sec dominates

For those of you who dont know who Paul Eells is let me give a quick background.  In 1978, he moved to central Arkansas to become sports director at KATV in Little Rock; radio play-by-play announcer for the Razorbacks football team; TV play-by-play announcer for the Razorbacks basketball team; and host of the TV football and basketball Razorbacks coaches shows. He was known and beloved statewide for his fantastic broadcasting voice and his trademark "Oh My" and "Touchdown Arkansas" radio calls.  During his time as "Voice of the Razorbacks," Eells became an iconic figure in the state of Arkansas, as is evidenced by the fact that Eells was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He was also named Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year 11 times.  While returning home from a golf tournament on July 31, 2006, Eells died in an auto accident nearly 2 months before his 71st birthday.  This was a sad day for Razorback fans. When I was growing up as a teenager I played basketball all the time at the community center in Jacksonville Arkansas, and Paul Eells would come in almost weekly during basketball season interviewing, and talking with members of the Rollin Razorback team.  I always struck up a conversation with him everytime I saw him, and before he left I would always say...do it for me one time Mr Eells, then he would look at me, and smile and say...TOUCHDOWN ARKANSAS!  He was a great individual, and the nicest person you would ever meet.  The one thing he always wanted was for our Razorbacks to succeed, and be amoung the best in the nation, and this year having made the Sugar Bowl in our first BCS appearance, and playing one of the better teams in OSU we have done just that under coach Bobby Petrino.  So with that said..From the coaches to the players, and all of Razorback nation....this game is for you Paul Eells voice of our beloved Razorbacks...We miss you.

The battle of the unbeatens both from the SEC Western division was the headlines coming into SEC play Saturday.  The LSU Tigers against the War Eagles that is Auburn.  Would Newton continue his beastly ground attack?  Or would LSU's #1 SEC defense put a stop to all the madness that is Newton?  Not a chance!  Not only did Newton run for the same amount of yards on the #1 SEC defense that he had against the Razorbacks, he SURPASSED last weeks mark running for 217 yards.  So they go from putting a record 65 points on a SEC defense last week to a school record of rushing for over 400 yards against an SEC defense.  Though even with all these stats the game was still well in reach for LSU, but on a fourth down and 6 to go with 3:27 left on the clock on their own 30 down 7 the mad hatter decided to go for it, and his magical touch was all but gone when they failed to pick up the first down with Lee trying to scramble for it and ultimately lose to the only remaining SEC undefeated team.  At times it seemed like LSU's offense was very confused as what to do.  Even after a timeout in the game they looked as if they were unprepared of the call that they were given. Should be noted to that Nick Fairly the 6'5 314 pound Jr DB for Auburn, gave LSU's offensive line fits all day.  Even with double teams it almost seemed effortless for him to get pressure on the QB.   LSU's offense could only muster up 243 of total offensive yards while Auburn collected a massive 526 (440 rushing) of total offense. Final score Auburn 24 LSU 17.  LSU drops to 7-1 4-1 SEC while Auburn improves to 8-0 5-0 SEC.

Ole Miss @ Arkansas...Since Houston Nutt left the Razorbacks, and moved to Mississippi he is 2-0 against the Razorbacks.  Well the Hogs wanted to put a stop to this winning streak. Ryan Mallett coming off a game to where he had to leave because of a concussion he suffered, did start against Ole Miss.  The Razorbacks got off to a quick start going up 21 to 0 with three different players getting in on the action.  First td was a run by Kniles Davis, the second was an amazing catch by Childs from Mallett as he had to reach all the way to the ground to snag it before it hit the ground, and do a flip to get into the endzone.  The third came on a school record 97 yard punt return by Joe Adams.  In the second half though Ole Miss tried to mount a comeback getting as close as 7 points, but the story today was Kniles Davis.  In an offense that is high powered with the pass, Kniles Davis would steal the show rushing for 176 yards, and 3 rushing tds including a 71 yard run where he blew by all defenders leaving them in his dust as he sprinted into the endzone sealing the deal in Fayetteville.  Mallett left the game in the 3rd quarter because of a hit that left him with a bruised shoulder on his throwing arm.  Wilson came in, and managed the game well for the Hogs the rest of the way.  Final score Razorbacks 38 Ole Miss 24.  Razorbacks improve to 5-2 2-2 SEC, and Ole Miss falls to 3-4 1-3 SEC.



Georgia @ Kentucky...Georgia was looking to extend their winning streak to 3 coming into this game.  In a game where Kentucky dominated the stats, there is one area they failed in, and thats turnovers.  The Bulldogs forced 4 turnovers, and  Georgia turned those turnovers into 17 points, and with 157 rushing yards, and 5 rushing tds from Washaun Ealey Georgia literally ran away with this game.  Aaron Murray played game manager in this contest going 9-12 for 113 yards.  Key stat for this freshmen QB was no turnovers.  Hartline tried to bring his Wildcats back throwing for a 22, 39, and 9 yard td pass, but ultimately would fall short due to turnovers.  Hartline threw for 353 yards. Georgia continues their winning streak with this 44-31 victory improving their record to 4-4 3-3 SEC, and Kentucky falls to 4-4 1-4 SEC.

Alabama @ Tenn...While Richardson, and Ingram still got theirs on the ground Julio Jones impressed with his single game school record 221 Receiving yards.  Bama showed they can get it done through the air if they need to throwing for 326 yards. After tenn kept it a bit close in the first half Alabama went on to score 28 unanswered points, and ran away with this game in the second half in a route to beat Tenn 41-10.  Bama improves to 7-1 4-1 SEC, and Tenn continues their woes falling to 2-5 0-4 SEC.

South Carolina @ Vanderbilt...No Marcus Lattimore?  No problem.  Who to turn to...aw yes, how about Spurrier's third team tail back senior Brian Maddox who didnt miss a beat filling in rushing for 146 yards and 1 td.  Garcia also had a great day passing for over 350 yards with 2 tds.  SC had two Receivers go for over 100 yards, Alshon Jeffery had 158 yards recieving with a td, and Tori Gurley had 109 yards receiving.  SC is atop the SEC East at 5-2 3-2 SEC, and Vandy falls to the 4th spot in the East with a 2-5 1-3 SEC record.

Then in a non-SEC match up Miss St takes out UAB in a slugfest behind LaDarius Perkins 131 rushing yards improving their record to 6-2 2-2 SEC.

 Recap of SEC teams for October 16th, 2010.....

Arkansas @ Auburn.  Well well can you say fireworks?  Cause thats what this game was displaying with the high powered offense's that these two teams posses.  They started out virtually the same.  Arkansas scores, Auburn scores.  Arkansas gets stopped, Auburn gets stopped.  But there wasnt too much of the stopping part as the game progressed.  Just to give you an idea, when this game was all said, and done Arkansas wound up with a ridiculous 566 yards of total offense with 428 of that coming through the air.  Auburn finished with 470 total yards with 330 of that coming on the ground.  Cam Newton had 188 of those rushing yards.  Thats not all.  In kick off returns Auburn netted 221 return yards which included a 99 return by Onterio McCalebb. The Razorbacks had 179 return yards. After swapping the lead back, and forth Auburn finally pulled away towards the end with a couple of interceptions from Arkansas back up QB, and a fumble recovery that was returned for a td.  Ryan Mallett left the game with a concussion in the second quarter, but the Hogs backup came in without missing a beat passing for 332 yards, and tossing 4 tds. Final score is the third most points scored in SEC history in a game at  108 points...65-43.  A heartbreaking loss with some controversial calls going against the Razorbacks.  However Auburn remains undefeated, and will square off against the only other undefeated team in the SEC (LSU) this weekend.  Auburn improves to 7-0 4-0 SEC, and the Hogs fall to 4-2 1-2 SEC.
 

South Carolina @ Kentucky...Just a week after handing the defending NC's their first loss of the season South Carolina looked to continue their winning ways against Kentucky.  Someone however forgot to tell Kentucky.  Mike Hartline had a career day throwing for 349 yards, and 4 touchdowns against a team who has beaten them their last 10 meetings.  This game came down to the wire with a game winning drive that had Hartline hit Randall Cobb for a 24 yard passing td that put Kentucky up.  Cobb also converted a 2pt conversion running it in putting the wildcats up by 3.  South Carolina was not finished though.  They put together an impressive drive in the final minute getting themselves to the 20 yardline of Kentucky well in fg range.  Though they were in fg range they had enough time to take a shot into the endzone before settling for the game tying fg attempt.  Garcia's pass into the Endzone was intercepted by Kentuckys Anthony Mosley ending the Gamecocks hope at an overtime.  Kentucky moves to 4-3 1-3 SEC, and the Gamecocks 4-2 2-2 SEC still sitting atop the SEC east. 

Miss St. @ Florida...Miss St did the impossible...Went into Gainsville, and handed Florida their 3rd straight loss of the season.  It wasnt pretty passing for only 33 yards, but they ran for over 200 yards in a 10-7 victory.  They find themselves with a 5-2 2-2 SEC record already matching the number of wins they had all of last season.  The Gators just couldnt find an answer for Miss St rushing attack, and found themselves in uncharted territory under Meyer as head coach losing 3 straight games.  Florida drops to 4-3 2-3 SEC.

Ole Miss @ Alabama...Well Ole Miss has had their problems this year dropping games to Jacksonville St, and Vandy, so one would think their woes would continue going up against the defending champions right?  Yep.   Alabama's Trent Richardson had an 85 yard td pass in the 3rd quarter in Bamas 23-10 win against the Rebels.  Ole Miss didnt find the endzone until 4:40 sec left in the third on a 15 yard pass but plagued themselves with penalties having 12 that went for 106 yards. This loss puts Ole Miss at 3-3 1-2 SEC, and Alabama at 6-1 3-1 SEC

Vanderbilt @ Georgia...Well is there really much to say about this blowout victory for the BullDawgs?  They had 547 of total offense to Vandys 140.  Washaun Ealey had 17 carries that went for 123 rushing yards as Georgia routed Vandy 43-0.  After four straight losses Georgia has rebounded with two straight blowout victories against SEC opponents.   They move to 3-4 2-3 SEC while vandy moves to 2-4 1-2 SEC.  Georgia see's if they can continue the streak as they go up against Kentucky this weekend.

LSU's offense came to life a bit against Mcneese st scoring 32 points in a blowout victory. LSU's offense rushed for 179 yards, and passed for 103.  All four tds were rushing tds. A tune up game none the less getting ready for a more worthy opponent in Auburn.  This match up will showcase the only two unbeaten teams in the SEC.  

Great games in the SEC to go over today.  Bama is finally taken down by a SEC team for the first time in 19 games.  LSU continues to play dominant defense, and had an offensive explosion (for them anywayz) to lift them past the Gators.  Auburn also continues their winning ways taking down the wildcats.  In the southwest classic Arkansas prevails against their old rival Texas A&M.  Georgia showed Tennessee whos boss in their first SEC win of the season, and Miss St, and Vandy took care of their lowly opponents Houston, and Eastern Michigan.

First things first though.  #1 Alabama @ #19 USC....Coming into this game the GameCocks had never beaten a #1 team, but looked to change that in this game.  Spurrier had his team ready to play, and knew they had to almost have a flawless game to win.  Garcia who had only 5 td passes all year woke up offensively.  He was 17 of 20 for 201 passing yards and threw three tds in todays contest.  127 of those 201 passing yards was to Alshon Jeffery who also hauled in 2 of Garcia's 3 td passes.  Marcus Lattimore the standout freshmen for USC put his stamp on the game as well scoring three times.  One 9 yard td pass, and two short yard td runs.  He finished the game with 93 rushing yards.  This is the most points put up on this Bama defense since 2007.  Bama roared back in the second half after once trailing 21-3.  They found themselves only down 7 in the fourth quarter 21-28 before USC's running back widened the lead once again to two scores on a 2 yard td run, and they never looked back.  They defeated the #1 team in the nation 35-21.  Should be noted though that McElroy for Alabama had a career passing day with 315 passing yards through the air, but suffered his first loss as a starting QB since 8th grade.  

#12 LSU @ #14 Florida....After the near heartbreak game LSU had against Tennessee last week, they were looking to bounce back this week agaisnt a Florida team that was coming off of an embarrassing loss to the top team in the country.  This game ended in dramatic fashion as Les Miles seems to have come accustomed to.  With 35 seconds left in the game LSU lined up for a game tying field goal, but surprised UF with a fake, and after the holder Derek Helton threw a no look pitch over his head to Josh Jasper the ball bounced on the ground, but right into Jaspers arms allowing him to run for a first down for the Tigers.  The play, however was reviewed to see if it was a forward pass which would have been a dead ball once it hit the ground, but the call on the field of a first down was up-held.  This gave the Tigers a new set of downs down only 3 points.  After a 28 yard gain to Toliver, Lee threw a fade to him in the corner which was successful on the second attempt to lift the Tigers past Florida snapping UF's 12 game home winning streak. Jordan Jefferson completed 7 of 12 passes for 100 yards, and ran for 42 yards and two scores.  Lee was 9 of 11 passing for 124 yards, and the game winning td pass. This loss puts USC in the drivers seat in the Eastern division.

#8 Auburn @ Kentucky....Auburn got out to a fast start in this game taking a 17 point lead, but Kentucky fought back, and made this into a more difficult game than the Auburn Tigers anticipated.  However Newton did what he does best, and thats put the ball in the endzone.  Newton ran for a career-high 198 yards, and four touchdowns, and passed for an additional 210 yards of offense. Cobb did all he could to help his Wildcats out tonight making some good plays out of the "wildcobb" formation.  He had 121 yards of total offense, and set himself up after a 26 yard gain for a 1 yard td run that tied it up at 31. Towards the end of the game when the score was 34-34, the Newton lead tigers marched down the field, and got the game winning fg improving their record to 6-0 3-0.  

Only other SEC matchup was Tenn @ UGA....Aaron Murray lit it up offensively running for two tds, and throwing for two more as UGA got off their losing skid, and got their first SEC victory of the season by smashing Tennessee 41-14.  AJ Green caught his third td pass in two weeks in this game after missing his first four starts because of a suspension.  Maybe this game will give UGA the confidence they need to finish strong, and become bowl eligible before the seasons end.  

OOC play will be short, and sweet.  The #11 Razorbacks played Texas A&M in Jerrys world at dallas stadium in the old southwest classic.  Though the Hogs offensive struggles continue in the second half they had some flashes of brilliance from mr Mallett, and his offense in the first half, but the Razorbacks defense was the difference in this game making stops, and getting turnovers when needed. The Razorbacks came out on top in this one 24-17.  For the second game in a row the Hogs offense was only able to muster up 3 points in the second half.  With Malletts offensive line having a meltdown, Malletts left shoulder seemed to be bothering him quite a bit after being hit several times.  Mallett finished the game with 310 passing yards, and 3 tds.

Miss St @ Houston....Vick Ballard ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns and Mississippi State rushed for 409 yards in a 47-24 win over Houston on Saturday night.

Vandy vs E. Michigan....Quarterback Larry Smith threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as Vanderbilt rolled to a 52-6 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday night.

Aka T-Magic had a monster game thursday night while Nebraska continues to dazzle us with their offensive threats, and dynamic defense.  The soon to be big ten team treated K-State like they stole something, and didnt just want to recover it, but teach them a lesson in the process.  It seemed like the red sea parting everytime Martinez ran the ball.  Running into the school record books with 242 rushing yards, and 4 rushing tds the red-shirt freshmen Martinez made K-States defense look no better than my old high schools.  Oh yea, and did I mention that he also had a 79 yard td pass?  If he continues to put up numbers like these watch out big ten cause this kid has a few more years to put under his belt.  This game towards the end was a joke.  I mean they were using K-State as a practice partner when they went into the no huddle with the game well in hand preparing for a faster pace against a more worthy opponent.  We'll see just how talented this team is in the coming two weeks when they have to play some of the better schools in their conference in Texas, and Oklahoma St.  Nebraska is 5-0 1-0 atop of the big 12 north division.

Are you serious?  Cav fans burning his jersey, calling him a traitor, the owner trashing Lebron as well.  Did this guy not put out 110 percent everynight he went out on the floor for the cavs?  Did this guy not lead the Cavs to the NBA finals almost single handily?  And what was his reward?  An old broke down Shaq, a washed up Jamison, and an arrogant Mo Williams?

  Maybe if the ownership put in players of some value to where James felt he could win, and contend for the title year in, and year out, JUST MAYBE he would have stayed.  Lets face it, he wants to win, and he wants to win now, and teaming up with Bosh, and Wade gives him a better chance of doing that NOW rather than waiting for an organization who's been running around, and making decisions like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pull something together which never seemed like it was going to happen. 

I honestly do feel bad for Cav fans, and wish their team the best, but im so tired of the Lebron hate all of a sudden.  The guy is not a traitor, he is a competitor who wants to win.  Its not like he has years left on his contract, and is refusing to play unless he is traded, or some arrogant ploy like that.  He's a free agent who can decide to go anywhere he wants, and he wants championships so he teamed up with two other superstars so that can come sooner than later. 

And for all those who say his championships wont mean anything because of who he's playing with (ahem...Doyel)  Your freaking crazy.  Go look at multiple championship winners, and tell me they only had one hall of famer on their team.  Oh wait....you cant.  Magic had worthy, and kareem.  Bird had Parish, and McHale. I dont have to go into who Bill Russel had.  Hell even jordan played with a hall of famer in Scottie Pippen, and for a hall of fame coach.  Fact is no one wins it alone. 

If you cant win it with mediocre players like Lebron had what in the world did you expect him to do?  To be content on having a great regular season, and losing every year in the playoffs?  Give me a break.  Lebron wants to be a champion, and he went to the best place possible to make that happen plain, and simple.

When you think of Tim Duncan what do you think of?  Hall of Famer?  Champion?  MVP? No doubt he is all of these things.  But when the younger generation (25 and under) is asked this question the majority answers--boring.  Boring?  Has it come to this that fundamentals, and playing team ball, and not show boating, and just plain winning has become boring?  So the question remains.  Is Tim Duncans greatness over shadowed by the high flying play of "King James", "Super Man" (Dwight Howard), Carmelo, D-Wade, etc? 

These certainly are more acceptable to our younger generation than Duncan because the new generation of NBA fans (the majority atleast) are drawn to flashy play, killer cross overs, and ridiculous dunks.  Tim is, simply put, a winner. He is a two-time MVP (2002, 2003), four-time NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) and three-time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005).

What does he think of his "boring" image?  Duncan himself commented on this very subject---"If you show excitement, then you also may show disappointment or frustration. If your opponent picks up on this frustration, you are at a disadvantage."  Its obvious he is content on letting the spot light be on the high flyers of the NBA.  After all is'nt being a 4 time NBA Champion better than winning a dunk contest, or 20 million hits on youtube for a sick dunk? 

I think if you ask Lebron, or any of the high flyers that question they may trade some of their highlights for a taste of an NBA championship.  Because of his versatility and success, basketball experts have spoken of Duncan as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.  So while the younger generation focus their attention on others, Duncan will just continue to win quietly.

The San Diego Chargers selected Tomlinson in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, as the fifth overall pick.  He was elected to the Pro Bowl team in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Tomlinson also tied Lenny Moore's all-time record for consecutive games scoring a TD (18).  He holds, or is tied for over 20 NFL records including one where he joins Emmitt Smith, Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, and Marshall Faulk as the only running backs to record consecutive seasons of 20 or more touchdowns.  L.T. rushed for more than 1,100 yards 8 straight seasons proving his worth as a star in the NFL, and a top pick in fantasy football.

  I'll tell you what i remember best about LaDainian as a charger, and thats his attitude.  He has the most classy personality you could find for a young  multi millionaire from the start of his career till now.  He give's his opponents respect, and never threw any of his teammates under the bus.  The only time i've seen him really get upset is when he felt his team was disrespected  when some Patriots were dancing on the Chargers' logo at midfield after they had beaten the Chargers in an AFC divisional playoff game.  In fact his exact words were.."When you go to the middle of our field and start doing the dance Shawne Merriman is known for, that is disrespectful. They showed no class and maybe that comes from the head coach."   Of course later L.T. made up with the Patriots head coach. 

You can see how he carries himself, and how he expects others to treat him as he treats others.  On December 6, 2009, Tomlinson moved into eighth place on the career rushing list, passing both Jim Brown and Marshall Faulk, while becoming the fastest player to 150 career touchdowns in the same game.  He is a great talent, and no doubt will find his way into the HOF some day.  I dont know what the future holds for Mr Tomlinson, if he will find another place to play, or retire, but i do know one thing, and thats whatever he does, he will do it with class.