Defending ACC champ Clemson sets CFP goal

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2023

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David Hale, ESPN Staff WriterJul 27, 2023, 04:40 PM ET
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- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clemson is the defending ACC champion, but after two straight seasons outside the College Football Playoff, players said they won’t be satisfied with less than a national title in 2023.

“We’re not going to look down on an 11-3 ACC championship season,” QB Cade Klubnik said at Thursday’s ACC Kickoff event. “There’s a lot of teams that wish they could have that type of year. But at the end of the day, that’s our goal, is winning a national championship. Last year was a good year, but we’ve got bigger goals.”

Clemson went to the College Football Playoff every season from 2015 through 2020, including national titles in 2016 and 2018, but the Tigers have lost three games in each of the past two years.

The Tigers were in position for a playoff berth in 2022, but a late collapse against South Carolina in the regular-season finale ended their hopes.

“We’ve had 12 really, really good years in a row,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s hard to get to a final four when there’s 133 teams trying to do it. We’ve been there as much as anybody. If not going eight years in a row means we stink, well, I guess we stink, but maybe we can get back there this year and be able to say we went seven out of the last nine years. That would be a pretty cool accomplishment.”

After last year’s bowl loss to Tennessee, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter — the first firing on his staff since defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was let go after the 2011 season — and brought in Garrett Riley to call plays.

Riley helped TCU to the national championship game last season, and Swinney expects him to spark a Clemson offense that has sputtered frequently since Trevor Lawrence departed for the NFL two years ago.

“We’ve got to be better in our pass offense and our pass defense, and if we keep everything else the same,” Swinney said. “We were one play away last year, one point from being in the playoff. And if you get in the playoff, anything’s possible. So we’ve just got to improve in some areas we weren’t quite as good last year.”

Clemson tracks offseason metrics on strength and speed numbers, and Swinney said this year’s team has the most players running 20 mph since they began monitoring speed in 2014, as well as a record number of players hitting personal records in the weight room. Clemson also charts things like “accountability,” and Swinney said this year’s squad has been among his best at that, too.

“This is the most accountable team we’ve had in six or seven years,” Swinney said. “What does that mean? I don’t know, but it’s a good indication of the type of focus you have and the type of leadership you have.”

For players like defensive tackle Tyler Davis, who lost the 2019 national championship game to LSU as a freshman, those metrics show a focus from this year’s team on winning a title that has eluded him throughout his career.

“That’s the reason I came back is to win a national championship,” Davis said. “It’s not a [national title or] bust, but my goal is to win a national championship.”

Clemson opens the 2023 season against Duke on Sept. 4.

Sports

Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

Published

11 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

ESPN News Services

May 11, 2025, 12:12 AM ET

EDMONTON, Alberta — Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left on a shot that deflected in off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl‘s stick to give the Vegas Golden Knights a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Smith’s goal is tied for the latest game winner in regulation in Stanley Cup playoffs history along with Nazem Kadri‘s goal for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 and Jussi Jokinen’s goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009, according to ESPN Research.

“Honestly, I’ve seen [Vegas forward William Karlsson] use that play a few times where he forechecks and spins it out in front of the net, jumping off the bench,” Smith said when asked about the play. “I think there was around seven seconds. I just tried. And being first on it. … So I thought there was a chance. And once it popped out I saw a lot of guys sell out. So I just hope that I had enough time to kind of pump-fake and find a lane and, you know, worked out.”

The game-winning goal came after Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 to go with a centering pass that went in off defender Brayden McNabb‘s skate.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate,” Draisaitl said of the game-winning goal. “It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce.”

After Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in a 54-second span late in the first period. Karlsson put the Golden Knights in front with 2:55 left in the second, beating goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with Noah Hanifin. And Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ win Saturday cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.

“Before the series starts, if you were to tell us that we were gonna be up 2-1 after three, we’d be happy,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’d be pleased with that, not only up 2-1, but Game 4 at home.”

Vegas rallied in the first period after Golden Knights forward Mark Stone left because of an upper-body injury.

“Big win for our team,” Smith said. “We need to use the momentum in front of us to push forward, but focus one game at a time. That’s kind of always been the mindset for this group. We have a lot of resiliency. So as long as you focus on that next game and get a little bit better every night.”

Roy, playing a day after being fined but not suspended for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face in overtime in Game 2, cut it to 2-1 off a rebound with 4:43 left in the first. Smith then slipped a backhander through Skinner’s legs with 3:49 to go in the period.

Skinner stopped 20 shots, taking over in goal for the injured Calvin Pickard. Pickard appeared uncomfortable and was seen shaking out his left leg after Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

No timetable for DH Bryant’s return to Rockies

Published

12 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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No timetable for DH Bryant's return to Rockies

Associated Press

May 10, 2025, 08:05 PM ET

DENVER — For the next week or so, Kris Bryant will be restricted to not much more than a casual walk as he recovers from a procedure to fix his chronically bothersome back.

The Colorado Rockies designated hitter just hopes this finally alleviates the pain. Bryant returned to town after recently traveling to Los Angeles to undergo a procedure referred to as an ablation, which is designed to interrupt pain signals being sent from the back to the brain. He explained Saturday that it took roughly 45 minutes.

“I feel like I got stabbed in the back right now,” Bryant said before the Rockies played the San Diego Padres. “Not ideal, but I’m in good spirits.”

Once he’s cleared for more than a light stroll, Bryant will return to the weight room in an effort to build strength. There’s no timetable for a return to baseball activities quite yet.

“Just got to let nature take its course,” manager Bud Black explained.

Bryant’s currently on the injured list with lumbar degenerative disk disease, which involves the deterioration of the spinal disks that act as cushions between the vertebrae. It’s his ninth stint on the IL since 2022 due to a series of health issues.

His back has gotten to the point where cortisone shots no longer work. That’s why he had the ablation procedure. Anything to avoid back surgery.

“I don’t want to get to that point. I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Bryant said. “Just trying to check boxes as they go. We tried all the other, I guess you say, conservative treatments, or more traditional approaches with cortisone shots. They just didn’t work for me. So this was another step along the way.”

“I’m willing to try anything,” added Bryant, whose pain at times has brought on nausea. “It’s weighed on me, for sure. It just sucks.”

The 33-year-old Bryant is hitting .154 this season with no homers, one RBI, 13 strikeouts in 11 games.

Bryant has been limited to 170 games with Colorado since signing a $182 million, seven-year contract before the 2022 season. He’s suffered from an array of injuries, including plantar fasciitis, a bone bruise in his foot, heel issues, a broken finger, a back strain, a lower rib contusion and back problems.

“Right now I feel like I’m in a good spot,” said Bryant, the 2016 NL MVP with the Chicago Cubs. “It just wears on you. It’s not an easy thing for me to deal with but doing the best I can with a pretty crappy situation.”

He hasn’t set any sort of baseball goals quite yet.

“It’s really just one day at a time,” Bryant said. “Just continuing to do everything I can that’s in my power — and the training staff’s power — to find a way to navigate this.”