Some of the songs in our life that we listen to and enjoy, in one way or another, has told our story as we lived it out in real time. I was born to the City and survived a dangerous way of life. All the while we kept looking for love that stalked us out to touch it. Teaching us about each other. It is amazing to look back at our life that way. Over how that happened, and just how long our story is lasting. Along with all the music as we keep watching college football?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
----------------------------
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/
SEC Blog
Instant Analysis: Ole Miss 38, Pittsburgh 17
PM ET
By
Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
Thanks to 24-point first half and commanding performance by its defense throughout the afternoon, Ole Miss captured its first bowl victory since 2009 with a 38-17 win over Pittsburgh in front of a sea of red that was a part of a record crowd of 59,135 for the BBVA Compass Bowl.
The SEC improved to 5-3 in bowl games, while the Big East ends bowl play with a 3-2 record.
It was over when: Ole Miss back up quarterback Barry Brunetti pushed forward on a quarterback keeper for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 31-10 Rebels with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Game ball goes to: First-year coach Hugh Freeze. He didn't throw any passes or make any tackles, but he had his players very ready for Saturday's bowl game. This game meant a lot to players and fans, and the Rebels came out fast on offense and hunkered down on defense. After missing out on a bowl game the last two seasons, and winning just six total games during that span, Ole Miss finished the year 7-6 after a major culture overhaul thanks to Freeze's guidance.
Stat of the game: Ole Miss held the rushing advantage over Pittsburgh 222-81.
Stat of the game II: Pittsburgh defenders Jason Hendricks and Shayne Hale combined for 30 tackles and 21 of those tackles were solo.
Best call: All year, Freeze rotated his quarterbacks throughout games. Bo Wallace was always the starter but Brunetti would come in for obvious running plays. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it was a little too obvious, but it certainly worked on Saturday. Wallace finished the game with 151 passing yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions on 22 of 32 passing. He also ran for 27 yards, while Brunetti totaled 34 yards, but helped really open up a running game that finished with 222 yards and 4.6 yards per carry.
Unsung heroes of the game: Running back Jeff Scott left the game early with a hamstring injury, leaving freshman Jaylen Walton to help carry the load. He kept the chains moving for the Rebels, carrying the ball 10 times for 56 yards. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry in the process. Linebacker Mike Marry has been one of the most underrated players in the SEC this year and he had a very productive day. He was all over Pitt's backfield, registering four tackles for loss. He finished the day with seven total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
What Ole Miss learned: This team brought a lot of fight to Birmingham, Ala. When Scott went down with his hamstring injury, there had to be some concern on that Ole Miss sideline that the Rebels' offense might lose some of its rhythm. It didn't. The Rebels continued to work the ground game with other options and just wore down the Panthers up front. That running game helped open up the passing game and helped the Rebels enter the offseason with a ton of momentum after this win.
What Pitt learned: It had no offense without star senior running back Ray Graham. He had a heck of a career with the Panthers, but a hamstring injury kept him out of the BBVA Compass Bowl, and the Panthers just couldn't replace his production on the field. Pitt ran the ball 36 times for 81 yards, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry. Rushel Shell replaced Graham, rushing for 79 yards on 25 carries. That lack of a running game severely limited the Panthers through the air as well, as quarterback Tino Sunseri passed for just 185 yards.
See video...http://espn.go.com/
----------------------------
http://www.dandydon.com/
Dandy Don's LSU Sports Report
Good morning, Tiger Fans,
LSU picked up a huge commitment yesterday in Kendell Beckwith (DE/LB, 6'3", 225, East Feliciana, No. 1 on our list of Top LA Prospects). Beckwith chose LSU over Alabama during the Under Armour All Star game, live on ESPN. For all of you who, like me, watched Landon Collins choose Alabama during last year's UA game, it sure was nice to see Beckwith put on his LSU cap yesterday.
With his verbal, LSU now has 26 commitments, including all of the top-10 on our list of Top LA Prospects for the Class of 2012. Now that's what I call locking down the state! The next highest ranked player on our list is Tim Williams who is still undeclared. Miami appears to have the lead for Williams, but he is also considering LSU, Alabama and Florida State, and will be taking his last official visit to LSU on February 1. I think it's unlikely that Williams will choose LSU, but you never know.
Since LSU only signed 21 players in the 2012 class, they have room to back-count four early enrollees from this year's class to last year. That means LSU could take commitments from up to 29 players and make the numbers work. Next week we’ll review some of the remaining targets on LSU’s radar.
With Beckwith’s verbal yesterday, LSU's climbed to No. 4 in Rivals recruiting rankings, but more importantly his commitment helped to fill what could be a very big team need at defensive end if Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery decide to forgo their senior seasons. Other big-time defensive ends in this year's class include Michael Patterson (6'5", 240, Winnfield) and Frank Herron (6'5", 235, Memphis, TN).
Yesterday LSU confirmed that Tharold Simon, Spencer Ware and Brad Wing will all declare for the NFL Draft. Ware and Simon were both true juniors, while Wing was a redshirt sophomore making him eligible for the NFL Draft in April. Ware was one of the few players in LSU history to rush for a TD, catch a TD pass and throw a touchdown pass during his career. Ware finished with 1,249 rushing yards and 10 TDs to go along with 39 receptions for 404 yards and a pair of scores. He threw a 39-yard TD pass to Rueben Randle against Auburn in 2010. Wing departs LSU after two seasons as the starting punter. In two years, Wing punted 118 times with a 44.6 average, which ranks as the highest average in school history for a player with at least 100 punts. Wing, who earned first-team All-America honors as a freshman and second-team honors as a sophomore, had 39 punts of 50-yards or more during his career with another 48 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Simon was a two-year starter at cornerback for the Tigers where he recorded 96 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 22 pass breakups and intercepted seven passes. In 2012, Simon led the Tigers in pass breakups with nine and interceptions with four.
Also, late last night it was reported that Barkevious Mingo will declare as well, although this has not yet been officially announced by LSU. Mingo, along with Kevin Minter and Eric Reid who declared earlier in the week, brings LSU’s current count of early NFL Draft entries up to six, and more could be coming as Benny Logan, Sam Montgomery and Michael Ford are still weighing options and are likely to go. Never before has LSU had so many juniors who project so highly in the NFL draft, and never before has LSU had so many early departures. Prior to this year, the most Tigers to leave early in a single season was three.
In other LSU football news, it was announced yesterday that the LSU-Clemson game was the most-viewed non-BCS bowl game in ESPN history, and the most-viewed Chick-fil-A Bowl in history. An estimated 8.56 million viewers tuned in for contest. And even though the fourth quarter was painful to watch as a Tiger Fan, there’s no question that it was one of the most interesting bowl games of the season thus far.
In basketball news, the 8-2 LSU men’s basketball team will play its final non-conference game of the season this afternoon when it faces Bethune Cookman (5-9) at the PMAC. Tip time is 12:30 p.m. and the game will not be televised. Coach Johnny Jones announced on Thursday at the media session that Johnny O’Bryant III is questionable for the game, but point guard Anthony Hickey is expected to dress after sitting out the Houston Baptist game.
--------------------------
http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
SEC BOWL PREVIEW: BCS Championship
Bama goes for third title in four years and seventh straight for the conference
By RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Associate Editor
This is the conclusion of a nine-part series that has previewed the bowl matchups for all the SEC teams in action. I’ll finish up today with Alabama versus Notre Dame in BCS Championship Game.
BCS Championship Game
Alabama vs. Notre Dame
Miami Gardens, Fla. - Sun Life Stadium
Jan. 7, 8 p.m. (ET) - ESPN
How they got here
Nick Saban talked this summer at SEC Media Days about how he planned to keep his team motivated following a national title. Clearly, he learned from his team’s 2010 performance (the last time the Tide attempted to defend its title) as Alabama finds itself right back in the BCS Championship Game. The Tide thrashed their first eight opponents of the year by no margin of victory less than 27 points before pulling out a thriller in Baton Rouge over the heartbroken Tigers. Then, Johnny Football took his biggest step toward the Heisman Trophy and knocked off Alabama in T-Town, seemingly pushing Alabama out of the national title picture. But Oregon and Kansas State losses coupled with a 32-28 victory over Georgia in the SEC Title Game placed Bama right back where it wanted to be - Miami.
Often, Notre Dame receives a courtesy ranking in the preseason polls when it hadn’t deserved it. After all, this will be the Irish’s first finish in the AP top-25 poll since 2006. However, the Irish didn’t get that courtesy ranking in the AP poll this year, and for once, the pundits were wrong about Notre Dame in the opposite direction. The Irish just kept winning and winning and winning despite pulling off half of their victories by seven points or less and two in overtime. All but two of Notre Dame’s wins came over bowl eligible squads (including self-imposed sanctioned Miami), but several opponents such as Michigan State, Michigan and USC weren’t as good as they were supposed to be in 2012. But all a college football team can do is win every game on its schedule, and Notre Dame was the only eligible (Ohio State) FBS team to do that in 2012.
Matchups
Alabama offense versus Notre Dame defense
It continues to amaze me how Nick Saban can get his 18-to-22 year olds to perform so consistently week in and week out. It’s done by putting the fear of God in them I guess. The Tide did what the Tide always do in 2012. They rushed the ball effectively, set up efficient passing and only turned the ball over 15 times in 13 games. AJ McCarron didn’t have a pick until the 10th game of the season throwing 26 scores and finishing with a measly three interceptions, while Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon combined for 2,182 yards and 27 scores. And most importantly, when the chips were down and it needed a clutch, late-game drive, it came through versus LSU and Georgia.
Notre Dame’s defense was quite simply fantastic in 2012. The Irish gave up only 287 yards per game and was first in the nation with only 10.33 points allowed per game. Led by Heisman runner up Manti Te’o, Notre Dame never gave up 21 points in regulation and held five opponents to single digits. This is truly a defense for the ages.
The key will be whether Notre Dame can handle the physicality that is coming its way in the form of the Bama front. There’s no doubting that allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game is impressive, but the Irish haven’t faced a downhill running team like the Tide. Personally, I laugh every time I hear talking heads validate the talent on Notre Dame’s front seven by saying they all had SEC offers. You know how many Alabama players had SEC offers? All of them. But with that said, the Irish ‘D’ has done some really special things in 2012 and bailed out the offense in several lackluster performances. If Notre Dame avoids getting gashed on the ground, McCarron won’t be in so many easy passing situations, and he won’t be perfect. But if the Tide can run it effectively, it’ll be easy pickings through the air too. My guess is that it’s somewhere in the middle, and Notre Dame slows down the Tide offense just enough to win this matchup but maybe not enough to win the game.
Advantage: Notre Dame (slight)
Notre Dame offense versus Alabama defense
With previously inexperienced Everett Golson at the helm, offense was tough to find early for the Irish. They let their defense carry them to low-scoring victories. It got better as the year went on, but it still never really struck fear into anybody’s hearts. 36 touchdowns ranks 87th nationally. Four teams scored twice that many touchdowns or better. However, Notre Dame has been efficient. The Irish have turned the ball over only 14 times through 12 games, and that’s still barely been enough to get them here. Read more...http://www.tigerrag.
--------------------------
Music video for Notre Dame:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Notre Dame National Championship Pump Up
--------------------------http://espn.go.com/college-
A Long Walk
Before Stephon Tuitt arrived at Notre Dame and helped guide it to the BCS title game, he had to walk a long Georgia road to find football. Mark Schlabach »Fortress in the red zone
More »Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
--------------------------
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/
Yahoo! sports
BCS big picture: Trench battle between Alabama, Notre Dame worth watching
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – If you want a viewing tip for the BCS championship game Monday night, here it is: Don't watch the ball.Watch the linemen.
Especially when Alabama has the football.
If you keep your eyes on the surprisingly agile pachyderms mashing facemasks up front, you will see the best matchup of the game. Maybe the best matchup of the entire season in college football. You will see a Crimson Tide offensive line laden with experience and NFL talent battling a Notre Dame front seven laden with experience and NFL talent.
You will see huge on huge. Mean on mean. Smart on smart. Athletic on athletic. Proud on proud.
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, on Alabama's line: "Tackle to tackle, it's the best collection of offensive linemen we've played against. They're uniquely big and fast. They have quick twitch. They're not on the ground. They have excellent contact balance and ballast. They play hard, that's another unique trait. It's not another happy-go-lucky group of offensive linemen. This is an angry, aggressive, intense group of players that play hard and finish blocks."
[Related: Alabama's hatred of Notre Dame crosses cultural lines]
All-American center Barrett Jones leads Alabama's huge offensive line. (AP)Alabama center Barrett Jones, on Notre Dame's front seven: "They don't make mistakes. That's the thing you see on film, they don't make mistakes. They don't slant the wrong gap and leave huge holes where they're going to give you easy touchdowns. They make you earn it. We're going to have to execute, use our hands well, and do it that way."
Watch the line and you will see a 'Bama front five that averages 6-4 2/3, 314 pounds going up against a three-man Notre Dame front that averages 6-4 1/3, 312. And those Irish linemen are buttressed by a four-man linebacker crew that goes 6-2 1/3, 248. Those are all prototype professional measurements.
You will see 40 percent of the AP All-America offensive line in Jones and guard Chance Warmack, with second-team All-American D.J. Fluker at tackle. They will go up against the absurdly decorated Manti Te'o (a Notre Dame-record seven national awards, plus a runner-up finish for the Heisman Trophy) and second-team All-America defensive end Stephon Tuitt – and a lot of people think powerhouse nose guard Louis Nix III is the most important member of the entire front seven.
Despite the accolades, they all play like their scholarships are riding on every snap.
"We each play heartfelt football," Warmack said.
Alabama ranks 19th nationally in rushing at 224.6 yards per game – but that's just part of the story. The Crimson Tide's 5.56 yards per carry is sixth in the nation, showing that they get quality gains out of almost every run. Alabama also is sixth nationally in fewest penalties per game, and a big part of that is an offensive line that gets called for holding about as often as Nick Saban smiles during a game.
"They have great hands, great technique," Irish defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore said of the Tide line. "They finish plays."
[Also: QB Nick Montana, son of Joe, commits to Tulane for 2013 season]
But Notre Dame's defensive numbers are even more impressive than Alabama's offensive totals. The Irish are fourth nationally in rushing defense and first in scoring defense, giving up just 10.3 points per game. Craziest stat of all: They have allowed exactly two rushing touchdowns all season, one against Oklahoma on Oct. 27, and one the following week against Pittsburgh. Otherwise, ball carriers have hit a barrier at the goal line, with memorable goal-line stands to show for it against Stanford and USC.
"They're just as physical as anybody we've ever played," Warmack said of the Irish. "They're defensively sound. You don't see a lot of teams like that."
Alabama has been plenty explosive, producing 20 touchdowns of 20 or more yards. Notre Dame allows almost nothing of the sort, surrendering just one TD from more than 20 yards away – and that was in the season opener against Navy. Diaco's mantra since his days with head coach Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, and perhaps even before that, at Central Michigan, has been No Big Plays. Keep everything in front of you, tackle securely and make the offense earn every blade of grass.
[Also: Notre Dame football commit Torii Hunter Jr.'s gruesome injury caught on film]
Led by linebacker Manti Te'o, Notre Dame has college football's top scoring defense. (AP)Alabama's offensive line was never more dominating than its last game, in the Southeastern Conference championship. Against a Georgia defense with its own fair share of NFL prospects, the Tide rampaged for 350 rushing yards in a whopping 51 attempts. Eddie Lacy broke tackles and spun past defenders for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman backup T.J. Yeldon slashed and sprinted for 153 yards and a score.
Notre Dame has allowed two 100-yard rushers this season, Stepfan Taylor of Stanford (102) and Ray Graham of Pitt (172). The last three teams the Irish have faced – Boston College, Wake Forest and USC – did not produce 100 rushing yards.
In previous BCS title games, one of the key differentiating factors has been defensive line play. In the process of winning six straight crystal footballs, SEC schools have displayed a dominance up front defensively that the likes of Ohio State (2006 and '07), Oklahoma ('08) and Texas ('09) could not handle. And those teams did not have the hosses of their own to wreak havoc on SEC offenses.
Well, Notre Dame has an SEC defensive front seven, stocked with players from SEC territory or very nearby. Nix is from Jacksonville, Fla. Tuitt is from Monroe, Ga. Lewis-Moore is from Weatherford, Texas. Outside linebacker Prince Shembo is from Charlotte, N.C.
"They have SEC size and speed," Jones said of the Irish.
And they have SEC confidence.
"They're good," Lewis-Moore said. "We're not intimidated by any means."
So forget the glamour boys in the backfield and out toward the boundaries of the field. Watch the brawl in the middle. It may be the best football you've seen all season.
Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
• New Chiefs coach Andy Reid must find a more effective QB
• Kobe Bryant rejoins Twitter after long hiatus
• Doctors fear Manny Pacquiao is developing Parkinson's disease
• Y! Finance: The most stressful jobs for 2013
http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!
| Sports Illustrated | Cotton Bowl win caps amazing year for Manziel, Texas A&M |
| Austin Statesman | Notre Dame AD Swarbrick on a game in Asia; clock's ticking on naming playoff site |
| Wall Street Journal | In praise of the one-point safety |
| STATS / A.P. / ESPN | BBVA Compass Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Pittsburgh; 12:00 p.m. on ESPN |
| NCAA News | NDSU or SHSU? Writers face off on title tilt; 12:00 p.m. on ESPN2 |
No comments:
Post a Comment