Saints’ Kamara ties TD record
Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record by running for six touchdowns in a game and finished with a career-high 155 yards rushing to help the host Saints beat the Vikings 52-33 on Friday and clinch a fourth straight NFC South title.
Wearing different colored shoes — one red and one green on Christmas Day — Kamara sprinted for a 40-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive. He added scoring runs of 1, 5, 6, 7 and 3 yards against a defensive front hit hard by injuries.
Kamara equaled a record set by Hall of Fame fullback Ernie Nevers in 1929 for the Chicago Cardinals.
“The offensive line gets the game ball for sure, kudos to them,” Kamara said. “Sean (Payton, the Saints coach) dialed it up, I did the small part.
“Today was a great day, we got out first goal, division title. Gonna take it from there.”
The Vikings (6-9) was eliminated from playoff contention while allowing the most points since 1963.
The Saints (11-4) never punted, and set a record of yards gained in a game by a Vikings opponent with 583. They might have won by a greater margin if not for a pair interceptions of Drew Brees. Brees completed 19 of 26 throws for 311 yards in his second game back from rib and lung injuries that had sidelined him for four games.
New Orleans native Irv Smith Jr. caught a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter for the Vikings, the second pulling them to within 31-27. But the Saints responded with two short touchdown runs by Kamara and one by reserve QB Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
The Falcons have declared WR Julio Jones and C Alex Mack out for Sunday’s game at Kansas City. Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury. Mack, a six-time Pro Bowl pick, will miss his first game of the season with a concussion. A third starter, left guard James Carpenter, will miss the game with a groin injury.
College basketball: Franz Wagner had 20 points and No. 19 Michigan scored 10 straight points early in the second half to pull away from Nebraska in an 80-69 victory in Lincoln, Neb. The Wolverines (7-0, 2-0 Big Ten) started slow in their first game since Dec. 13 due to coronavirus concerns but stunned the Cornhuskers (4-5, 0-2) with the two-minute flurry that began with Isaiah Livers’ 3-pointer. Wagner close it with a 25-footer that put the Wolverines up 53-41 with 14:38 left.
College football: Kevin Marks scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left and Buffalo made a final defensive stop to beat Marshall 17-10 in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. Subbing for the national leader in rushing yards per game, Jaret Patterson, Marks carried 35 time for 138 yards for the Bulls (6-1) against one of the nation’s top run defenses. Grant Wells took Marshall (7-3), which had rallied from a 10-0 deficit, to the Buffalo 20 with no timeouts. Kadofi Wright’s sack helped force a fourth-and-11 and Eric Black added his second sack to end the threat. ... Colorado’s Jarek Broussard and Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson were voted co-offensive players of the year by a media panel in the AP All-Pac-12 team released Friday.