Suicide Squeeze: Wild Card Madness

It was a crazy night last night with 4 games deciding who was going to the playoffs. Tampa Bay, Boston, Atlanta and St. Louis all were looking at do or die scenarios where if they took care of their business, worst case scenario they had a one game playoff. Here are some quick hits on last night's games and how it shakes out in the playoff picture.

St. Louis at Houston

The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the 1st with 7 hits to all but eliminate the drama from their part of the race. St. Louis got a complete game 2 hitter from Chris Carpenter, who struck out 11 and walked only 1. With the game already well in hand in the 9th inning, Allen Craig hit a solo shot to put an exclamation point on St Louis' win. They put the pressure on Atlanta who faced division rival Philadelphia.

Philadelphia at Atlanta

There was high drama at Turner Field as the Braves lead the Phillies going into the top of the ninth. They were three outs away from forcing a one game playoff with the hard charging Cardinals. Craig Kimbrel came in to make the save for the home team. Kimbrel got in trouble as he loaded the bases and Chase Utley hit a sacrifice fly to send the game into extra innings. Neither team threatened until Hunter Pence singled to right field to score what would be the winning run as in the bottom of the inning Freddie Freeman grounded into a season ending double play.

New York at Tampa Bay

The Yankees looked to be gift wrapping the AL wild card to their division rival Red Sox as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead featuring a grand slam from first baseman Mark Tiexiera. However, the Rays would not be denied. In the bottom of the 8th, the Rays erupted for 6 to make it a one run game and in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs Dan Johnson stepped into the batters box and hit a home run to right field to save their season to that point. The Yankees had a runner in scoring position but couldn't push him across setting the stage for Evan Longoria's walk off home run to left, to win the game.

Boston at Baltimore

A rain delay paused the final game of the Red Sox season for 1 hour and 26 minutes, giving them a chance to see Tampa complete their rally against New York. The Orioles had just completed a rally of their own. Jonathan Papelbon had struck out the first two batters he faced when he ran into trouble, surrendering back to back doubles to tie the game and then a game winning single to lead off man Robert Andino to give the Red Sox their first loss of the season when leading after 8 innings.

This is how the playoffs now shake out, the American League playing their game 1's tomorrow night and the National League on Saturday.

American League             National League
New York vs Detroit          Philadelphia vs St. Louis
Tampa Bay vs Texas          Milwaukee vs Arizona      

Romo Overcomes Mistakes, Redskins

Anthony Spencer forces the game clinching fumble from quarterback Rex Grossman
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) 

De'Angelo Hall opened up the talking this past week saying that he hoped "to put my helmet on whatever's hurt." Instead it was where he put his hand that ultimately rang the death knell for the Redskins last night as Dallas won 18-16. With time winding down in the fourth quarter, an errant snap forced Romo out of the pocket and found Dez Bryant on the corner route for a 30 yard gain. Hall then compounded the play, with a 15 yard face mask penalty that put Dallas in position to kick and make the go ahead field goal. After the game; Hall commented, "I told the ref after that call, that might have been his worst call of the game," Hall said. "He's going to get demerit points for that call. Because that wasn't no facemask."

The Cowboys fumbled the ball 6 times last night, half of them coming from second year center, Phil Costa who either would send errant or mistimed shotgun snaps to Tony Romo. However, due to a marvelous stroke of luck each bad snap was recovered by Romo and twice threw the ball for positive yards on the play. Romo's frustration was apparent throughout the night, not only at Costa but at his wide receiving corp, namely Kevin Ogletree who misread routes and made poor decisions, putting pressure on the injured quarter back.

The visitors had their own problems with the snap as on a field goal attempt, punter Sav Rocca mishandled a snap on a field goal which could have meant the difference in the game. Instead, Graham Gano had to double clutch and had his attempt blocked by Gerald Sensabaugh and recovered by the Cowboys.
In their final drive, Tony Romo went 3 of 4 for 57 yards, including the long pass to Bryant to make the final kick a possibility. Despite getting no touchdowns on 3 attempts in the redzone, including a first and goal from the 2, Dallas did just enough to beat their hated rivals, on the leg of rookie kicker Dan Bailey who went 6 of 6 including a pair of kicks from 41 yards out.

The much maligned Dallas defense from last season had a shot at redemption and cashed in as Anthony Spencer chased down a scrambling Rex Grossman and knocked the ball loose. The Cowboys defense covered it up and Romo took a knee with 30 seconds remaining to make the score official.

One of the main stories of the night was Tony Romo's broken ribs. When asked after the game how he felt the quarter back said, "It feels good right now because we won. I'll be alright." At one point, the Washington defense was getting to Romo enough that he had to go in and get a second pain killer shot to the area.

The Cowboys improve to 2-1 to form a three way tie atop the NFC East with the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. More importantly, to owner Jerry Jones it was the first home opener the Cowboys have won since Jones opened the stadium three years ago. Next week the Cowboys face an upstart Detroit team who is undefeated back in Dallas while Washington goes on the road to face the St. Louis Rams.

Ducks Run Through The Desert, Wildcats

LaMichael James sprints 19 yards for one of his two scores against Arizona.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Oregon got out to an early lead and rode the efforts of LaMichael James last night in Tucson as the Ducks prevailed 56-31 over the Arizona Wildcats. James lead the rushing attack with a record setting 288 rushing yards, the most since Onterrio Smith set the record against Washington State in 2001. According to James he wasn't even aware how close he was to the record, saying "I was like, 'Oh, hopefully I can stay in the game,'" James also eclipsed former Duck standout Derek Loville's career touchdown mark, scoring his 42nd and 43rd touchdowns on the ground.

Oregon jumped out to a 35-3 lead when Nick Foles started to bring the Wildcats back to make the game competitive at 35-24. "We knew, especially against Nick Foles, that this game never is in hand," Coach Chip Kelly said. "We were aware that we were going to get a great shot from them in the second half, and I thought our offense responded well." With the momentum set on the side of the home team, memories of similar comebacks by Arizona started to well up, mainly 2008 when Oregon jumped out to a 45-17 half time lead, only to hold on 55-45, thanks to a key run by LeGarrette Blount. Darron Thomas calmly lead the Duck offense on a 8 play 75 yard drive that eclipsed a little more than 2 minutes which was capped off by a hard 5 yard run by Thomas himself.

Coach Kelly commented talking about his prolific rushing attack "We're starting to find our rhythm. We've still got some issues up front that we've got to clean up at times, but when our running back's running like that -- it makes us a real tough team to defend from a running standpoint when the quarterback can hit it, Kenjon can hit it, and LaMichael can hit it." The visitors amassed over 400 yards on the ground and when they can move the ball like that, they are very tough to defend.

The Ducks pressured Nick Foles all night who still managed to throw for 398 yards and 3 scores. It was a testament to the caliber of quarterback Foles is, who received little help from a green offensive line and an anemic running game. Late in the game, under duress Foles appeared to be wrapped up for a sack but switched the ball to his off hand and flipped the ball to Keola Antolin who rambled for a big first down. Despite Foles passing numbers, the Wildcats were held under 100 yards on the ground, an issue that has plagued the team all season. Despite his efforts, Arizona has lost 8 of the last 9, all losses to FBS opponents, the only win against Northern Arizona to start the season. The road doesn't get any easier as they have to travel to Los Angeles to play against a USC team who lost their last game against ASU 43-22 and likely looking for retribution. If Mike Stoops doesn't turn this season around he could begin to feel his seat as coach starting to get warmer as the season progresses. Oregon goes into their bye week with a week and a half to prepare for California coming to town. Last season, the Ducks got their biggest test of the regular season scoring only 15 points in Berkley last year.

Preview: #10 Oregon at Arizona

Keola Antolin (2) will have to get it going to keep the Duck defense honest.
Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Last season, Arizona looked to have Oregon on the ropes early, going into the half the Wildcats lead 19-14 after an errant snap went through the end zone and an Alex Zendejas field goal to end the half. The mood in Autzen Stadium was nervous as the Wildcats received the second half kick off, looking to go up by two scores on the top ranked team in the country. Oregon forced a three and out on the opening drive of the half and Arizona was forced to punt.

Backed up on their own 15 on 2nd and 10, Darron Thomas ran a speed option to the left and Josh Huff made a great individual effort to catch an errant pitch and turn the ball up field for a game changing 85 yard touch down run. Arizona never recovered momentum and Oregon went on to win 48-29.

That brings us to this week. Arizona was amidst a losing streak to FBS opponents that continues up to this week. Currently the Wildcats have lost 7 consecutive games against the FBS, the only win during that span, a 41-10 romp over Northern Arizona. Another loss this week with another road test against #23 next week could be the thing to put coach Mike Stoops on the hot seat in Tucson. Meanwhile, the Ducks have won their last two, against non conference opponents, averaging 62.5 points a game, albeit against the likes of Nevada and Missouri State.

On offense, Arizona has been living and dying by the pass, and they have just the quarter back for it. Nick Foles is a very talented and intelligent player and has a deep, experienced set of wide receivers head lined by star Juron Criner. Criner returned last week against Stanford to catch 6 passes for 48 yards and a score. If Arizona gets in a tight spot, look for Foles to try and find #82 down the field. It will be an interesting match up with the experience of Foles and Co. against the youth and talent of the Oregon secondary. Arizona likes to throw the ball. A lot. It will be interesting if the Ducks can contain the explosive passing attack to see where Arizona goes to move the ball down the field.

As good as Arizona has been through the air, averaging 364 yards per game; they have performed equally as poorly on the ground, mustering only 55.7 yards a game. A lot of this comes because Arizona has four new starting offensive linemen who are still gelling and have been thrown to the wolves early. Oregon is going to be the third consecutive top 10 opponent the 'cats have faced and through that they have not been able to get things going with RB Keola Antolin, he is an electric talent that if provided with a seam can make big plays in a hurry.

On defense, Arizona is also having to re tune their line, losing standout lineman Ricky Elmore among others. He was a major force on the line that is going to have to deal with the pace and speed of the Oregon offense which just now seems to be getting rolling. Through the first three games, Oregon has not really gotten the push expected to give Junior RB LaMichael James the lanes he often uses to get up field and do damage. If Oregon can push Arizona back off the ball, it could be a long day for the Arizona defense who gave up almost 389 yards on the ground last year.

Darron Thomas has appeared to improve as a passer from the first week of the season to now, becoming incredibly accurate even in limited time playing against Nevada and Missouri St. Oregon hopes to show that they are on par with Stanford who pasted the Wildcats 37-10. The secondary which has been decimated by injuries over the off season was shredded by the precision passing of Andrew Luck.

Arizona appeared to have challenges dealing with misdirection from Stanford and getting lateral to stop the plays going to the outside. That could be a recipe for disaster against an Oregon squad which loves to get to the corners and make plays down the sideline. If the Wildcats can't win the edges they are going to have a huge challenge slowing down the Duck offense.

Arizona will win if:                              Oregon will win if:
Foles gets comfortable                       Oregon wins the turnover battle
Antolin rushes for 100 yards               More than 300 rush yards
Arizona wins field position battle         Defense pressures Foles

Ducks, Thomas bounce back, rout Nevada 69-20

De'Anthony Thomas #6 of the Oregon Ducks runs for a touchdown against the Nevada Wolf Pack on September 10, 2011 at the Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Oregon returned home Saturday, hoping to bounce back from their opening day loss to LSU, and did so in a big way, defeating the Nevada Wolf Pack 69-20 in front of nearly 59,000 fans. Oregon took their opening drive 79 yards and even though they failed on the 2 point conversion, they never looked back.

Darron Thomas threw for 295 yards and freshman De'Anthony Thomas added 81 yards on the ground including a 62 yard sprint to lead the offense and  All American LaMichael James found his way into the end zone 3 times; once on the ground, through the air and even on a punt return as he put in a quality performance to keep the Nevada defense off balance all day. Oregon had a balanced attack amassing 603 yards from scrimmage without turning the ball over once.

Freshman DeAnthony Thomas continued to impress, learning from his mistakes. "I've been working hard all week," he said. "Just hold the ball high and tight. High and tight." Thomas had two catches for 93 yards both going for touchdown receptions, one on a fantastic individual effort. Darron Thomas hit him on a roll out, made a man miss and was off to the races.

Oregon's defense was in control much of the first half, intercepting Tyler Lantrip twice and once the Wolf Pack started to get something going, John Boyett blocked Nevada's first field goal attempt. Nevada didn't score until late in the second quater to make the score 34-7, but was answered quickly before half when Thomas and Thomas connected for De'Anthony's first score on the day. Coach Kelly had reinstated both Kiko Alonso and Cliff Harris who were suspended indefinitely but played minimally on defense.

Junior quarter back Darron Thomas tied an Oregon record, throwing for 6 touch downs, five in the first half which was a record for the Ducks. Bryan Bennett came in to replace Thomas late in the third quarter, coach Chip Kelly pleased with his starters performance to that point in the game.

Oregon will face their final tune up game against Missouri State next week, before they begin conference play while Nevada will go on the road to face San Jose State who held their own, but ultimately fell to UCLA 24-14.

Mistakes, Wilson bury Beavers in Wisconisn

Jacob Pedersen (48) catches a touchdown pass with Oregon State's Rashaad Reynolds (16) defending during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Oregon State came into Wisconsin with a lot of questions, Saturday and it seems as though they got at least some answers, even if the answers weren't what they wanted to hear. With two quarter backs sharing the reps with the first team through out the week, it seemed as though Coach Mike Riley would be deciding on a starter by throwing them into the fire of Camp Randall Stadium, one of the most raucous in the country. Unfortunately for the visitors, they didn't get enough answers to make it matter on the scoreboard as Wisconsin garnered their first shut out, 35-0 since they shut out Purdue 37-0 in 2009.

The offense had to lean on the experience and abilities of their quarter backs as the running game was only able to net 23 yards on the ground against a stifling defense. It seems as though Coach Riley decided on Sean Mannion to lead his offense as he managed to complete 25 of 38 passes for 244 yards. Former starter Ryan Katz only threw 3 passes as it appears he will be passed up by Mannion on the depth chart. Only time will tell at this point as OSU has two weeks to prepare for their first conference game against UCLA.

On the other side of the ball, Russell Wilson was again sparkling, passing for 3 touchdowns and only missing on 4 passes. The Oregon State interior defensive line held up their end of the bargain early, slowing down the dynamic rushing attack of Montee Ball and James White, but there were no answers for Wilson as he lead the Badgers up and down the field. The Badgers eventually wore down the undermanned Beavers defensive line and Montee Ball broke through for two touchdowns late in the second half to ice the game for the home team.

Wisconsin got help from an unexpected source as the Beavers just couldn't get their special teams on the same page. Johnny Hekker netted -4 yards on a punt to give Wisconsin the ball inside Oregon State's red zone and an eventual touch down when Russell Wilson found Jacob Pederson in the end zone for his first touchdown of the day. With Wisconsin leading 14-0, the Beavers needed a solid drive to get back into the game but Kick Returner Kenyan Parker made a mental mistake, fielding the ball and stepping out of bounds inside their own 5 yard line, creating a tall order for the offense.

The Badgers have one more warm up against Northern Illinois before they get into conference play and they appear to be on the right track. Wilson providing a much needed spark to an offense that seemed to be missing one element to really become unstoppable. Meanwhile, the Beavers seem to find some rhythm on offense. Oregon State was really missing Freshman standout Malcom Agnew who rumbled for 223 yards against Sacramento State, getting a little banged up in the process. Perhaps, the passing threat of Sean Mannion will open up the Beaver offense and give Agnew the much needed lanes to make Oregon State effective.

Green Bay stuffs New Orleans; Preserve Victory

Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb (18) celebrates with fans after a 108-yard touchdown run on a kickoff during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 42-34. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

The NFL is back in full swing after last nights opening game in Green Bay. The story was supposed to be about two stalwart defenses anchoring the last two Super Bowl champions, but as is often the case in the world of sports, the story rarely goes the way it's supposed to. Fans were treated to a 42-34 scoring fest that saw quarter backs Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers combine for 731 yards through the air and 6 touch downs.

The high scoring affair saw only 1 turnover and even in light of the new kickoff rules, which moves the kick off from the 30 to the 35 yard line; rookie Randall Cobb returned a kickoff 108 yards for a score. It was the second longest play in NFL history, bested only by Antonio Cromartie's 109 yard scamper off a missed field goal in 2007.

The Packers never got more than two scores ahead of New Orleans who simply refused to go away. After Cobb's big return, Darren Sproles in his first appearance in a Saints uniform brought the ensuing kick return back past midfield, snatching back the momentum Green Bay had established. The teams traded scores, until the visiting Saints forced a 3 and out with just over a minute remaining.  Brees lead the offense down inside the 10 yard line and on what would've been the last play of the game, A.J. Hawk was called for pass interference placing the ball on the 1 yard line. The Saints had one last chance to punch it in and possibly force overtime but rookie Mark Ingram was stuffed by Clay Matthews and company holding on to save the win for the reigning world champions.

Oregon Vs. Nevada: Preview

The Oregon Ducks open up Autzen stadium with a test from the Nevada Wolfpack. Last year, Nevada tied for the WAC division title, mostly thanks to a wild November night in Reno when they defeated the Boise St. Broncos. Last year, Nevada was the type of team that no one wanted to see due to their dynamic pistol offense and trigger man, Colin Kaepernick. When Kaepernick wasn't running the ball or throwing it down field he would turn and hand the ball to Vai Taua who rushed for 1610 yards and 19 touchdowns. Combined they put together a powerful offense that lead them to a 13-1 record and a bowl win over Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

What a difference a year makes. Nevada's offense was decimated by a senior laden squad last year and they return only 4 starters, one at a skill position in talented senior Rishard Matthews. If he is going to get going, Nevada is going to need production from QB Tyler Lantrip. Lantrip, a senior who played in mop up duty last year. In his career he has thrown a total of 24 passes, completing half of them. The senior has the unenviable task of opening his starting career at Autzen Stadium, one of the loudest in the country.

Conversely, Oregon looks to bounce back from a disappointing performance against LSU last week in the Cowboy Classic. Autzen will be a welcoming sight as Darron Thomas and LaMichael James look to get back on track. After a dismal first performance it may take some more effort to get this offense back to the way it was last year. James is expected to be a little more physical of a runner this week and it would be a disappointment if he was held under 100 yards for the second consecutive week. Oregon looks to be an overwhelming favorite with Vegas seeing the line at 26 1/2 for Oregon.

So what happened?: An editorial

I completely removed myself from my small island in the media circuit for the Oregon Vs. LSU game. Was it wise? Not likely. It was the biggest game of the week and a marquee match up which would have been the game that all other games would have been compared to for the rest of the year. On paper, this was the dream writing match-up. New faces, the biggest stage, the biggest stadium, Top 5 teams, controversy and a national audience. However, I did not feel as though I could write objectively about the game, so I didn't. I still can't. That's why this is falling under an editorial instead of a recap.

Everything was set to go Oregon's way. After one quarter, Oregon had the lead and the momentum. LSU was about to punt to one of the more electric Ducks on the squad. Kirk Herbstreit was commenting on how tired LSU was starting to look on defense. Chip Kelly was poised to put some separation between these two teams.

So what happened?

A perfect storm. One half of the game is scheming and I felt as though Oregon schemed well. The other half of the game is execution and when it came down to it, LSU made plays when they had to and Oregon did not. The scheme had worked, LSU was forced to punt and Kenjon Barner went back to return. Only he didn't execute. Trying to run backwards he was stripped of the football at the 3 yard line by Tyrann Mathieu and even after LaMichael James' score put Oregon back on top they never had control for the remainder of the game.

One fumble is tough to overcome but with a strong team like Oregon, you expect them to bounce back and get right back in the game. Well, phase two of the perfect storm didn't help. Players on both sides of the ball were dropping like flies from cramps. Unfortunately for Oregon, two of those players were #1 and #2 on the depth chart at running back. Coach Kelly turned the reins over to promising but inexperienced true freshman De'Anthony Thomas, who to that point in the game had been solid. The next two times he touched the ball though, he put it on the carpet and LSU recovered. 4 Oregon turnovers lead to 20 LSU points. Oregon lost by 13. You do the math.

Last season, Oregon was one of the best teams in the country in terms of turnover margin. You wouldn't have been able to tell that by watching Saturday night. They got beat at their own game, and ultimately it was their undoing. 40 points never speaks well of a defense but I feel as though they played well enough to win the game. Give the Ducks three more offensive possessions and take those away from LSU and the score could have been 40-27 the other way. However, as I had mentioned you have to execute. LSU did. Oregon didn't. Congratulations to LSU on a well fought, well executed game.

Looking beyond the box score, Cliff Harris was a huge factor in this game by his absence. Because he wasn't dressed and ready to play, redshirt freshman Terrance Mitchell was given the task of defending Reuben Randle and it was a mismatch from the moment Jarrett Lee found it. This doesn't even take into account his absence in the kick return game. Harris is a dicey player and there's no way to say he doesn't fumble on those kick returns either, but you feel like a little experience in the position would have gone a long way.

Bright spots I saw in the game came from the youth on both sides of the ball. They made their mistakes as one would expect on the biggest stage of their lives but the raw talent from Hronnis Grasu, Terrance Mitchell and De'Anthony Thomas can not be denied. They have the physical tools to be special, special players and I expect them to be difference makers in the games and seasons to come. I look forward to the future.

Coming soon: Preview of Oregon and Nevada

#11 Badgers Blow By Rebels

QB Russell Wilson looks down field against UNLV

Every coaches dream is to have a balanced attack. If that is Bret Bielema's goal than he couldn't be happier about the Badgers season opening trouncing of UNLV last night. Montee Ball and James White combined for 127 yards and 4 TD on the ground Thursday Night as Wisconsin rolled at home 55-17. Montee Ball takes home player of the game honors adding another TD and 67 yards receiving on a night when everything went right for the home team.

Many eyes were on NC State transfer Russell Wilson and how he would perform under the bright lights of Camp Randall stadium and he did not disappoint. After shaking his first quarter jitters overthrowing a couple wide open receivers he went 10-13 for 225 yards and two scores. Last season, Wisconsin rode their tandem of Ball and White all the way to the Rose Bowl and they look primed to do it again. Only, there is a difference maker under center. With 1:14 remaining in the first half, Wilson dropped back to throw, the pocket held and seeing daylight; the veteran signal caller scrambled out of the pocket. 48 yards, and Nick Toon's great down field block later Wilson was in the end zone on a play that felt like it would put it away right then and there. By that point Wisconsin had gone up 34-3 and it wasn't that close.

The added element of a running quarter back could give Wisconsin the edge it needs to return and possibly win the Rose Bowl for this next year. It's never easy breaking in two new starters on the offensive line, but knowing your quarter back has the ability to break free has to be of some comfort to the newest members of one of the NCAA's finest units. Wilson gave them a glowing review; himself, "I don't think I got touched at all today, which is pretty unbelievable. The offensive line did a great job. They're tremendous up there. Got to keep getting better, but they really are special up front."

UNLV scored late to get the game within 35 but by that time Wisconsin was already taking a look at their second stringers. Sophomore Caleb Harring gave a valiant effort against the size and power of Wisconsin's front 7 but at the end of the day the Runnin' Rebels got ran over, around and through.