Casey Pachall leads Texas Christian to Poinsettia Bowl victory

Casey Pachall highlighted a record-setting game with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Skye Dawson with 4 minutes 26 seconds left that lifted No. 16-ranked Texas Christian to a 31-24 victory against Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night at San Diego.

It was the eighth straight victory for Mountain West Conference champion TCU (11-2), which moves to the Big 12 Conference next year. It was the third time this season TCU overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win.

Pachall was 15 of 29 for 206 yards passing. He set school single-season records with 228 completions and 2,921 yards, breaking marks set by Andy Dalton.

Western Athletic Conference champion Louisiana Tech (8-5) had its seven-game winning streak snapped hours after Coach Sonny Dykes agreed to a contract extension through 2017.

TCU tied the score, 24-24, on Luke Shivers’ one-yard run with 7:49 left. That capped an 18-play, 72-yard drive that consumed 9:21. TCU forced a punt and scored the go ahead touchdown six plays later.

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Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, the winner of the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien Award, was selected the Associated Press’ college football player of the year.

Griffin is the nation’s most efficient passer this season, throwing for 3,998 yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 644 yards and nine more scores.

Baylor (9-3) has a five-game winning streak, its longest in 20 years, going into the Alamo Bowl next week against Washington.

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Tony Levine will be hired as Houston’s football coach Thursday, Athletic Director Mack Rhoades said. Levine will replace Kevin Sumlin, who accepted an offer to coach Texas A&M.

Levine, 39, was Sumlin’s assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. He took over as interim coach after Sumlin left Dec. 10 and has been preparing the Cougars (12-1) to play Penn State (9-3) in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 2.

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North Carolina interim Coach Everett Withers is heading to Ohio State to become Urban Meyer’s co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Withers had acknowledged he was a candidate to join the Meyer’s new staff last week and confirmed it was a done deal Wednesday.

Withers will coach the Tar Heels through the Independence Bowl against Missouri on Dec. 26. North Carolina hired Larry Fedora from Southern Mississippi to be its coach after the Golden Eagles play in the Hawaii Bowl against Nevada on Dec. 24.

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Tom Williams resigned as Yale’s football coach after the university investigated whether he lied on his resume about being a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship while a student at Stanford. The school said the resignation will take effect Dec. 31.

Williams took over at Yale in 2009 and referred to himself as a Rhodes candidate on his resume. He also was referred to as a finalist after Bulldogs quarterback Patrick Witt became a finalist for the scholarship this year.

In a statement, Williams said he was encouraged to apply for the scholarship by Stanford’s fellowship office but acknowledged he never did.

ETC.

No criminal charges in Fiesta Bowl case

An investigation into whether politicians violated gift and disclosure laws when they accepted free game tickets or trips from the Fiesta Bowl led a prosecutor to conclude that state laws are so complex and contradictory that he cannot pursue charges.

Inconsistent rules, vague reporting mandates and a legal requirement that prosecutors prove a defendant knowingly violated the law were major factors in his decision, Maricopa County (Ariz.) Attorney Bill Montgomery said. In the end, there was not enough evidence to press charges against any of the 31 elected officials and three lobbyists who were investigated.

Montgomery cited problems with records provided by the Fiesta Bowl, noting that many were too vague to stand up in court or directly contradicted reimbursement check records from legislators.

The decision removed a pall that has been cast over many lawmakers since April, when Montgomery began investigating whether politicians violated a law banning acceptance of free game tickets in most cases and failed to report receiving free trips or tickets.

Missoula, Mont., Police Chief Mark Muir said an internal investigation found police were justified in using a stun gun on two University of Montana football players as the officers tried to break up a loud party this fall.

Muir said the claim that officers used excessive force in taking Gerald Kemp and Trumaine Johnson into custody was “highly inaccurate.” He added that, contrary to rumors, officers’ language was not profane or racist.

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Penske Racing hired A.J. Allmendinger to drive its No. 22 Dodge next year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, replacing Kurt Busch, who recently left the team.

A native of Los Gatos, Calif., Allmendinger, 30, spent the last three years with Richard Petty Motorsports. He has yet to win a Cup race but had 10 top-10 finishes this year and was 15th in the Cup standings.

— Jim Peltz

Ivica Kostelic used two error-free runs in heavy snowfall to win a night slalom at Flachau, Austria, for his 20th career World Cup victory.

The Croat led after the first run and finished in an aggregate time of 1 minute 48.94 seconds. He beat Andre Myhrer of Sweden by 0.07 of a second. Cristian Deville of Italy was another 0.02 behind in third.

American Ted Ligety failed to qualify for the second run. Bode Miller skied out in a right turn early in his first run after hitting a gate with his left ski.

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San Jose Sharks forward Martin Havlat is expected to be out for up to eight weeks after surgery for a partial tear in a tendon in his left hamstring. General Manager Doug Wilson said the team was prepared for the worst after Havlat injured himself jumping over boards at the Sharks bench during a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

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A person familiar with the situation said the Chicago Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson are closing in on a one-year contract. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not finalized, confirmed reports by several media outlets that Johnson will be signed pending a physical. Johnson batted .309 in 111 games for the Cubs last season.

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Chivas USA acquired Ecuadorian midfielder Oswaldo Minda, who will join the team after his immigration paperwork is received. Minda, 28, has played for Sociedad Deportivo Quito since 2008. He appeared in 85 matches — 82 as a starter — and scored 11 goals. He also is a member of Ecuador’s national team.