Slammed to the Rose Bowl Turf

(Picture from http://www.img.fannation.com/)

The Ohio State University football team has completely dominated the 4th quarter. Pryor has made play after play after play with his feet, broken tackles, and stiff armed some of Oregons best tacklers to the ground causing Mossbrucker to say "and Pryor slams the hard hitting Lewis to the Rose Bowl Turf". After a leaping catch by tight end Daniel Herron for a first down, everyone in the stadium could see that the Buckeyes were rolling. A few plays later Pryor connected on a beautiful pass to DeVier Posey for a touchdown (who said they should give him the ball more? And whoever wanted Pryor to become a wide receiver after the Purdue game needs to rewatch this perfect touch pass). The score now is 26-17, and the Ducks just missed a 45 yard field goal with five minutes remaining. Hello Tressel ball!

OSU had the ball for the rest of the game, thanks to some big third down runs by Pryor once again. The final score was 26-17, and the Buckeyes are going to be pretty dangerous next season. OSU had the ball for over 41 minutes during this game, a stat that shows how much they dominated from the get go. Pryor and Tressel grew up right in front of our eyes hand in hand. Tressel finally seemed to let Pryor do what he does and his quarterback relished in this situation by taking over the game. He proved he is a complete quarterback, and his junior year should be exciting to watch. This is the 7th Rose Bowl win in Buckeye history. Pryor had 328 total yards and one touchdown, a hell of a way to bring in the New Year for the young quarterback that had the weight of the world on his shoulders from Buckeye Nation.

Oregon/OSU Make Huge Mistakes

(Picture from ESPN.com)

The last two redzone attempts for Ohio State have only ended in two field goals, which needs to change, and it starts with Pryor.  With Oregon's offense, the Buckeyes need to score and score often, because Masoli and the Ducks can break out at any moment.  Oregon took its first lead of the game after Masoli scored on a quarterback keeper early in the third quarter.  The lead was short lived after Ohio State marched down field and kicked another field goal, making the score 19-17 Buckeyes.  Both teams have been bitten by the turnover bug with Oregon's Blount fumbling on a handoff by Masoli, and then accidentally kicking it out of their endzone.  The Buckeye's could have swung all of the momentum to their side with a quick score after the fumble, but Pryor threw into double coverage and Oregon's John Boyett picked the pass off at the 38.  The Duck's did nothing with the turnover, going four and out and punting.

Both of these offenses have come out of the half looking a little sloppy and slow.  Ohio State needs to keep getting the ball to Brandon Saine and DeVier Posey.  Pryor needs to manage the game, and continue to make big plays on second and third down for Ohio State to win.

At Half, Buckeyes On Top

(Picture from ohiostatebuckeyes.com)

The Grand Daddy of them all has lived up to its name so far. The Rose Bowl has been a back and fourth battle with consistent blows from both opponents. At half, the score is Buckeyes 16, Oregon 10. Pryor has completed 15 of 24 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. Throughout the first half, he has made smart decisions with his arm by not forcing the ball into tight spots. He has also been making plays with his feet, rushing for 31 yards (much of those coming during essential third downs). The key to the first half for Ohio State's offense was a 19 play drive for 67 yards.  This drive took eight minutes off the clock and ended in a field goal. The Buckeye defense has also played better than most people expected as well, by shutting down the high-octane Duck offense.  OSU only gave up 49 yards through the air, and 78 yards on the ground.
Oregon's quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw his first interception of the game with 1:05 left in the half which resulted in a last second field goal.  This mistake gave the Buckeyes a 6-point lead going into the locker rooms. Runningback Kenjon Barner has rushed for 50 yards on only 3 carries for the Ducks, with most of those yards coming off of a 37 yard burst. LeGarrette Blount saw some action, and scored the only Oregon touchdown of the half when he plowed through the defensive line and lunged for a 3 yard score.

'Cats Use All Nine Lives in Loss, Joe Pa Gets Another

(Picture from gopsusports.com)

The Big Ten rang in the New Year with a bang, showing that they can hang with and beat teams in "greater" conferences. In the Outback Bowl this morning, Northwestern held their own against a "better" Auburn team. Quarterback Mike Kafka set an all-time bowl record by completing 47 passes on 78 attempts. He also set two Outback Bowl records with 532 yards passing, and an abysmal five interceptions (two of which came in the endzone). Going into halftime Auburn lead 21-7, and looked to be dominating the game. But fueled by their high-octane coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats, came back in the second half behind their quarterback. In the last five minutes, Northwestern put two touchdowns on the board and a two point conversion to tie the game. With 1:15 left on the clock, Auburn fumbled on the kick off return, giving the ball to Northwestern with tremendous field position. With three seconds remaining in regulation, Northwestern kicker Stefan Demos hooked a 44-yard field goal attempt, which would have locked up the first bowl win for Northwestern in the past 60 years.

In overtime, the 'Cats won the toss and played great defense which forced Auburn to kick the field goal. Kafka came back out with all the momentum on their side. After a few plays that went nowhere, Kafka was sacked for a ten yard loss, and officials ruled that he fumbled the football, which would have ended the game (causing celebration number one for Auburn). After review, they concluded that Kafka's knee was down on the play. After failed attempts to the endzone, Demos game back out to tie the game and redeem himself for his missed kick in regulation. The ball hit off the upright (cue Auburn's second celebration). This time Auburn was penalized for roughing the kicker that unfortunately left Demos limping off the field. The Wildcats could not punch it in after first and goal, and faced another fourth down. Instead of kicking the field goal with their back-up kicker, Fitzgerald opted for a trick play. Northwestern lined up in field goal formation, and on the snap, holder Zeke Markshausen ran the ball to the right and was forced out of bounds at the 2-yard line, ending this exciting game with a final score of 38-35. Northwestern held their own, and honestly should have won this game a couple of times. I still don't quite understand why you have a back up kicker if you, as a coach, can't trust him to hit a chip shot?

In the Capital One Bowl, #13 Penn State came out to play #12 LSU in a wet and muddy matchup. Penn State bolted out to a quick 13-3 lead at halftime, but LSU made some good adjustments coming out of the locker rooms by only giving up six points on two field goals to Joe Pa's Lions in the second half. In the final minutes of the game, Penn State was down by two, and in great fashion, senior quarterback Daryll Clark led the Lions down field on a 12-play drive that would end up sealing the game. With 57 seconds left in the quarter, Penn State kicker Collin Wagner hit a 21-yard field goal giving the Nittany Lions a 19-17 lead. LSU tried to get down field quick, and looked to be doing so, but an unnecessary roughness call ultimately slammed the door on the Tiger come back. Coach Paterno landed his 24th bowl win all the while giving Les Miles his first loss in the five bowls at LSU.

The Big Ten is 2-2 so far this Bowl season with Ohio State (who currently is up 7-0 in the Grand Daddy of them all), Michigan State, and Iowa left to play in their games. The Big Ten needs to win these games to get the credit they have been looking for. If Ohio State, and Iowa can win their Bowl games, it could be a fresh new start (and look) for the Big Ten in the New Year.

Big Win for the Big Ten

(courtesy of halfmanhalfdog.wordpress.com)

If you would have asked me a couple days ago how I thought the Big Ten would fair this bowl season, you probably would have gotten a grumpy look and barely discernable "crappy" mumbled from my mouth.  The Big Ten was thought by most to be down yet again this year and didn't exactly have great matchups in any of it's bowl games.  The pride and joy (well, at least what the rest of the country believes to be our best), Ohio State, got matched up against the high-octane offense of Oregon and many don't think the Buckeyes will be able to keep up.  Iowa, who most have discounted from the very beginning, will face off against a formidable (I use that word very loosely, especially after last night) offense in Georgia Tech, and the other majore power, who most would say is unproven (Penn State), will go up against a very good LSU team.  Down the line you have a mediocre (at best) Minnesota team taking on Iowa State (one of those "does somebody HAVE to win?" type games), Northwestern draws Auburn and Michigan State gets Texas Tech (if either school has enough coaches and players to participate).  The conference, as a whole, didn't look to have a lot of hope. 

New Year's Resolutions

Going into a new decade and new year, it is probable that many players and coaches have some resolutions. So The Manchise decided we would try to figure out what some of those Resolutions would be. We present to you: The Top Ten New Year's Resolutions for some of our favorite (and not so favorite) people in sports.

10. Tim Tebow -

I, the holy and imperishable Tim Tebow only have two New Year Resolutions. In 2010, I want to abolish all sin in America, and throw for at least 20-touchdowns as an NFL rookie (because we all know I will be starting. I'm the greatest quarterback to ever play college football!). I am Tim Tebow, and I am that DANG good.

9. LeBron James -

My New Year's Resolution will be to completely put a team into the deepest hole imaginable, giving them NO money to spend to create a team around me. Plus Kobe is just going to keep winning anyways, and the Big-Three plus 'Sheed still have not lost their legs yet (come on Garnett, are you serious? Aren't the miles that the Timberwolves put on you affecting those knees yet? Doesn't your head hurt from hitting it 82-games a year?). So, Hello New York! I'm ok going down as one of the "greatest players to NEVER win"! I like Chuck, The Mailman, and Patrick Ewing very much.

8. Landon Donavan -

New Year Resolutions? I have a ton of them! One, I want to be THE star of the L.A. Galaxy. Two, I never want to see "Beck's" and Posh Spice again. Three, I want to win one game in the 2010 World Cup. We could not have gotten a better draw, so expectations are even higher than they were in 2006 (but I ask all of you to remember, we are still Americans playing soccer, so don't hold your breath).

7. Alex Rodriguez -

Alex Rodriguez has an MVP trophy, a World Series ring, and gold gloves. Alex Rodriguez does not have New York in the palm of his hands like stupid Derek Jeter does, and that angers Alex. You won't like Alex when he's angry! My New Year's Resolution is to completely ruin the Jeter name. I will start sending People Magazine, National Inquirer, and the arch-nemesis of Alex, The New York Times, stories about "Jeet's" infidelity to Minka. Alex will then text Buster Olney about how Jeter is demanding a trade out of New York, and how he hates this dirty city. I'll then do another interview with Peter Gammons and tell him that Jeter told me he has been on HGH for 10-years, and asked me if my dear cousin could supply that dirty drug! And after all of that, Alex will run NEW YORK CITY, and soon the WORLD!!!! BAHAHAHA. (YURI!!! Time for Alex's shot!)

6. Kobe Bryant -

Kobe Bryant doesn't make resolutions, I make promises. So my New Year's Promise will be this and only this: I will prove that I am better than anyone that has ever played in the NBA! How will I do this? I will train, and train, and train. I will spend 18-hours a day in the gym shooting, dribbling, going through situations, working on defense, taking defenses 1 on 5, and texting 'Bron 'Bron about how bad I want another Finals trophy, and how I will do ANYTHING to get it. KOBE!

5. Alexander Olvechkin -

(In the perfect Ivan Drago voice) I, Alexander Ovechkin of Mother Russia, have only one New Year Resolution. I will break Sidney Crosby!

4. Reggie Bush -

Man, the only Resolution I'm going to make is to get that crazy (expletive), Kim Kardashian to stop calling me. That family is crazy! Bruce looks like a wax figurine, momma Dash acts like she is dating me (cuz she lives vicariously through Kim), and those poor little girls are going to be major (expletive). Man, New Orleans ain't far enough away from those (expletive).

3. Lou Holtz -

Dr. Lou is in the house, and I have some New Year Resolutions for you all! As a doctor, I realize my patients don't like when I spit on them, so Dr. Lou is taking measures into his own brilliant hands. I will be wearing surgical masks throughout 2010. I also realize that I offend many college football fans on a daily basis, so I will stop demanding that Notre Dame play in the National Championship....NOT! The Doctor is out.

2. Brett Favre -

Something about Mississippi does me in. It makes me crazy. I can't make a decision about much of anything. What do I want for breakfast, Cheerios or Cap'n Crunch? I'll stare at the boxes for two hours. Do I want to throw a little bit at the local high school? This decision requires me to sit in my car for another four hours. Then, tough questions start coming to my mind, like do I want to return to the NFL, or will I return to the Vikings? I'll end up having four press conferences all saying something different. So what is my New Year's Resolution? Well I don't know if I want to make one just yet, let me think.

1. Tiger Woods -

2010, well gee, I don't know. In 2009, I made a Resolution to try and beat Wilt Chamberlain's record by sleeping with more than 20,000 woman (while remaining married). That didn't work out very well. I guess I could finally beat Nicklaus' Majors record, but that means I have to come out of my hide out. I think I'll just stick with my original Resolution! Watch out ladies, there is a Tiger on the loose!

Sugar Bowl Preview

(courtesy of newsday.com)

A few weeks ago, many college football fans around the country would have never believed the Florida Gators could be left out of the National Championship game, but as the first day of the new year quickly approaches, Urban Meyer's (well, sorta) Gator squad is prepping for the Cincinnatti Bearcats and the Sugar Bowl, not the National Championship.  Although Cincy is undefeated, the Gators are heavily favored (by 13 points) coming in to this one and may now have some extra motivation.  In the midst of all the prepration and the pre-game hype about the two teams, attention shifted from the matchup to Florida's head coach, Urban Meyer (who ironically enough is an alum of Cincinnati).

On Saturday, Meyer shocked the football world by announcing he would be leaving the Gators after the Sugar Bowl due to health reasons.  A day later, he retracted his statment and said he would, instead, take an indefinite leave of absence.  Now, with the game only 3 days away, the Gators are faced with losing not only their beloved seniors (and our beloved Tebow), but also their coach.  It is unlikely (in our minds) that Meyer will be able to coach the team next season, and there is no estimate on when he could return.  ESPN has noted that the coach spent time in the hospital following the Gators' loss in the SEC title game due to chest pains, and Sports Illustrated reported that Meyer has suffered from persistent headaches believed to be caused by a cyst, which becomes inflamed by stress, rage and excitement (hmm, I wonder if standing on the sidelines for a game would qualify?). 

Mission: Accomplished

(courtesy of BlackHeartGoldPants)

Apologies are in order as this holiday season has brought, among other things, a bit a laxidaziness by some of us at The Manchise (cough, Jonah, cough cough). Some of us have used the time off well and have sharing their thoughts with you over the past week or soe (namely Jerry) and others have literally not shared anything in more than a week (that'd be me). But now I'm back and I'm back with good news (very outdated, but good). Any relatively frequent visitors of our fine site will have by now noticed that there is no longer a poll at the top of the screen. We are no longer calling for everyone's thoughts and prayers to help keep Adrian Clayborn in the black and gold for another season. But fear not, my friends, because, as the title of this post clearly puts it, our mission has been accomplished.

"Bear" Naked in the Cold

(Picture from bearfansunited.org)

Are you ready for some football? A Monday night party! Well, hold the dip. What should have been an intriguing NFC North match up, could now be an effortless crippling of the Bears. Fans are not happy with the effort from players, coaches, and the front office and are trying to do their part to show their displeasure. Members of the "5th Phase", an Internet fan club, already have put up billboards addressed to the McCaskey family begging for a change. They are also attempting a walk in after kick off tonight, which will really kick the front office in the ass (What is this a rerun of Saved By The Bell where all of the students walk into their classes late because Principal Belding says there are no funds for Prom this year?). Whether you agree with this or not, the Bears do need to make some changes (I'm not sure about Lovie yet, but I think Turner and Angelo need a first class ticket to anywhere but here). So because there is not much else to write about, and I am expecting the worst tonight, I thought a running diary would be perfect for this "special" game; complete with an in game counter of Jay Cutler Poop Faces, shoulder thrusts, and of course the famous "Pissed Off Chin Strap Pull" (This Link "bears" all of these three traits, look for the "Pissed Off Strap Pull" during the last seconds, it's classic).

The Flying V: My Transcendence Into Hockey

(Picture from http://www.nbcsportsmedia1.msnbc.com/)

Up until recently, The Mighty Ducks was all the hockey I watched. I thought all a team had to do was Quack a few times, form The Flying V, and chuck up a Knuckle Puck and they would win. Gordon Bombay "The Minnesota Miracle Man" was the only hockey coach I could name, and was number one in the Pantheon of Best Hockey Coaches ever. I thought Goldberg was the perfect specimen for a goalie, and Julie "The Cat" Gaffney had the quickest glove in the country. Fulton Reed was the Ray Lewis of hockey, and The Bash Brothers were like Singletary and The Fridge on the '85 Bears. As you may know by now, I obviously didn't know jack.

You're Firing Me?

(Picture from http://www.theheckler.com/)

According to an article on ESPN, the decision to kick Vinny to the curb has already been made. It is going to happen, and soon. The only problem holding Paxson back is the whole "finding a replacement" deal (I personally vote Joakim as interim player-coach). Paxson and the Bulls need to find a permanent head coach for the future, one that will handle multiple personalities and run a team correctly during games and practices. According to the article, the Bulls are not interested in promoting an assistant coach, but will if they have too.

As I said before in this rant and rave post, Byron Scott and Avery Johnson would be two coaches I would enjoy watching head this team. With $15 million to spend in the off season (and a hopeful trade and sign or expiring contract trade), the Bulls should be significantly better next year (which seems like a pretty good situation to take over for Scott and Johnson). The current 11-17 record has been disappointing, but the next few months should be interesting (if even the Bulls are not) with trade rumors, the return of a healthy Tyrus Thomas, and now the hunt for a head coach.

Update: According to Chicagobreakingsports.com, Vinny believes that management is on his side and not looking to give him the Trump.  Vinny said, "I know we're on the same page. I talk to them every day."  But what seems weird about all of this is that Paxson and the Bulls denied comments.  If Paxson, the Bulls, and Vinny are all on the same page, why have they not come out and put a stop to all of these rumors?  A question Vinny should be thinking about!