Chargers hold off Jackson, Ravens

BALTIMORE (AP) >> The Los Angeles Chargers kept Lamar Jackson grounded, and by the time the rookie got the passing game going it was too late for the Baltimore Ravens.

Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, and Los Angeles harassed and hounded Jackson during a 23-17 victory Sunday in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.

The Chargers (13- 4) will next face the second-seeded New England Patriots (11- 5) on the road Sunday. The Chargers last won two games during a single postseason in 2007, when the franchise was in San Diego.

Badgley set a franchise record for field goals in a playoff game. He connected from 21, 53, 40, 34 and 47 yards.

The Chargers built a 23-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Jackson threw two touchdown passes to make it close. Given one final chance to complete the comeback, the 21-year-old Jackson looked every bit like the youngest quarterback to start an NFLplayoff game when he lost the ball on his third fumble of the game.

Jackson finished 14 for 29 for 194 yards with an interception. He was sacked seven times.

The Chargers got even for a 2210 loss two weeks ago to Balti-

foundation for us and built a legacy within that room. Every day it’s our job to uphold to that standard. Every day we just go in with the mentality we’re going to be the best players we can be, be the best unit we can be.”

With talented passer Tua Tagovailoa leading the offense this season, the running backs have gotten overshadowed at times despite some impressive accompl i shments.

All three backs have topped 1,000 yards rushing in their careers, with Damien Har r i s’ 6.47 yards per carry in his career ranking third alltime among SEC backs with at least 400 attempts.

Jacobs was the MVP in the SEC title game win over Georgia after rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns, while Najee Harris is averaging 6.5 yards per carry in two seasons.

“We always like to have two or three guys at that position that can play,” Saban said. “I think it keeps everybody fresh. It keeps everybody healthy rather than having one guy that’s carrying the ball maybe a lot of turns every game and they get wore down as the season goes on. We’ve been fortunate to have three guys that have made a real impact at that position, different guys in different games.”

Having three capable backs keeps all of them fresh late in the game when Alabama rel ies more heavily on the run to close out victories.

That was the case in the semifinal against Oklahoma when the Tide ended the game with nine straight runs that ran out the clock and prevented any comeback attempt by the Sooners.

“I think the drive we had against Oklahoma last week to kind of finish out the game on the ground with the ball in our hands and a victory formation, that’s the best

formation in football,” Damien Harris said. “For us to be able to do that I think it shows we improved a lot on offense and an area we’re able to get better at.”

Clemson has its own dangerous running game led by Travis Etienne, who has rushed for 1,573 yards at an average of 8.3 yards per clip. Etienne has scored 23 touchdowns, providing a capable complement to the passing game led by freshman Trevor Lawrence.

Etienne preserved the Tigers’ perfect season when he ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 2- yard run, in a 2723 come-from- behind victory over Syracuse in September.

“He’s a really great running back,” Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses said. “He’s fast, efficient, good body movement. He’s a really great running back. He really could fit in as an SEC running back if he wanted to. For him to be over there at Clemson, that’s a blessing for him. He’s going to be a real challenge for us.”

Etienne knows he’s in for a challenge as well against Alabama’s always stout defense led by AllAmerican defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The Tide have held five opponents under 100 yards in the game and are giving up just 3.5 yards per carry.

The Tigers ran for just 63 yards on 33 carries in last year’s loss to Alabama in the CFP semifinals, their lowest rushing total in their past 33 games.

“It is the best defense I’ve played this season,” Etienne said. “It presents a huge challenge for me and the offensive line. We’re excited for the challenge. You don’t want to go against lesser competition, you want to go against the best and Alabama is the best so we’re going to have to come out and play our A game and try to establish the run.”

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25 every area of your program,” Turnipseed said Saturday at media day for the College Football Playoff national championship game. “That’s hard for a lot of programs to buy into. If you’re not willing to be the best at every single one of those categories, whatever it maybe, Clemson and Alabama are dedicated to that so we’re going to continue to move ahead.”

No. 1 Alabama (14- 0) and No. 2 Clemson (14- 0) will meet Monday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the fourth straight year the Crimson Tide and Tigers have played in the playoff and third time they will decide the title.

Turnipseed is a former teammate of Swinney’s on Alabama’s 1992 national championship team who was working as an administrator in Tuscaloosa even before Saban took over in 2007. Turnipseed oversaw facilities projects, but Saban expanded that role.

“He just started calling me out of the blue his director of football external affairs. I was associate AD for special projects. Nothing to do with Xs and Os,” Turnipseed said. more (10-7), the AFC North champions.

The Ravens were making their first playoff appearance since 2014 after Jackson led the team on a 6-1 season- ending run following an injury to longtime starter Joe Flacco.

In the days leading up to the game, Jackson — the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner — was lauded for the job he did to get Baltimore into the postseason. With the former Louisville star leading the way, the Ravens went on a tear by combining a time-consuming ground game with the league’s top-ranked defense.

Jackson finished with 54 yards rushing, but he was booed by many in the crowd of 70, 432 after the Ravens fell behind by 20 points.

Analytics, recruiting, branding the program through graphic design, Turnipseed’s job was to build a structure for Saban’s process to thrive.

After former Alabama athletic director Mal Moore died in 2013, Swinney and Turnipseed reconnected.

“And he really just said come make us better,” Turnipseed said.

Swinney said: “I mean, he’s just been one of the best hires that I’ve ever made for sure.”

The first big project at Clemson was a massive restructuring of the recruiting department, using Alabama’s war-room evaluation as a blueprint and increasing staff from a handful to dozens of evaluators. The difference was Swinney wanted to place greater emphasis on how players fit Clemson’s culture, which f lows from the head coach’s warmer approach and emphasis on a family feel.

Saban might lack Swinney’s personal touch and easygoing manner, but in his own steely way he is very much a players’ coach. When talking about his program, Saban constantly references the need to create value for the players.

“I think being successful is really the same for-

Not long after that, Jackson threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree to make it 23-10 with 6:33 remaining. Then he tossed a 7-yarder to Crabtree with 1:59 remaining, but Baltimore’s last chance ended when Jackson fumbled after being hit by Uchenna Nwosu.

The game was not without controversy.

Los Angeles used a 1-yard touchdown run by Melvin Gordon to take a 20-3 lead with 14:44 left. The score came one play after Gordon lost control of the ball at the goal line and the Ravens took it the other way for a touchdown, but he was called down by contact and a replay confirmed the call.

That pretty much ended any hope the Ravens had of winning their first home playoff game since the 2012 season. Baltimore had won five straight in the wild-card round under coach John Harbaugh.

mula, whether it’s as a football player or being an executive at Apple,” Saban said. “So we try to teach our players that, and hopefully some of the experiences that they sort of have competitively as football players can carry over and help them be more successful in life.”

ESPN announcers Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, who have called all four CFP national championship games, get a look behind the curtain at Alabama and Clemson more than maybe any other members of the media.

“The similarities are an absolute rock- solid topdown commitment from each school,” Fowler said. “They pour resources in, human resources, financial resources, incredible attention to detail. The recruiting machine at each school, they know that’s the fuel that keeps the engine running. They’re both great at it in different ways, different styles perhaps. The way they round up talent is what sets them apart.”

Herbstreit said Saban and Swinney have far more differences than similarities in how they set the tone for their programs. But the similarities are crucial to explaining their success.

“I think it’s the compet-

At halftime, Jackson was 2 for 8 for 17 yards and an interception for a 0.0 quarterback rating. Los Angeles led 12- 0 at the break, marking the first time in franchise history the Ravens were blanked in the first half of a playoff game.

The Ravens fumbled three times during their first eight offensive plays, losing the last one by Kenneth Dixon on a tackle by Melvin Ingram at the Baltimore 15 to set up Los Angeles’ first field goal.

The Chargers then used a 33-yard punt return by Desmond King to set up a 53-yard field goal for a 6- 0 lead late in the first quarter.

An interception by Adrian Phillips led to another field goal, and Badgley made it 12- 0 with another 3-pointer on the final play of the first half.

Philip Rivers went 22 for 32 for 160 yards for the Chargers.

itive spirit and drive that both these guys have,” Herbstreit said. “It’s the creativity of trying to change things while they have success, not allowing complacency to set in. I think that’s a big part.”

At Clemson, Turnipseed has overseen the building of Clemson’s $55 million Allen N. Reeves Football Complex, which opened in 2017. The one with a slide, which is definitely more Swinney than Saban.

Turnipseed took control of the food services in the facility to ensure higher quality and more involvement with Clemson’s nutritionists. To emphasize the work former Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis has done for years mentoring players and promoting community service, Turnipseed studied what Alabama does, as well as schools such as Tennessee and Michigan, and created P. A.W. ( passionate about winning) Journey. Davis’ office is right at the front of the building.

“This culture that we’re building at both places, everything we’re doing benefits the student-athletes,” Turnipseed said. “We should be passionate about building the man before the athlete. That’s kind of what Nick does in his own and Dabo does in his own way.”

LOOSE BALL

Jackson fumbled on Baltimore’s opening possession, but picked it up himself. The same thing happened in the second series before Dixon lost the ball. Jackson has fumbled in nine straight games.

SAN WHO?

A lot of people have had trouble adjusting to the phrase “Los Angeles Chargers” because the team spent so much time in San Diego.

But referee Clete Blakeman put a new twist on it, calling them “San Francisco” on the loudspeaker.

INJURIES

Chargers: CB Bradnon Facyson missed the second half with a concussion.

Ravens: DT Michael Pierce hurt his elbow in the third quarter. ... CB Tavon Young was on the inactive list with a groin injury.