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NEW ORLEANS — Notre Dame‘s 23-10 victory against Georgia in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday might have been a 60-minute informercial on how to effectively use the transfer portal.

Nearly a half-dozen transfers who joined the No. 7 Fighting Irish before the 2024 season helped them capture one of their biggest victories in decades against the No. 2 Bulldogs. It was Notre Dame’s 13th win of the season, the most in program history, and it snapped an eight-game losing streak in BCS/New Year’s Six bowl games.

The Irish couldn’t have knocked off the Bulldogs without transfers such as quarterback Riley Leonard, defensive end RJ Oben, kick returner Jayden Harrison, receiver Beaux Collins and kicker Mitch Jeter, who made big play after big play at Caesar’s Superdome.

Notre Dame advanced to play No. 6 Penn State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9.

“I see the work they put in, and I’ve seen their process they’ve gone through, and I’m just so proud of them to see them come up big,” Irish linebacker Jack Kiser said. “There’s a ton of firsts this year. It’s been an awesome ride. But it just shows that we’ve earned one more and we’re excited for that guaranteed opportunity to come, and we’re not going to take anything for granted. We’re going to seize the opportunity.”

Leonard, who played three seasons at Duke before transferring for his senior season, essentially carried the Fighting Irish offense on his back. He threw for 90 yards with one touchdown on 15-for-24 passing and ran 14 times for 80 yards.

“They’re a very physical group,” Leonard said. “They brought a lot of pressure today, but I think we handled it pretty well and stayed behind the chains early in the game, and then kind of figured it out a little bit. I was struggling in the passing game, but, shoot, that opens up the run game. And we were able to utilize our abilities and execute when it mattered.”

Leonard’s rushing total was the fourth highest by a quarterback in a CFP game, according to ESPN Research, and his 831 rushing yards this season are the second most in a season by a Notre Dame quarterback (Tony Rice had 884 in 1989).

Several of Leonard’s biggest runs against Georgia came on third down, and he lowered his shoulder to convert a few of them.

Oben, Leonard’s former Duke teammate, turned in the biggest defensive play of the game. With the Fighting Irish leading 6-3 late in the first half, Oben sacked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton from his blind side and caused him to fumble.

Irish defensive tackle Junior Tuihalamaka recovered the ball at the Georgia 13 with 33 seconds left in the half. On the next play, Leonard threw a 13-yard touchdown to Collins, a transfer receiver from Clemson.

Oben, a senior from Montclair, New Jersey, didn’t have a sack in his first season at Notre Dame before Thursday. He had piled up 14 in the previous three seasons at Duke.

“It’s been amazing,” Oben said. “Things haven’t always gone the way I wanted them to, but this is the reason I came here, and I’m so happy to go through this experience with my team. I know Riley can take this team as far as it can go, and I’m so glad we’ve been able to keep playing together.”

Oben moved into the starting lineup against Georgia after senior Rylie Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 27-17 win over Indiana in a CFP first-round game Dec. 20.

“These guys don’t always control the amount of plays they get,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “Those are determined by your coaching staff in terms of what they need out of your role for this game. RJ is a guy that no matter what the role is that’s determined for him, he puts everything into it.

“And when you have that mindset and you have that work ethic, good things like what happened today happen to you. And if you’re sitting here and complaining about why you’re not playing more than the next guy, then you know what? You’re not putting everything into making the most out of your opportunity.”

Harrison, a Marshall transfer, helped the Irish put the Bulldogs in an even deeper hole when he returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

It was the longest kickoff return in the postseason in Notre Dame history and the second longest in Sugar Bowl history. Florida’s Andre Debose had a 100-yard return in a 33-23 victory against Louisville in 2013.

“The whole journey has been a blessing, and things happen for a reason,” said Harrison, who was second in the FBS with a 30.7-yard average on kickoff returns at Marshall last season. “We’re all in this together. Georgia was a great team, but my guys executed play after play after play.”

Jeter converted all three of his field goal attempts, each one from longer than 40 yards. The transfer from South Carolina had been 5-for-9 on such attempts before Thursday.

ESPN’s David Hale contributed to this report.

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Longtime Islanders forward Clutterbuck retires

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Longtime Islanders forward Clutterbuck retires

Longtime New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday after 17 seasons.

Clutterbuck, 37, spent his last 11 seasons with the Islanders before sitting out the 2024-25 season.

“Hockey gave me everything — a purpose, a brotherhood, and a lifetime of memories,” Clutterbuck wrote on Instagram. “To (longtime linemates) Matt (Martin) and Casey (Cizikas) — it was an honor to go to war with you night in and night out. What we built together means more than words can say. And to the Islanders faithful — your passion, loyalty, and love made Long Island home. Thank you all. On to the next chapter.”

Clutterbuck, who is the NHL’s all-time hits leader with 4,029, recorded 293 points (143 goals, 150 assists) and 698 penalty minutes in 1,064 career games with the Minnesota Wild and Islanders.

The Ontario native was selected by the Wild in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft.

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Bruins CEO vows return to playoffs next season

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Bruins CEO vows return to playoffs next season

Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs vowed that his team would return to the playoffs next season despite finishing in last place and trading away several players at the deadline.

“We’ve spoken at great length about this: The team that we currently have, [if] healthy and with the additions we intend to make this summer, I anticipate that we’ll have a playoff team and play meaningful hockey at this time of year in 2026,” he said.

The Bruins were last in the Atlantic Division (76 points) with their lowest standings points percentage (.463) in 18 seasons. The team fired head coach Jim Montgomery 20 games into the season and traded popular veteran players such as captain Brad Marchand, center Charlie Coyle and defenseman Brandon Carlo at the deadline.

“We fell way short and it’s disappointing for us,” team president Cam Neely said. “It’s disappointing for our fan base. They deserve better. They’ve supported us for a hundred-plus years. This gives us an opportunity to regroup a little bit, reset and build back better.”

GM Don Sweeney laid out a plan for that quick build back to contention. The first target is to add more offense, specifically on the wings.

“The scoring potential of our group needs to be increased and addressed this summer,” said Sweeney, whose team was 28th in the NHL in goals per game despite a 43-goal campaign from star David Pastrnak.

Sweeney said he wants the Bruins to get back to their core identity of being a strong defensive team in front of effective goaltending. Both Jeremy Swayman, in the first year of an eight-year, $66 million contract extension, and Joonas Korpisalo were in the negatives for goals saved above expected this season.

“Our goaltenders previously have been really, really good. This year, they weren’t as good. That’s fact. And our team in front of them didn’t defend with the same level of conviction,” he said.

Then there’s the aspect the Bruins hope turns around for next season: health. Key defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm both missed significant time last season.

To orchestrate all of this, Sweeney and Neely have to decide on the next head coach of the Bruins. Joe Sacco went 25-30-7 as an interim coach. Sweeney said Sacco has been informed that there will be a coaching search and that he’ll be a finalist for the job. The coaching search process is underway for Boston.

Sacco led the Avalanche to a 130-134-40 record from 2009-2014 and was a finalist for coach of the year in his first season. He spent 10 years as a Bruins assistant before being promoted for the rest of the season when Jim Montgomery was fired.

Sweeney is facing some uncertainty himself. He has been the Bruins’ general manager since May 2015, but is entering the last year of his contract. Neely said he’s debating whether or not to extend Sweeney.

“I’m still contemplating what the best course of action is. I really feel like Don has done a good job here, for the most part,” Neely said.

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Avs’ Landeskog, out 3 years, could return Game 3

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Avs' Landeskog, out 3 years, could return Game 3

DENVER — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog could play in his first NHL game in nearly three years on Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars.

Landeskog was the first player to take the ice at morning practice ahead of Game 3. He went through a series of shooting drills before his teammates joined him. Should Landeskog play, it would be his first NHL appearance since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. He has been sidelined because of a chronically injured right knee.

“We’ll see,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said about the possibility of Landeskog suiting up. Earlier in the day on Altitude Sports Radio — the station for the Avalanche — Bednar said, “There’s a good chance that he’s going to play tonight.”

Asked what criteria he would use in making a determination, Bednar simply responded: “Gut feeling.”

Colorado’s first-round series with Dallas is tied at 1-1.

Landeskog’s presence on the ice could provide a big boost not only for his teammates but also for the capacity crowd. His No. 92 sweater is a frequent sight around the arena.

“Everyone is rooting for him. It’s a great comeback story,” Bednar said after morning skate. “I trust in Gabe’s preparation, and what I’m seeing with my own eyes that he’s getting close and ready to play. I think he feels really good about where he’s at.

“Adding him back into our locker room, he’s almost an extension of the coaching staff, but he’s still one of the guys and the guy that everyone looks up to. You can’t get enough of that this time of the year.”

Landeskog’s injury goes back to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of teammate Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.

He was activated Monday before Game 2 in Dallas and skated in pregame warmups but didn’t play.

Stars forward Matt Duchene was teammates with Landeskog and they remain good friends.

“We’ve been rooting for him to come back,” said Duchene, who was the third overall pick by Colorado in 2009. “Obviously, it makes our job harder having a guy like that out there, but on the friends side, the human side and the fellow athlete side, I think everyone’s happy to see the progress he’s made. … I’m just really happy that he’s gotten to this point.”

The 32-year-old Landeskog recently went through a two-game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. He has practiced with the Avalanche leading up to their opener in the NHL playoffs.

“He’s looking good so we’ll see where things go,” Makar said. “For him, I know it’s going to be a huge night when he does play. It’s going to be really exciting for us to have him back in the room and have the captain back.”

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