Hartman throws 3 TD passes, Wake Forest beats Missouri 27-17

Associated PressDec 23, 2022, 11:12 PM EST

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

TAMPA, Fla. – Sam Hartman completed 23 of 36 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns in what was expected to be his final game with Wake Forest, a 27-17 win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday night.

The redshirt junior now will look at entering the NFL draft or the transfer portal.

Hartman threw his 108th career touchdown pass to set an Atlantic Coast Conference record on a 5-yard strike to Taylor Morin that made it 7-0 in the first quarter. He had been tied with Clemson’s Tajh Boyd (2010-13), and ended up with 110 overall.

Hartman came up 33 yards short of joining North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers (13,484 from 2000-03) as the only quarterbacks in ACC history to reach 13,000 passing yards.

A.T. Perry had 11 receptions for 116 yards for Wake Forest (8-5)

Brady Cook threw for 215 yards on 29-of-48 passing for Missouri (6-7). He also rushed for 38 yards on 14 tries.

Missouri took its first lead, 17-14, when Cody Schrader scored from 4 yards out with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter. He finished with 54 yards on 13 carries.

Wake Forest went ahead 20-17 just 1:16 later when Hartman hooked up with Jahmal Banks for a 48-yard touchdown. Matthew Dennis missed the extra point, which ended the Demon Deacons’ streak of 269 consecutive successful tries, dating to Nov. 18, 2017.

Hartman and Morin hooked up for a 16-yard touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes to play,

Justice Ellison put the Demon Deacons ahead 14-3 on a 1-yard TD run five minutes into the second quarter. He had 64 yards on 21 attempts.

After Jaylon Carlies picked off a pass by Hartman in the end zone, Cook connected on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Demariyon Houston to get Missouri within 14-10 2 1/2 minutes before halftime.

Harrison Mevis made a 35-yard field goal to cut the Missouri deficit to 7-3 late in the first quarter.

BOWL BITS

Missouri DE Isaiah McGuire, DE DJ Coleman and S Martez Manuel didn’t play after deciding to enter the NFL draft. WR Dominic Lovett sat out after entering the transfer portal. … Perry has a reception in 34 straight games. … Missouri C Connor Tollison needed assistance to walk off the field after a second-quarter injury.

IT’S COLD, BUT .

It was 50 degrees at kickoff. At the same time, it was 15 degrees with a feel-like temperature of minus-1 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In Columbia, Missouri, it was 2 degrees but felt like minus-18.

Vick, Fitzgerald and Suggs among stars on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 1st time

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 9:04 PM EDT

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Suggs are among the college football stars who will be considered for induction to the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

The National Football Foundation released Monday a list of 78 players and nine coaches from major college football who are on the Hall of Fame ballot. There also are 101 players and 32 coaches from lower divisions of college football up for consideration.

Vick, who led Virginia Tech to the BCS championship game against Florida State as a redshirt freshman in 1999, is among the most notable players appearing on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.

Vick finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999. He played one season of college football before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s professional career was interrupted when he served 21 months in prison for his involvement in dog fighting.

Fitzgerald was the Heisman runner-up in 2003 to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. He scored 34 touchdowns in just two seasons at Pitt.

Suggs led the nation in sacks with 24 in 2002 for Arizona State.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be chosen by the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court and announced in January. Induction into the Atlanta-based hall is the following December.

Alabama freshman DB Mitchell says he wasn’t sure he’d get to play again after arrest

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT

Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.

The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew “something much bigger could have happened.”

A judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced Mitchell to three years of probation with a fine and community service on May 24 after Mitchell pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally,” Mitchell said. “During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again.

“I didn’t sleep at night.”

He was suspended from the Alabama team following the arrest, but Mitchell’s father, Tony Sr., posted on Facebook last week that the defensive back had been reinstated. An Alabama spokesman declined to comment on Mitchell’s status.

Tony Mitchell Sr. shared his son’s video on Facebook, saying it was filmed during a talk to youth.

“I was doing things I knew I shouldn’t to try to fit in,” the younger Mitchell said, “but not everybody’s your friend.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a four-star prospect and the 15th-rated safety in the 247Composite rankings.

He had been charged in March with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies in the Florida Panhandle. A deputy had spotted Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger traveling 78 mph (125 kph) in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a rural highway north of Bonifay.

He also received 100 hours of community service and paid a fine of $1,560.

Mitchell and a passenger were both charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The other man also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.