No. 2 Georgia is resting its national championship hopes on backup quarterback Gunner Stockton following Carson Beck’s season-ending elbow surgery on Monday.

Coach Kirby Smart said Monday that Georgia is preparing Stockton to start in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against No. 3 Notre Dame. Stockton took over when Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the the first half in the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta.

Georgia announced later Monday that Beck had season-ending surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in the right elbow. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday. Beck is expected to begin throwing next spring.

Georgia’s first-round bye in the playoffs has given Stockton, a sophomore, more time to prepare for his new starting role. Smart said the experience with the first-team is the primary benefit in “several practices” since the SEC championship game.

Minnesota adds receiver in UCLA’s Loya

The Gophers football program picked up its second wide receiver via the NCAA transfer portal when outgoing UCLA receiver Logan Loya committed to the U on social media.

The Garden Grove, Calif., product caught 109 passes for 1,314 yards and 12 touchdowns across five seasons and has one season of eligibility remaining for the U after factoring in his redshirt and COVID years.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Loya played 313 offensive snaps last season, with 204 in the slot. He had an above-average 75.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus while putting up 29 receptions for 348 yards and four touchdowns.

Loya, also a team captain and part-time punt returner at UCLA, is the 14th new transfer player for the U this month and the second receiver, following Javon Tracy of Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 15.

— Andy Greder

UTSA cruises to win in Myrtle Beach Bowl

Owen McCown threw for 254 yards and a touchdown and UTSA scored the opening 27 points of the Myrtle Beach Bowl to cruise past short-handed Coastal Carolina 44-15.

UTSA (7-6) broke away in the second quarter by scoring a touchdown on three straight drives for a 21-0 lead. McCown was 14 of 17 in the first half, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Overmyer. McCown also scored on a 35-yard run after breaking two tackles near the end zone. The other score was a 9-yard touchdown run by Brandon High.

Northern Illinois beats Fresno State in double OT

Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State in the Idaho Potato Bowl.

Dimopoulos, who played quarterback in high school, also converted the two-point conversion when he passed it to quarterback Josh Holst for his second completion of the season.

NCAA appeals Pavia; D-I board waives others

The NCAA appealed the preliminary injunction granted by a U.S. federal judge giving Diego Pavia another year of eligibility even as the organization’s Division I board of directors granted a waiver allowing athletes in a similar situation as the Vanderbilt quarterback to play in 2025-26.

When U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell issued the injunction Dec. 18, it was limited only to Pavia, arguing that he was likely to win on his argument that NCAA Division I eligibility rules discriminated against him under the Sherman Act over his two years at a junior college. The judge also told the NCAA it couldn’t take any action against Vanderbilt or any university Pavia plays with for his fifth season.

The NCAA filed its appeal of Campbell’s injunction and order to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati.

The waiver also announced Monday should limit the filing of more lawsuits by other athletes who started at a junior college and want another season to access name, image and likeness opportunities.

women’s basketball

Ionescu is final player in Unrivaled 3-on-3 league

Sabrina Ionescu was thrilled to be part of Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 league.

The Liberty star guard who helped New York win the first championship in franchise history earlier this year signed a historic agreement with the league. She’ll join the Phantom BC that made a trade Saturday night to acquire Natasha Cloud.

Ionescu said the league gave her some flexibility in her schedule if she needs to step away for a day or two.

MLB

Manaea to re-sign with Mets for $75M

Sean Manaea is set to return to the New York Mets on a $75 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical.

Manaea blossomed into New York’s top starting pitcher this year during his first season with the team, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. The left-hander declined his player option for 2025, passing up the final $13.5 million of a $28 million, two-year deal he signed in January, to become a free agent for the third straight offseason.

Then he turned down a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets last month to hit the open market again.

League, umpires reach 5-year agreement

Major League Baseball and its umpires have reached a tentative agreement on a five-year collective bargaining agreement.

The deal, announced by the Major League Umpires Association, replaced the contract that expired Dec. 1. It is subject to ratification by both sides, which will take place next month.

MLB has been awaiting an agreement before announcing details of its planned spring training test of the automatic ball-strike system, commonly referred to as robot umpires.

BRIEFLY

College football >> Michael Vick has been introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach, a homecoming for the former NFL star and a splashy, attention-grabbing hire for a program that has struggled in recent years.

— From news services