UCLA bails late on Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl became the fifth postseason college football game to be canceled when UCLA was forced to pull out just hours before kickoff Tuesday because of COVID-19 cases. The Bruins were scheduled to face No. 18 North Carolina State at Petco Park in San Diego.
The Hawaii, Military, Fenway and Arizona bowls already were canceled because of virus outbreaks that left teams without enough available players. The Sun and Gator bowls have had to scramble to find replacement teams for their games.
NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan called it ‘‘an incredibly frustrating outcome for our players and staff who worked so hard to put themselves in position to get a 10th win. The timing of the announcement in proximity to kickoff was very disappointing.’’
♦ Jake Herslow caught a go-ahead, 26-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Tune with 3:27 left to help lift No. 21 Houston (12-2) to a 17-13 win against Auburn (6-7) in the Birmingham (Alabama) Bowl.
♦ Haaziq Daniels completed 9 of 10 passes for a season-high 252 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two others as Air Force (10-3) secured a 31-28 victory against Louisville (6-7) in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Brandon Lewis had touchdown catches of 64 and 61 yards for the Falcons.
NFL
League trims COVID-19 isolation time
The NFL is reducing isolation time for players who test positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic, including unvaccinated players, to five days from 10. The league and the players’ union revised the protocols after the Centers for Disease Control changed its guidelines for those who are asymptomatic, recommending a five-day isolation period, followed by masking for five days.
The changes might allow quarterback Carson Wentz to return in time for the Colts’ game Sunday against the Raiders.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Notre Dame slips past Pittsburgh
Prentiss Hubb made a go-ahead fadeaway jumper with seven seconds left to lift Notre Dame (7-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a 68-67 victory against host Pittsburgh (5-8, 0-2).
♦ Julian Strawther scored 15 points and Rasir Bolton 14, and No. 4 Gonzaga (11-2) beat North Alabama 93-63 in Spokane, Washington, to extend the nation’s longest home winning streak to 59 games.
♦ The DePaul women’s New Year’s Eve game against visiting Connecticut has been canceled because the Huskies don’t have enough healthy players between injuries and COVID-19 cases.