Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Wildcats basketball holds on against NM State, 83-76

Nick Johnson scored 19 and Jesse Perry chipped in 15 more as the Cats held on against an upstart New Mexico State team in Las Cruces. The game was too close at the half as Arizona led by only 4, but Sean Miller coached his team to their fifth win of the season. Arizona will return to the McKale center to take on their in-state "rival" NAU on Saturday.

Coyotes top the Blackhawks, 4-1

The Yotes scored 4 goals in an unusually strong performance by their offense as they bogged up the best team in the West. Ray Whitney, Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, and Daymond Langkow all chipped in against Corey Crawford while Mike Smith fell half a minute short of a shutout against one of the hottest offenses in the NHL as Patrick Sharp scored on a PP. Chicago will prove if they just had an off-game as the two teams will meet again on December 5th.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Saints rip the Giants on MNF, 49-24

Drew bares looked like the Super Bowl XLIV MVP (maybe not a basketball MVP though) as he shredded the Giants defense with 5 total TDs. The Saints started hot and never relinquished their lead as they improve to 8-3 as they try to run away with the NFC South this season.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Beanie Wells!!! Cards run past the Rams, 23-20

Just look at this dude's arm! How is his nick-name Beanie when his arm is as big as a leg? The Cardinals neede every ounce of his strength to push past the Rams on Sunday as Skelton had another bad game and Fitz only caught three balls for 55 yards. Who need passing when you have a guy run for 228 yards? Beanie broke the frachise record for rush yards in a single game, formerly held by LeSean Johnson. Rush yards in a single game wasn't the only record met as rookie Patrick Peterson returned his fourth punt for a TD. He tied Devin Hester for the most punt return TDs in a single season, and he's only a rookie. The defense turned in another solid performance as they silenced Beanie's counterpart, Steven Jackson.

Leinart screws over another team

The Texans lost Schaub for the season, so Gary Kubiak's team put some faith into the former Heisman winner from USC and Cardinal QB. The game started well for the Texans as they focused on grinding the ball with Arian Foster and Ben Tate and setting up short passes for Leinart. Leinart led the a texans to a TD over the Jags, but right when you think Leinart is starting something good, he let's you down. However, to be fair, his collar-bone let him down and now Houston must invest in rookie QB for North Carolina, TJ Yates. Yates would preserve a 20-13 win over MJD and Blaine Gabbert's Jaguars at Everbank Stadium.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Wildcats end the season with a 45-37 win over Lafayette

The sun has set on a forgettable season but also some memorable careers. The Cats' seniors pulled Arizona to a win over a pesky Lafayette team that was seeking their 9th win. The game started out well for Arizona as the defense made some plays early but Bryson Beirne threw an early pick and the Cats were forced to put in their Senior QB Nick Foles. What ensued was an offensive slugfest that saw fake-punts, end-arounds, and onside kicks for Lafayette, but also Antolin TDs, Criner's 31st and 32nd career TDs, and Foles passing the 10,000 yard mark for passing on his career. UL Lafayette was the better coached team, but Foles and the Seniors ushered the Cats past the Ragin' Cajuns to put on a great farewell show and a nice taste of Wildcats Football for next year's head coach, Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan tops Ohio State at the Big House, 40-34

The Wolverines were favored in their rivalry game with the Buckeyes. They won on Saturday to end Ohio State's 9-year dominance of the series, but Braxton Miller gave Denard Robinson's team everything they could handle. After scoring a TD which would've put the game out of reach, a penalty wiped away the Wolverine score, so Brady's bunch had to settle for a FG and only a 6-point lead. The Michigan defense would prove to be too much on OSU's final drive as they forced an INT to win for the first time against the Buckeyes since '02.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Cal beats ASU in Tempe, 47-38, ASU fails to make the PAC 12 championship game

Sofele, Anderson, and Maynard stomped the ASU defense and Dennis Erickson's last game in Tempe. Earlier today, Colorado upset Utah to eliminate ASU from the PAC 12 championship game race as UCLA will make the visit to Eugene. ASU had nothing to play for except the difference betweenthe Las Vegas Bowl and the Kraft Fight the Hunger Bowl and their pride on Senior night. They had no pride as they committed 11 penalties for 121 yards including a few personal fouls from Vontaze Burfict. ASU wrapped up their season with four losses to poorer teams and Erickson will definitely be dismissed after a promising start and an awful end.

Canucks blank the Coyotes, 5-0

Maybe the Yotes ate too many turkeys on Thanksgiving cause they laid an egg and the Canucks ripped them apart. Out-shot and routed, the crowd at Jobing.com Arena didn't seem to mind since half of the folks in attendance were Canucks themselves. Mike Smith was overwhelmed by the peppering of shots by the Canucks offense while Cory Schnieder had a quite night and an easy shut-out.

LSU is No. 1

LSU went into Death Valley ready for an upstart and upset-minded No. 3 Arkansas team. Many analysts were preparing themselves for BCS tumult, but Les Miles prepared his team to take down Petrino's team. Arkansas kept pace with LSU in the first half, but Tyler Wilson was rattled all day and the LSU run offense ran away with the game. LSU has two more games (likely in domes) since they'll play for the SEC championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs. If the Tigers can handle the Dawgs, LSU will play for the BCS title in New Orleans.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Moore is not enough, Cowboys beat the Dolphins 20-19

The Cowboys almost laid an egg on Thanksgiving but they got away from the Fins with a Dan Bailey Field Goal at the end of regulation. The Dolphins have played much better as of late with Matt Moore, but the coaching of Tony Sparano cost Miami. They didn't go for two which would prove to be a tie and they were too conservative on their last possession. Dallas will take over first place in the NFC East.

Thanks-giving the ball to the Packers, Lions lose 27-15

The Lions couldn't afford any mistakes against the Packers at Ford Field, but Stafford threw 3 INTs. Detroit came out with too much emotion as Ndamukong Suh was ejected for kicking a player. Statistically, the Lions played much better in the first half, but turnovers doomed Detroit as the Green Bay defense held the Lions and Aaron Rodgers exploited their defense. Maybe Green Bay wins when the National Anthem is fluked...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Number 23 Cats fall again to SDSU, 61-57, 22-game home win-streak ends

Number 23 was the theme tonight: No. 23 Arizona didn't get their 23rd straight home win, mostly because they didn't have number 23 on the court. They lacked the offensive juice D-Will would have provided as the Cats couldn't keep up with the Aztec's sharp shooting. Whenever the Cats held the Aztecs on defense, the offense couldn't get anything going. Perhaps the only bright spot was the exhilarating guard play from the Freshies Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson. Unfortunately, Freshman can't command the tempo and claim leadership of a team, so the seniors need to step up.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Brady bunches up the Chiefs, 34-3

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots made sure they would avoid a letdown on MNF against the Matt Cassel-less Chiefs at Arrowhead. Rob Gronkowski caught 2 TD, including a magnificent leap into the end zone. Tyler Palko and the Chiefs could only put a Ryan Succop field goal on the score board. New England is now once again placed in the elite category in the AFC.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Vince Young leads the Eagles over New York, 17-10, stay alive in the playoff race

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled past the New York Giants at Metlife Stadium to stay alive in the NFC East. Vince Young looked a bit sloppy, but he orchestrated a sharp and impressive drive to give Philly a 17-10 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Manning and New York came out firing, but Eli fumbled the ball and the Eagles recovered the ball to end the game. The game showed the Eagles pulling throughout the 4th quarter; however, one win against the division leaders won't save Philly.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Arizona stuns ASU in Tempe, 31-27

Even though Arizona is a disappointing 3-8, nothing is more disappointing than losing the Territorial Cup to your arch-rivals. The Sun devils let up the Territorial Cup to the Wildcats as they also let up a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter. The Sun devils fell behind early but regained the lead at 27-17. The most penalized team in the PAC 12 had many personal foul penalties even though they played at Sun devil Stadium. Nick Foles passed a TD to GinoCrump to pull within three at 10 minutes in the 4th quarter. In their next possession, Foles got knocked out and Senior QB Bryson Beirne stepped in at QB. He only threw one pass, but the pass proved to be the most important pass of his life as Juron criner caught it for a 23 yard TD. Osweiler then threw an INT to Jourdan Grandon, but the Sun devils got the ball back. osweiler drove down the field to the Cats Red Zone, but Shaquille Richardson broke up the last pass to Gerell Robinson as the time expired.
2011 Territorial Cup Champs

Baylor upsets Oklahoma, 45-38

RG3 and the Baylor Bears upset the #5 Oklahoma Sooners as Bob Stoop's team was eliminated from National Championship contention Saturday night. Landry Jones was outperformed by a new Heisman contender, Robert Griffin III. Griffin threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns, including a 34-yarder to Terrance Williams with 8 seconds left. The upset in Waco delivered a huge blow to the Sooners as they drop to 8-2 and Baylor goes to 7-3.

USC upsets Oregon, 38-35

USC Junior QB, Matt Barkley, passed for 323 yards and 4 TDs as the Bowl-ineligible Trojans upset the 4th ranked Oregon Ducks in Eugene's Autzen Stadium on Black-out night. USC gave Oregon more than a black eye as the Ducks were eliminated from the National Championship picture. The Ducks couldn't get a handle of anything as they fumbled multiple times. They had a chance to tie, but they missed a would be game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. The Ducks can still clinch a spot in the PAC 12 Championship game with a win in the Civil War against Oregon State.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Oklahoma State collapses in 2OT at Iowa State, 37-31

Ty Barnett and the Iowa State Cyclones put up an impressive performance as they upset the number 2 team in the country on Friday night. The Cyclones dashed all hopes of Oklahoma State making it to the National Championship game, but they did have chances to win. When it comes to College Football, it's always the kicker that has to take the blame. Quinn Sharp missed a would-be game-winner in regulation, but the game went into OT and ISU won. Brandon Weeden probably won't win the Heisman now that OSU isn't going to the National Championship.

Number 15 Arizona beat by Miss St, 67-57

Miss St stifled the Cats offense as the Bulldogs contained Arizona all night. Sean Miller's team never got the lead but were close at the half. In the second half however, the Bulldogs continued to outmuscle Arizona as they walked away with a ten point win and the 2K Sports title. The Bulldogs will likely move into the polls, whereas Arizona will drop after facing their first loss of the season.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Cats rally past St. johns, 82-73

The Arizona Wildcats showed poise and resiliency in Madison Square Garden against Steve Lavin's St. Johns team. The Cats got to an early but lost it after halftime. With eight minutes to go, the Cats went on a huge run to come back from an eight point deficit to win 82-73. The Seniors showed poise down the stretch and this game said a lot about the team. Arizona's guard play was exceptional as they hit 14 threes but they'll need the big men to work if they want to beat Miss St in the 2K Classic.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Cards top the Eagles, 21-17

Arizona showed resiliency in almost every position on Sunday, especially at QB. Back-up QB, John Skelton, led the Cardinals to a hole and got them out. Skelton led the Cards up and down the field, but they couldn't get any points. Fortunately, the Cards defense kept Michael Vick in check. The first points of the game came off of a pick-6 by Asante Samuel, but Skelton and Fitzgerald led the Cards down the field to tie the game. Down by three in the 4th quarter, Skelton showed his mettle by leading the Cards to a lead and a victory that was capped off by a pick from AJ Jefferson.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Oregon chops the Tree, 53-30

Stanford ran out of Luck once they faced the Ducks and LaMichael James. James ran for an easy 146 yards as the Duck's super offense overwhelmed everyone in Palo Alto. The Ducks ran out to an early lead while a luck was pestered for the rest of the night. The #4 Cardinal can say goodbye to their BCS hopes as they open the door for Oregon.

Cats suffer an embarrassing loss to Colorado, 48-29

The Wildcats stumbled to last place after a huge and embarrassing loss to Colorado. The loss sent the Cats to last place in the PAC 12 and gave the Buffs a win at Folsom Field. The Cats defense was awful as they let the Buffaloes run all over them, but the real surprise and reason why Arizona lost was because of Nick Foles' turnovers. He fumbled the ball and threw three picks. All Arizona can do know is muster every once of strength they have as they travel to Tempe next Saturday.

Friday, November 11, 2011

North Carolina tops Michigan State 67-55 in the Carrier Classic

HarRison Barnes and the #1 Tar Heels topped Tom Izzo's Spartans in the first Carrie Classic on Veterans Day. President Obama was on deck to observe the young and talented Tar Heels as they look to start the season at first and keep it that way. I think that the Heels are more experienced than last year, giving them a better chance for a Final Four run and put last year's Elite Eight run behind them.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Raiders best the Chargers on TNF, 24-17

Carson Palmer did just enough to get past the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football as Oakland reclaimed first place in the AFC West. The Chargers never helped themselves as Philip Rivers continued to show he is not the elite quarterback we all thought he was. He continued to make critical mistakes and Oakland did enough to top San Diego. Rookie Denarius Moore caught two of Palmer's touchdowns as the costly quarterback didn't play pretty but at the moment, he's doing what Hue Jackson brought him in for.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Arizona basketball gets past Dusquene, 67-59

Jordin Mayes led the Cats against the Dusquene Dukes with 19 points as the Wildcats managed to rally at the McKale Center. Both teams played sloppily as they couldn't find any rhythm on offense. The Cats defense kept them in the game and they eventually went on a run to put the game away late in the second half. Miller's Cats need to focus on finding team chemistry so they don't commit careless turnovers. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time til the Cats grow together, but they must do it quickly since they have St. Johns coming up soon.

Monday, November 7, 2011

New-look Cats push past Valpo, 73-64

Kyle Fogg had 16 points and Jesse Perry had a double-double as the Cats took the first step forward into the post-Derrick Williams era. Sean Miller's new squad of young talent must depend on the two seniors if they want to continue the success Miller established last season. Valparaiso closed within two at half-time but the Cats played great basketball coming into the second half. The Cats finished the game weak but the outcome was inevitable.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Vic-Torrey. Baltimore completes sweep, win 23-20

Torrey Smith had an awful start to the SNF match-up against the division rival Steelers: he was called for holding to negate a Ray Rice opening play TD and he dropped a would-be game winner. Smith finally found his redemption when he caught the actual game winning touchdown. The Steeler defense crumbled on the last drive and Joe Flacco shined, proving that Baltimore is the true top-dog in the AFC North.

Super Bowl XLII Rematch: same result, Giants win

The rematch of Super Bowl XLII was almost like the actual game that took place in Glendale, AZ 2008. The Patriots were favorites, Manning was being criticized, Brady was on a hot-streak, and even the uniform colors were the same. The first three quarters had virtually no scoring but things blew open in the 4th quarter. Brady threw to Gronkowski to put the Pats up 20-17 late in the 4th, but Manning was given the ball back with little time left. Manning had a tremendous throw and catch to #85, but it wasn't Tyree it was Ballard. A few plays later, Manning threw a jump ball to the corner of the end zone to Ballard as time expired. Can you say Dejá vu? Giants won 24-20 and the Patriots lose control of the AFC East.

Cardinals snap losing streak, beat Rams 19-13 OT

Cards fans haven't had too much to cheer about this season. An opening win to the Panthers followed by six demoralizing losses isn't fun for any football team, but emotions ran high on Sunday as the Cardinals snapped their losing streak. After tying the game at 13 all, the Cardinals had chances to win the game in regulation, but they surrendered the ball to St. Louis. Sam Bradford led a drive to set up a 42-yard FG at the end of regulation, but Calais Campbell blocked the Josh Brown attempt and the game went to OT. The Rams had a short offensive series and punted the ball to Patrick Peterson. The rookie out of LSU would return the kick 99 yards for the walk-off win as Arizona moves to 3rd in the NFC West. There isn't much left for the team to do this season since the 49ers are 7-1, but Arizona can work towards the future and give a few more starts to John Skelton instead of an injured Kevin Kolb.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Game of the Century? Yes, LSU knocks off Bama, 9-6 OT

In a classic gridiron duel, #1 LSU at #2 Bama was the greatest game of the 21st century. The game was a brawl between the two best defenses in the nation, but LSU created more mistakes and Bama committed more mistakes, leaving the Tigers at #1 in the nation. Bama went 2-6 on Field Goals, missing a crucial attempt in OT. LSU capitalized nd kicked their own Field Goal to leave Tuscaloosa with a huge win. Though the game wasn't an offensive showdown, the defenses definitely showed up. LSU will look to remain #1 as they're in control for another National Championship berth in New Orleans.

#3 Oklahoma State Cowboys avoid upset to #17 KSU, 52-45

With a #3 rank and a 1 and 2 match-up on the same day, Oklahoma State looked to take the 2 spot with a win against a declining and over-rated Kansa State team coming into Stillwater. But the truth is, it's college football. KSU is not over-rated and they gave OSU everything they could handle. The Pokes jumped out to an early 14 point advantage but the Wildcats leaped out to take a 10 point lead. Brandon Weeden and his Cowboys eventually regained a 10 point lead. Collin Klein led K-State to within the 3 of OSU with a couple of seconds left, but the Cats came up short of forcing OT. Oklahoma State will jump to #2 and remain as the Big 12's only undefeated team.

Top 10 match-up? No problem for the Hogs

The Gamecocks of South Carolina controlled their own destiny in the SEC East, until they set foot in Fayatteville. Bobby Petrino's #8 Razorbacks romped the #10 Gamecocks by a score of 44-28 as Georgia takes control of the SEC East. The game looked to be an offensive showdown, but Spurrier's offense was outplayed by Arkansas'. The Hogs probably won't make the Sugar Bowl like last year, but it sure feels good to deny another team that opportunity.

Iowa upsets #16 Michigan, 24-16

If you have Denard Robinson at QB, 4 tries from inside the 10 should be a forgone conclusion: a Touchdown. However, the Hawkeyes mustered up on 4 straight plays to send Michigan home with a loss. The Wolverines should have been wary of Kinnick Stadium since Iowa had their ways with them for the past few years, but this upset was avoidable. Michigan continues to show their weaknesses so they better improve if they want to make a good bowl since they have 2 losses in the Big 10.

Stanford routs Oregon State 38-13, avoid the "Giant Killers"

If you're a ranked team traveling to Reser Stadium, you need to be aware of the cold, rain, weather, and the lingering possibility of an upset. The Beavs are known as the "Giant Killers" because they knock off top-ranked PAC 10 teams, but Andrew Luck made sure the Beavers would become Stanford's 17th straight victim. After playing Stanford close for the first half, Oregon State fell behind and Stanford improved to 9-0. Stanford and Andrew Luck better prepare for the game of the year in the PAC 12 as they take on LaMichael James and Oregon next week in Palo Alto.

Wildcats stood up by Utah at Homecoming, 34-21

The Cats looked to have a fresh start after a loss to the Huskies, but the Utes of Utah had other things in mind. Utah eliminated Arizona from bowl contention with an embarrassing 34-21 romp on homecoming. The Cats got off on the wrong note after they tried a fake FG on their first drive. The Utes would then block two punts, giving them good field positions which resulted in scores. The Cats could never catch up as they fell into a 17-7 halftime deficit and eventually a 13 point loss. Now that the Kraft Fight the Hunger Bowl is out of the picture, the Cats must set their sights on one objective: beating the Sun Devils.