Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 657 of 1503)

      Alex Smith gets second life in San Francisco

      October 25, 2009 /

      The 49ers didn’t get a win in Houston on Sunday, but they may have found their new quarterback in a familiar face.

      It appears that the stagnant play of Shaun Hill is finally over, as former first overall pick Alex Smith started the second half of the Niners’ 24-21 loss to the Texans in Week 7. Hill was just 6-of-11 passing for 45 yards in the first half and a very Shaun Hill-like 6.1 YPA. Smith came in and immediately sparked San Fran’s offense, marching them down the field and capping the drive off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis. Smith then found Davis twice in the fourth quarter, including on a 23-yard score that cut the Texans’ lead down to 24-21 with less four minutes remaining.

      The 49ers want to be a team that dominates opponents on the ground, which is fine. But with Hill, they couldn’t move the ball vertically through the air and teams like the Falcons and Texans took advantage of that the past three weeks. At some point, Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye had to realize that their offensive approach wasn’t going to work as long as Hill was under center.

      Smith might not have won the starting job in preseason, but he took it today. Will he be the key to getting the Niners to the playoffs? Maybe not, but at least he can complete passes further than 6.1 yards. It’s also nice to see that he developed a great connection with Davis, another one of San Fran’s former top 10 picks.

      For the Texans, this was a nice win because they haven’t been very consistent this season. They’ve now won back-to-back games for the first time this year and their defense is starting to play better. Matt Schaub (20 for 30, 264 yards, 2 TDs) was excellent once again and tight end Owen Daniels (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) was damn near unstoppable today.

      If Houston can continue to play well defensively, the Texans will make a playoff push in the second half.

      NFL

      Gators back at No. 1 in AP Poll

      October 25, 2009 /

      After a one-week hiatus, Florida is back in the top spot in the AP Poll, while Alabama was dropped to No. 2 again.
      No. 3 Texas got seven first-place votes after its 41-7 victory at Missouri.

      The last time two teams flip-flopped in the top two spots of the AP Top 25 from one week to the next was 1992, when Miami and Washington did it.

      Like Texas, No. 4 Southern California, No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 6 Boise State and No. 7 Iowa held their places in the latest media rankings.

      TCU jumped two spots to No. 8 after a 38-7 victory at Mountain West Conference rival BYU. LSU stayed at No. 9 and Oregon moved up two spots to No. 10.

      The Ducks host USC on Saturday in a game with huge Pac-10 championship implications.

      Florida began the season as an overwhelming No. 1 in the AP poll. Alabama started five and steadily gained on the Gators before finally jumping past them last week, when Florida needed a field goal in the waning seconds to beat Arkansas at home.

      This is hardly surprising. The AP was looking for a reason to get the Gators back into the top spot and when ‘Bama almost lost yesterday at home to Tennessee, they got one. Florida didn’t earn many style points in Mississippi State, but the game wasn’t really in doubt like the Tide’s win against the Vols was at the end.

      Either way, I think most objective college football fans would agree that neither Florida nor Alabama was very impressive yesterday.

      College Football

      Florida overcomes Starkville, beats Miss State

      October 24, 2009 /

      Nobody should be surprised at the outcome in Starkville on Saturday night. No. 1 Florida (which has struggled in Starkville since its last win there in 1985) got a great effort from its defense, but the Gators struggled at times offensively and Mississippi State gave them a fight before finally falling 29-19.

      But if Florida was looking to silence its critics, it certainly didn’t do even tonight to accomplish that. Outside of gaining 88 yards on 22 carries and one rushing touchdown, Tim Tebow wasn’t very good. In fact, one could argue that the only reason this game was close was because Tebow kept the Bulldogs in it by throwing two interceptions that Miss State returned for touchdowns. (He also took a truck load of sacks by holding onto the ball too long.)

      Even though the Gators only held on to a 13-10 lead at halftime, this game was never really in doubt. The Bulldogs were horrid offensively and couldn’t sustain drives. Again, the only reason they were even in the game is because their defense gave an outstanding effort and managed to produce two touchdowns.

      That said, did Florida do enough to remain No. 1 in the BCS standings? Before you say no, remember that Alabama wasn’t that impressive either. The Tide needed a blocked field goal to hold off Tennessee at home, as they too struggled offensively. No. 3 Texas might have an argument after routing Missouri 41-7 on the road, but it’s highly unlikely that the conservative BCS voters would make a move like that and rank the Longhorns No. 1.

      Chances are that Florida will find itself atop the BCS standings for a second consecutive week. But for the second consecutive week, the Gators weren’t all that impressive either.

      College Football

      Iowa shocks Michigan State in final seconds

      October 24, 2009 /

      Even those that think they’re the most overrated team in college football have to admit how remarkable the Iowa Hawkeyes have been this season.

      No. 6 Iowa stayed perfect on the season thanks to an improbable 15-13 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Both teams struggling generating any kind of offense until less than three minutes remaining when Iowa took a 9-6 lead on a 20-yard Daniel Murray field goal.

      The Spartans then marched up the field (thanks to a great hook-and-ladder call) and scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Blair White with only 1:37 remaining in the game to put MSU up 13-9. Iowa answered back with a drive of its own, capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt on a 4th and goal as time expired.

      Iowa is 8-0 on the season and in all but one of those wins (a 35-3 rout of Iowa State), the Hawkeyes battled some kind of adversity. Whether they’ve been trailing at the start of the game, at halftime or late in the fourth quarter, Iowa has found a way to win and for that, voters must keep them ranked high.

      I would be willing to argue with anyone who said Iowa isn’t impressive. Are they dominating opponents? No. Are the playing top-notch teams every week? No. Should they have probably suffered a loss at this point? Yes, if not several. Did Michigan State choke several times on the final drive? Absolutely.

      But isn’t the point of the lame, stupid, idiotic BCS system to win games? Isn’t the point to treat every week like it’s a playoff game where victory reigns supreme? It’s not like the Hawkeyes play in the Big East or the Mountain West – they play in the Big Ten, where Ohio State has made a living off playing in BCS games or the national championship with one or no losses.

      Iowa could lose next week and be dropped so far down in the polls that they would need a sniper lens just to see the top. But for now, they’re undefeated, are the team to beat in the Big Ten and will continue to be in BCS contention.

      College Football

      Notre Dame’s Clausen pushes BC player after game

      October 24, 2009 /

      Following Notre Dame’s 20-16 win over Boston College on Saturday, Jimmy Clausen went to shake the hand of Eagle player Rich Gunnell, who appeared to have a few choice words for the Irish quarterback.

      So Clausen said, “Hey Rich, let’s be cool here. We both tried really hard today and sportsmanship is my life. I think the world of you and I appreciate your friendship.”

      Okay, so Clausen didn’t say any of that. He actually pushed Gunnell and the whole incident was caught on television. (Thanks to SPORTSbyBROOKS.com for the video tip.)

      Now, who knows what Gunnell said and who knows what the players said to each other during the game. Obviously the moment isn’t good for Clausen, but these aren’t choirboys here. A push seems kind of mild in the grand scheme of things.

      The bigger story is how Notre Dame continues to struggle against Boston College. The Irish’s victory was ugly at best.

      College Football, Video

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