Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1145 of 1503)

      Upsets continue – Navy tops No. 16 Wake Forest 24-17

      September 27, 2008 /

      Navy-Wake ForestFor the second year in a row, Navy pulled off one of best upsets in college football. Last year the Midshipmen beat Notre Dame for the first time in 43 tries, defeating the Irish 46-44 in South Bend. On Saturday, they pulled off an even bigger upset, beating No. 16 Wake Forest 24-17 at BB&T Field.

      Wake, who perhaps was looking ahead to its game next week with Clemson, absolutely shot themselves in the foot all game. The Deacons turned the ball over an astonishing six times and mustered only 39 rushing yards. Conversely, Navy ran at will, racking up 294 yards and once they built a 17-0 lead at halftime, they never looked back.

      Apparently nobody wants to win the ACC. One would have thought that with their big win last Saturday at Florida State, Wake would have used the momentum to take control of the conference. Instead they lost to an unranked Navy team that picked off four passes and dominated in time of possession, 35:40 to 23:19. Maybe Maryland, who pulled off an upset themselves on Saturday in beating No. 20 Clemson 20-17, can emerge in the Atlantic. But then again, the Terps also lost to Middle Tennessee State earlier this year.

      Just a quick note about Navy, the Midshipmen go into virtually every game undersized, outnumbered and often with less overall talent on their roster. But they also have more heart, determination and focus than a lot of their opponents. And their upset over Notre Dame and Wake the past two years proves that.

      College Football

      Ole’ Miss shocks No. 4 Florida 31-30

      September 27, 2008 /

      Jevon SneadIt’s officially upset week in college football. After No. 1 USC fell 27-21 to Oregon State Thursday night, another top 5 team was defeated on Saturday when Mississippi knocked off No. 4 Florida 31-30.

      After Florida RB Percy Harvin scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining in the game to cut the Rebels’ lead to 31-30, Gators’ K Jonathan Phillips had an extra point blocked. Florida’s defense forced a punt, but Tim Tebow was stopped on 4th and 1 sneak attempt from the Ole Miss 32-yard line less than two minutes left to play, which allowed the Rebels to run the clock out after the change of possession.

      QB Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Ole Miss. Junior WR Shay Hodge also hauled in three passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.

      After USC lost on Thursday night, several pundits felt that Florida was the best team in the nation and would compete for a title. But this game proves how tough it is to come out of the SEC. Mississippi isn’t even one of the conference’s best, but as they proved Saturday, no team in the SEC is a pushover. To upset the No. 4 team in the nation is impressive. But to go into Gainesville and knock off the No. 4 team in the nation is unbelievable, especially considering Florida arguably has the best player in the nation in Tebow.

      Oregon State will just have to share the upset spotlight this week.

      College Football

      Top 10 NCAA Coaches Turned Pro

      September 26, 2008 /

      The Love of NFL compiled a list of the top 10 NCAA coaches that turned pro.

      1. Bill Walsh
      The architect of the West Coast offense got his first head coaching job in 1977 at Stanford University after paying his dues under Paul Brown with the Bengals. Two years later, he was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners struggled during his first season with the team, but then he inserted a young quarterback named Joe Montana into the lineup for the 1980 season and the team’s fortunes began to change. The following year, San Fran won the first of three Super Bowls under Walsh. By the time he retired after the 1988 season, he’d revolutionized the NFL passing game and earned a reputation as one of the greatest coaches of all-time.

      3. Jimmy Johnson
      J.J. built the University of Miami into a national powerhouse during the mid 1980s, winning the 1987 National Championship and a total of 52 games over five years. In 1989, his former college teammate, Jerry Jones, purchased the Dallas Cowboys and asked him to be his head coach. The Cowboys were a dismal 1-15 in Johnson’s first season, but he stockpiled talent through the draft and coached them to victories in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. His second stop in the NFL wasn’t as successful, despite managing to win 36 games during his four years with the Miami Dolphins.

      Great list, but if I could add one: Bobby Petrino.

      Oh wait, no…wrong list.

      College Football, NFL

      NFL News & Notes: McNabb practices for Eagles

      September 26, 2008 /

      – RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith once again did not practice for the Eagles on Friday, but QB Donovan McNabb did. It looks more and more likely that Westbrook and Smith will not play against the Bears Sunday night, but now that he’s practiced, McNabb of course will. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

      Adrian Peterson– The Minnesota Vikings have listed RB Adrian Peterson as questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Peterson is battling a hamstring injury, but he was listed as questionable last week against Carolina and still played significant time so he’s like to start against the Titans. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

      – New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton said Friday that the team could expect to have TE Jeremy Shockey back by Week 6. Despite several reports, Shockey doesn’t have a sports hernia and Payton noted that his tight end feels “comfortable” again. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

      – Jerry Porter is reportedly set to make his debut this weekend for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Porter has dealt with a hamstring injury since arriving from Oakland in the offseason, but would provide the Jags’ passing game with a much-needed boost if he can play Sunday against the Texans. (Jaguars.com)

      – Retired Bill Cowher told NFL Network’s Adam Schefter that he will not coach in 2009 and that the earliest he could see himself returning to the sidelines would be 2010. (NFL.com)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 4 Primer

      September 26, 2008 /

      Jason CampbellSunday’s Best: Redskins (2-1) at Cowboys (3-0) 4:15 PM ET FOX
      How stacked is the NFC East? Even Washington, the team expected to be the worst in the division, has looked strong since losing their opener to the Giants. In their sound win over the Packers last Sunday night, the Cowboys proved that they’re the class of the NFC. Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons, but the Skins could keep things close now that QB Jason Campbell is starting to look more comfortable in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Plus with RB Clinton Portis running well and the Cowboys’ run defense missing S Roy Williams, maybe this is a good time for Washington to face their NFC East foe.

      Upset Watch: Eagles (2-1) at Bears (1-2) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Philadelphia is coming off an impressive win over the Steelers while Chicago once again gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter while dropping its home opener to Tampa Bay. But the Eagles are banged up right now, with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith all missing significant practice time this week. By all accounts, the Bears should be 3-0 right now, but blew wins at Carolina and home against Tampa Bay. Da Bears are tough to beat at home and the defense should bounce back after Brian Griese tuned them up in the fourth quarter and overtime last week. But can the offense generate enough points? Philly’s defense harassed Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger last week and will no doubt attempt to do the same this week against Kyle Orton. As of Friday, Devin Hester is still listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report, but he could give Chicago a huge boost in the playmaking department if he could return.

      Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Packers (2-1) at Bucs (2-1), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Aaron Rodgers suffered his first defeat as a starter last week against Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see how he and the Packers respond. Things don’t get any easier this weekend in Tampa, where the Bucs have won two straight and the offense is clicking with Brian Griese under center. Without the threat of a running game last week, Green Bay wasn’t as effective offensively as it had been in wins over Minnesota and Detroit, respectively. Can RB Ryan Grant bounce back against a tough defensive front seven of the Bucs? And how will the Packers fare without starting CB Al Harris (spleen)? Even though Green Bay is 2-1, it has issues that Jon Gruden and Tampa could expose.

      Other Notable Games:
      Vikings (1-2) at Titans (3-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      After notching their first win of the season last week against Carolina, are the Vikings back? Adrian Peterson didn’t run wild last week, but the Minnesota defense stepped up and created scoring opportunities. They might need to do so again this week given the Vikes’ offense could struggle against a tough Titans’ D.

      49ers (2-1) at Saints (1-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The 49ers would go long way in proving they’re for real if they can beat a banged up Saints team in New Orleans this Sunday. With how well the rest of the division is playing so far, the Saints can’t afford to fall to far behind in the NFC South.

      Falcons (2-1) at Panthers (2-1), 1:00 PM FOX
      The Panthers are eager to bounce back following their loss to Minnesota last Sunday, while the Falcons want to prove that their record isn’t just a byproduct of beating two bad teams (Detroit, Kansas City). The Panthers have the better overall talent, but Atlanta (especially DE John Abraham) has had some success playing in Carolina over the years.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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