Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry hurdles Rutgers defensive back Joe Lusardi during the Demon Deacons’ 38-10 win in the Gator Bowl on Friday in Jacksonville, Florida. Corey Perrine/The Florida Times-Union via the Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sam Hartman tossed three touchdown passes, two of them to tight end Brandon Chapman, and No. 20 Wake Forest beat Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl on Friday to reach 11 wins for the second time in program history.
Hartman completed 23 of 39 passes for 304 yards. He added 21 yards rushing and pushed his touchdown total to 50 this season – 39 passing and 11 rushing.
The Demon Deacons (11-3) controlled the game from the start, scoring on their first three drives and opening a double-digit lead just before halftime. It played out about as expected, given that Rutgers (5-8) was a late replacement for 23rd-ranked Texas A&M.
The Aggies pulled out because of a lack of available players due to injuries, opt-outs, transfers and COVID-19 issues. The NCAA gave Rutgers the first shot at filling the void because it had the highest Academic Progress Rate score of all the eligible 5-7 teams.
Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano hastily gathered his players from Christmas break and held two practices in a heated bubble before heading south. They got in two more in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach this week before taking the field.
Nonetheless, they looked far from ready to face one of the nation’s best offenses.
Wake Forest averaged a program-best 41.9 points coming into the game, which ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and fifth in the nation.
The Demon Deacons finished with 450 yards. They converted 8 of 14 third downs and their lone fourth-down try.
SUN BOWL: Lew Nichols III ran for 130 yards and a touchdown, leading late replacement Central Michigan to a 24-21 victory over Washington State in El Paso, Texas.
The Chippewas (9-4) ended a five-game bowl losing streak with their fifth consecutive victory this season. When Boise State opted out of the Arizona Bowl because of COVID-19 issues, Central Michigan switched to the Sun Bowl in place of Miami (Florida), which also dropped out for COVID-19 reasons.
Washington State (7-6) never could get its offense going in the first half, gaining just 53 yards and trailing 21-0 at the break.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(18) KENTUCKY 92, HIGH POINT 48: Kellan Grady spoiled Tubby Smith’s return to Rupp Arena, making seven 3-pointers to lead the Wildcats (11-2) to a victory over the Panthers (6-8).
Smith coached Kentucky for 10 years from 1997-2007, winning the NCAA title in 1998. The High Point alum was hired to coach the Panthers in March 2018.
Kentucky honored Smith with a raised jersey in Rupp, but the Wildcats weren’t very hospitable during the game.
Grady finished with 23 points. TyTy Washington had 15 points and nine assists, and Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
EASTERN CONNECTICUT 86, BOWDOIN 64: Jalen Williams scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half as the Warriors (7-4) jumped out to a 21-point lead and beat the Polar Bears (8-4) in Willimantic, Connecticut.
Max Lee added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas Close had 13 points for Eastern Connecticut.
Cole Hanin scored 15 points, Taiga Kagitomi 13 and Xander Werkman 12 for Bowdoin.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(9) MICHIGAN 90, (25) OHIO STATE 71: Naz Hillmon had 29 points and 15 rebounds – her 40th career double-double – leading the Wolverines (12-1, 3-0 Big Ten) to a win over the short-handed Buckeyes (9-3, 1-2) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan led wire-to-wire, pushing its lead to double digits with a 12-3 run to end the first half up 45-31. The Wolverines scored the first nine points of the second half to push the lead to 23. A 12-3 run helped Ohio State cut the deficit to 67-53 heading to the fourth before Michigan pulled away again.
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