Good morning to everyone but especially to...
ARKANSAS
Kansas got off to its first 5-0 start since 2009 this season, but an injury to quarterback Jalon Daniels resulted in a second-half pendulum shift that left the Jayhawks 6-6. Last night's Liberty Bowl between Kansas and Arkansas was an encapsulation of the Jayhawks' seesaw season -- but in reverse, Christopher Nolan's "Memento" style.
A 20-yard touchdown run by AJ Green gave Arkansas a resounding 31-7 lead midway through the second quarter. But Kansas would not go down without a fight in its first bowl game in 14 years, matching the Razorbacks with their own 31-7 run (!) to tie the game at 38 with 41 seconds left in regulation.
The Jayhawks, in fact, scored 18 unanswered in the fourth to force overtime, including two touchdowns, a two-point conversion and a successful onside kick within the final 1:05. A wild three overtimes ensued, and here's how they played out:
- Kansas kept its momentum going by striking first in overtime, with Daniels finding Jared Casey for a two-yard score to make it 45-38. Arkansas answered with a six-yard touchdown run from Rashod Dubinion.
- In the second overtime, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson took matters into his own hands by rushing for a 20-yard touchdown to give him four all-purpose scores for the game, and he then hit Jaedon Wilson for a two-point conversion. Daniels kept the incredible QB duel going by rushing for a two-yard touchdown and completing a pass to Casey for the game-tying two-point conversion.
- Jefferson led Arkansas to victory with a two-point pass to Dubinion in the third overtime, a score Kansas couldn't match.
Arkansas' win means they've now gone above .500 and won a bowl game each of the last two seasons under coach Sam Pittman. Not a bad stretch at all considering the Razorbacks hadn't won more than four games in a season since 2016 before then.
Raiders will bench Derek Carr for rest of season 🏈
The Derek Carr era seems to be over in Las Vegas. Raiders coach Josh McDaniels announced yesterday that Jarrett Stidham will start at quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season, a shocking move considering the team has yet to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs despite its disappointing 6-9 record.
Carr -- who's thrown for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season -- will stay away from the team for its Week 17 and 18 games against the 49ers and Chiefs to avoid distractions, according to NFL Media.
Chase Garbers will therefore serve as the backup for Stidham, a four-year pro who began his career with McDaniels and the Patriots but has never started an NFL game.
- Carr is the Raiders' all-time leader in passing yards (35,222) and passing touchdowns (217), and among players with at least 35 pass attempts he's also first in completion percentage (64.6).
- Despite the Raiders giving Carr a three-year, $121.5 million contract this past offseason, they can save $30 million by either releasing or trading him after the season.
- Carr was instrumental in the Raiders' offseason acquisition of star receiver Davante Adams as the two played together at Fresno State. Carr's murky future as a Raider also casts doubt on Adams' future in the Sin City.
Our Cody Benjamin listed the Buccaneers, Commanders and Jets as some of the top contenders for Carr's services next season and beyond. You can find Benjamin's entire list of destinations here.
The Red Sox are not having a good offseason ⚾
Nathan Eovaldi, a 2021 All-Star right-hander who spent the last five seasons with the Red Sox, signed a two-year deal with the Rangers on Tuesday.
While losing Eovaldi isn't necessarily franchise-changing in a vacuum, it continues a troubling trend for a team that came just two wins away from a World Series appearance in 2021.
Let CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson explain:
- By finishing a reported $4 million over the tax threshold in 2021, a season in which Boston reached the ALCS, the Red Sox will have picks No. 133 and 134 in next summer's draft as opposed to picks No. 70 and 71.
- After a series of trade-deadline moves seemingly aimed at avoiding such overspending in 2022, Boston went from 53-52 on Aug. 2 to 78-84 and out of the playoff picture by season end.
- Boston, which could've reloaded for a playoff push in 2023, has now let Eovaldi and shortstop Xander Bogaerts walk on big-money deals to the Rangers and Padres, respectively.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom didn't fully sit on his hands this offseason, though. He handed out free-agent deals to relievers Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin in addition to third baseman Justin Turner, making the team's sporadically cost-conscious approach even more confounding.
- Anderson: "If nothing else, perhaps Red Sox fans can take solace in the idea that their team is still, on occasion, capable of focusing on the on-field product more so than the budget sheet. Go figure that it just so happens to have resulted in a series of decisions that will cost them next draft."
NHL Power Rankings: Bruins lose top spot to Hurricanes 🏒
The Bruins' impressively long time atop CBS Sports' NHL Power Rankings is over -- at least for now. In their place is the Carolina Hurricanes, the NHL's hottest team that has won nine straight games in the cold month of December.
Here's our Austin Nivison on why Carolina is the team worthy of knocking Boston off its throne:
- Nivison: "The Hurricanes have now won nine games in a row, and they haven't lost in regulation in over a month. Carolina is getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and rookie goaltender Petr Kochetkov has been a revelation. There is no reason to think this Canes team can't win it all at the end of the year."
Though the Bruins are no longer No. 1 for the first time in weeks, it's largely no fault of their own. Boston still leads the NHL in points with 59 (Carolina is second with 52), and its +57 goal differential is far and away the league's best. David Pastrnak has been integral to that success, ranking as a top-five goal scorer in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs rose two spots from No. 5 to round out the top three with Carolina and Boston. Here are some other notable risers and fallers:
- 5. Lightning (-3)
- 17. Canucks (+6)
- 24. Panthers (-5)
What we're watching Thursday 📺
🏀 Clippers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Cowboys at Titans, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 No. 20 Texas vs. No. 12 Washington, 9 p.m. on ESPN
