Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 67 - #24 Marshall Thundering Herd 66 F/OT 11/29/14

A perfect season was so close for the Marshall football team as they entered a home game in Huntington, West Virginia with an 11-0 record. In a game where both offenses shredded the opposing defenses, 133 total points were scored and 1446 total yards were earned, the unranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers handed the Thundering Herd their first loss of the season by a score of 67-66 in overtime. Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty was instrumental in the victory as he completed 34 of 50 passes for 491 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. In addition to the eight passing touchdowns, Doughty completed a crucial two-point conversion to Willie McNeal that won the game for the Hilltoppers. The two top WR for the Hilltoppers in the game were Taywan Taylor (four catches, 122 yards, one touchdown) and Jared Dangerfield (eight catches, 117 yards, two touchdowns), and TE Tyler Higbee caught six passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns. On the defensive end, Brandon Leston intercepted Marshall QB Rakeem Cato three times, while Ricardo Singh intercepted Cato once. Marshall's offense was headed by QB Rakeem Cato as he completed 29 of 46 passes for 417 yards, seven touchdowns, and a whopping four interceptions. RB Steward Butler dominated on the ground as he racked up 233 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Marshall's receiving was dominated by three WR: Davonte Allen (six catches, 141 yards, and two touchdowns), Tommy Shuler (team-high ten catches, 132 yards, one touchdown), and Hyleck Foster (four catches, 71 yards, two touchdowns). Taj Letman and A.J, Leggett each recorded an interception for Marshall's defense. This was a brutal loss for Marshall as they were painfully close to a perfect season, but Western Kentucky was the bump in the road. With the win, the Hilltoppers improved to 7-5, while Marshall fell to 11-1. Many may mistake this college football game as a basketball game due to the extremely high score.

Seattle Seahawks 19 - San Francisco 49ers 3 11/27/14

Victory is delicious for the Seattle Seahawks. Following their dominant 19-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, it was the Madden Players of the Game, QB Russell Wilson and CB Richard Sherman, that ate the turducken legs on the midfield logo of the 49ers field. The Seahawks played a terrific game on both sides of the ball, especially on the defensive end. The leader of the Legion of Boom, Richard Sherman, was flawless tonight. The ball was thrown in his direction five times, but none of them were completed and he intercepted 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick twice. On special teams, the Seahawks avoided disaster after muffing the snap on the punt, but Perrish Cox, the 49ers punt returner, muffed the punt and the Seahawks pounced on it. This was one of many mistakes by the 49ers that the Seahawks cashed in for some kind of points. Kicker Steven Hauschka was perfect as he converted all four of his field goals from 20, 36, 35, and 46 yards out, which put up 12 of Seattle's 19 points. QB Russell Wilson played an excellent game as he completed 15 of 22 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown, which was a 13-yard pass to Ronnie Turbin in the first quarter to give them the lead. The passing attack was very balanced as eight different Seahawk players caught passes, including a 63-yard catch-and-run play to TE Tony Moeaki and a 24-yard pass to WR Doug Baldwin. After they built a sufficient lead, the Seahawks let RB Marshawn Lynch take over and they did not look back. Lynch carried the ball 20 times for 102 yards and moved the chains very well with his physical running. San Francisco struggled mightily all game offensively whether it was running or passing. QB Colin Kaepernick was absolutely horrendous as he only completed 16 of 29 passes for 121 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. The 49ers could never generate any opportunities through the air due to Kaepernick's inaccuracy and the tight coverage of the members of the Legion of Boom, Seattle's top-notch secondary. The ground game for the 49ers was just as bad as they only produced 64 rushing yards on 18 carries by Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, and Kaepernick. With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 8-4, while the 49ers fall to 7-5. The potential is still high for both teams, and they meet again in seventeen days in Seattle. 

Philadelphia Eagles 33 - Dallas Cowboys 10 11/27/14

In the middle of the Thanksgiving football in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 33-10. Since the opening kickoff, Philadelphia dominated the game on both sides of the ball. The Eagles focused on a very balanced offensive approach where they would run the ball and pass efficiently. The game began with a Mark Sanchez two-yard rushing score, and later in the first quarter, Sanchez found rookie WR Jordan Matthews for a 27 yard touchdown. Cody Parkey was active in this game as he hit three consecutive field goals, and four total from 31, 21, 26, and 25 yards. In the third quarter, Eagles RB LeSean McCoy broke off for a 38 yard touchdown run that finally put the game out of reach. Mark Sanchez completed 20 of 29 passes for 217 and two total touchdowns (one rushing). Wide receivers Jordan Matthews caught 4 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, and Jeremy Maclin recorded game highs for receptions (eight) and receiving yards (108). RB LeSean McCoy put the team on his back as he rushed 25 times for 159 yards and a touchdown. The defense played very well as they held the powerful Cowboy offense to ten points, they intercepted two passes, and they recovered a Cole Beasley fumble. Dallas really could not score in this game as they were stunned by the Philly defense. Tony Romo was pressured all day long and he was only able to complete 18 of 29 passes for 199 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. The zero passing touchdowns by Romo ended his long streak of 38 consecutive games with one or more TD passes, which was good for the fifth longest streak in NFL history. The Eagles did a solid job of limiting the NFL’s rushing yards leader, DeMarco Murray, to 73 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Dez Bryant was contained for 73 yards on 4 receptions. The Eagles improve to 9-3 after the blowout, while the Cowboys fall to 8-4. 

Chicago Bears 17 - Detroit Lions 34 11/27/14

On the first of three games on Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions pummeled the Chicago Bears 34-17. The passing attack for Detroit was spectacular as QB Matthew Stafford completed 34 of 45 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns, while losing a fumble in the first quarter. The main beneficiary in the passing game was Calvin Johnson as he broke out for 11 catches, 146 yards and two touchdowns. Golden Tate caught 8 passes for 89 yards and he served an important role as chain-mover. Detroit also did well on the ground as Joique Bell rushed 23 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. The offense of Detroit stifled the Bears defense and cruised to victory by converting on crucial downs. Chicago was not able to do anything offensively in the second half after they put up 14 points on two Alshon Jeffery touchdowns in the first quarter. QB Jay Cutler completed 31 of 48 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Alshon Jeffery caught 9 passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and TE Martellus Bennett caught 8 passes for a team-high 109 yards. Since the Bears fell behind, they abandoned the run game and they were unable to do anything on the ground as they rushed for 13 yards as a team. The Lions now move to 8-4 after the victory and this was important for their confidence because they lost two straight games where they were unable to score a touchdown in eight whole quarters. The Bears fall to 5-7 and their confidence is destroyed after winning last week against the Bucs and ending their losing skid.

#3 Arizona 61 - #15 San Diego State 59 11/26/14

Two college basketball powers squared off in the EA Sports Maui Invitational Championship Game where the #3 Arizona Wildcats faced the #15 San Diego State Aztecs. The Wildcats defeated the Aztecs 61-59 in a game that was very tight all throughout and they earned their second EA Sports Maui Invitational Championship for the second time in school history, the first since 2000. Arizona now becomes one of six teams that have multiple championships in this invitational tournament. The spark plug for Arizona was freshman forward Stanley Johnson that scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and notched three steals. Other important contributions came from T.J. McConnell (11 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks off the bench). Arizona continues their dominance over San Diego State, despite their foul trouble, and they are 3-0 against them in their last three meetings. Trey Kell and Winston Shepard both provided 14 points for the Aztecs and Dwayne Polee II added 11 points and 4 rebounds. Steve Fisher will aim to get his team back on track as they continue the rest of the season. Arizona moves to 6-0 after the victory, whereas San Diego State falls to 5-1. 

College Football Playoff Week 14 Rankings

The Top 25 rankings were released tonight for college football and they are as follows; Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Mississippi State. Alabama, clearly the best team in the nation in my perspective, earns the top spot back to back weeks after six consecutive wins, including three top 25 teams such as Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State. Last on the schedule is a game at home versus #15 Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama is led by QB Blake Sims who is a dual threat option, RB T.J. Yeldon, and Heisman hopeful WR Amari Cooper. The Oregon Ducks have played well all year long, despite the loss against Arizona. The Ducks have a very complex offensive system and they are one of the highest scoring offenses in college football at 45.8 points scored per game. Marcus Mariota has worked wonders for this team by dominating the competition at the QB position as a true dual threat, and he is currently the front runner to win the Heisman. Florida State needs no description to show their dominance each of the last two seasons as they defending champions hope to repeat as national champions. Jameis Winston is a true winner as the Seminoles have not lost in years and currently stand at 11-0. However, the Seminoles have had close calls against Miami (FL) and Boston College where the combined margin of victory was only seven points. Injuries have also plagued the team a bit, especially RB Karlos Williams. Last is Mississippi State. Who saw this coming? This resilient squad was not even ranked entering the season, but nine wins later, including wins against powerhouses LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn, the Bulldogs are not looking back. QB Dak Prescott has played brilliantly this season as well as RB Josh Robinson who has dominated opposing defenses. While the Bulldogs score 38 points per game, their defense is one of the strongest in the nation as they only allow 18.4 points per game. TCU and Ohio State, ranked 5 and 6 respectively, are right on the edge and they are great teams that are hot right now and will jump on any opportunity that they get. The first year of the College Football Playoff should be really special as anything can happen. 

MNF: Baltimore Ravens 34 - New Orleans Saints 27 11/24/14

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-27 in the Superdome tonight. The Saints have dropped two straight at home, which rarely ever happens for this team in the Drew Brees era. It was an excellent win for the Ravens that were led by RB Justin Forsett who carried the ball 22 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns. That’s back to back games where Forsett has topped 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens defense was instrumental in the victory as well after a first drive goal-line stand in addition to a pick six by Will Hill. On the other hand, Drew Brees played very well by completing 35 of 45 passes for 420 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception that cost them six points. Jimmy Graham was the leading receiver for the Saints as he caught 6 passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints defense was simply destroyed by the Ravens run game and they could not stop the Ravens on third down, allowing them to go 8-12 on the crucial play. Torrey Smith caught 5 passes for 98 yards and Steve Smith Sr. added 89 receiving yards in the victory. The game also contained a large amount of physicality where the teams were pushing and shoving after nearly every play. Following this game, the Ravens move to 7-4 and the Saints fall to 4-7, where they are amazingly tied for first place in the weak NFC South division. The Ravens return home to take on San Diego next Sunday, while the Saints travel to Pittsburgh next Sunday.

Phoenix Suns 100 - Toronto Raptors 104 11/24/14

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-100 tonight in a tightly contested battle all night long. The game was heavily dominated by the guards on both sides including Kyle Lowry (14 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) and DeMar DeRozan (23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) for the 12-2 Raptors, and Eric Bledsoe (25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Isaiah Thomas (16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists) for the 9-6 Suns. Markieff Morris was able to provide decent numbers for the Suns, whereas Jonas Valanciunas notched his second double double in three games. While viewing the game, the Toronto defense and free throw shooting was too much for the Suns to handle. The crucial play came with 26 seconds when Lowry won a jump ball against Thomas, Terrence Ross made a terrific hustle play to keep it alive, find Patterson dished to DeRozan. After being fouled, DeRozan made both free throws and that was that. An interesting stat is that Toronto moves to 9-1 at home as the best team in the Eastern Conference continues to dominate their opponents. Toronto plays Atlanta on Wednesday, while Phoenix plays Denver on Wednesday. 

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This blog is where I will write about various sports and the news, scores, and events that occur around the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and men’s college basketball and football.