College Football Quiz: So Saturday’s Alabama-Auburn game was the first between the two since 1971 where they both entered the contest in the top five. Name the four key players in that 1971 contest won by Alabama 31-7; specifically, name Auburn’s quarterback and top wide receiver, and ‘Bama’s quarterback and top running back. [Two easy, two hard.] Answer below.
College Football Review
[Comments of mine are prior to new AP and BCS polls]
“That crazy tipped pass for a long game-winning touchdown is now the second-most stunning and improbable play of Auburn’s wild season.
“Chris Davis returned a missed field-goal attempt more than 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play to lift No. 4 Auburn to a 34-28 victory over No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, upending the two-time defending national champions’ BCS hopes and preserving the Tigers’ own….
“Auburn clinched a spot in the SEC championship game with the stunning victory… The Tigers will face No. 5 Missouri, which clinched a spot with a 28-21 win over No. 21 Texas A&M….
“According to NCAA records, it was only the fourth time that a missed field goal was returned over 100 yards….
“This finale even one-upped Auburn’s last-gasp win over Georgia two weeks earlier. A deflected 73-yard touchdown pass from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis dubbed ‘The Immaculate Deflection’ with 25 seconds left set up only the second top-five Iron Bowl matchup and first since 1971.
“A team that went 3-9 last season and had been destroyed by Alabama 91-14 combined the past two seasons will play for an SEC title and perhaps a trip to the BCS championship game.”
“Nobody rushes to judgment more than sports fans. We love what we just saw. We want to sanctify what just happened by giving it historical context, and as a result we jump to conclusions easily: THIS was the best Super Bowl ever. THIS was the greatest Final Four of all time.
“Mostly, given time to digest it all, we sheepishly come around to the fact that maybe we got a little carried away.
“The ending to Saturday’s Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn was the greatest ending in the history of sports….
“It looked like the game – already a classic – was headed to overtime before the referees, after review, determined there was still one second left when T.J. Yeldon stepped out of bounds. Had (Adam) Griffith nailed the (57-yard field goal attempt), the depression that would have descended upon the Auburn campus would have lasted until roughly 2027….
“The same way we forever have Russ Hodges to narrate the Shot Heard ‘Round the World – No. 2 in my book, by the way – has always helped that moment’s legacy. Now we have Auburn radio play-by-play man Rod Bramblett and his partner, Stan White:
WHITE: I guess if this thing comes up short he can field it and run it out…
BRAMBLETT: All right, here we go…[57] yarder…it’s got, no, does NOT have the leg…and Chris Davis takes it in the back of the end zone…he’ll run it out to the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, FORTY! FORTY-FIVE! FIFTY! FORTY-FIVE! THERE GOES DAVIS!
BRAMBLETT: AUBURN IS GONNA WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! AUBURN IS GONNA WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME!! HE RAN THE MISSED FIELD GOAL BACK! HE RAN IT BACK 109 YARDS! THEY’RE NOT GONNA KEEP ‘EM OFF THE FIELD TONIGHT! HOLY COW!!!!!
“Yep. It’ll take some convincing that anything’s been better than this. Ever.”
“Now that your heart rates have retreated to somewhere near normal, didn’t we tell you the Bowl Championship Series (almost) always works out?….
“And what if we told you biggest loser Alabama might still be coming to the Rose Bowl this season, just not for the title game Jan. 6?
“College football simply can’t get crazier, or better.
“It started in the morning [Pacific time] when No. 3 Ohio State held off Michigan’s two-point conversion to win, 42-41, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“That kept Ohio State’s national title hopes afloat as Buckeyes everywhere gathered to root for No. 4 Auburn to upset No. 1 Alabama….
“Auburn beat Alabama, 34-28, and clinched the Southeastern Conference West Division….
“Instead of playing for overtime, Coach Nick Saban allowed Adam Griffith to try a 57-yard field goal with one second remaining.
“The decision was made possible after Alabama was awarded one second on the clock after a replay review.
“Cade Foster, Alabama’s short-yardage kicker, had missed field-goal tries of 44, 33 and 44 yards.
“Griffith’s kick came up short and Davis grabbed it nine yards deep in the end zone and raced down the left sideline for the game winner….
“Auburn’s second miracle in two weeks left two unbeaten contenders, Florida State and Ohio State, in the race for this season’s BCS title game at the Rose Bowl.
“Florida State and Ohio State should be 1-2 in this week’ BCS standings with one week left, with Auburn moving to third.”
Florida State now plays Duke in the ACC title game. Ohio State plays Michigan State for the Big Ten conference title.
‘Bama can make the Rose Bowl if Michigan State loses badly and drops out of the top 14 in the BCS.
As for Alabama coach Nick Saban, he said afterwards his team practiced for such situations as the missed field goal.
And a few other things that need to be said. The tone for ‘Bama was set early with the first missed field goal by Foster and then the punter dropping the snap. Auburn QB Nick Marshall was also brilliant in directing a running game that racked up 296 yards, 5.7 a carry, led by Tre Mason’s 164.
No. 2 Florida State defeated Florida 37-7, doing exactly what it needed to do to retain the No. 2 slot in the BCS poll (or move up to No. 1 as it should turn out). Heisman candidate Jameis Winston had three touchdown passes to go along with his 327 yards through the air. Sophomore Kelvin Benjamin continues to become an increasing factor in the passing game as he now has 12 TD receptions on 45 catches. Florida, which finishes an incredibly disastrous season at 4-8, had just 8 first downs and 193 yards of offense. Prior to the contest, coach Will Muschamp was given a vote of confidence by the athletic director. No one seems to know why.
So Florida State faces No. 24 Duke in the ACC title game, the Blue Devils with a thrilling 27-25 win over North Carolina. For the first time in school history, Duke has 10 wins. What an amazing accomplishment for coach David Cutcliffe and his team.
But Florida State is 18-0 against Duke and has averaged 50 points per game.
No. 3 Ohio State had a most unimpressive 42-41 win over a highly mediocre Michigan squad (7-5, 3-5) as Wolverines coach Brady Hoke went for a two-point conversion and the win at the end, only to come up short. A gutty, and proper, call by Hoke rather than play for overtime. Hoke actually asked his players what they wanted to do, which will only gain him more respect in the locker room as he continues the rebuilding effort.
But for the Buckeyes and coach Urban Meyer, while they may be No. 2 in the next BCS, after the SEC title game next week, they could easily slip, plus it’s not as if Ohio State has an easy Big Ten Championship contest of its own as they go up against No. 11 Michigan State (11-1, 8-0), 14-3 winners over a decent Minnesota team (8-4, 4-4). The vaunted Spartan defense held the Golden Gophers to just 249 yards of offense and should be up to the challenge against Ohio State. Very much looking forward to this one.
No. 5 Missouri wrapped up its berth in the SEC title game with a 28-21 win over No. 21 Texas A&M as Mizzou quarterback James Franklin outplayed Johnny Manziel. Manziel was very ordinary for a second straight week, 24/35, 195…just 21 yards rushing. A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, however, is apparently being granted a six-year extension that would keep him in College Station through 2019. He has been rumored for various positions, such as at USC.
No. 8 Stanford kept alive its BCS bowl game hopes with a 27-20 win over No. 25 Notre Dame (8-4). The Cardinal now face No. 12 Arizona State, 58-21 victors over Arizona, in the Pac-12 title game next weekend, with the winner advancing to the Rose Bowl. Both are 10-2.
No. 9 Baylor ran its record to 10-1 with a 41-38 over a lousy TCU squad (4-8). That’s not going to help the Bears’ hopes for an at-large BCS berth.
In Columbia, No. 10 South Carolina won its fifth straight against in-state rival, No. 6 Clemson, 31-17, to keep its at-large BCS bowl game hopes alive, while shattering the Tigers’. Clemson had five turnovers, including two Tajh Boyd interceptions in the fourth quarter. Boyd finished his career 0-4 against the Gamecocks, with two TD passes and five picks. Once again, South Carolina QB Connor Shaw proved to be a gutty performer in outplaying the higher-rated Boyd.
No. 13 Oregon won a terrific ballgame against Oregon State on Friday in the Civil War, 36-35. I mean this one was as entertaining as they get. Ducks receiver Josh Huff played a heroic contest, 9 receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second half, including a terrific game-winner on a toss from quarterback Marcus Mariota with 29 seconds remaining. So Oregon finishes up 10-2, 7-2, while Oregon State ends the regular season at 6-6, 4-5.
In the battle for the non-automatic qualifying conference BCS berth, last Tuesday, as noted in a prior chat, No. 14 Northern Illinois wrapped up its spot in the MAC Championship game with a 33-14 win over Western Michigan. They’ll now play Bowling Green (9-3, 7-1), 24-7 winners over Buffalo.
But it was felt No. 16 Fresno State actually had the inside track for the BCS bid over Northern Illinois because the Bulldogs were finishing up with a solid 5-6 San Jose State squad and then possibly Boise State in the Mountain West title game, which proved to be Utah State. Alas, it’s still Fresno-Utah State, but Fresno lost to San Jose State 62-52.
What a contest. It was 42-41 San Jose State at half with Spartans QB David Fales throwing for 451 yards and six touchdowns, again, in just the first half, while Bulldogs quarterback Derek Carr threw for six touchdowns of his own and 354 yards. The two didn’t throw any more scores in the second half and wound up with 547 yards (Fales) and 519 (Carr).
So the only team that can upset Northern Illinois’ plans is No. 19 Central Florida (10-1), but they won’t be moving up in the rankings more than a spot or two after a most unimpressive 23-20 win over 2-9 South Florida.
Of course Northern Illinois still needs to beat Bowling Green to secure its second straight BCS bowl.
No. 22 UCLA moved to 9-3 with a 35-14 win over No. 23 USC (9-4). Now the wait is on to see if interim Trojan coach Ed Orgeron will get the job full time. It was assumed he would be rewarded with a contract with a victory, but having gone 6-2 after replacing Lane Kiffin, who knows. USC didn’t put up much of a fight Saturday.
Miami moved to 9-3 and a decent bowl game in beating Pitt (6-6) 41-31.
Penn State finished on a positive note, upsetting No. 15 Wisconsin 31-24. The Badgers blew their outside shot at a BCS berth, while the Nittany Lions go to 7-5.
Iowa (8-4) defeated Nebraska (8-4) 38-17 in Lincoln as Cornhuskers coach Bo Pellini defended himself afterwards amid calls for his head. Yes, in his six seasons (plus one game) at Nebraska he has 57-24 record, but that’s not good enough. He’s lost four games each of the six years, including two when the team was a preseason top ten. Plus the guy’s a jerk. Totally. Yet the athletic director gave him a vote of confidence.
Boston College suffered a bad loss, 34-31 to Syracuse (6-6). BC fell to 7-5, but also lost running back Andre Williams to a leg injury after he had carried it just nine times for 29 yards. Thus ends Williams’ Heisman hopes.
Maryland won its final ACC game, 41-31 over North Carolina State, to move to 7-5. The Wolfpack (3-9, 0-8) lost their eighth straight, the most since 1959.
Wake Forest finished 4-8, losing its fifth straight, 23-21 to Vanderbilt, which advanced to 8-4. Is Wake coach Jim Grobe in any danger of losing his job? Unlikely. But a lot of us want AD Ron Wellman to go. Also unlikely. At least the Deacs beat the spread, 14, and at the end of the day, boys and girls, that’s what’s important.
Pathetic Rutgers fell to 5-6 in losing to 2-9 UConn, 28-17. Totally embarrassing.
In the first round of the FCS (I-AA) playoffs, Fordham advanced with a 37-27 win over Sacred Heart, while New Hampshire destroyed Lafayette 45-7, thus setting up a rematch with my Pick to Click, the Maine Black Bears. Maine lost to UNH two weeks ago, 24-3.
As for the Heisman watch…Jameis Winston probably deserves it but you just can’t give it to him without knowing whether charges are going to be filed in the sexual assault case working its way through the Tallahassee police department. It’s not fair, but it is what it is. So I give it to AJ McCarron, who had a very solid performance on Saturday in defeat…277 yards and 3 TDs. Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch deserves major consideration but I’m guessing he finishes fifth in the balloting.
Back to Winston, Sports Illustrated had some disturbing thoughts on the case and the Tallahassee police.
“In a letter to the Tampa Bay Times, the accuser’s family said that after the incident, they ‘grew concerned that she would be targeted on campus,’ and that Detective Scott Angulo of Tallahassee P.D. had added to their fears.
“After their lawyer reached out to the police for guidance, the family wrote, ‘Detective Angulo told the attorney that Tallahassee was a big football town and the victim needs to think long and hard before proceeding against him because she will be raked over the coals and her life will be made miserable.’ (Angulo has not commented publicly.)….
“The accuser’s family says Winston’s attorney was notified of the allegation in February. The recently retired Tallahassee police chief, Dennis Jones, told CNN he didn’t know there was an investigation of Winston until the story broke, and ‘I’d like to know why it didn’t make it to me.’
“Police are paid to investigate crimes. Victims wonder: If the cops aren’t on their side, who is? The accuser has reportedly withdrawn from school….
“Some people will be appalled if Winston wins the Heisman; it would seem like tacit dismissal of an extremely serious accusation. Others will be appalled if he doesn’t win it; that would seem as if he is being penalized for a crime he may not have committed.”
And the new AP Poll….
1. Florida State 12-0 (58 first-place votes)…1498 points
2. Ohio State 12-0…1418
3. Auburn (2) 11-1…1383
4. Alabama 11-1…1294
5. Missouri 11-1…1281
6. Oklahoma State 10-1
7. Stanford 10-2
8. South Carolina 10-2
9. Baylor 10-1
10. Michigan State 11-1
11. Arizona State 10-2
12. Oregon 10-2
13. Clemson 10-2
15. UCF 10-1…last week UCF was No. 17
16. Northern Illinois 12-0…uh oh…No. 18 last week, but this could get complicated
19. Louisville 10-1…wudda cudda shudda
20. Duke 10-2
And your new BCS Poll….
1. Florida State .995
2. Ohio State .950
3. Auburn .923
4. Alabama .854
5. Missouri .843
6. Oklahoma State .763
7. Stanford .707
8. South Carolina .704…I’m wrong, no chance at an at-large BCS bowl
9. Baylor .662
10. Michigan State .653
11. Arizona State
12. Oregon
13. Clemson
14. Northern Illinois*
15. LSU
16. UCF*
*Northern Illinois must beat Bowling Green. It’s that simple. If they do they’ll finish ahead of UCF and that’s good enough to get the BCS bowl game.
OK, the season is officially, mercifully, over for the Jets and their fans after an atrocious 23-3 loss to the Dolphins at the Meadowlands. Quarterback Geno Smith started off 4/10, 29, 0-1, rating of 8.3. So in his last seven games he has one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions. The last three his ratings are 10.1, 22.3, 8.3. This has to be the worst quarterbacking over three games in the history of organized football, including your family Thanksgiving contests. It’s so bad, any Martians monitoring Geno’s play from up above in their spaceships must be saying to each other, “What are we wasting our time with this civilization for? Earthlings suck.” But we have lots of shale oil and that’s what the Martians are after, in case you didn’t know.
After his hideous start, Smith was replaced by Matt Simms, Phil’s boy, and Matt wasn’t much better. I suspect, however, that Simms will be announced as the starter for next Sunday so that he gets a full week of practice with the first team; not that it really matters at this point.
Meanwhile, for many of the other teams it’s about the playoffs. Philadelphia answered Dallas’ 31-24 win over Oakland on Thanksgiving with a big 24-21 victory in Philly over Arizona. So the Eagles and Cowboys are tied at 7-5 in the NFC East, with Dallas owning the tiebreaker, today, but they play each other the last game of the season, Dec. 29. The Cardinals, also 7-5, remain in the wildcard hunt, chasing San Francisco, who moved to 8-4 with a win over the Rams (5-7).
Back to the Eagles, Nick Foles continues his amazing run. He had three more touchdowns with no interceptions, giving him 19 and 0 on the season, one shy of Peyton Manning’s record 20-0 start. [Foles did get picked but it was called back because of a penalty.]
Detroit won on Thanksgiving for the first time in ten years, destroying Green Bay 40-10 (30 first downs for the Lions to the Packers’ 7), so Detroit is 7-5. But Chicago lost in overtime on Sunday to Minnesota, 23-20, as the Vikings rode Adrian Peterson’s 211 yards on 35 carries. So the Bears fall to 6-6.
Big game Monday in terms of the home-field advantage for the playoffs as New Orleans (9-2) travels to Seattle (10-1).
In the AFC, New England barely stayed in the hunt for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, eking out a 34-31 win against the 2-10 Texans. So the Pats are 9-3, while Denver moved to 10-2 in defeating the Chiefs in K.C., 35-28, as the Chiefs fall to 9-3, three straight losses. [Peyton Manning threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns, four to Eric Decker (8-174-4).]
Baltimore 6-6…winners against the Steelers on Thanksgiving, 22-20
Miami 6-6…helluva coaching job to keep this team focused
Tennessee 5-7…22-14 losers to Indianapolis (8-4)
Pittsburgh 5-7
San Diego 5-7…17-10 losers to Cincinnati (8-4)
Jets 5-7
Lastly, I have to note the Carolina Panthers won their 8th in a row to go to 9-3, 27-6 over the Bucs, as Can Newton had 331 yards of offense, plus two passing touchdowns and one rushing.
–Mike Lupica / New York Daily News…on Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin’s act on Thanksgiving against the Ravens:
“What exactly did Mike Tomlin think was so funny about getting in the way of an opposing player trying to score a touchdown against the Steelers on Thursday night?
“If Jason Kidd goes for fifty grand for intentionally spilling a soft drink, Tomlin ought to get at least that from the NFL.
“What he did against the Ravens was bush league, whether he tries to blame it on the Jumbotron screen or not.”
[As I go to post, it seems Tomlin could be fined in the six-figures, the organization could be fined, and the Steelers may lose a draft pick.]
–Interesting piece by Michael Salfino of the Wall Street Journal on Peyton Manning and playing in the wind and cold. While the perception is that Manning can’t play in cold weather, it’s really more about the wind. To wit:
“While it was unseasonably cold (22 degrees) when Manning flopped in Week 12 at New England, the wind was also whipping up at over 20 miles per hour. And it’s the wind that’s really been the 12th man for defenses against Manning. When gusts are over 20 miles per hour, Manning struggles. In eight career games in these conditions, five of them losses, Manning sports a 68 passer rating with just five touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Quarterbacks generally struggle in high-wind games but the average passer rating for a starting quarterback in these conditions since 1998, the year Manning entered the NFL, is 75.1.
“When it’s just cold (below 40 degrees), Manning actually beats his peers (84.1 passer rating versus 78.9). But there’s no denying his game is thrown off by the temperatures. Manning’s cold-only decline in rating compared to the ideal indoor conditions is nearly as great (15.1 versus 7.7) as for all other quarterbacks.”
–S.L. Price of Sports Illustrated asks, why do folks hate Tony Romo? Why is he called a choker? Yes, he’s had his bad moments in key spots, but on paper, “Romo ranks among the finest. A supposed choker, he has the best fourth-quarter passer rating in the regular season (102.5) of any QB, ever, and his 11 game-winning drives since 2011 – the latest a 14-play march on the road, with Romo connecting on six of nine attempts for 67 yards, in the final 4:45 to set up the winning field goal against the Giants on Sunday (11/24) – lead the league.”
—Jonathan Martin’s season is officially over as the Dolphins put the offensive tackle on the reserve/non-football illness list in order to free up a roster spot. Fellow lineman Richie Incognito apparently agreed to an extension of his suspension past the four-week window allowed by league rule, but he will resume being paid.
College Basketball
Just a few notes…Wake Forest looked good in its 87-78 loss to No. 2 Kansas in the Bahamas. The Deacs then had a nice 77-63 win over USC and their new coach Andy Enfield, but lost game 3 to Tennessee 82-63. Three games in three days isn’t easy, but Wake fans are now reasonably optimistic after the first 8 this season that we’re at least better than in prior years.
Elsewhere in the past few days, Villanova won the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney with a 63-59 upset win over Kansas, and then an 88-83 triumph over No. 23 Iowa, so the Wildcats will vault into the top 25, perhaps as high as 16.
No. 4 Arizona defeated No. 6 Duke in New York, Friday, 72-66. I caught a lot of this one. Excellent early-season contest. Arizona is very good.
And I do have to note a game I failed to highlight last chat, Fairleigh Dickinson’s 73-72 triumph over Rutgers, the first win for FDU over its in-state opponent since 1997. Rutgers’ athletic program is in a shambles.
And what’s this? On Sunday, FDU beat Seton Hall 58-54. Another embarrassing loss, and great win for the Knights, who are just 3-6 but are traditional doormats for Rutgers and the Hall. [FDU lost earlier this season to Div. II Metro State, and by 50 to Arizona.]
My Pick to Click for the 2013-14 season, VCU, had an important road win on Sunday at Belmont (who you’ll recall beat North Carolina earlier), 81-68.
And No. 16 North Carolina stumbled again, losing to UAB on Sunday, 63-59.
–So I’m watching the Nets-Lakers game on Wednesday night, when Nets coach Jason Kidd was knocked into by one of his players, Kidd spilling his drink all over the court. My initial reaction was, what an a-hole, thinking of the player. It seemed so blatant and the team has been playing so poorly, I thought it was an ugly incident showing no respect for the coach!
But what I didn’t see until the replays was Kidd mouthing “Hit me” so he could spill the drink, force a delay while it’s being cleaned up, and give the Nets time to draw up a final play in what proved to be a loss to L.A., Paul Pierce missing a final attempt to tie it. As noted earlier, the NBA fined Kidd $50K.
–I’m posting before the end of the Knicks-Pelicans on Sunday night in New York, but with the Knicks entering the game 3-12, 8 straight losses, I have to note that Carmelo Anthony is 1 for 15 on his last game-winning or game-tying shots in the final 30 seconds.
—Indiana moved to 16-1 on Sunday with a 105-100 win over the Clippers (12-6).
“Cameron Rodriguez was the fourth in a string of five people since February to pocket $20,000 by nailing a half-court shot at an Oklahoma City Thunder home game earlier this month.
“Rodriguez, 23, plays basketball at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. Under the rules of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics, players cannot use their sports ability or fame for financial reward.
“ ‘I didn’t really think about it at first because I was way too excited,’ said Rodriguez, who gained notoriety by knocking over the Thunder mascot during his celebration. ‘After things settle down, I realized we might have an issue because I was receiving a large amount of money.’
“Rodriguez and Southwestern are asking the association to consider the money as a scholarship to help pay for his tuition.”
Ball Bits
—Robinson Cano has reduced his contract demand from $300 million to between $250 and $260 million over nine years. The Yankees are reportedly at seven-years for between $160 million and $175 million, which would still put him among the highest compensated position players in the game.
–Yankee pitcher Phil Hughes is reportedly signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, a good place for him to be. I bet this works out. He’s still just 27 and his stuff is good.
–According to data released by Major League Baseball, out of 5,391 urine and blood samples submitted over the past year, eight were reported by the league’s laboratory to have tested positive for stimulants and resulted in discipline for the player. Seven of the tests reflected unapproved use of Adderall, an attention-deficit disorder drug. Many others submit paperwork ahead of time for an exemption for something like ADD.
A 19-year-old, surfing with friends off New South Wales, Australia, on Friday, was killed by a shark, the second fatal shark attack in less than a week in Australian waters, the other one occurring off the west coast. The first attack was apparently that of a great white. Friday’s is said to be a tiger shark. I no longer use full names for these kinds of stories, but Zac was surfing with three friends about 100 meters off shore at Riecks Points, at about 2 p.m., when he was mauled. The friends paddled for 15 minutes to get him back to shore. One friend said, “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Zac was severely bitten on the legs, though a spokeswoman for the Ambulance Service said he died of cardiac arrest. A Coffs Harbour police inspector said, “His mates struggled with the shark for a short time, then the shark let go.”
Director of Shark Attacks for Bar Chat, Bob S., urges readers to ‘short’ all Aussie tourism plays, particularly Qantas.
But on a totally different topic, Director Bob pointed out that a zoo trainer at Australia Zoo in Brisbane was attacked by a Sumatran tiger who was said to be “over excited” during a “regular play session,” according to ABC News.
According to the Brisbane Times, the 30-year-old male trainer was bit on the neck and shoulder. He was conscious and breathing, but suffering from two large puncture wounds as he was taken to hospital.
Gearing Up For Sochi
Lindsey Vonn said on Wednesday she still has time to prepare for Sochi following her most recent knee injury, but she stayed away from the World Cup events this weekend at Beaver Creek, Colo. Vonn did say she wants to race this coming weekend in Lake Louise, Canada.
U.S. officials do have the discretion to add Vonn for Sochi even if she skipped all the World Cup events leading up to the Olympics.
And in Calgary, Steve Holcomb piloted USA-1 to a win in the opening World Cup four-man bobsled race of the season. That’s a good sign. Sleds from Germany and Russia tied for second.
—Rory McIlroy roared back from four shots behind Adam Scott to win the Australian Open, a good sign for Rory fans around the world after a highly troubled year. McIlroy birdied the final hole while playing partner Scott bogeyed it, giving Rory the title.
For Scott it was a huge disappointment as he was attempting to win Australia’s triple crown, having prevailed in recent weeks in the Aussie PGA and Masters events.
–John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal had a terrific piece on how snowbelt schools are recruiting top high school golf talent. Like the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which just signed two of the top 20 prospects for next year.
“Illinois, it is worth pointing out, finished second to Alabama in last spring’s NCAA Championship. It is one of only six schools that has made it to the 30-team NCAA team finals for six years running, including 2010 when Scott Langley, now on the PGA Tour, won the individual championship. Steve Stricker, Luke Guthrie and D.A. Points are among five Illinois alumni on the Tour.
“That is well short of Georgia and Georgia Tech, which combined to have 19 alumni on Tour, or Arizona and Arizona State with 13, but it is the same number that Texas has, and more than that of North Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida State, Alabama, Texas A&M and Cal-Berkeley, according to data provided by the PGA Tour.”
It’s about building state-of-the-art indoor practice facilities, such as at Illinois where all short game shots can be practiced from 40 yards in, while as Coach Mike Small says, “Longer than that is distance control, which you can work on by hitting a bucket of balls from inside to outside at the bays.”
–Just a tidbit for New York Rangers fans, but how sweet was it to see Chris Kreider get a hat trick, the first of his career, in the Rangers’ 5-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday, with former Rangers’ coach John Tortorella now on the Canucks’ bench. Last year, Tortorella was behind the New York bench and constantly tormented Kreider with benchings and demotions.
Following the game, Kreider showed true class in not taking the opportunity to get back at Tortorella, saying Torts “tried to make me a better player.”
–We note the death of actor Paul Walker, 40, killed in a car crash on Saturday in Valencia, California. Walker, a star of the “Fast and Furious” movie series, was a passenger in a friend’s vehicle. Both lost their lives as the car was engulfed in flames.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/3/77: #1 “You Light Up My Life” (Debby Boone) #2 “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle) #3 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees)…and…#4 “Baby, What A Big Surprise” (Chicago) #5 “Blue Bayou” (Linda Ronstadt) #6 “Heaven On The 7th Floor” (Paul Nicholas) #8 “Boogie Nights” (Heatwave) #9 “It’s So Easy” (Linda Ronstadt…yeah, she was big back then) #10 “Back In Love Again” (L.T.D. …just an awful week…I was also on the verge of posting one of the all-time worst semesters in the history of academia…)
College Football Quiz Answer: 1971…Alabama 31 Auburn 7. Alabama QB was Terry Davis, who had two touchdown runs, and the big running back was the “Italian Stallion,” Johnny Musso, who despite a sprained toe rushed it 33 times for 167 yards and scored twice in the fourth quarter. For Auburn, the quarterback was Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, who was held to 121 yards, and the receiver was All-American Terry Beasley, who scored the only touchdown for the Tigers on a 31-yard option throw from fullback Harry Unger.
Alabama moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll and faced No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, only to get their butts kicked 38-6 by the Cornhuskers.
By the way, the running backs on the All-American team in 1971 were Musso, Ed Marinaro and Greg Pruitt. Beasley was one wide receiver and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers (my all-time favorite college player) was the other.
But I’m reading the indispensable “College Football Encyclopedia,” edited by Bob Boyles and Paul Guido, and they have this bit on Beasley.
“There has always been something special about what today is a dying breed of quarterback-receiver combinations. Glorious passing batteries of yesteryear are going the way of the typewriter because modern offensive sets employ three and four wideouts, so the idea has all but passed away that two players – a passer and a receiver – could form a magical alliance in which each knows precisely where the other will be on the football field. Auburn’s Terry Beasley, ace receiver, and Heisman Trophy recipient quarterback Pat Sullivan were just that, a remarkable pair of aerial magicians who lifted the Tigers’ offense to a level hardly known before in the run-conscious Southeastern Conference.
“Beasley was a warrior as a football player. It is not a word usually associated with the position of wide receiver, but Beasley was an atypical receiver. He had blazing speed and great hands, but what set Beasley apart was his toughness. As we have painfully learned through the years, being tough in football is sometimes hazardous to one’s health. For Beasley, his three years as the favorite target of Sullivan at Auburn and three years with the San Francisco 49ers earned him All-American honors and other accolades, but also disabled him after 19 concussions with ‘closed-head injury syndrome.’ Being tough enough to go over the middle of the field to make catches led Beasley to become a target for defenders and he took more than his share of brutal blows in the SEC.
“Today [Ed. this was written in 2010], Beasley’s speech is slowed and some of the memory of his gridiron greatness is forgotten. He is no longer the young [Ed. 63], fleet receiver that dazzled Auburn fans a generation ago….
“Concussions made him give up football in his prime, but he was able to launch a successful landscaping and golf cart company. Difficult medical conditions gradually developed, but interestingly, Beasley never blamed his problems on football.”
