A pair of teams vying to put a stamp on overachieving campaigns will meet as Georgia Tech squares off with Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech (7-5) is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since an 18-year run from 1997-2014, and a win would give the Yellow Jackets consecutive bowl wins for the first time in 20 years. For a Georgia Tech program that endured a 14-32 stretch from 2019-22, this season has given Yellow Jacket fans a reason to believe a resurgence is near. After knocking off No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, Georgia Tech climbed into the AP Poll for the first time in nine years. Although it was a short stay in the rankings, head coach Brent Key's team piqued the nation's interest again in November, when it took down undefeated No. 4 Miami, 28-23. The Yellow Jackets had another chance to shake up the college football landscape against then-No. 7 Georgia, but blew a late 14-point lead en route to an eight-overtime defeat. Now with one more opportunity against the Southeastern Conference, Key thinks the bowl organizers nailed this one on the head. "We're excited to go over to Birmingham and play a really good opponent," Key said. "I think this is a really good matchup. When you look at bowl games, that's what you look for, the matchups. And I think they got this one right." Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King's 1,910 passing yards and 22 total touchdowns (11 passing, 11 rushing) have steadied the offense throughout the year, but the Yellow Jackets will be without their leading receiver, Eric Singleton Jr., who entered the transfer portal after the regular season and signed with Auburn on Monday. Starting defensive lineman Romello Height also transferred, meaning a next-man-up mentality will be in order for Key's squad. "One person is not going to make a difference as far as rotational depth," Key said. "We're going to continue to coach the guys that are here, and prepare them not only for this game but for the rest of their careers here at Georgia Tech." Singleton paced Georgia Tech with 754 receiving yards to go along with four total touchdowns, while Height tallied 2 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. It wouldn't have surprised many college football pundits had Vanderbilt missed the postseason for a sixth straight year. The Commodores (6-6) were predicted last by a wide margin in the SEC preseason poll coming off last year's winless conference slate. However, the program's historic season can now be punctuated with its first bowl win in 11 years, thanks to a shocking Oct. 5 victory over No. 1 Alabama, along with its first win all-time at Auburn. Led by head coach Clark Lea, the revamped Commodores see a similar program on Friday in Birmingham. "Georgia Tech is a team I've taken notes on as Brent has built that program up," Lea said. "What an incredible transformation they've had; so much respect for them. ... This is our 10th bowl game in 134 years, it's a chance for our first winning season since 2013. You're going to have two teams that play a physical brand of football, two head coaches that care deeply about the institutions we represent. "These are two teams that are going to fight for a win and I don't think it gets better than that." The Commodores are led by quarterback Diego Pavia, who had 2,133 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in the air, paired with 716 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State -- and New Mexico Military Institute at the juco level -- won a court ruling last week that granted him a seventh year of eligibility in 2025. --Field Level MediaIsraeli expert seeks new crime against humanity for waging 'kinocide'

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Clueless! John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen show that not all Americans follow our beautiful game as she confuses 'underdog' Chelsea with Ipswich on Arsenal trip John Legend and Chrissy Teigen showed their lack of football knowledge Teigen confused Ipswich for Chelsea during an awkward interview LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford By TARA ANSON-WALSH Published: 17:30 EST, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 17:31 EST, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments With half of the clubs in the Premier League now owned by Americans, you would expect some form of understanding of the English game. After all, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have brought a large slice of Hollywood glamour to Wrexham. However, football fans tuning into Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of Arsenal v Ipswich on Friday night were treated to one of the worst examples of cluelessness from two members of American showbiz royalty. John Legend , the famous singer known for his hit All of Me, and his wife Chrissy Teigen were involved in an excruciating interview live on the streaming platform, with Teigen confusing Ipswich for Chelsea and claiming she was ‘rooting for the underdog’. Teigen, who made the trip to the Emirates with Legend and her children for their ‘first Premier League game ever’, had been posting on her social media throughout the day in a Chelsea shirt — albeit covered by an Ipswich scarf. After Arsenal’s narrow win, thanks to a Kai Havertz goal, the couple were invited on to the pitch to reflect on the match. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen showed their lack of football knowledge Teigen confused Ipswich for Chelsea and claimed that she was ‘rooting for the underdog’. Legend was honest enough to admit: ‘I don’t know the league very well, and my friends were like, well, Arsenal is going to win by like, you know, six goals. But it was a closer match than we expected.’ But the interview took a turn for the hilarious worse when Teigen was asked why she supports Chelsea. ‘Listen, I love an underdog,’ she said. ‘I love coming in and being surprised by how much a team can do and it was so much fun for us to root for them, because everyone was on Arsenal’s side.’ Legend quickly corrected her, saying, ‘She was rooting for Ipswich today’, but Teigen persisted, adding: ‘When you said Chelsea, I was like, is Chelsea Ipswich? I don’t know.’ Legend summed up the confusion when he said: ‘You had one Chelsea scarf on today. It was very confusing. Same colours basically. We’re clueless.’ Teigen shared a throwback picture of herself in a football kit, adding: ‘Does this look like the face of someone who doesn’t know soccer?’ The awkward exchange drew criticism on social media, with one user posting: ‘Think @primevideosport coverage has been really good tonight, but what was the point of talking to John Legend and his family?? She didn’t even know what team she was watching.’ Teigen later defended her football knowledge on Instagram, saying: ‘You know who the biggest k***s and t***s are? The people who don’t like soccer as much as I do.’ She also shared a throwback picture of herself in a football kit, adding: ‘Does this look like the face of someone who doesn’t know soccer?’ Arsenal Chrissy Teigen Ipswich Town John Legend Share or comment on this article: Clueless! John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen show that not all Americans follow our beautiful game as she confuses 'underdog' Chelsea with Ipswich on Arsenal trip e-mail Add comment