National Sports Spot
The theme of the last week in national sports news has been one of shock and awe. From college football upsets to Major League Baseball headlines, many of the sure things turned out to be sure flops.
On Saturday in the Southeastern Conference, two losses were the highlight of an action-packed day. In an early afternoon showdown, No. 2 Auburn was handed a reality check by Arkansas’ fierce running attack, which amassed 279 yards on the ground. The game ended in the Razorback’s favor, 27-10.
A little closer to home, a night game “Between the Hedges” proved to be heartbreak for UGA fans. In a crucial game against SEC foe Tennessee, UGA struck early, entering halftime with a 24-14 lead. However, it was too good to be true for Bulldog fans. Tennessee scored 31 unanswered points in the second half and went on to win 51-33.
“We didn’t pressure at all like we needed to,” said UGA Head Coach Mark Richt, commenting on the amount of time Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge had inside the pocket Saturday night.
Elsewhere in the SEC, No. 5 Florida beat No. 9 LSU 23-10, Mississippi State fell hard to No. 4 West Virginia, 42-14, and South Carolina topped Kentucky 24-17.
The NFL gave us some emerging powers in the NFC and some close calls for AFC heavyweights.
The Chicago Bears proved that they are definitely an elite team, not only bringing their defense on Sunday, but putting up 40 points in a decisive win against the Buffalo Bills.
Donovan McNabb won the heavily anticipated “T.O. Bowl,” which marked Terrell Owens’ return to Philadelphia after public problems with the Eagles, specifically McNabb. The Eagles defeated the Cowboys 38-24; Owens had only three receptions. The Atlanta Falcons had a bye week.
In the baseball world, fans we were presented with a handful of shocks as well. In the American League, both favorites had early exits. The Oakland A’s swept the AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins three games to none, ending what seemed to be a promising postseason.
After a solid game one, the NY Yankees imploded, allowing 18 runs over the next three games, and only compiling six of their own. The Detroit Tigers kept things rolling against the Oakland A’s in the AL Championship series. In the first two games, the Tiger’s offense dominated. In game one, third baseman Brandon Inge collected three hits, falling a triple shy of hitting for the first cycle in postseason history. He scored two runs to help the Tigers win, 5-1. In game two, Alexis Gomez drove in four runs, including a two run homer in the sixth inning, leading the Tigers to a 8-5 win. The Tigers lead 2-0 in the series heading back to Detroit. Game three is today at 8:19 p.m.
The National League had less drama. With the Mets and Cardinals both favored, they moved fairly easily through the Division Series, with NY sweeping the Dodgers and St. Louis putting an end to San Diego’s late season run, three games to one.
The chase for the cup heated up the auto racing world on the track at Talladega for the UAW-Ford 500. Brian Vickers took the checkered flag, while Jeff Burton edged Matt Kenseth by six points at the top of the chase for the cup standings. They continue the chase this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 13 2006. Filed under Sports.
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