Anthony Stalter (under TheScoresReport) and I (under fantasytips) will be tweeting throughout Week 3. Feel free to ask us questions, call us names, whatever…
Page 648 of 2956
Before the NLCS started, you almost had the sense that the Giants didn’t belong. That they weren’t supposed to be here and that they were just stopping by to pay a visit to the Phillies before Philadelphia went on to play in its third straight World Series.
Sure the Giants had Tim Lincecum starting in Game 1, but he was facing Roy Halladay. In his first postseason start of his career, “Doc” threw a no-hitter against the Reds, who arguably have a much more potent lineup than San Francisco. He was sure to slice through their lineup with the greatest of ease.
The Giants are a cute team, but you can’t get serious with them. You two have some fun, you share some laughs – but you’re not bringing them home to meet mom. The Phillies – now that’s a team you marry.
Well, apparently that cute Giants team isn’t messing around.
Thanks to huge night by Cody Ross, another stellar pitching performance by Tim Lincecum and a shutdown effort by their bullpen, the Giants beat the Phillies 4-3 in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night. They knocked around Halladay for four runs on eight hits and Ross went deep twice on the Phillies’ ace to set the tone for a massive San Francisco win.
Lincecum wasn’t as dominating as he was in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Braves, but he allowed just three runs on six hits over seven innings of work while also striking out eight. He gave up a two-run home run to Jayson Werth in the 6th to make the game 4-3, but Javier Lopez (a great mid-season add by GM Brian Sabean) and Brian Wilson (whose black beard is mesmerizing) combined to shut Philly out in the eighth and ninth to preserve the victory.
The G-Men have a long, daunting task ahead of them but this was a huge first step. To beat the Phillies’ ace in his home park and in a hostile environment was impressive. The late-season acquisition of Ross continues to pay off and don’t forget that Lincecum isn’t the only Giants’ pitcher with nasty stuff. Game 2’s starter Jonathan Sanchez took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Braves and his slider could limit Philly’s power. It doesn’t get any easier for Philadelphia, either.
But even if Sanchez doesn’t pitch well in Game 2 tonight, the Giants have already accomplished what they needed to do, which was win at least one game in Philly. Now that the pressure is on the Phillies to earn a split, San Fran could go a long way to making its World Series dream a reality if it can beat Roy Oswalt.
Lace ‘em up – we’ve got ourselves a series.
“Nothing against our special teams,” Pryor said, “but that really hurt us. That kicked us in our rear end.”
That was Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor following Ohio State’s devastating 31-18 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday night – a loss that will cost the Buckeyes the No. 1 spot in the top-25 rankings. What he should have said was that the entire Ohio State program, from the coaching staff to the players to the cheerleaders “really hurt us.” Because nobody, nobody, showed up for the Buckeyes in Madison.
One would have thought that after Alabama fell to South Carolina last week that Ohio State would come out a little more focused for their bout against Wisconsin. This wasn’t a letdown game against an overzealous Northwestern or Illinois team that the Buckeyes had to get through. This was a major battle against another ranked foe that so happened to also play in the Big Ten, so where was OSU’s effort?
On the opening kickoff, Jim Tressel’s vaunted special teams gave up a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which set the table for Wisconsin the rest of the night. That’s what Pryor was alluding to when he threw his special teams under the bus, although it wasn’t just that group that failed the Buckeyes on Saturday.
OSU’s usually stingy defense was absolutely shredded by the Badgers’ rushing attack for 184 yards – 138 came the first half when Wisconsin built a 21-3 lead. The Badgers didn’t hide from who they are – they lined up toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes and punched them straight in the mouth with John Clay and James White. They didn’t try to go side to side or try to get fancy with their passing game because of whom they were facing: they went right at the Buckeyes over and over and over again, and the end result wasn’t pretty for OSU.
Tressel’s conservative approach once again reared its ugly head too. Down 21-0 in the first half, his playcalling resembled that of a coach hoping that either his backs or quarterback would trip and fall into the end zone by accident rather then fool the defense. Never did he give Pryor a run-pass option or go play action when Wisconsin loaded up to stop the run. It was pathetic and his effort cost his team a chance to get six instead of settling for just three.
Then, with 6:29 remaining in the game and the Buckeyes’ trailing by 10, Tressel decided to punt and it backfired. OSU faced a 4th-and-10 at their 29-yard line, so it was a tough call either way. But they needed points and Wisconsin was eager to run the clock out. Considering his defense had been shredded the entire night, it probably would have been best had he sent his offense back onto the field. At least that would have been the more aggressive move; nobody would have faulted him for trying to get points down 10 with only six and a half minutes left. But he didn’t and along with his team last night, he failed.
Now Oregon will have its shot at the top spot. Of course, if the Ducks play as well as the Buckeyes did Saturday night, their stay at the top will also be short lived.
You think it’s hard to predict the games and standings from week to week? Try picking MVP candidates. There are five or six different candidates emerging every week. We’ll do this as one post again today and start separating them out next week. And I’m sure by this time Tuesday everything will be turned upside down again. Enjoy the games today everyone!
MVP Power Rankings
1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He didn’t play last week and yet the Eagles still won, but barely, on the road in San Fran. Against a team that still hasn’t won a game yet. And hence my case is made again. And when Kolb and the Eagles lose at home to the Falcons today, fans in Philly will be chanting Vick’s name, which will have made my case again.
Taylor Martinez went off a week ago against Kansas State, leading many (including myself) to think he could be the second coming of Tommy Frazier and lead Nebraska back to the promised land.
Nebraska fell 20-13 today to a Texas team that has been listless at times this season. The Longhorns held the explosive dual threat quarterback to 21 yards rushing on 13 carries. Nebraska only mustered 125 yards on 44 carries as a team. It wasn’t much better through the air, as Martinez and backup Zac Lee combined for 77 yards on 8-of-21 passing. On the bright side, they didn’t throw any interceptions. So there’s that.
It’s a big step for the Texas defense, which three weeks ago was embarrassed by UCLA. But mostly it’s a big wake-up call for Martinez and the Cornhuskers, who had moved all the way up to No. 5 in the rankings despite really not having beat anyone of consequence.
It’s too early to completely write off the Cornhuskers. Texas was coming off of a bye week, so that definitely helped. Plus, Martinez is young and he’ll have games like this every once in a while. Nebraska will just have to hope that when that happens, its defense can do enough for the win.
This is a stark reminder, however, that what you think you’re seeing in college football is normally not what you’re really seeing. This is one of the only sports in which that sentence makes sense.
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑