Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 574 of 1503)

      Pryor quiets critics by leading Ohio State over Oregon in Rose Bowl

      January 1, 2010 /

      Terrelle Pryor has taken his fair share of beatings this season from fans and critics alike – and for good reason.

      Entering his second season, this was supposed to be the year in which Pryor took the next step as a passer. But instead, he regressed. He showed the inability to lead the offense, struggled with his accuracy and with turnovers, and displayed little to no potential.

      But to his credit, Pryor saved his best performance of the year for his last. He gave an incredible effort in Ohio State’s 26-17 win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl and led the Buckeyes with not only his feet, but with his arm as well. He finished 23-of-37 for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the Buckeyes with 72 rushing yards on 20 carries.

      Pryor kept drives alive with his feet, limited mistakes and kept his team in the game from start to finish. He wasn’t quite Vince Young against USC in the national championship, but he was damn near Vince Young against Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl. If Pryor’s junior year resembles that of Young’s third season, then Ohio State has plenty to look forward to next year.

      If you were surprised that the mighty Oregon offense only scored 17 points, don’t be. They took a back seat to Florida and Alabama this season, but Ohio State’s defense was just as good as the Gators and Crimson Tide’s defensive units this year. The Buckeyes’ front four created problems for the Ducks’ high-powered rushing attack by shooting the gaps and using its speed to get into Oregon’s backfield quickly to disrupt plays. The Ducks still rushed for 179 yards, but they certainly weren’t as explosive as they had been in the regular season.

      Another key to the Buckeyes’ win was the play of their secondary. Oregon is a run-first team, but they had a lot of success mixing the pass in with the run to keep defenses off balance this season. But today, Jeremiah Masoli completed just 9-of-20 passes for 81 yards and one interception. OSU’s secondary completely shut down Oregon’s passing game and made them one-dimensional, which was key late in the game.

      This was a nice win for the Big Ten, which improved to 3-2 on the bowl season this year. Had Northwestern cashed in on all of their opportunities today against Auburn, the Big Ten would be rolling right now in bowls.

      College Football

      Clark leads PSU over LSU in Capital One Bowl

      January 1, 2010 /

      Senior quarterback Daryll Clark finally has a signature win on his collegiate resume.

      Clark completed 18-of-35 pass attempts for 216 yards and a touchdown in Penn State’s 19-17 victory over LSU in the Capital One Bowl on Friday. Clark led the Nittany Lions on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that eclipsed 5:57 off the clock and ended with a 21-yard field goal by Collin Wagner to give PSU the lead with just under a minute left to play.

      Wagner deserves a ton of credit for converting all four of his field goal attempts on a horrible playing surface. Both he, Clark and linebacker Sean Lee stepped up big-time when Penn State needed it most.

      LSU mismanaged the clock in the final minute of the game, which cost them an opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal attempt. The situation was similar to the one in which they mismanaged the clock in a loss to Ole’ Miss earlier in the year, so Les Miles has some work to do with his team in that area heading into next season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Florida State wins in Bowden’s final game

      January 1, 2010 /

      In a game that they weren’t expected to win, Florida State beat West Virginia 33-21 in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day and won in head coach Bobby Bowden’s final game for the Seminoles.

      Florida State definitely had an advantage when West Virginia starting quarterback Jarrett Brown left the game late in the first half because of an ankle injury. But even with that advantage, the Mountaineers couldn’t stop the run at that was the difference in the end. The Seminoles racked up 225 yards on the ground, which included 121 yards by sophomore Jermaine Thomas, who also had two touchdowns.

      Quarterback E.J. Manuel also grew today as a player. He completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 189 yards and no interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown and didn’t make any big mistakes to cost his team.

      With Manuel and Thomas in the backfield, the Seminoles have a bright future ahead of them. But while their future was on full display today, it was also nice to see their immediate past go out on a high note. Bowden is a college football coaching legend and whether FSU fans wanted to see him gone or not, they have to admit that he’s done more good for the Seminoles over the years than bad.

      Way to go out on top, Bobby.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Auburn beats Northwestern in Outback Bowl thriller

      January 1, 2010 /

      In a game that rivaled Idaho’s win over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl on Wednesday, Auburn beat Northwestern 38-35 in an Outback Bowl thriller on New Year’s Day.

      On a whole, it was an extremely sloppy game. The Tigers intercepted Wildcats’ quarterback Mike Kafka five times, including twice in the end zone. Auburn also had a crucial fumble late in the fourth quarter when trying to run out the clock, which gave Northwestern a chance to tie the game at 35-all with just over a minute left to play.

      That said, what an incredible finish. Up 35-21 midway through the fourth quarter, Auburn looked like it had complete control of the game. But Kafka led Northwestern on an impressive 15-play, 58-yard drive that was capped by his 2-yard touchdown run. On the drive, the Wildcats were successful on three fourth down conversions, including a 4th-and-5 from Auburn’s 15-yard line.

      But even though the Wildcats had cut the lead to 35-27, their extra point was blocked. Their ensuing onsides kick attempt also failed, but Ben Tate’s fumble on the NW 33-yard line gave the Wildcats another opportunity to tie the game, which they did when Kafka found Sidney Stewart on an 18-yard touchdown. NW then used a trick play on the 2-point conversion to make the game 35-35.

      Continue reading »

      College Football

      Brandon Marshall out against Chiefs

      January 1, 2010 /

      According to ESPN.com, Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall won’t play against the Chiefs this Sunday due to a hamstring injury.

      Marshall had sat out practice for the second straight day Thursday with a strained right hamstring that he suffered running a route.

      Having him available to play is critical for the Broncos (8-7), who need to beat the last-place Chiefs in their regular-season finale and get some assistance if they’re going to qualify for the playoffs.

      There are at least 10 different scenarios that can allow the Broncos to get into the postseason. The simplest is if two of these three lose: Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the Jets.

      This is obviously a huge blow for the Broncos, but at least they’re facing a brutal Chiefs team that Denver crushed 44-13 in Week 13. Knowshon Moreno and Denver’s running game should have plenty room to operate against a Kansas City defense that ranks 30th in the NFL in run defense.

      With this news, Eddie Royal suddenly becomes starter caliber and Marshall owners might find that he’s available on the waiver wire. The Chiefs’ pass defense isn’t good and the Broncos need the win so look for Royal to step up. Jabar Gaffney is also a sneaky good start.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑