 20 minutes, eventually running a lap around the stadium – every player – to thank their fans. That just doesn’t happen anywhere else.

Not long after that and during the post-game press conference, the reality of what was built against the strong headwinds of free-flowing NIL cash came into clear focus. There was star defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein, who left a difficult home life in Cairo, Egypt, and eventually found his way to Boise State because his brother knew Danielson from their time together at Azusa Pacific College.

At halftime, with Boise State trailing 17-7, he stood in the middle of the locker room screaming, “This is ain’t no Cinderella story. We deserve to be here. This will not be my last game here.”

Now the end of his time at Boise State had set in, and it was crushing.

“Coach D,” Hassanein said, his voice halting through tears, “You saved my life. I want everyone to know that. You saved my life. I love you.”

Boise State culture is king

This journey began in November of 2023, when Boise State athletic director Jeremiah Dickey fired coach Andy Avalos and made Danielson the interim coach. 

Danielson walked into the team meeting room at Boise State, a hundred desperate faces hanging on his every word. The Broncos had five losses and a slim chance to reach the Mountain West championship game, and who in the world would blame both coaches and players for focusing on individual futures? 

“He said give me two weeks. That’s it, two weeks,” Jeanty said. “Grown men finish what they’ve started, and we don’t know where this thing will end.”

They’ve won 15 of 18 games since, including a three-point loss to Oregon in September, the loss to Penn State, and a loss to UCLA in a meaningless bowl game where Boise State played a quarterback who hadn’t thrown a college pass.

We’re nearly 13 months into it, and it hasn’t ended ― it’s growing despite the inherent financial disadvantages for Group of Five schools. Despite a program still in chase mode.

Because after all of those other power conference schools fail in the CFP and bowl games, they’re reloading with deep-pocket NIL collectives and the lure of playing in mega television games week after week.

They’re signing talent and changing what they do to make it fit, searching for some form of chemistry within the delicate dance of juggling individual NIL deals and personalities that may or may not be counterproductive.

By the time the season begins again in the fall of 2025, pay for play will likely have arrived in college football. The NCAA has agreed to a salary pool of an estimated $20 million per team — for those programs that can afford it. 

For those that can’t, there’s only one fallback position. And you can’t miss. 

“I still believe culture is king,” Dickey said. “As we professionalize our sport, I’m watching these other teams and how much money they have and the value of their franchises, they’re not always winning. It leads me back to culture, and our culture is Spencer.”

The right fit

This is how it works at the Group of Five level, when the travel budget is tight and larger conference comforts are a pipe dream for a critical conference game.

It’s mid-November in Laramie, Wyoming, and it’s cold and wet and there’s nothing fancy about it. Just a crummy Holiday Inn with no meeting space, and a team rolling in late because of travel delays.

Needless to say, Boise State wasn’t breaking routine.

The important Friday walk through, one last chance to get on the same page and zero in on the game plan, happened in the Holiday Inn parking lot. Ice on the ground, and  –get this – no lights. 

“Doesn’t matter. Just put the ball down, man,” said Boise State guard Ben Dooley. “Put the ball down and let us play.”     

There’s nothing pampered and sheltered about this program, or its players. Nothing that screams me over we.

You’re not going to find these guys on the Hot 100 recruiting board, or the best players available in the transfer portal. They just fit the mold of what Danielson is looking for, and are then developed into elite college players. Some into NFL talent. 

It’s players like Hassanein, who started playing football as a sophomore in high school and just needed an opportunity. Danielson, the Boise State defensive coordinator before being named head coach, signed him and developed him — and Hassanein had 23 sacks in the last two seasons, and will more than likely be a mid-round selection in the NFL draft.

It’s nose guard Herbert Gums, who had LSU, Arkansas and Missouri trying to sign him as a running back after a big junior season in high school, only to pull away after he gained weight to play defensive line. There was no better interior defensive lineman in the MWC this season, and he’ll be on someone’s NFL camp roster next summer. 

It’s quarterback Maddux Madsen, whose father named him after major league pitcher Greg Maddux — and it couldn’t be more fitting. Madsen is listed as 5-feet-10, 203 pounds, and he’s an inch shy and a suitcase short of those numbers.

He doesn’t have the strongest arm or the most dynamic ability (hello, Greg Maddux), and if he shaved an admittedly cheesy mustache, he’d look like the 15-year-old down the street who mows your lawn. But he’s a baby-faced assassin on the field: a tough and fearless gamer, and the perfect compliment to Jeanty.

He threw three interceptions against Penn State, matching his season total. He was inconsolable in the locker room afterward, a towel draped over his head and face. 

“We’re not here without you,” Jeanty told him. “We win and lose together.”

A light on the hill

An hour before kickoff, Danielson walked through the locker room and said he was going to pray on the field. Anyone who was interested was welcome. 

Some joined, some stayed in the locker room. 

It’s a controversial option within his program, and he knows it. He’s a believer, and he’d walk away tomorrow if he was told he couldn’t speak about his faith to those who wanted to hear it. 

Earlier this summer, Jeanty asked Danielson to officiate his baptism. Not long after that, a group of players showed up at Danielson’s office and asked the same. 

So they walked down two flights of stairs to the field access at Albertson’s Stadium, and walked across the street and into the Boise River. 

“He and I talk about that a lot,” Dickey said. “For so long, I tended to hide who I was in this industry. I’m not going to do that, and I don’t want him to do that. It’s not force-fed, he’s not loading up the bus and driving players to church. I told Spencer I’ve sold my soul long enough in life that I’m not going to operate in fear around something so important to me.”

They gathered together on the field minutes after the loss to Penn State. The confetti was flying and the Lions were celebrating and everything they worked so hard for was happening for someone else.

“You guys are so much more than this moment,” Danielson said. “Never settle for less. We’ve established a standard. We will be the light on the hill.”

An hour later, the locker room was clearing and the journey was officially over. For now.

The start of the new season with offseason workouts is days away. 

“Wipe those tears off your face,” cornerback Jeremiah Earby said aloud. “We’re going back to work.”

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

With each passing year, another wave of up-and-coming athletes across the world of sports have breakout seasons, emerging into all-out stars.

In 2024, it was Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese making their first WNBA All-Star appearances as rookies. Paul Skenes making his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Or even Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels emerging as a fringe MVP candidate.

Now, who will be the breakout sports stars of 2025?

Here are 10 athletes that USA TODAY Sports staff writers identified as being poised for a big year in 2025 − including some up-and-comers who could become stars, and a few young phenoms who could ascend into superstardom.

Soon-to-be WNBA guard Paige Bueckers

On its face, it might seem like a bit of a stretch to include Bueckers on this list, given her track record of collegiate success and the fact that she already counts Gatorade and Nike among her commercial partners. But with UConn a strong contender to make another Final Four run, and Bueckers the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, 2025 could see her springboard into another level of stardom.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini was just a few weeks past his 18th birthday when the San Jose Sharks selected him No. 1 overall in last summer’s NHL draft. Though he missed most of October with an injury, he has emerged as one of the team’s key playmakers − racking up 22 points in his first 22 games. More production, and a potential rookie of the year award, could follow in 2025.

Rutgers guard Dylan Harper

Figure skater Ilia Malinin

Malinin, 20, is already one of the biggest stars in his sport — the reigning world champion and only man in history to land the quadruple axel in international competition. But next year, as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan approach and the excitement around Team USA starts to build, he will very likely start to become a household name.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning

After spending the better part of two seasons on the bench, Manning seems likely to take over as Texas’ starter in 2025. And, if his performances in spot duty this year are any indication, he could quickly establish himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in college football — and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, to boot.

Soon-to-be MLB pitcher Rōki Sasaki

Every few years, a Japanese baseball star makes a ballyhooed move to MLB — and Sasaki is next in line. Over four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he recorded a 2.02 ERA with nearly six strikeouts per walk, showing off a debilitating slider and a fastball that touches 100 mph. It remained unclear, as of Dec. 20, where Sasaki would land in MLB, though the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs have reportedly been among the teams interested.

Tennis player Ben Shelton

The former Florida Gator made a stunning run to the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Open and climbed as high as No. 13 in the ATP world rankings earlier this year. But 2025 could be the year Shelton, who turned 22 in October, finally cracks the top 10 and begins to more regularly make deeper runs in major tournaments.

Soon-to-be NFL quarterback Cam Ward

This is in part a reflection of Ward’s sparkling performance in 2024 — when he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting — and in part a guess as to where he might land in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. Some prognosticators have linked the Miami quarterback to the New York Giants, where he would likely start from Day 1 and be equipped with a solid group of receivers and backs, led by wideout Malik Nabers.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama

How could the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and reigning rookie of the year possibly be on this list? Because, believe it or not, it still doesn’t feel like Wembanyama has ‘broken out’ just yet. In the early part of the 2024-25 season, he’s already shown improvement in key areas, including scoring and 3-point shooting. And by this time next year, he will almost certainly have made his first All-Star team.

Ajax and U.S. midfielder Lily Yohannes

Yohannes was just 16 years old when she received her first call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in March. And in November, at 17, she formally committed to representing the U.S. (over the Netherlands, where she plays for Ajax) on the international stage. Amid a spate of big-name retirements in recent years, Yohannes figures to be part of the young core that will lead the Americans through qualifying and into the 2027 World Cup.

Honorable mentions

Real Madrid striker Endrick; Duke forward Cooper Flagg; UConn guard Azzi Fudd; future NFL player Travis Hunter; skier Lauren Macuga; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy; Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov; Manchester United and U.S. women’s soccer goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood

USA TODAY Sports writers Nancy Armour, Mike Brehm, Chris Bumbaca, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, Lorenzo Reyes, Jesse Yomtov and Jeff Zillgitt contributed to this report.

Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans truck attack early Wednesday morning, his brother, TCU standout Jack Bech, confirmed on social media.

Jack Bech led the Horned Frogs with 1,039 receiving yards and nine touchdowns this season, emerging as one of the best receivers in the country in 2024. Tiger Bech, 28, was an All-Ivy League performer, spending three seasons at Princeton from 2016-18.

‘Love you always brother,’ Bech wrote on X. ‘You inspired me (every day) now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.’

Tiger Bech’s death was first confirmed by Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Tiger Bech attended. Broussard told KLFY, a local news station in Louisiana, that Tiger Bech died late Wednesday morning after he was placed on life support until his family could arrive.

The suspect, identified by the FBI as Shamsud Din Jabbar, drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, injuring more than 30 and killing at least 10 in the attack.

Jack Bech, a Biletnikoff semifinalist this season, declared for the 2025 NFL draft before TCU’s bowl game. The former LSU receiver leaves college with 133 career receptions for 1,869 yards with 13 touchdowns in four seasons. The College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 2 Georgia, scheduled for Wednesday night at the Sugar Bowl, was postponed to Thursday night after the attack.

Saquon Barkley won’t get a chance to break the NFL single-season rushing record after all.

The Philadelphia Eagles running back won’t play in the team’s Week 18 game against the New York Giants, coach Nick Sirianni announced Wednesday. The Eagles are already locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Sirianni said other starters would also sit out the contest.

Barkley has 2,005 rushing yards on the season, leaving him 101 short of breaking the single-season record Eric Dickerson set in 1984. With 167 yards on a season-high 31 carries last week in a 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys last week, he became just the ninth running back in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 yards.

‘Obviously it’s a very special record that’s been standing for a very long time by a great player,’ Sirianni said Wednesday. ‘It’s a team record that everybody’s involved in. You weigh all those things. But at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team.’

All things Eagles: Latest Philadelphia Eagles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Sirianni was initially noncommittal after the win over the Cowboys on whether Barkley would play in the regular-season finale, saying he would consult Eagles brass and players before making a decision. Barkley said he would be content however the coach chose to proceed.

‘Whatever his decision is, I’m all for it,’ Barkley said. ‘If his mindset is, we’ll go out there and try it, I’ll go out there and try it. If his mindset is, let’s rest and get ready for this run, I’m all for that, too. … I came here to do something special. Breaking a record is special, but I want a banner up there. I think we all do.’

‘These people who say, ‘records are meant to be broken,’ you ain’t got no record,’ Dickerson told Bell. ‘You don’t have one. When you get those records, you want to hang on to them. No matter if it was in bowling and you had 30 strikes in a row, you don’t want nobody to break that.’

Saquon Barkley stats

Barkley has 2,005 rushing yards on 345 carries this season, which are both personal and NFL bests, along with 13 rushing touchdowns.

The seventh-year veteran also has 33 catches for 278 receiving yards. He also leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,283 and touches with 378.

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This story has been updated with new information.

Bryce James, the youngest son of Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James, announced Wednesday that he is committing to the University of Arizona.

James, a 6-foot-6 190-pound senior guard at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, Calif, made the announcement on social media. 

James’ older brother, Bronny, attended USC for one season before declaring for the NBA draft, with the Lakers drafting him with the 55th overall pick in June. He has played in seven games this season for the Lakers, scoring four points. On Oct. 22, LeBron and Bronny became the NBA’s first father-son duo to play together on the same team and in the same game.

Bronny James spends most of them with the G-league South Bay Lakers, averaging 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

Bryce James, currently a three-star recruit, has an opportunity to become a lottery pick whenever he declares for the draft, as he can score at different levels and has a more developed outside shot than his younger brother at this point in his career. He can improve on his playmaking and will need to bulk up to had pounds to his 190-pound frame.

As the ball drops on a new year, a glance back at the highs and lows from 2024 in the NFL universe… 

Best return to the NFL:Jim Harbaugh. A year ago, Harbaugh was on the runway to a national championship with the University of Michigan. Now he’s headed back to the NFL playoffs, guiding the Chargers to a big rebound from a 5-12 finish in 2023 while showing that wherever he goes, he wins. 

Worst stupidity:Rashee Rice. The Kansas City Chiefs receiver had the audacity to engage in a drag race on North Central Expressway in Dallas in March. Fortunately, no one was killed in the ensuing wreck that resulted in multiple felony charges for the man who jeopardized a promising career. That he walked away from the accident scene was a bad look, too. 

Best career revival:Sam Darnold. Once kicked to the curb by the New York Jets, who drafted the quarterback third overall in 2018, who knew? Darnold (who also had pit stops in Carolina and San Francisco) has finally lived up to his promise in a big way after landing with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract. We’ll see if this extends into a long-term arrangement, seeing that the Vikings drafted the now-rehabbing J.J. McCarthy in the first round in April. Regardless, in leading the team to a share of the NFL’s best record (14-2), Darnold put himself back on the map as an MVP candidate and a legit QB option in a league always short on legit QBs. 

Worst political stunt:Nick Bosa. The 49ers defensive end showed off his bad manners by butting into a live postgame interview on NBC and flashing a MAGA hat. He was ultimately fined $11,255 – not for supporting Donald Trump, but for violating the league’s uniform policy. Bosa saw it as money well-spent, but his reluctance to explain his stance was disturbing on another level – and quite a contrast to the willingness years earlier that another high-profile 49er, Colin Kaepernick, had in explaining why he took a knee during the national anthem. 

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Best emergency kicker:Matthew Wright. A journeyman who has had stints with eight NFL teams since 2019 – including multiple stints with four teams – Wright made a 31-yard walk-off field goal in December that allowed the Chiefs to clinch a ninth consecutive A-West title. Wright, 28, was on his third tour with the Chiefs and kicked for four teams during the 2024 calendar year. The Chiefs, by the way, became the first team in NFL history to win three games in a season with walk-off field goals … by three different kickers. And Wright, incidentally, was waived by the Chiefs three days after earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors because Harrison Butker was activated off injured reserve. 

Worst return on investment:Kirk Cousins. In March, the Atlanta Falcons signed the veteran quarterback, coming off a torn Achilles, to a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract that guaranteed $100 million. In December, Cousins – with an NFL-high 16 interceptions – was benched and replaced by first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. Sure, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is rich. But a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 could have used the dollars it sank into Cousins, 34, to acquire other talent. And Cousins’ successor with the Vikings, Sam Darnold, proved to be a bargain with a one-year, $10 million deal. The Cousins transaction also cost Atlanta a fifth-round pick in 2025 as the league determined the team violated its anti-tampering policy. 

Best improvisation: Josh Allen. It has been a season of big plays for the Buffalo Bills quarterback, the first player in league history to account for 40 touchdowns (passing and rushing) in five consecutive seasons. No play was bigger than Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run against the Chiefs in November, when the quarterback went off-script and decided to bolt from the pocket rather than throw a short pass on fourth-and-two. It sealed the victory that spoiled the Chiefs’ bid for a perfect season and snapped a 15-game winning streak. 

Worst legendary impact:Aaron Rodgers. This tour with the New York Jets just didn’t work out for the four-time NFL MVP. After his 2023 season was blown up by a torn Achilles tendon, the encore act included the firing of coach Robert Saleh, a 4-12 record (to this point) and the worst season of Rodgers’ career. No, the reunion with Davante Adams wasn’t a game-changer. This all begs for a darkness retreat. 

Best emerging legend:Jayden Daniels, whose highlight package includes the 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown in October, is the star quarterback the Washington Commanders prayed for. Drafted second overall, he’s a shoo-in for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after leading the Commanders to their first winning record since 2016 and first playoff berth since 2020. Along the way, Daniels became the first quarterback in the 105-year history of the NFL to throw a touchdown pass in the final 30 seconds of five different victories. Legendary stuff. 

Worst trash-talker: Tyrique Stevenson. The Chicago Bears cornerback taunted fans at Washington as he headed to the end zone to set up for a last-second desperation heave by the Commanders. Then he ate some serious crow. Not only did the Commanders execute the miracle pass, but Stevenson deflected the football after having to hustle to get himself in position to play “Hail Mary” defense. Oops. Moral of the episode: Shut up and play. 

Best celebration:Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum. The Vikings safeties celebrated an interception in mid-December with a flawless rendition of the club scene dance that Shawn and Marlon Wayans performed in the movie “White Chicks.” It’s tough to pick one because nobody celebrates quite like the Vikings, who prepare with ample rehearsals. Other creative efforts include the “secret handshake” from “The Parent Trap” and the choregraphed “We’re All in this Together” dance from “High School Musical.” 

Best free-agent pickup:Saquon Barkley. Life as a Philadelphia Eagle is, well, soaring for the star running back who became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and heads into the regular-season finale needing just 101 yards to break the single-season rushing record (2,105 yards) that Eric Dickerson set in 1984. That Barkley can achieve the mark against the New York Giants is a reminder of how much his former team erred in failing to lock him up with a long-term extension, opting instead to invest in since-released quarterback Daniel Jones. Then there’s the priceless footage from HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” when Giants co-owner John Mara was recorded while pondering a Barkley move to an NFC East rival. Mara mused, “I’ll have a tough time sleeping.” What a nightmare for Mara. 

Worst commencement speech: Harrison Butker. When the Chiefs kicker addressed graduates at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, he ignited backlash that was so intense the NFL issued a statement distancing itself from Butker’s remarks. The kicker took on abortion, homosexuality, Pride Month, COVID-19 vaccinations and urged female grads to embrace becoming homemakers. The Chiefs didn’t follow suit with a newspaper editorial or online petition to cut their star specialist but instead made a statement about the separation of church, state, performance and freedom of speech: They signed Butker to a four-year, $25.6 million extension that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker. 

Best pick-six:Leonard Williams. He went 92 yards. Then hit the oxygen. The Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman marked his return to the Big Apple in early December and burned his former team, and Aaron Rodgers, with his long-distance rumble to paydirt – the longest interception-return touchdown ever by a D-lineman and longest by a player weighing at least 300 pounds since the turn of the century. Williams, who played five seasons each with the Giants and Jets, also collected two sacks on his banner day. 

Worst Super Bowl hangover. The San Francisco 49ers. It’s been a season of disaster for the defending NFC champions (6-10), who have fallen from first to worst in the NFC West. Where did it go off track? Injuries, most notably to star running back Christian McCaffrey, greatly contributed to their plight. Then again, maybe it would have been different if 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had opted to kick off to the Chiefs after winning the overtime coin toss. 

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell