---

Bar Chat

10/23/2023

Penn State Loses Another Biggie...

Add-on posted Tuesday afternoon…ahead of Game 7 in Philadelphia.

MLB Playoffs

For the first time since 2004 in a full season, both championship series went seven games.

Texas wrapped up their improbable series with Houston in Game 7, 11-4, as Adolis Garcia hit two home runs and drove in five, setting an all-time playoff series record with 15 RBIs in the seven games, five homers.  Garcia now has 7 home runs and 20 RBIs in 12 postseason games.

I was a little surprised that Max Scherzer started for Texas, given his ineffectiveness in his last start after coming back from a long layoff, but after Texas teed off on Houston starter Christian Javier for three runs in the top of the first, Javier exiting after just one out, Scherzer gave up 2 runs in his 2 2/3, Texas leading 4-2 at that point, and Jordan Montgomery threw 2 1/3 scoreless in relief.

The Rangers blew it open with four in the top of the fifth and it was essentially game over.

So, incredibly, the home team lost all seven games in the series, befitting Houston’s regular season…39-42 at home, 51-30 on the road.

For the Astros, one regular-season star who came up small in the postseason was Kyle Tucker.  Tucker hit 29 home runs and drove in 112, .886 OPS, but was just 6-for-40, zero homers, in 11 games in the playoffs.

Texas now awaits the winner of Phillies-Diamondbacks in Philadelphia tonight…Brandon Pfaadt (10 scoreless his last two starts after a 5.72 ERA in the regular season) vs. Ranger Suarez (one earned run in 14 innings this postseason).

Monday night, Arizona tied the series at 3-3 with a 5-1 win over Aaron Nola (4 1/3, 4 runs, two homers).  For the D’Backs, Merrill Kelly threw five strong, one run, 8 Ks, and the bullpen closed it from there, Philadelphia’s big bats silenced.  Will they show up in Game 7?

I can’t help but note watching the game a super call by analyst Ron Darling (who calls Mets games in the regular season).  It’s popular to trash broadcast teams, but with Tommy Pham coming to the plate for Arizona against Nola in the second inning, the TBS crew was talking about how Pham was upset he wasn’t in the lineup in Game 5.

Darling, who observed Pham this season while the outfielder was with the Mets, said: “He plays well with a chip on his shoulder.”  Next pitch, Pham slammed it over the left-field wall.

And back to Rangers-Astros, I do have to note that in Game 6, which Texas won 9-2, Nate Eovaldi remained perfect this postseason, yielding two runs in 6 1/3 to improve to 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in the playoffs.

NFL

--Amazing how just ten days ago, the order of the football universe was 1. San Francisco 2. Philadelphia and 3. Detroit in the NFC.  San Fran and Philly then lost last weekend, but then Detroit was whipped by the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday.   Sunday night, Philadelphia then beat arguably the AFC’s No. 1 team (along with Kansas City), Miami, 31-17.

And Monday night, San Francisco shockingly lost its second straight, 22-17 to the Vikings, who played without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

While Kirk Cousins was 35/45, 378, 2-1, 107.2 for Minnesota (3-4), rookie receiver Jordan Addison filled in for Jefferson with seven receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

San Francisco (5-2) has to be a bit concerned over Brock Purdy’s play the last two weeks.

After starting out his career 10-0 in his ten regular-season starts, Purdy has had two clunkers in a row, throwing two interceptions last night.

Back to the Eagles game, the Philadelphia defense contained Tua and Tyreek Hill, the latter with 11 receptions but for just 88 yards.  For Philly, receiver A.J. Brown continued to shine, 10 catches, 137 yards and a touchdown.

Brown now has five straight games with 125 yards receiving, only the second player in NFL history to do that, Calvin Johnson the other.

And one more after I posted last Sunday, Kansas City-L.A. Chargers.

K.C. led 24-17 at the half as tight end Travis Kelce, with Taylor in the box, had an astounding 143 yards on nine catches and a touchdown in the opening 30 minutes!  He would finish 12-179-1.

Patrick Mahomes, with wife Brittany partying with Taylor, was 20/23, 321, 3-1, also in just the first half.  I was shocked the announcers didn’t say anything about the single-game NFL record of 554 yards held by Norm Van Brocklin way back in 1951.  I told Phil W. at halftime that I was hoping Mahomes didn’t break “The Dutchman’s” record and said my last words on my deathbed might be “Van Brocklin lives….”  [Or “Ed Kranepool is the real No. 7…”  Phil, knowing my sports history well, said it would be more appropriate if my last words were “Potvin sucks…”]

Anyway, Norm can continue to rest easy as Mahomes ended up 32/42, 424, 4-1, 129.5, as the Chiefs (6-1) cruised, 31-17, dropping the Chargers to 2-4.

So Philadelphia and K.C. are the only teams in the NFL that are 6-1.

--Just for the record, since I failed to mention it in my Sunday post, with the Patriots’ stunning 29-25 upset of the Bills, Bill Belichick’s 300th, he trails Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) on the all-time list for regular-season victories by a head coach.

But including the playoffs, Belichick (331) is second to Shula (347).

--As the Browns (4-2) prepare for a road tussle at Seattle next Sunday, Deshaun Watson’s status is day-to-day after leaving Sunday’s game against the Colts early with a head injury, that was not diagnosed to be a concussion.  The team, though, wants to make sure he didn’t reinjure his shoulder, which had kept him out the previous two weeks.

There are many Browns fans, however, who prefer backup P.J. Walker, who led the charge in a thrilling 39-38 victory.  Kind of similar situation to the Giants with backup Tyrod Taylor, who has looked good in his two starts in place of the injured Daniel Jones.

--Speaking of the Giants, a massive game this Sunday for my area, Giants-Jets.  My Jets must win to show they can truly be a factor the rest of the year.

--Thursday night, a biggie for the Bills as they host the Bucs.

College Football

--Yes, it’s not a particularly exciting schedule this coming Saturday, which means we’ll probably have a big upset or two.  Maybe 6 Oklahoma at Kansas, or BYU at 7 Texas…just musing…

--Dan Wolken / USA TODAY…on the Michigan sign-stealing case…

“The scandal at Michigan erupted Monday, morphing from a vague story with an unclear path forward to a blatant and elaborate cheating operation that clearly crossed lines anyone in college football would consider a gray area.

“As reported by ESPN, low-level Michigan staffer Connor Stalions – who is at the center of an NCAA probe about whether he broke rules prohibiting in-person scouting of opponents – bought tickets in his own name to games at 11 different schools in the Big Ten over the course of three seasons.

“It’s all confirmed by credit card and ticket tracking data.

“There’s apparently video evidence of people in those seats using electronic devices to record what’s happening on the sidelines of future Michigan opponents, which would have presumably been relayed back to Stalions to help him decode play calls.

“And if that’s true, it’s pretty much game, set and match in favor of the NCAA enforcement staff. After all the cheaters who have gotten away over decades and decades, a former U.S. Marine Corps captain and Naval Academy graduate has handed them the golden ticket to smack one of college football’s super powers and the current No. 2 team in the country.

“The problem is…the path forward and what it means for this season is still very much unclear.  In the history of NCAA enforcement, this is truly uncharted territory with a lot of questions that still need to be answered.

“Who else at Michigan knew?  Was this a solo operation, or were other coaches in on it?  Did head coach Jim Harbaugh have any idea why one of his staffers was so good at stealing signs, and did he ever think to ask why?....

“By rule, Harbaugh will be presumed responsible for the actions of his staff members whether he was aware they took place or not.  And given that he’s already under the NCAA microscope for other alleged violations…trying to argue that he promoted a so-called ‘atmosphere of compliance’ will be a challenge, to say the least.

“In other words, if this is what it looks like – and it sure does seem there’s a lot of rock-solid evidence on this one – Michigan is certainly going to be penalized.  Harbaugh, if he even sticks around, is going to be penalized….

“Doesn’t matter whether you think this is funny, gray area, gamesmanship, inane NCAA rules-type stuff.  Within the coaching fraternity, this is a serious breach.”

So the obvious question is, ‘Can the NCAA act this season?’  It would need an airtight case to say, like in December before the final CFP vote to set the playoffs and New Year’s Six, whether Michigan is ineligible.

Ohio State could largely make this all moot by beating the Wolverines on Nov. 25.  You know that’s what the NCAA wants at this point.

--Regarding No. 24 USC’s crash and burn, Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times:

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“The white jerseys of Utah weren’t supposed to be dancing across the Coliseum field while the cardinal jerseys of USC were doubled over in tears.

“The rollicking Coliseum crowd was not supposed to alter its cheers to boos, then jeers, then stunned silence.

“The Trojans were supposed to win games like this, a Pac-12 home showdown with the defending conference champs, a grudge match against a team that beat them twice last season, a monumental moment.

“This is why they hired Lincoln Riley, right?

“Yet on a brutal Saturday night, their $10-million-a-year coach’s promise of a championship culture once again crumpled like a cheap suit.

“Riley failed the moment.  He failed the Trojans. He failed the Coliseum. He is failing this season.

“The Utes’ 34-32 victory on a last-second field goal by Cole Becker was just the latest example of how, in the second year of Riley’s revival tour, the Trojans are rapidly and reprehensibly regressing.

“After 22 games as USC coach, Riley is 17-5.

“After 22 games as USC coach, Clay Helton was 17-5.

“Chew on that one while you gnaw at a second consecutive loss that removes the Trojans from national championship contention while also probably ending their conference title hopes….

“Riley is also flunking the important realm of public perception. Like every football coach, he controls the team’s media access, so it falls on him that for the first time in memory Saturday, no USC players were made available for postgame interviews.

“So much for public accountability. So much for public responsibility. So much for answering to a passionate fan base that has plenty of questions.

“Many of the Trojans are paid well, with (Caleb) Williams making millions. Connecting with their fans is part of the job.  By presiding over this latest shame just weeks after he suspended a reporter’s credentials, Riley has created arguably the lowest point in USC’s long and admirable history of sports media relations.

“Riley claims his team is paying too much attention to the sort of commotion caused by the critics.

“ ‘All the outside noise…it can get to you,’ he said.  ‘And I think at times, fair to say it’s got to this team…I think we’ve had to really fight to keep things on our own terms.’

“This has been written many times before, but it bears repeating. Riley must remember he is no longer coaching in Oklahoma, he is coaching in Los Angeles, a place defined by the noise, a place where one is paid well to both create and endure the noise, a place were he owes it to his players to learn how to deal with the noise.

“Riley has arguably the biggest noise job in all of college football.  He is supposed to amplify, not squelch.  Yet Saturday night ended with deathly quiet surrounding what appears to be another lost season.

“Lincoln Riley stood in the same stadium where USC once held an upper deck news conference proclaiming him the savior, only he was on a field littered with failure, a long way down.”

Stuff

--In the Premier League, Tottenham defeated Fulham 2-0 on Monday to remain in first place.

--The new NBA season tips off tonight, with the Knicks in action Wednesday against the Celtics.  Lots of talk in the New York and Philadelphia papers on the potential of a trade for Joel Embiid.  I can’t see the Knicks being able to pull this off, assuming Embiid requests a ticket out of Philly.

Meanwhile, there is a record number of foreign players on NBA rosters, 125. Canada leads with 26, France is next with 14.  All 30 teams have at least one foreign-born player.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted Sunday p.m. before late football games and baseball.]

Brief Add-on up top by Tuesday evening.

NFL Quiz: ‘Sacks’ have been an official stat since 1982, but Pro Football Reference is confident it has the stat going back to 1960. So given that, name the seven with 150 or more sacks in NFL history. Answer below.

MLB Playoffs

A funny thing happened on the way to a Rangers-Phillies World Series, the Astros and Diamondbacks showed up.

Both Philadelphia and Texas were up 2-0 in their series, when the Astros took their show on the road and swept the Rangers 8-5, 10-3, and 5-4, Game 6 now Sunday night back in Houston.

Friday night in Game 5, Jose Altuve hit a dramatic three-run homer in the ninth, after getting into another bench-clearing scuffle with the Rangers.

Adolis Garcia had hit a towering three-run homer off Justin Verlander in the sixth to give Texas a 4-2 lead, but his painfully slow trot and an emphatic spike of his bat riled up Houston.

When Garcia came to bat again with a runner on first in the eighth, Bryan Abreu hit him on the left arm with a pitch, and Garcia immediately turned to get in the face of catcher Martin Maldonado, the two having a history.

Both benches and bullpens cleared, though no punches were thrown and once things settled down, Garcia, Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker had been ejected, Baker going ballistic and refusing to leave the dugout for a long spell.

It made zero sense that Abreu would deliberately hit Garcia in that situation. But MLB suspended him for the rest of the series.  [He’s appealing.]

But that just set the stage for Altuve, who hit the 26th postseason homer of his career, second behind Manny Ramirez’s 29.

Houston’s road record is remarkable.  In the regular season they were only 39-42 at home, averaging 4.5 runs per game, compared to 51-30 and 5.7 runs per game on the road, and now they just swept Texas in Arlington.

In Phoenix Friday night, the D’Backs staged a stunning comeback after being down 5-2 in the seventh.

Arizona got a two-out bases loaded walk to Christian Walker to make it 5-3 after seven, and then Alek Thomas hit a tying two-run pinch-hit home run off the Phils’ Craig Kimbrel, and Gabriel Moreno followed with a go-ahead single off Jose Alvarado for the 6-5 win to even the series at 2-2.  Paul Sewald gave up a double but closed it in the ninth for the save.

In Game 5 Saturday night, Zack Wheeler was superb again for the Phillies as they regained control of the series, a 6-1 win to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Philadelphia for Game 6 Monday night, Aaron Nola vs. Merrill Kelly.

Wheeler went seven innings, one run, one walk, 8 strikeouts, as he moved to 3-0, 2.08 in the playoffs.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both hit monstrous homers in the sixth off Arizona starter Zac Gallen, who again failed in crunch time (six innings, 4 runs), the fifth postseason homers for the two, as J.T. Realmuto homered in the eighth for insurance.

Schwarber now has 20 postseason homers, the most of any left-handed hitter in history.

College Football Review…comments written prior to release of new AP Poll…

The Big Ten approached Michigan State on Wednesday, ahead of this Saturday’s matchup between Michigan and MSU in East Lansing, saying it’s been made aware of “credible evidence” that exists suggesting the Wolverines have successfully stolen signs called by opposing teams’ coaches this season.

The NCAA is investigating Michigan “over possible rule-breaking around in-person scouting of opponents,” according to the New York Times/The Athletic and an industry source briefed on the matter. [Yahoo Sports first broke the story.] According to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same seasons) is prohibited.  An issue with the bylaw would mean a case that would likely proceed through the traditional infractions process.

As of Thursday, Michigan had yet to be presented with the evidence compiled in the investigation.  One source briefed on the allegation said Michigan is being accused of using a “vast network” to steal opposing teams’ signs.  The alleged evidence appears to suggest UM had knowledge of what play an opposing team was going to run before the play occurs.

“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation,” the league said in a statement Thursday.

Michigan State initially threatened not to play the game out of concern for the health and safety of its player, but Thursday morning, MSU confirmed it will play the game.  Michigan’s upcoming opponents were notified of the allegations and games are expected to take place as planned.

Sign-stealing is not prohibited by the NCAA, unless a team intercepts in-game electronic communication.  But there have been allegations for decades in college football, most prominently in 2020, when Clemson was touted as the best sign-stealing program in the sport.  Prior to the 2020 Sugar Bowl, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables “seems to always know exactly what the other team is doing.”

Michigan was already under NCAA investigation for a series of Level II rule violations relating to recruiting during Covid and statements to NCAA investigators.  Coach Jim Harbaugh served a university-imposed three-game suspension at the start of this season.

Harbaugh in a statement said: “I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signs, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment.”

Harbaugh said his staff would “fully cooperate with the investigation” and that he doesn’t “condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.”

Dan Wolken / USA TODAY Sports

“Back in the good old days, when Jim Harbaugh was provoking someone in college football on a near-daily basis, nothing could get him rolling on social media faster than an allegation of cheating.

“ ‘If the Georgia coach is implying any intent on our part to break rules, he is barking up the wrong tree,’ Harbaugh tweeted on Feb. 24, 2016, after Kirby Smart suggested the NCAA would be forced to step in after Michigan held spring practice at IMG Academy.

“The following year, when ESPN’s Paul Finebaum suggested that Michigan hiring the father of a top recruit to his coaching staff was unsavory (albeit allowed), Harbaugh fired back with a Tweet calling him ‘Pete Finebaum, the unabashed SEC water carrier.’

“But when you play in the gray area of the NCAA rulebook while walking around like you’ve just been blessed by the Pope, you tend to make a lot of enemies.

“And now that Michigan is residing near the top of college football again, all the fangs are coming out.

“For the second time this year, Harbaugh is in the middle of a snit with the NCAA over potential rules violations that were petty, completely avoidable and ultimately quite stupid if they indeed took place….

“Now I know what you, the well-informed college sports fan, is thinking. If the NCAA couldn’t pin anything on Kansas basketball coach Bill Self just last week for having Adidas help him recruit players despite years of investigative work and loads of evidence pointing toward a significant punishment, how in the world is Harbaugh going to get popped for relatively petty crimes?

“The answer is because NCAA enforcement is a lot like traffic cops. They’re not going to catch everybody.  They may pick one speeding car to turn the siren on for over another for biased reasons. But when they have you on the radar gun going 90 miles per hour on the highway, they’re going to write you a ticket – especially if you act difficult and indignant when they pull you over.

“If all of this stuff is proven true, Harbaugh made it easy on them.  And given his proclivity toward Michigan Man self-righteousness, the rest of college football is snickering away….

“You can stand up and say you do things by the book and take great offense to accusations that you’re shading the rules, but make no mistake: Harbaugh at Michigan has absolutely made a home in the gray area while tacitly accusing everyone else in the sport of being cheaters….

“How long of a leap is it from the gray to outright rule-breaking – even if the rules are picayune?  Maybe not that long.

“But it’s worth harkening back to the prescient words of Kirby Smart from seven years ago, when his little spat with Harbaugh got started over the IMG trip.

“ ‘They’re obviously trying to gain a competitive advantage, and that’s their right,’ he said. ‘But I think the NCAA in due time will have to step in.  I don’t know how it’s going to go down.  It’s going to be interesting to see, though.’

“It sure is.”

--On to the action on the field, No. 1 Georgia idle this week….

No. 2 Michigan (8-0) destroyed Michigan State (2-5) 49-0, outgaining the Spartans 477-182.

And in the big game of the week, No. 3 Ohio State is now 7-0 after a 20-12 win over 7 Penn State (6-1) that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

After Ohio State took a 10-6 lead at the half, the Buckeyes dominated the Nittany Lions in the second, outgaining PSU for the game 365-255, but understand it was 187-161 at the half and much of Penn State’s putrid second half total was on a meaningless drive at the end of the game that cut the score. 

Penn State’s Drew Allar was just 18 of 43 passing, 191 yards, again, much of that on the final drive, and was overwhelmed by the OSU defensive front.

Penn State finally converted a third-down play in the last drive, making them 1-for-16 for the game!  You’re reading that right.

For Ohio State, Marvin Harrison Jr. had a monster game, 11 receptions for 162 yards and the final touchdown.

Kyle McCord was solid at QB for the Buckeyes, 22/35, 286, 1-0.

So let’s talk about the massive failure during the James Franklin era at Penn State.  Franklin took over in 2014 and there have been no final AP Top 5s during that time, and most likely not this season either.

Penn State hasn’t been a final AP Top 5 since 2005.  As in PSU hasn’t been elite in ages.

Franklin is 1-9 against Ohio State and 4-15 combined against the Buckeyes and Michigan.

4 Florida State (7-0) is very much in the national title hunt after a 38-20 win over 16 Duke (5-2) in Tallahassee.  For the Blue Devils, quarterback Riley Leonard returned from his high-ankle sprain and looked OK before he reinjured his ankle with Duke up 20-17, 7:00 left in the third, and then FSU had three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away.

5 Washington (7-0) escaped with a totally unimpressive 15-7 win over Arizona State (1-6) at home, the Sun Devils outgaining the Huskies and Michael Penix Jr., 341-288, Washington with four turnovers, Penix three of them, two interceptions and a lost fumble.  The Huskies had just 13 yards on the ground.

6 Oklahoma (7-0) barely held on against UCF (3-4), 31-29, as the Knights failed to convert a 2-point play that would have tied it with 1:16 left.  UCF was leading 23-17 heading to the fourth quarter when former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the Sooners to two touchdowns before UCF’s last-gasp effort.

8 Texas (6-1) beat Houston (3-4) 31-24, the Longhorns up 21-0 in this one as they barely held on.

9 Oregon (6-1) stayed very much in the CFP hunt with a 38-24 win over Washington State (4-3), as Heisman candidate Bo Nix had a good game at quarterback for the Ducks, 18/25, 293, 2-0, with a touchdown on the ground.  Bucky Irving and Jordan James combined for 234 yards on the ground for OU.

Cameron Ward had 438 yards passing for the Cougars, with receiver Lincoln Victor catching 16 for 161.

In a massive upset, 10 North Carolina (6-1) had a 17-14 lead at the half against lowly Virginia (2-5), but the Cavaliers ended up winning 31-27, in Chapel Hill no less, as Mike Holmes rushed for three touchdowns.

For the Tar Heels, supposed superstar Drake Maye came up very small, 24/48, 347, 2-1, the interception with 26 seconds left in the game and North Carolina driving for the win.

This was Virginia’s first-ever win on the road against a top-10 team.

In other games of note…

11 Alabama (7-1) stayed relevant, 34-20 over 17 Tennessee (5-2), after being down 20-7 at the half, with Bama facing LSU in two weeks for the SEC West crown, Bama having already defeated Ole Miss.

Speaking of which, 13 Ole Miss (6-1) stayed in the hunt for a New Year’s Six bowl, 28-21 on the road at Auburn (3-4).

19 LSU (6-2) will move up some after a 62-0 annihilation of Army (2-5).  It was 38-0 at the half, Jayden Daniels having thrown for 279 yards and three touchdowns, plus one TD on the ground, when he was taken out.

Nov. 4…LSU at Alabama…a biggie.  [Both teams are idle this coming week.]

14 Utah (6-1) beat 18 USC (6-2) 34-32 on a last-second 38-yard field goal, after Caleb Williams rallied the Trojans for a touchdown and field goal to take a 32-31 lead with 1:46 to play, only to see Utah drive it into field goal range.  Another bad defeat for Lincoln Riley’s squad.

For the Utes, they announced after that quarterback Cam Rising will not be returning this year after all, having suffered a very serious knee injury in the Rose Bowl.  Rising revealed yesterday for the first time that he has been rehabbing from more than a torn ACL.

Williams, by the way, was 24/34, 256, 0-0, and the race for the Heisman Trophy should be advantage Bo Nix, after Penix’s poor effort.

20 Missouri is 7-1 after a 34-12 win over South Carolina (2-5)

22 Air Force remains undefeated at 7-0, 17-6 over Navy (3-4), holding the Midshipmen to just 124 yards of offense.

24 Iowa (6-2) suffered a brutal 12-10 loss at home to Minnesota (4-3).  Cooper DeJean, with just 1:21 left, thought he had a potential game-winning 54-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Hawkeyes, but after a replay review, it was clear he had made a fair-catch signal before fielding the punt, disallowing the return.

Iowa had only 127 yards of offense.

Clemson fell to 4-3, 28-20 losers at Miami (5-2) in double overtime, quite a difference for Dabo and the boys after that terrific 2015-2020 run of six straight seasons in the AP final top 4, two national titles.

Rutgers is bowl eligible, 6-2, after a nice 31-14 win at Indiana (2-5).  RU quarterback Gavin Whimsatt had another poor day passing, like non-existent, 5/12, for 39 yards, but he rushed 16 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai gained 109 on the ground.

Good for coach Greg Schiano.  Long-suffering Rutgers fans deserve a little success.

Boston College is 4-3 after a 38-23 win at Georgia Tech (3-4), Thomas Castellanos throwing for 255 yards and rushing for 128, while Kye Robichaux rumbled for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles.  BC can still have a respectable season.

As can Wake Forest.  After suffering three straight ACC losses, the Deacs squared off against Pitt (2-5) at home, but with their two quarterbacks, Mitch Griffis and Michael Kern out with injuries.  I didn’t know last weekend that Kern had suffered a late shoulder injury that will keep him out a few weeks.

Which left us with third-string quarterback Santino Marucci, a redshirt sophomore with all of six snaps in his college career.

And it showed early, Wake and Pitt tied 7-7 at the half, only because the Demon Deacon defense was once again solid, while Marucci was a whopping 3 of 6 for 24 yards.

It was still 7-7 entering the fourth quarter, when the pace picked up.  Pitt kicked a field goal, Demond Claiborne had a terrific 42-yard touchdown run for the Deacs, Wake 14-10, 3:02 left.

But Pitt drove 75 yards in seven plays, Bub Means a 22-yard TD reception from Christian Veilleux, 17-14 Pitt with just 1:30 left.

Marucci then threw an interception, but the Wake ‘D’ held Pitt and yes, thanks to judicious use of our timeouts, and a propitious call on a potential Pitt first down, there was still time left.

And then Marucci hit two key passes to Ke’Shawn Williams of 10 and 24 yards to set the ball up at the Pitt 15, and after an incompletion, he threw a bullet to tight end Cameron Hite who made a super catch for the touchdown.  A staggering finish that left yours truly with a tear in his eye.  For good reason, coach Dave Clawson was on the verge of tears himself afterwards, as emotional as I’ve ever seen him.

There was no way Santino Marucci was going to do the impossible, but the kid is now a legend.

The Deacs are 4-3, and likely 4-4 after Florida State comes to Winston-Salem next Saturday.

But then it’s Duke, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Syracuse, three of the four on the road.  Somehow we have to find two victories to get to our eighth straight bowl game.

--And now the new AP Poll....

1. Georgia (38) 7-0
2. Michigan (19) 8-0
3. Ohio State (3) 7-0
4. Florida State (3) 7-0
5. Washington 7-0
6. Oklahoma 7-0
7. Texas 6-1
8. Oregon 6-1
9. Alabama 7-1
10. Penn State 6-1
11. Oregon State 6-1…and Jerry Mathers as The Beaver…
12. Ole Miss 6-1
13. Utah 6-1
14. Notre Dame 6-2
15. LSU 6-2
16. Missouri 7-1
17. North Carolina 6-1…down 7
18. Louisville 6-1
19. Air Force 7-0…are they Group of Five, New Year’s Six bound? Highest ranking since Oct. 2002!
20. Duke 5-2…surprised they remain this high…
21. Tennessee 5-2
22. Tulane 6-1
23. UCLA 5-2
24. USC 6-2…what a crash…
25. James Madison 7-0

There have been few major upsets this season, where a Top 25 lost to an unranked team, a la UNC losing to Virgina…try just four!

James Madison is in its second season playing in the Bowl Subdivision, and thus ineligible to play for the Sun Belt Conference title and a bowl game.  NCAA rules require a two-year transition period for schools moving up a level.  The NCAA should grant a waiver just to make things more interesting.  It’s a dumb rule to begin with.

Not a great lineup this coming week.  No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah the highlight.

NFL

--The Giants took on the Commanders today in the Meadowlands and the Giants offensive line, already horrid, was riddled with further injuries during the week, including guard Shane Lemieux tearing his biceps and being placed on injured reserve.  Four new linemen were signed off practice squads.

And the emergency line did a great job in the first half, the Giants scoring their first offensive, 1st-half touchdown of the season, and first offensive touchdown overall in a month.  Heck two of them on the way to an impressive 14-0 halftime lead.

Tyrod Taylor, subbing again for the injured Daniel Jones, was superb, 14/22, 209, 2-0, the Giants outgaining Washington 256-46.

But then the Giants barely survived in the second half, 14-7.  Saquon Barkley (77 yards rushing) fumbled deep in Washington territory late in the game and Commanders quarterback Sam Howell drove his team 85 yards to the Giants’ 7-yard line, only to fall short.  And that’s how we ended, Giants 2-5, Washington 3-4.

--In a stunner in Baltimore, the Ravens destroyed the Lions.  Baltimore had a 28-0 halftime lead and cruised, 38-6.  Both teams are now 5-2.

What made this one all the more startling is that after the 49ers and Eagles suffered their first losses of the season last Sunday, many were saying Detroit was now the best team in the NFL.

Lamar Jackson had a near-perfect 155.8 passer rating (158.3 perfection), 21.27, 357, 3-0 for Baltimore.

For Detroit, Jared Goff needed 53 pass attempts to gain 284 yards, a 68.4 PR.

--The Patriots (2-5) shocked the Bills (4-3) 29-25 in a game with a wild finish.  New England had a 22-10 lead in the fourth but, aided by a huge Pats fumble, the Bills took a 25-22 lead, 1:53 to play, when the much-maligned Mac Jones, who was outstanding (25/30, 272, 2-0, 126.7), took the Pats down 75 yards in 8 plays for the winning touchdown.

A big one for Bill Belichick.

As for the Bills, their vaunted defense has come up small in big moments this season.  Josh Allen hasn’t been All-Pro, but he also hasn’t been awful.  [Granted, not Verizon commercial worthy…]

--I wasn’t going to report on the Bears-Raiders because, like, who cared?  But with Jimmy Garoppolo and Justin Fields both out with injuries, Bears rookie Tyson Bagent, out of Div. II Shepherd University (West Virginia), did enough, Chicago with 173 yards on the ground, the Raiders’ combo of Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell throwing three interceptions, and the Bears (2-5) won it, 30-12, Vegas 3-4.

Deshaun Watson exited this one early, after returning from a months-long injury, suffering a big hit following an interception.

Trader George has a one-game lead over my Jets, 3-3, in the annual Dinty Moore/Schaefer/Coors Light bet.

--The Falcons are 4-3 after beating the Bucs (3-3) 16-13. Yawn…

--And in Indianapolis, the Browns took advantage of two controversial calls deep in Colts territory as the clock was winding down to eke out a 39-38 win, Cleveland 4-2, Indy 3-4.

--Thursday night, Jacksonville improved to 5-2 after a 1-2 start with a wild 31-24 win over the Saints (3-3).  Trevor Lawrence was solid, 20/29, 204, 1-0, 100.4, plus 59 yards on the ground, and Travis Etienne Jr. had two more rushing touchdowns.

New Orleans had tied the game up at 24-24 in the fourth after falling behind 24-9, but Lawrence connected on a 44-yard TD pass to Christian Kirk for the winning score with 3:08 to play.

Jags fan Steve G. has been partying for four days.

Golf Balls

--This week’s PGA Tour stop was in Japan, the Zozo Championship, and Collin Morikawa won it by six shots over Eric Cole and Beau Hossler after a flawless seven-under 63 in the final round.  He had trailed by two shots entering Sunday’s play.

It was win No. 6 on the PGA Tour for Morikawa, but his first since July 2021 and the Open Championship at Royal St. Georges.  Good for the sport to have him back in the winner’s circle.

--LIV Golf will see four players “relegated” after this season. [Chase Koepka, Jed Morgan, James Piot, and Sihwan Kim]. They have the opportunity to earn their way back through a Promotions event that is scheduled for Abu Dhabi in December.  From there, three players will earn their way into the league.

Also, players who did not finish among the top 24 in season-long points are not assured of coming back unless they have a contract, so there is a possibility some further openings will develop.

I’m really tired of Phil Mickelson, and ignore most everything he says these days, but he’s claiming he has been “fielding calls” from players around the world inquiring about joining LIV.

Mickelson said Wednesday at Doral, site of the final LIV team championship: “When players look at LIV, they want to be a part of it. Everybody here is happy and enjoying what they’re doing and enjoying the team aspect of it.  Enjoying each other and the camaraderie, and enjoying bringing golf globally and all that comes with playing this tour.

“So there’s a lot of players that see that and want to be a part of it. The question is how many spots are available?  There’s a lot more players that want to come than have spots.”

Ask Brooks Koepka how happy he is with the team concept and his teammate Matthew Wolff.

--Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent became the first player to earn a PGA Tour card through the tour’s new University Accelerated program.

The endeavor was announced last year, bestowing an avenue for college underclassmen to earn tour membership.  Players earn points based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional golf.

Sargent, the 2022 NCAA Championship winner and current-ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rank, officially earned status on Wednesday when teeing it up at the World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Sargent was low am at this year’s U.S. Open, he earned a special exemption to the Masters, and went 4-0 in last month’s Walker Cup at the Old Course to lead the United States to victory. 

He is expected to forego his senior year at Vandy and turn pro.  However, should he stay in school, he’d be able to defer his tour membership until 2025.

Premier League

Liverpool beat Everton 2-0; Manchester City edged Brighton 2-1, Newcastle whipped Crystal Palace 4-0; Chelsea had a good draw with Arsenal 2-2; Manchester United defeated Sheffield 2-1.

Tottenham hosts Fulham Monday.

--Sir Bobby Charlton, the Manchester United legend who was a key figure in England’s 1966 World Cup victory, died of dementia at the age of 86.

Charlton won 106 caps for England and scored 49 international goals – records for his country at the time.

During a 17-year first-team career with United he won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup.

In February 1958, he was a survivor of the Munich air crash in which 23 people died, including eight of his United teammates. The accident had a profound impact on the rest of Charlton’s life.

“There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t remember what happened and the people who are gone,” he said on a visit to Munich many years later.

Stuff

--Lionel Messi played the entire game Saturday night as Inter Miami lost its MLS finale to Charlotte FC 1-0.  Messi did not have to play; Inter Miami having been eliminated from the postseason earlier this month.

Messi looked terrific Tuesday night, scoring twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match, but insisted on finishing Inter Miami’s season.

--Brazil confirmed Neymar will undergo surgery after tearing his ACL during a friendly loss to Uruguay on Tuesday.  The poor guy was in tears, knowing the severity of the injury.

Neymar plays for Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League and has 79 goals in 128 appearances for Brazil.

His contract at Al Hilal was for two years, minimum $200 million per!

--In men’s college soccer, third-ranked Wake Forest hosted sixth-ranked Notre Dame Friday night and allowed ND to walk away with a 1-1 draw, giving up the tying goal with just five minutes left to play.  This was all about seeding for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

--Burt Young, the actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Sylvester Stallone’s sidekick in “Rocky,” died at the age of 83.

Young’s breakout role as Paulie Pennino in “Rocky” – playing the boxer’s best friend and brother of his love interest – came as one of the movie’s more veteran actors at the time.

“I was the only actor that didn’t audition in the first ‘Rocky,’” he told The Rumpus in 2017.  “And I got the most money for it.”

The 1976 part in the Stallone written film earned Young an Oscar nomination for supporting actor – even if the New York Times shredded the rest of the movie.

“Burt Young is effective as Rocky’s best friend, a beer-guzzling mug,” the critique read.

Born in Queens in 1940, the facts surrounding Young’s youth are in dispute, but at the age of 16, he enlisted in the Marines – “my pop fibbing my age to get me in,” Young once wrote.

Serving from 1957-59, Young became a boxer and had a brief professional career. He says he was 17-1, but his accounts varied.  His last name is also a matter of debate.

Young had over 160 film and television credits to his name, including “Chinatown” and “Once Upon a Time in America.”

--The Washington Post had an interview with Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker, creators of the film “Airplane!” in 1980. It was their first studio film and they chronicle it for a book “Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!”

Now for many of my friends and I, this is the funniest movie of all time, and a few of us will never forget watching it in an empty clubhouse in Ireland after an incredibly rainy round, the only ones on the course, when the bartender put the movie on.

Anyway, the Post’s Will Harris asks, “According to the book, this film was something like five years in the making. Do you remember how you felt the night before the first day of shooting?”

Daivd Zucker: “The producers wanted to schedule the simplest shots (for the first day). It was the scene in the cockpit with Leslie Nielsen, Julie Hagerty and Robert Hays.  We got through that.  I don’t know if the studio had a lot of confidence in the concept of the film or in the three of us directing.  And casting Leslie Nielsen as a comedian? It was in our contract that they could fire us after two weeks.  But we were told that during the first day’s dailies when Leslie delivers that line, ‘I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley,’ everybody just cracked up. After that, they had to add an extra screening room because everybody on the Paramount lot wanted to come see the dailies.”

Jerry Zucker said of the joke process and the fact that the movie was years in the making as the three worked on a script: “The hysterical woman on the plane (Lee Bryant) who the passengers were all shaking suggested that she get slapped, and then we came up with the line of people with guns and whips.  But 99 percent was shooting the script. We spent years writing that script, putting stuff in and taking stuff out.  One advantage to that is jokes you live with for a couple of years that you still think are funny are more likely to be funny.  There were a lot of jokes that after a while, we went, ‘Nah, that’s not really funny,’ and we took them out. There were certain moments I couldn’t wait to see in front of an audience.”

Q; Such as?

J: “For me, it was ‘Have you ever seen a grown man naked?’  It’s so outrageous.  It goes beyond just being funny. It’s like, ‘Did they really get Peter Graves to say that line?’  It was a different kind of laugh.”

--My friend Jeff B. is in Las Vegas to see U2 at the Sphere this weekend.  [He just reported it was spectacular.]

The band, which opened the $2.3 billion venue last month, has agreed to add 12 concerts to the 25-show residency originally slated to end Dec. 16. 

James Dolan has invested $10 million to create the “U2 UV: Achtung Baby” spectacle, which is beamed on the Sphere’s dazzling screens as the band performs.

Talks to land the Eagles have yet to be finalized.

Concert promoter Live Nation has been paying U2 a guaranteed $4 million a show no matter the attendance at the 17,500-seat venue, a source told the New York Post.

Top 3 songs for the week 10/19/74: #1 “Nothing From Nothing” (Billy Preston) #2 “Then Came You” (Dionne Warwick & The Spinners…great tune…)  #3 “You Haven’t Done Nothin” (Stevie Wonder)…and…#4 “I Honestly Love You” (Olivia Newton-John)  #5 “Jazzman” (Carole King)  #6 “The Bitch Is Back” (Elton John) #7 “Never My Love” (Blue Swede)  #8 “Can’t Get Enough” (Bad Company)  #9 “Steppin’ Out” (Tony Orlando & Dawn)  #10 “Love Me For A Reason” (The Osmonds…B week…)

NFL Quiz Answer: 150 or more sacks….

1. Bruce Smith, 200, 1985-2003
2. Reggie White, 198, 1985-2000
3. Deacon Jones, 173.5, 1961-1974
4. Kevin Greene, 160, 1985-1999
5. Julius Peppers, 159.5, 2002-2018
6. Jack Youngblood, 151.5, 1971-1984
7. Chris Doleman, 150.5, 1985-1999

8. Alan Page, 148.5
9. Lawrence Taylor, 142
10. Michael Strahan, 141.5

Smith had 13 seasons of 10+, White had 12.

Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by Buffalo; White was a 1984 supplemental draft pick, but didn’t play in NFL until ’85.

Greene was a fifth-round pick by the Rams in ’85.  Doleman was the fourth overall pick of the Vikings in that draft.

Brief Add-on up top by Tuesday evening.

 

---