Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1153 of 1503)

      Backup QB Jarrett Lee leads LSU over Auburn 26-21

      September 20, 2008 /

      Jarrett LeeLSU-Auburn lived up to the hype as LSU beat its SEC brethren 26-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.

      LSU backup quarterback Jarrett Lee was forced into the game after starter Andrew Hatch came out of the game after getting his bell run early in the second half. Lee actually had relieved Hatch in the second quarter, but was 0 for 5 on his first five passes and was intercepted by Gabe McKenzie, who returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.

      But Lee completed his first pass of the game, a 16-yard completion to Richard Dickson, when he replaced the injured Hatch early in the third quarter. Three plays later Lee, who was hit right before releasing the ball, connected with Mitchell for a 39-yard touchdown to cut Auburn’s deficit to 14-10. With less than two minutes remaining in the game and Auburn 21-20, Lee completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell, which wound up being the game-winning score for LSU.

      This game started off like many expected – a defensive struggle. Neither team’s quarterbacks could make plays in the first half, but once things got rolling, the second half was filled with exciting moments. While he did throw two interceptions in the game, Auburn QB Chris Todd finished with respectable numbers (17 of 32 passing for 250 yards) and a completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Dunn, which at that point gave AU a 21-20 lead.

      This game was again proved how superior the SEC is to any other conference. The top game in the ACC today, No. 18 Wake Forest vs. No. 24 Florida State, was a turnover-laden mess (which the Deacons won 12-3, by the way). And no game in the Big Ten or Pac 10 (USC was off again?!) was exciting, outside of maybe OSU QB Terrelle Pryor’s four-touchdown performance over unranked Troy. With the way Auburn and LSU went at it Saturday night, it’s hard to argue that any other college football conference produces the talent-level the SEC does. Some of the hits in this game were NFL-caliber.

      College Football

      Rays, Cubs clinch playoff berths

      September 20, 2008 /

      Chicago CubsWith a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the Tampa Bay rays clinched their first playoff spot in club history. And with their 5-4 victory over division rival St. Louis, the Chicago cubs are once again NL Central Champions.

      The Rays’ Division Series playoff destination will shake out in the final week of the season. Assuming the Rays win the AL East and Boston wins the Wild Card, the Rays will open at home against the Central winner, either the White Sox or Twins, while the Red Sox would open at the Angels, who have the AL’s best record. Should Boston win the East and the Rays get the Wild Card, the Rays would open at Anaheim, while the Red Sox would host the Central Division champion. The Division Series is a best-of-five set.

      What a magical run the Rays had this year. Finally, all of their young, exciting position talent came together and the pitching staff held up for an entire season. Too bad they don’t sell out in Tampa, because fans are missing one hell of a ride.

      If the standings hold, they will host the Wild Card-leading Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 1-2 in the first two games of a best-of-five National League Division Series. Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) would be in Philadelphia on Oct. 4-5. If the series goes to a decisive fifth game, it would be Oct. 7 at Wrigley Field. Philadelphia is only a half-game behind the Mets in the East, so the first-round opponent could easily change.

      Teams from the same division cannot face each other in the Division Series. If Milwaukee, Houston or St. Louis wins the Wild Card, the Cubs, if they don’t blow their seven-game lead atop the NL standings, will play the NL division champion with the worst record. The West-leading Dodgers are Chicago’s likely opponent in that scenario, since they are 6 1/2 games behind the East-leading Mets.

      How long before all the curse talk begins? Wait, it’s already started? The Cubs have the most balanced lineup in the NL and if Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden can stay healthy, the club also has an excellent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. But obviously the major question surrounding this team is whether or not they can get over the hump. They certainly have enough talent to make a World Series run, now it’s all about execution.

      MLB

      This just in: Chase Daniel is freaking good

      September 20, 2008 /

      Chase DanielMissouri quarterback Chase Daniel completed a school-best 20 passes in a row to help the Tigers crush Buffalo 42-21 on Saturday. Daniel finished 36 of 43 for a career-high 439 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 5 Missouri stay undefeated.

      It was over when… Chase Daniel hit Chase Coffman on a 4-yard TD pass to put the Tigers up 40-21 in the fourth.
      Gameball goes to… Daniel, who threw for two touchdowns and a career-high 439 yards.
      Stat of the game… 20. Daniel set a Big 12 record with 20 straight completions.

      After getting harassed last year by Okalahoma, voters are waiting to see how Daniel will fare against better defenses. Missouri is off next week, but Daniel will get his first big test two weeks from now when the Tigers travel to Nebraska. Two weeks after that, Missouri plays the Longhorns in Texas, so he could essentially win or lose the Heisman next month.

      I know outside of Illinois in the opener, Daniel hasn’t faced a team with a quality secondary, but he looks phenomenal.

      College Football

      Why isn’t MSU’s Javon Ringer getting more Heisman love?

      September 20, 2008 /

      Javon RingerRunning back Javon Ringer carried Michigan State to a 23-7 victory over Notre Dame in East Lansing on Saturday. And he did it almost single-handedly, rushing for 201 yards on a whopping 39 carries and also scored two touchdowns.

      Ringer’s 200-yard day was his second in as many weeks after rushing for 282 yards in a 17-0 win over Florida Atlantic last Saturday. So far on the season, he has totaled 699 yards on 143 carries and 11 touchdowns.

      So why aren’t we hearing his name mentioned more for the Heisman? Entering this week (as in, before his 201-yard effort against Notre Dame) only Navy’s Shun White and Connecticut’s Donald Brown had more rushing yards than Ringer. And no back had as many touchdowns. Yet oddsmakers currently have Ringer has a 20/1 long shot to win college football’s most prestigious award.

      Playing for Michigan State doesn’t help, but Ringer deserves more attention than he’s getting. And as previously noted, he has been the backbone of the Spartans’ offense and often carries them to victories. While he doesn’t have the size of OSU’s Beanie Wells, Ringer has a thick lower half and runs hard between the tackles. And anyone who has watched him over the past couple weeks and throughout his career knows how explosive he can be. He also benefits from his small stature, because defenders lose him behind MSU’s big offensive line.

      It’ll be interesting to see how Ringer fares later in the season against better Big Ten defenses like Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. If he can continue to turn out 150-plus yard games, he’ll definitely turn some voters’ heads. (If he hasn’t already.)

      College Football

      NFL News & Notes: Willis McGahee to play, not start

      September 20, 2008 /

      Willis McGahee– The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Ravens running back Willis McGahee will play in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, but won’t start or be the feature back. The Ravens will likely go with a running back-by-committee approach with McGahee and rookie Ray Rice sharing carries.

      – Rotoworld (via Chargers’ beat writer Kevin Acee on NFL Network) is reporting that Darren Sproles is likely to see more carries than LaDainian Tomlinson, who is batting a toe/foot injury. LT didn’t run last week against the Broncos, so it’s probably a wise move to limit his workload.

      – The Cleveland Browns’ official website notes that receivers Braylon Edwards (shoulder) and Donte’ Stallworth (quads) are both listed as questionable this weekend against Baltimore. That certainly doesn’t bode well for a Browns’ offense that has struggled mightily in the team’s two losses this season.

      – The Green Bay Packers official website is reporting that RB Ryan Grant has been upgraded to probable for the team’s Sunday night matchup with the Cowboys. Grant didn’t fare too well against a brutal Detroit front seven last week and he’ll need to step up to help take the pressure off of QB Aaron Rodgers.

      Fantasy Football, General Sports, NFL

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