When we lived in New Jersey, we would be bombarded with all manner of mailings as election day approached. Every candidate for office of town councilmen, school board member, and such, on up to State Senator, Governor, and/or President.
On top of the mailings, the TV would carry ad after ad, after ad, newspapers would have daily stories about the candidates and the radio would have three minutes of political ads for every three minute song.
Here in rural Pennsylvania--not so much. Races are damn near word of mouth. Oh, we get the occasional TV ads from Corning or Elmira, New York, located just a short distance north across the border (it's where the "local" TV stations come from), but Tioga County, PA? The local radio is about it and even they don't seem to carry a whole lot of political ads. The two daily papers come out of Williamsport to the south and Elmira to the north. We are in somewhat of a no man's land. The local paper (Wellsboro) comes out weekly on Wednesday. (That's the day after election day.) Even it's web site contains only snatches of the articles it prints instead of the entire thing so any in-depth story on line is unlikely. No sample ballots arrive in the mail and there's precious little literature from any candidate below State Senator. You see a few lawn signs--especially for write-in candidates--but you still have to ferret out what's on the ballot, and, if you're new to the area, where the heck you're supposed to vote.
On the other hand, voter ID is of little concern when you walk in to cast your ballot. The first time Terry and I did so after moving here, we read all the directions posted on the wall of the entrance and pulled out our voter registration cards and driver's licenses for photo ID as directed. As we walked into the hall there were four poll workers and the town clerk--whom we had seen around at the post office but never spoken to--who immediately told the others at the table who we were and where we lived. Seems she had asked the postal clerk one day after Terry had picked up our mail. Remember, this was before Terry got involved with Curves or the church or her several stitching clubs. It was before I joined up with the Audubon Society or the photography club. We had few contacts in the community and knew few people in the area beyond the casual wave as we drove by--but they knew us! Scary--in a way--but also pretty welcoming. No secrets in a small town!
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
College Football 2011, Preweek 11
Week 11 Polls and Match-ups
Quite a few team movements up and down this week on the polls. That's what happens when teams get upset or two Top 25+ teams square off against one another.
There's another week of action coming up starting Thursday night got the Top 25+. (Other teams are playing starting Tuesday night if you need an early fix.) While we won’t see a #1-#2 game, there will be some big games. Everyone in the Top 25+ is playing with the exception of #7 Oklahoma. There are several games that match ranked teams against one another: #3 Stanford vs #6 Oregon, #10 Virginia Tech vs #20 Georgia Tech (Thursday night), #12 Penn State vs #19 Nebraska, and #14 Georgia vs #24 Auburn.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (9-0) The Tigers play at the Hilltoppers’s home at Western Kentucky (5-4).
2/3/1/2 Oklahoma State (9-0) The Cowboys are on the road visiting the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (5-4).
3/2/6/4 Stanford (9-0) The Cardinal are hosting the #6 Oregon Ducks (8-1).
4/4/5/3 Alabama (8-1) The Crimson Tide will roll into Mississippi State to play the Bulldogs (5-4).
5/5/4/5 Boise State (8-0) The Broncos will be hosting the Horned Frogs of TCU (7-2).
6/6/7/7 Oregon (8-1) The Ducks will head down the coast to play the #3 Stanford Cardinal (9-0).
7/7/3/6 Oklahoma (8-1) The Sooners have the weekend off.
8/8/12/8 Arkansas (8-1) The Razorbacks host the Volunteers of Tennessee (4-5).
9/10/9/9 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers will play host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-4).
10/9/13/10 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies will play on the road Thursday night against the #20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-2).
11/11/8/11 Houston (9-0) The Cougars are on the road Thursday night to play the Green Wave of Tulane (2-8).
12/12/16/12 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions will host the #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2).
13/13/NR/17 Michigan State (7-2) The Spartans hit the road to play the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3).
14/16/19/15 Georgia (7-2) The Bulldogs will host the #24 Auburn Tigers (6-3).
15/15/14/13 South Carolina (7-2) The Gamecocks host the Florida Gators (5-4).
16/14/25/18 Wisconsin (7-2) The Badgers hit the road playing the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (2-7).
17/22/15/14 Kansas State (7-2) The Wildcats host the Aggies of Texas A&M (5-4).
18/NR/18/NR Southern California (7-2) The Trojans host the Huskies of Washington (6-3).
19/17/21/19 Nebraska (7-2) The Cornhuskers travel to Happy Valley to play the #12 Nittany Lions of Penn State (8-1).
20/19/NR/21 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets will host the #10 Hokies of Virginia Tech (8-1) on Thursday night.
21/20/NR/16 Texas (6-2) The Longhorns play on the road against the Missouri Tigers (4-5).
22/21/17/24 Michigan (7-2) The Wolverines visit the home of the Fighting Illini (6-3).
23/18/20/23 Cincinnati (7-1) The Bearcats will host the Mountaineers of West Virginia (6-3).
24/25/NR/20 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers are on the road playing the #14 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2).
25/23/11/22 Southern Mississippi (8-1) The Golden Eagles host the UCF Knights (4-5).
NR/24/24/NR TCU (7-2) The Horned Frogs head on the road to play #5 Boise State Broncos (8-0).
NR/NR/22/NR Texas A&M (5-4) The Aggies are on the road to play #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-2).
NR/NR/23/NR Notre Dame (6-3) The Irish will host the Maryland Terrapins (2-7).
NR/NR/NR/25 Baylor (5-3) The Bears play at the home of the Kansas Jayhawks (2-7).
Quite a few team movements up and down this week on the polls. That's what happens when teams get upset or two Top 25+ teams square off against one another.
There's another week of action coming up starting Thursday night got the Top 25+. (Other teams are playing starting Tuesday night if you need an early fix.) While we won’t see a #1-#2 game, there will be some big games. Everyone in the Top 25+ is playing with the exception of #7 Oklahoma. There are several games that match ranked teams against one another: #3 Stanford vs #6 Oregon, #10 Virginia Tech vs #20 Georgia Tech (Thursday night), #12 Penn State vs #19 Nebraska, and #14 Georgia vs #24 Auburn.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (9-0) The Tigers play at the Hilltoppers’s home at Western Kentucky (5-4).
2/3/1/2 Oklahoma State (9-0) The Cowboys are on the road visiting the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (5-4).
3/2/6/4 Stanford (9-0) The Cardinal are hosting the #6 Oregon Ducks (8-1).
4/4/5/3 Alabama (8-1) The Crimson Tide will roll into Mississippi State to play the Bulldogs (5-4).
5/5/4/5 Boise State (8-0) The Broncos will be hosting the Horned Frogs of TCU (7-2).
6/6/7/7 Oregon (8-1) The Ducks will head down the coast to play the #3 Stanford Cardinal (9-0).
7/7/3/6 Oklahoma (8-1) The Sooners have the weekend off.
8/8/12/8 Arkansas (8-1) The Razorbacks host the Volunteers of Tennessee (4-5).
9/10/9/9 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers will play host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-4).
10/9/13/10 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies will play on the road Thursday night against the #20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-2).
11/11/8/11 Houston (9-0) The Cougars are on the road Thursday night to play the Green Wave of Tulane (2-8).
12/12/16/12 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions will host the #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2).
13/13/NR/17 Michigan State (7-2) The Spartans hit the road to play the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3).
14/16/19/15 Georgia (7-2) The Bulldogs will host the #24 Auburn Tigers (6-3).
15/15/14/13 South Carolina (7-2) The Gamecocks host the Florida Gators (5-4).
16/14/25/18 Wisconsin (7-2) The Badgers hit the road playing the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (2-7).
17/22/15/14 Kansas State (7-2) The Wildcats host the Aggies of Texas A&M (5-4).
18/NR/18/NR Southern California (7-2) The Trojans host the Huskies of Washington (6-3).
19/17/21/19 Nebraska (7-2) The Cornhuskers travel to Happy Valley to play the #12 Nittany Lions of Penn State (8-1).
20/19/NR/21 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets will host the #10 Hokies of Virginia Tech (8-1) on Thursday night.
21/20/NR/16 Texas (6-2) The Longhorns play on the road against the Missouri Tigers (4-5).
22/21/17/24 Michigan (7-2) The Wolverines visit the home of the Fighting Illini (6-3).
23/18/20/23 Cincinnati (7-1) The Bearcats will host the Mountaineers of West Virginia (6-3).
24/25/NR/20 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers are on the road playing the #14 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2).
25/23/11/22 Southern Mississippi (8-1) The Golden Eagles host the UCF Knights (4-5).
NR/24/24/NR TCU (7-2) The Horned Frogs head on the road to play #5 Boise State Broncos (8-0).
NR/NR/22/NR Texas A&M (5-4) The Aggies are on the road to play #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-2).
NR/NR/23/NR Notre Dame (6-3) The Irish will host the Maryland Terrapins (2-7).
NR/NR/NR/25 Baylor (5-3) The Bears play at the home of the Kansas Jayhawks (2-7).
Monday, November 07, 2011
College Football 2011, Week 10 results
Week 10 Results
Upsets. Several of them. Among the Top 10 we had #9 Nebraska falling 28-25 to unranked Northwestern. Then #13 Michigan lost to unranked Iowa, 24-16. Then #20 Arizona State lost to UCLA 29-28. And, finally, #24 West Virginia lost to Louisville 38-35
Although several Top 25 teams lost to higher ranked ranked teams, only one (Alabama) lost its undefeated status as a result—which leaves 5 teams without a loss.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (9-0) The Tigers edged the #2 Crimson Tide of Alabama (8-1) in overtime, 9-6, or three field goals to two. Alabama missed four field goals and was intercepted on the goal line during the course of the game. LSU netted just 239 yards in offense on 58 plays and the Tide had just 295 yards on 60 snaps.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-1) The Crimson Tide lost their undefeated season to #1 LSU Tigers (9-0)—in overtime—9-6. See above for more.
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (9-0) The Cowboys remain undefeated as they outlasted the #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-2) in a scoring frenzy, 52-45. Brandon Weeden tossed four TDs (five if you count the INT returned 60 yards by Allen Chapman). Weeden completed 36 of 46 for 502 yards and those four TDs (and two intercveptions). Collin Klein completed 22 of 36 for 231 yards, a TD and one INT. Klein also rused 29 times for 144 yards and three TDs for the Wildcats.
4/3/6/4 Stanford (9-0) The Cardinal preserved their unblemished record with a beat-down of the Oregon State Beavers (2-7) 38-13. Andrew Luck was 20 of 30 for 206 yards and three TDs for the Cardinal who extended their nation’s best winning streak to 17.
5/5/4/5 Boise State (8-0) The Broncos routed the UNLV Rebels (2-6) 48-21. Kellen Moore completed just 18 of 31 pass attempts for 219 yards but connected twice with Tyler Shoemaker and twice more with Matt Miller for TDs. He also hit Gabe Linehan for a fifth score. As a starter, Moore is now 42-2.
6/6/11/8 Oregon (8-1) The Ducks doubled up on the Washington State Huskies (3-6) 34-17. LaMichael James rushed 25 times for 156 yards and a TD for the Ducks. Darron Thomas completed 13 of 25 for 169 yards and a TD. Keith Price was 24 of 35 for 143 yards and two TDs for WSU but also tossed two INTs.
7/7/5/6 Oklahoma (8-1) The Sooners defeated the Texas A&M Aggies (5-4) 41-25. The Sooners lost their All-American receiver Ryan Broyles with a torn ACL. Ryan Tannehill completed 32 of 63 attempts for 379 and two TDs for the Aggies, but he also was intercepted three times. Blake Bell scored two TDs on the ground and Landry Jones tossed for two TDs for the Sooners.
8/8/16/7 Arkansas (8-1) The Razorbacks drubbed the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2) 44-28, despite missing a couple of early scoring opportunities. Dennis Johnson 98 yard kick return for Arkansas and the Gamecocks’ Devin Taylor had a 48 yard interception return. Tyler Wilson (20 of 37 for 299 yards) connected with Jarius Wright for two TDs for the Razorbacks in the first half. South Carolina hurt themselves with three lost fumbles and an interception.
9/9/13/10 Nebraska (7-2) The Cornhuskers fell to the Wildcats of Northwestern (4-5) 28-25. Dan Persa and the ‘Cats’ defense had the Wildcats up 7-3 at the half. Still, he was injured and on the sidelines when Northwestern’s second-string quarterback, Kain Colter, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to match the Cornhuskers’ scoring in the second half.
10/10/7/9 South Carolina (7-2) The Gamecocks fell to the #8 Razorbacks of Arkansas (8-1) 44-28. See above for more.
11/12/10/11 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers were idle this week.
12/11/12/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies were idle this week.
13/13/9/15 Michigan (7-2) The Wolverines were upset by the Hawkeyes of Iowa (6-3) 24-16. The Hawkeyes’ defense stood fast in the closing seconds stopping the Wolverines on four fourth-and-goal plays from the three yard line in the final 16 seconds. Marcus Coker ran 29 times for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns and James Vandenberg completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 171 yards and a TD.
14/14/8/13 Houston (9-0) The Cougars routed the UAB Blazers (1-8) 56-13. Case Keenum had another record setting performance as he passed Timmy Chang’s career passing yards record. Keenum finished the game with 17,212 yards passing. Keenum was 39 of 44 for 4-7 yards and two TDs. He also ran for two TDs. D.J. Hayden returned an interception 54 yards for a TD and second string QB Cotton Turner (4 of 7 for 81 yards) connected with Daniel Spencer for the final score of the night. Houston ran 83 plays for 654 net yards and amassed 34 first downs.
15/16/23/17 Michigan State (7-2) The Spartans game back in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-7) 31-24. MarQueis Gray tossed three TDs to Da’Jon McKnight for the Gophers. Kirk Cousins tossed for two TDs and Le’Veon Bell ran for two scores for the Spartans.
16/15/15/16 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions were idle this weekend.
17/19/14/14 Kansas State (7-2) The Wildcats lost to the #3 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (9-0) in a slugfest 52-45. See above for more.
18/20/20/18 Georgia (7-2) The Bulldogs thumped the Aggies of New Mexico State (2-6) 63-16. The Bulldogs put 42 points up in the second quarter. Aaron Murray connected on five TD passes during those 15 minutes. On the day, he completed 18 of 23 attempted passes for 238 yards for Georgia. His replacement in the second half, Hutson Mason, was 8 of 10 for 131 yards and a TD.
19/17/NR/20 Wisconsin (7-2) The Badgers routed the Purdue Boilermakers (4-5) 62-17. Russell Wilson completed 15 of 20 attempts for 205 yards and two TDs (he also had 10 carries for 76 yards) while Montee Ball rushed 20 times for 223 yards and three TDs.
20/18/22/19 Arizona State (6-3) The Sun Devils were upset by the Bruins of UCLA (5-4) 29-28 when their last second, 46-yard field goal attempt came up short. The Bruins’ Derrick Coleman scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 49 seconds to play.
21/NR/19/NR Southern California (7-2) The Trojans trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (1-9) 42-17. Matt Barkley tossed 6 TD passes during a 25 of 39, 318-yard performance on Friday night.
22/23/24/23 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets were idle this weekend.
23/22/NR/NR Cincinnati (7-1) The Bearcats edged the Pittsburgh Panthers (4-5) 26-23. Zach Collaros threw for 214 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Isaiah Pead rushed for 118 yards and Tony Miliano kicked four field goals for Cincinnati
24/21/NR/24 West Virginia (6-3) The Mountaineers lost to the Louisville Cardinals (5-4) 38-35. A Chris Philpott 39 yard field goal broke a 21 all tie and put Louisville ahead for good late in the third period and a blocked field goal returned for a TD by the Cardinals’ Andrew Johnson in the fourth quarter extended the lead 31-21 lead. The teams traded TDs during the remainder of the game. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 21 of 27 passes for 246 yards and a TD. WVa’s Geno Smith completed 31 of 44 for 410 yards and two TDs.
25/NR/25/22 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers were idle this week.
NR/24/17/25 Southern Mississippi (8-1) The Golden Eagles soared against the East Carolina Pirates (4-5) 48-28. Jamie Collins had a 97 yard interception return, Tracy Lampley 60 yard punt return, Emmanuel Johnson 15 yard blocked punt return, and Deron Wilson 79 yard interception return for the Eagles.
NR/25/18/21 Texas (6-2) The Longhorns put 28 points on the board—in the second quarter—against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-4) on their way to a 52-20 victory. Freshman Joe Bergeron ran for 191 yards and three TDs on 29 carries and Foswhitt Whittaker added 83 yards and two TDs on 10 carries as the Longhorns had 439 yards on the ground.
NR/NR/21/NR Texas A&M (5-4) The Aggies got beat up by the #7 Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) 41-25. See above for more.
Upsets. Several of them. Among the Top 10 we had #9 Nebraska falling 28-25 to unranked Northwestern. Then #13 Michigan lost to unranked Iowa, 24-16. Then #20 Arizona State lost to UCLA 29-28. And, finally, #24 West Virginia lost to Louisville 38-35
Although several Top 25 teams lost to higher ranked ranked teams, only one (Alabama) lost its undefeated status as a result—which leaves 5 teams without a loss.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (9-0) The Tigers edged the #2 Crimson Tide of Alabama (8-1) in overtime, 9-6, or three field goals to two. Alabama missed four field goals and was intercepted on the goal line during the course of the game. LSU netted just 239 yards in offense on 58 plays and the Tide had just 295 yards on 60 snaps.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-1) The Crimson Tide lost their undefeated season to #1 LSU Tigers (9-0)—in overtime—9-6. See above for more.
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (9-0) The Cowboys remain undefeated as they outlasted the #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-2) in a scoring frenzy, 52-45. Brandon Weeden tossed four TDs (five if you count the INT returned 60 yards by Allen Chapman). Weeden completed 36 of 46 for 502 yards and those four TDs (and two intercveptions). Collin Klein completed 22 of 36 for 231 yards, a TD and one INT. Klein also rused 29 times for 144 yards and three TDs for the Wildcats.
4/3/6/4 Stanford (9-0) The Cardinal preserved their unblemished record with a beat-down of the Oregon State Beavers (2-7) 38-13. Andrew Luck was 20 of 30 for 206 yards and three TDs for the Cardinal who extended their nation’s best winning streak to 17.
5/5/4/5 Boise State (8-0) The Broncos routed the UNLV Rebels (2-6) 48-21. Kellen Moore completed just 18 of 31 pass attempts for 219 yards but connected twice with Tyler Shoemaker and twice more with Matt Miller for TDs. He also hit Gabe Linehan for a fifth score. As a starter, Moore is now 42-2.
6/6/11/8 Oregon (8-1) The Ducks doubled up on the Washington State Huskies (3-6) 34-17. LaMichael James rushed 25 times for 156 yards and a TD for the Ducks. Darron Thomas completed 13 of 25 for 169 yards and a TD. Keith Price was 24 of 35 for 143 yards and two TDs for WSU but also tossed two INTs.
7/7/5/6 Oklahoma (8-1) The Sooners defeated the Texas A&M Aggies (5-4) 41-25. The Sooners lost their All-American receiver Ryan Broyles with a torn ACL. Ryan Tannehill completed 32 of 63 attempts for 379 and two TDs for the Aggies, but he also was intercepted three times. Blake Bell scored two TDs on the ground and Landry Jones tossed for two TDs for the Sooners.
8/8/16/7 Arkansas (8-1) The Razorbacks drubbed the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2) 44-28, despite missing a couple of early scoring opportunities. Dennis Johnson 98 yard kick return for Arkansas and the Gamecocks’ Devin Taylor had a 48 yard interception return. Tyler Wilson (20 of 37 for 299 yards) connected with Jarius Wright for two TDs for the Razorbacks in the first half. South Carolina hurt themselves with three lost fumbles and an interception.
9/9/13/10 Nebraska (7-2) The Cornhuskers fell to the Wildcats of Northwestern (4-5) 28-25. Dan Persa and the ‘Cats’ defense had the Wildcats up 7-3 at the half. Still, he was injured and on the sidelines when Northwestern’s second-string quarterback, Kain Colter, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to match the Cornhuskers’ scoring in the second half.
10/10/7/9 South Carolina (7-2) The Gamecocks fell to the #8 Razorbacks of Arkansas (8-1) 44-28. See above for more.
11/12/10/11 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers were idle this week.
12/11/12/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies were idle this week.
13/13/9/15 Michigan (7-2) The Wolverines were upset by the Hawkeyes of Iowa (6-3) 24-16. The Hawkeyes’ defense stood fast in the closing seconds stopping the Wolverines on four fourth-and-goal plays from the three yard line in the final 16 seconds. Marcus Coker ran 29 times for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns and James Vandenberg completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 171 yards and a TD.
14/14/8/13 Houston (9-0) The Cougars routed the UAB Blazers (1-8) 56-13. Case Keenum had another record setting performance as he passed Timmy Chang’s career passing yards record. Keenum finished the game with 17,212 yards passing. Keenum was 39 of 44 for 4-7 yards and two TDs. He also ran for two TDs. D.J. Hayden returned an interception 54 yards for a TD and second string QB Cotton Turner (4 of 7 for 81 yards) connected with Daniel Spencer for the final score of the night. Houston ran 83 plays for 654 net yards and amassed 34 first downs.
15/16/23/17 Michigan State (7-2) The Spartans game back in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-7) 31-24. MarQueis Gray tossed three TDs to Da’Jon McKnight for the Gophers. Kirk Cousins tossed for two TDs and Le’Veon Bell ran for two scores for the Spartans.
16/15/15/16 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions were idle this weekend.
17/19/14/14 Kansas State (7-2) The Wildcats lost to the #3 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (9-0) in a slugfest 52-45. See above for more.
18/20/20/18 Georgia (7-2) The Bulldogs thumped the Aggies of New Mexico State (2-6) 63-16. The Bulldogs put 42 points up in the second quarter. Aaron Murray connected on five TD passes during those 15 minutes. On the day, he completed 18 of 23 attempted passes for 238 yards for Georgia. His replacement in the second half, Hutson Mason, was 8 of 10 for 131 yards and a TD.
19/17/NR/20 Wisconsin (7-2) The Badgers routed the Purdue Boilermakers (4-5) 62-17. Russell Wilson completed 15 of 20 attempts for 205 yards and two TDs (he also had 10 carries for 76 yards) while Montee Ball rushed 20 times for 223 yards and three TDs.
20/18/22/19 Arizona State (6-3) The Sun Devils were upset by the Bruins of UCLA (5-4) 29-28 when their last second, 46-yard field goal attempt came up short. The Bruins’ Derrick Coleman scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 49 seconds to play.
21/NR/19/NR Southern California (7-2) The Trojans trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (1-9) 42-17. Matt Barkley tossed 6 TD passes during a 25 of 39, 318-yard performance on Friday night.
22/23/24/23 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets were idle this weekend.
23/22/NR/NR Cincinnati (7-1) The Bearcats edged the Pittsburgh Panthers (4-5) 26-23. Zach Collaros threw for 214 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Isaiah Pead rushed for 118 yards and Tony Miliano kicked four field goals for Cincinnati
24/21/NR/24 West Virginia (6-3) The Mountaineers lost to the Louisville Cardinals (5-4) 38-35. A Chris Philpott 39 yard field goal broke a 21 all tie and put Louisville ahead for good late in the third period and a blocked field goal returned for a TD by the Cardinals’ Andrew Johnson in the fourth quarter extended the lead 31-21 lead. The teams traded TDs during the remainder of the game. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 21 of 27 passes for 246 yards and a TD. WVa’s Geno Smith completed 31 of 44 for 410 yards and two TDs.
25/NR/25/22 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers were idle this week.
NR/24/17/25 Southern Mississippi (8-1) The Golden Eagles soared against the East Carolina Pirates (4-5) 48-28. Jamie Collins had a 97 yard interception return, Tracy Lampley 60 yard punt return, Emmanuel Johnson 15 yard blocked punt return, and Deron Wilson 79 yard interception return for the Eagles.
NR/25/18/21 Texas (6-2) The Longhorns put 28 points on the board—in the second quarter—against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-4) on their way to a 52-20 victory. Freshman Joe Bergeron ran for 191 yards and three TDs on 29 carries and Foswhitt Whittaker added 83 yards and two TDs on 10 carries as the Longhorns had 439 yards on the ground.
NR/NR/21/NR Texas A&M (5-4) The Aggies got beat up by the #7 Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) 41-25. See above for more.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Travel and Birthday Party!
Terry and I drove into New Jersey yesterday for a surprise birthday party for my sister. She will be turning one of those with a "0" on the end on the 13th of the month. According to her two daughters, Ruthann isn't overly (overtly?) concerned about this happening. After all, it's just a number.
There were about two dozen of us there and she seemed a little surprised that we would make such a big deal out of the whole thing. She was especially surprised, I think, that Terry and I would drive all the way in from PA (about 250 miles) to celebrate with her.
We'll be making a similar trip back in two weeks to help her oldest daughter, Kristen, celebrate her marriage to a real nice guy named Richard. They will tie the knot in a civil ceremony on the 11th but we'll all party on the 19th.
******
Terry and I were trying to remember the last time I traveled across the Delaware River and the best we could figure was that it was for Christmas 2010. That's the Christmas when it snowed so hard that Rick and Sandy, in from Portland, Oregon for just three days, ended up staying almost a week because the airports were all shut down. (That might explain why they won't be coming to Christmas this year!)
Terry's been to New Jersey several times since then either to meet with some of her stitching friends or to use her Mom's house as a way station for Newark International Airport so she could fly out west. Together we attempted to attend a wedding in New Jersey in September, but the floods from hurricanes and tropical storms foiled our travel plans.
******
No floods this time, but we did stay in a hotel in Parsippany that is still renovating its first floor because of those September floods. We also saw, along the way in on I-80 and back home along Routes 97 and 6 (we wanted a different view) plenty of signs of damage from those floods and the recent snow storm that dropped between one and two feet of white stuff. In fact, we had to wait for the power to come on at the BP gas station in Montague, NJ so we could fill the Jeeps tank on our way home. There were lots of electrical and tree crews out and about in Sussex County, NJ and in the Poconos trying to clean up and restore power nearly a week after the storm struck.
At least this time we had two beautiful days to make the long drive to and fro.
There were about two dozen of us there and she seemed a little surprised that we would make such a big deal out of the whole thing. She was especially surprised, I think, that Terry and I would drive all the way in from PA (about 250 miles) to celebrate with her.
We'll be making a similar trip back in two weeks to help her oldest daughter, Kristen, celebrate her marriage to a real nice guy named Richard. They will tie the knot in a civil ceremony on the 11th but we'll all party on the 19th.
******
Terry and I were trying to remember the last time I traveled across the Delaware River and the best we could figure was that it was for Christmas 2010. That's the Christmas when it snowed so hard that Rick and Sandy, in from Portland, Oregon for just three days, ended up staying almost a week because the airports were all shut down. (That might explain why they won't be coming to Christmas this year!)
Terry's been to New Jersey several times since then either to meet with some of her stitching friends or to use her Mom's house as a way station for Newark International Airport so she could fly out west. Together we attempted to attend a wedding in New Jersey in September, but the floods from hurricanes and tropical storms foiled our travel plans.
******
No floods this time, but we did stay in a hotel in Parsippany that is still renovating its first floor because of those September floods. We also saw, along the way in on I-80 and back home along Routes 97 and 6 (we wanted a different view) plenty of signs of damage from those floods and the recent snow storm that dropped between one and two feet of white stuff. In fact, we had to wait for the power to come on at the BP gas station in Montague, NJ so we could fill the Jeeps tank on our way home. There were lots of electrical and tree crews out and about in Sussex County, NJ and in the Poconos trying to clean up and restore power nearly a week after the storm struck.
At least this time we had two beautiful days to make the long drive to and fro.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
A new toy at the Aerie
UPS delivered a new toy to the Aerie yesterday afternoon: a Schwinn 250 Recumbent Bike.
I enjoyed using the recumbent bike down at Elite Physical Therapy and my knees felt much more limber after each use, that I started shopping around online for a good exercise bike. I found the Schwinn 240 model at Dick's Sporting Goods Store and looked at the reviews. They were all excellent (except for those that folks that had trouble reading the directions for set-up) so, when I saw that there was a newer 250 model (basically the same as the 240 except for the number of features that can be programmed into the monitor), I told Terry to see if the store in Williamsport had one in stock. I could have ordered it over the internet, but at that time there was a very large shipping fee that I didn't want to pay. (Dick's currently is offering free shipping on orders of $49 or more--with exclusions, of course.)
The Williamsport store did not have one in stock but could place an order and have it shipped directly to our home at no charge. So that's what we did.
It arrived November 1 via UPS as I said above. Terry and I spent about an hour getting the parts out of the box and assembling the bike. I have to say it was very easy to do with her reading the directions as I bolted everything together. Amazingly, there was no shortage of nuts, bolts or washers, and we had no pieces left over. The four tools you need to put it together--an Allen wrench, a crescent wrench, a socket wrench, and a Phillips head screwdriver--were all included in the parts package. The hardest task was getting all the pieces out of the plastic wrap in which they were sealed!
We set it up in the basement in front of the TV so we can watch a show while pedaling along. The thing is quiet enough that you hardly notice the background "whoosh" as you exercise. It also has speakers and a jack for your MP3 player if you'd rather listen to some tunes.
This morning I explored the various functions on the monitor and set up an exercise program for myself. (I should have read all the directions first because the result was one very difficult climb! I'll have to gear things back a tad if I expect to last more than 10 minutes at a time.)
Nice thing about the recumbent nature of the bike is that you can't let gravity do your work for you. Your legs and not your weight need to push the pedals. At the higher resistance levels, this can give you one heck of a workout. (I even got my pulse rate UP to 72! For those not following along: my resting pulse is usually around 50 beats per minute.) At lower resistance, you get to limber up your knee joints very nicely.
Who knows? By the time spring rolls around again, we may be ready to toss our real bikes in the back of the truck or Jeep and hit the miles and miles of bike paths around here.
I enjoyed using the recumbent bike down at Elite Physical Therapy and my knees felt much more limber after each use, that I started shopping around online for a good exercise bike. I found the Schwinn 240 model at Dick's Sporting Goods Store and looked at the reviews. They were all excellent (except for those that folks that had trouble reading the directions for set-up) so, when I saw that there was a newer 250 model (basically the same as the 240 except for the number of features that can be programmed into the monitor), I told Terry to see if the store in Williamsport had one in stock. I could have ordered it over the internet, but at that time there was a very large shipping fee that I didn't want to pay. (Dick's currently is offering free shipping on orders of $49 or more--with exclusions, of course.)
The Williamsport store did not have one in stock but could place an order and have it shipped directly to our home at no charge. So that's what we did.
It arrived November 1 via UPS as I said above. Terry and I spent about an hour getting the parts out of the box and assembling the bike. I have to say it was very easy to do with her reading the directions as I bolted everything together. Amazingly, there was no shortage of nuts, bolts or washers, and we had no pieces left over. The four tools you need to put it together--an Allen wrench, a crescent wrench, a socket wrench, and a Phillips head screwdriver--were all included in the parts package. The hardest task was getting all the pieces out of the plastic wrap in which they were sealed!
We set it up in the basement in front of the TV so we can watch a show while pedaling along. The thing is quiet enough that you hardly notice the background "whoosh" as you exercise. It also has speakers and a jack for your MP3 player if you'd rather listen to some tunes.
This morning I explored the various functions on the monitor and set up an exercise program for myself. (I should have read all the directions first because the result was one very difficult climb! I'll have to gear things back a tad if I expect to last more than 10 minutes at a time.)
Nice thing about the recumbent nature of the bike is that you can't let gravity do your work for you. Your legs and not your weight need to push the pedals. At the higher resistance levels, this can give you one heck of a workout. (I even got my pulse rate UP to 72! For those not following along: my resting pulse is usually around 50 beats per minute.) At lower resistance, you get to limber up your knee joints very nicely.
Who knows? By the time spring rolls around again, we may be ready to toss our real bikes in the back of the truck or Jeep and hit the miles and miles of bike paths around here.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
College Football 2011, Preweek 10
Week 10 Polls and Match-ups
While there are quite a few idle teams this week, there are a couple of Very Big Games this week. Start off with the Biggest: #1 LSU at #2 Alabama. No matter how hard they try, someone’s going to lose in this game. Then there’s #17 Kansas State at #3 Oklahoma State. And #8 Arkansas hosts #10 South Carolina. It’ll be an interesting weekend. Only one thing's for sure, next week there won't be six undefeated teams.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers take it on the road to face the #2 Crimson Tide of Alabama (8-0).
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide will host the undefeated #1 LSU Tigers (8-0).
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (8-0) The Cowboys will host the #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-1).
4/3/6/4 Stanford (8-0) The Cardinal will be up the coast playing the Oregon State Beavers (2-6).
5/5/4/5 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos will be going to Vegas to play the UNLV Rebels (2-5).
6/6/11/8 Oregon (7-1) The Ducks will be on the road playing the Washington State Huskies (3-5).
7/7/5/6 Oklahoma (7-1) The Sooners square off at home against the Texas A&M Aggies (5-3).
8/8/16/7 Arkansas (7-1) The Razorbacks will host the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1).
9/9/13/10 Nebraska (7-1) The Cornhuskers will host the Wildcats of Northwestern (3-5).
10/10/7/9 South Carolina (7-1) The Gamecocks will be on the road facing the #8 Razorbacks of Arkansas (7-1).
11/12/10/11 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers are idle this week.
12/11/12/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies are idle this week.
13/13/9/15 Michigan (7-1) The Wolverines are on the road facing the Hawkeyes of Iowa (5-3).
14/14/8/13 Houston (8-0) The Cougars will play on the road against the UAB Blazers (1-7).
15/16/23/17 Michigan State (6-2) The Spartans play at the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-6).
16/15/15/16 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions will be idle this weekend.
17/19/14/14 Kansas State (7-1) The Wildcats will be on the road against the #3 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (8-0).
18/20/20/18 Georgia (6-2) The Bulldogs will host the Aggies of New Mexico State (2-5).
19/17/NR/20 Wisconsin (6-2) The Badgers host the Purdue Boilermakers (4-4).
20/18/22/19 Arizona State (6-2) The Sun Devils are playing at the Bruins of UCLA (4-4).
21/NR/19/NR Southern California (6-2) The Trojans play Friday night on the road against the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8).
22/23/24/23 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets are idle this weekend.
23/22/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats play at the home of the Pittsburgh Panthers (4-4).
24/21/NR/24 West Virginia (6-2) The Mountaineers will host the Louisville Cardinals (4-4).
25/NR/25/22 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers will be idle this week.
NR/24/17/25 Southern Mississippi (7-1) The Golden Eagles will play at East Carolina against the Pirates (4-4).
NR/25/18/21 Texas (5-2) The Longhorns host the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3).
NR/NR/21/NR Texas A&M (5-3) The Aggies are on the road against the #7 Oklahoma Sooners (7-1).
While there are quite a few idle teams this week, there are a couple of Very Big Games this week. Start off with the Biggest: #1 LSU at #2 Alabama. No matter how hard they try, someone’s going to lose in this game. Then there’s #17 Kansas State at #3 Oklahoma State. And #8 Arkansas hosts #10 South Carolina. It’ll be an interesting weekend. Only one thing's for sure, next week there won't be six undefeated teams.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers take it on the road to face the #2 Crimson Tide of Alabama (8-0).
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide will host the undefeated #1 LSU Tigers (8-0).
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (8-0) The Cowboys will host the #17 Kansas State Wildcats (7-1).
4/3/6/4 Stanford (8-0) The Cardinal will be up the coast playing the Oregon State Beavers (2-6).
5/5/4/5 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos will be going to Vegas to play the UNLV Rebels (2-5).
6/6/11/8 Oregon (7-1) The Ducks will be on the road playing the Washington State Huskies (3-5).
7/7/5/6 Oklahoma (7-1) The Sooners square off at home against the Texas A&M Aggies (5-3).
8/8/16/7 Arkansas (7-1) The Razorbacks will host the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1).
9/9/13/10 Nebraska (7-1) The Cornhuskers will host the Wildcats of Northwestern (3-5).
10/10/7/9 South Carolina (7-1) The Gamecocks will be on the road facing the #8 Razorbacks of Arkansas (7-1).
11/12/10/11 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers are idle this week.
12/11/12/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies are idle this week.
13/13/9/15 Michigan (7-1) The Wolverines are on the road facing the Hawkeyes of Iowa (5-3).
14/14/8/13 Houston (8-0) The Cougars will play on the road against the UAB Blazers (1-7).
15/16/23/17 Michigan State (6-2) The Spartans play at the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-6).
16/15/15/16 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions will be idle this weekend.
17/19/14/14 Kansas State (7-1) The Wildcats will be on the road against the #3 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (8-0).
18/20/20/18 Georgia (6-2) The Bulldogs will host the Aggies of New Mexico State (2-5).
19/17/NR/20 Wisconsin (6-2) The Badgers host the Purdue Boilermakers (4-4).
20/18/22/19 Arizona State (6-2) The Sun Devils are playing at the Bruins of UCLA (4-4).
21/NR/19/NR Southern California (6-2) The Trojans play Friday night on the road against the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8).
22/23/24/23 Georgia Tech (7-2) The Yellow Jackets are idle this weekend.
23/22/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats play at the home of the Pittsburgh Panthers (4-4).
24/21/NR/24 West Virginia (6-2) The Mountaineers will host the Louisville Cardinals (4-4).
25/NR/25/22 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers will be idle this week.
NR/24/17/25 Southern Mississippi (7-1) The Golden Eagles will play at East Carolina against the Pirates (4-4).
NR/25/18/21 Texas (5-2) The Longhorns host the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3).
NR/NR/21/NR Texas A&M (5-3) The Aggies are on the road against the #7 Oklahoma Sooners (7-1).
Good Day Sunshine!
After a disappointingly cloudy and drab Monday (although there was no precipitation, thank goodness!) today looks like it will be a beautifully sunny day. Current temperatures are in the mid 30s but that will change as the sun gets over the hill. The mid to upper 50s are a distinct possibility.
Folks to the east and northeast who are still without power will surely be pleased to see some warming and sunshine on the way. I know the work crews that are out and about trying to restore power are glad to be doing so under clear and sunny skies.
Folks to the east and northeast who are still without power will surely be pleased to see some warming and sunshine on the way. I know the work crews that are out and about trying to restore power are glad to be doing so under clear and sunny skies.
College Football 2011, Week 9 results
Week 9 Results
Two of the undefeated teams fell this week: #6 Clemson and #10 Kansas State. And then there were six.
In addition, there were several upsets ranging from minor (#9 Michigan State lost to #13 Nebraska and #10 Kansas State falling to #11 Oklahoma) to major (#6 Clemson losing to unranked Georgia Tech, #12 Wisconsin losing to unranked Ohio State—well, maybe not major major, but still pretty big—and #16 Texas A&M falling to unranked Missouri. There will be plenty of reshuffling when the polls come out later.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers were idle this week.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide were idle this week.
(#1 and #2 WILL meet November 5th.)
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (8-0) The Cowboys played host to the Baylor Bears (4-3) and feasted upon Bear stew. The final score was 59-24 but it was only that close because Baylor scored three TDs and 21 points in the fourth quarter (compared to the Cowboys’ 10 points) when the second and third stringers were making an appearance. Joseph Randle had a career high 152 yards rushing and scored four TDs. And, for once, the defense came through, too, as Brodrick Brown recovered two fumbles, and Daytawion Lowe and Justin Gilbert had interceptions as the Cowboys forced five turnovers
4/3/5/6 Stanford (8-0) The Cardinal and the #20 Trojans of USC (6-2) must have really enjoyed playing each other. They kept going and going and going. Three OTs, in fact. And the Cardinal came away with a come from behind 56-48 victory when the Trojans’ Curtis McNeal's fumbled into the end zone to bring the game to a halt. Andrew Luck passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score but he also threw a rare interception that Nickell Robey returned 33 yards for a TD and put the Trojans ahead 34-27 with 3:08 left in regulation. Luck then led the Cardinal down the field for a Stepfan Taylor 16 yard TD run with 38 seconds left to tie. Taylor would also score the TD in the third overtime period that put the Cardinal ahead.
5/5/4/4 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos were idle this weekend.
6/6/6/5 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (7-2) by a score of 31-17. Tevin Washington ran the ball 27 times for 176 yards and scored once for the Yellow Jackets. Teammate Orwin Smith ran just s times for 37 yards but crossed the goal line twice. Tajh Boyd completed 23 of 40 passes for 295 yards but had just one TD and two costly interceptions. The Tigers also lost two fumbles during the game.
7/7/10/7 Oregon (7-1) The Ducks hosted the Cougars of Washington State (3-5) and came away with a 43-28 victory. While all eyes were on starting quarterback Darron Thomas, returning after missing last week’s game with a leg injury, and LaMichael James, returning to action after missing the last two games with a dislocated elbow, it was true freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas who provided the show. With the Ducks leading by a paltry 15-10 at the half, Darron Thomas—who had completed 8 of 13 for 153 yards and a TD but also two interceptions--was replaced by Bryan Bennett at QB. Bennett was just 4 of 7 for 88 yards but that included a De'Anthony Thomas 45 yard TD. De’Anthony Thomas also returned a kick 93 yards for a TD for the Ducks.
8/8/17/10 Arkansas (7-1) The Razorbacks trailed the Commodores of Vanderbilt (4-4) 21-14 at the half and 28-20 after three quarters, but they rallied early in the fourth quarter to tie it up with a successful 2-point conversion after the Commodores’ Zac Stacy fumbled, and the Razorbacks’ Jerry Franklin picked it up and ran it 94 yards for a touchdown. The Hogs went on to win 31-28 when a potential tying 27-yard field goal by Vandy’s Carey Spear went wide right with 8 seconds left.
9/10/19/11 Michigan State (6-2) The Spartans visited the #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1). For the third consecutive week the Spartans faced a ranked opponent but this time on the road and they lost 24-3. Rex Burkhead of Nebraska rushed 35 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
10/12/8/9 Kansas State (7-1) The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the #11 Sooners of Oklahoma (7-1) 58-17. More specifically to the arm of Landry Jones who threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns and to the hands of wide receiver Ryan Broyles who caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score. Unfortunately for the Sooners, they had to do it without their leading rusher Dominique Whaley, who fracture his left ankle on the first play of the game.
11/9/7/8 Oklahoma (7-1) The Sooners beat the #10 Wildcats of Kansas State (7-1) 58-17. See above for more.
12/11/20/15 Wisconsin (6-2) The Badgers dropped their second game of the year. This one was a heart breaker as Braxton Miller threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith with 20 seconds left to the Buckeyes of Ohio State (5-3) a 33-29 victory. Miller, a freshman, ran for 99 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, in addition to completing 7 of 12 passes for 89 yards and the winning score.
13/13/18/14 Nebraska (7-1) The Cornhuskers beat the #9 Michigan State Spartans (6-2) 24-3. See above for more.
14/14/12/13 South Carolina (7-1) The Gamecocks beat the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-5) 14-3. Connor Shaw threw for one TD and ran for the other. Filling in for injured Marcus Lattimore who is gone for the season, Brandon Wilds ran for 137 yards for the Gamecocks.
15/15/11/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies edged the Duke Blue Devils (3-5) 14-10 Saturday. Each team was intercepted twice and the Blue Devils lost the ball once on a fumble. Sloppy game all around.
16/16/15/16 Texas A&M (5-3) The Aggies fell to the Missouri Tigers (4-4) in overtime despite—once again—having a double digit lead at half time. The Aggies lead 28-17 at the midway point but saw the game tied at 31 all at the end of regulation. Ryan Tannehill completed 35 of 53 passes for 317 yards and three TDs for the Aggies. James Franklin was 16 of 24 for 198 yards and two TDs for the Tigers but also ran for 97 yards and a pair of scores. Teammate Henry Josey rushed 20 times for 162 yards and a TD.
17/17/13/18 Michigan (7-1) The Wolverines trounced the Boilermakers of Purdue (4-4) 36-14. Purdue started the scoring on a 48-yard TD pass from Caleb TerBush to Gary Bush and they finished it with a 19-yard TD pass from Robert Marve to O.J. Ross but in between it was all Michigan. Fitzgerald Toussaint rushed 20 times for a career-best 170 yards and two TDs as Michigan sandwiched 36 unanswered points between the Boilermakers scores.
18/18/9/17 Houston (9-0) The Cougars hosted the Owls of Rice (2-6) on Thursday night. Rice scored 34 points but that was not even half of what the Cougars put on the board. In fact, it didn’t even match what Houston scored in the first half—or the second. 73-34 was the final. Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for Houston’s first score. It was his seventh kickoff returned for a TD and tied the NCAA record held by C.J. Spiller.
Then things got wonky. Chris Boswell of the Owls hit a 51-yard field goal. A fumble on a squib kick set up a 1-yard Rice TD. Case Keenum threw an interception. A fumbled was returned 12 yards for a score by Cameron Nwosu of the Owls. Suddenly the Owls led 17-7.
Then the rain slackened (Yeah, it was raining in Houston. I said it was wonky.) and Case Keenum got unlimbered. Yes, Tyler Smith (who scored on the 1-yard run) would also score on a 67 yard pass from Nick Fanuzzi and again on a 97 yard run from scrimmage, but that would be all she wrote for Rice. A short story compared to the novel Case Keenum would author.
When the Cougars and Keenum were finished, he would have 24 completions in 37 attempts, 534 yards passing, and nine (9!) touchdowns. Five of those TD passes went to Patrick Edwards who had 7 receptions for 318 yards. That’s 45.4 yards per catch! His TDs were on catches of 57, 64, 37, 22, and 47 yards.
Oh yeah. Keenum didn’t play the final 8 minutes.
19/22/25 Texas Tech (5-3) The Red Raiders got blown away by the Cyclones of Iowa State (4-4) 41-7. Red-shirt freshman Jared Barnett made his first start for the Cyclones. He rushed for 92 yards and a TD on 19 carries and completed 14 of 26 passes for 144 yards and another TD. The Cyclones racked up 368 yards on the ground as , in addition to Barnett’s 92 yards, James White rushed 31 times for 138 yards and a TD and Duran Hollis had 4 rushes for 101 including a 71 yard TD romp.
20/NR/14/NR Southern California (6-2) The Trojans lost 56-48 in triple OT to the #4 Cardinal of Stanford (8-0). See above for more.
21/19/16/19 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions edged past the Fighting Illini (6-3) 10-7 on a snowy, blustery afternoon in Happy Valley. It was Coach Joe Paterno’s 409th victory making him the winningest coach in Division One football. Silas Redd scored the winning TD with 1:08 to go on a 3-yard run. Moments earlier, an Illini defender was whistled for pass interference in the end zone—on fourth down. Neither team mustered much on the offensive side of the ball, Illinois had just 286 net yards on 74 plays and Penn State a mere 209 on 69 plays. Of those 209 yards, Silas Redd had 137 of them on 30 rushes. The last 3 yards proved to be the decisive ones.
22/21/23/23 Georgia (6-2) The Bulldogs came from behind in the fourth quarter to edge the Gators of Florida (4-4) 24-20. The Gators scored on a fourth and 19 from the Georgia 31 yard line in the first and had a 99 yard kick return for another TD in the second but it wasn’t enough. Georgia scored on a 20-yard TD pass Michael Bennett from Aaron Murray on a fourth and 5 play and again on a 14-yard TD pass Murray to Tavaress King on a fourth and 6. Murray completed the day just 15 of 34 for 169 yards, the two TDs, one interception and three sacks. He added 42 yards on 9 carries. The Gators’ John Brantley was 12 of 34 for 245 yards and one TD although he got sacked 6 times. Jeff Demps had a 99 yard kick return for a TD. The Gators also had a 63 yard kick return that set up a field goal and a 72 yard reception by Jeff Demps (his only catch) on the first play from scrimmage. However, they managed just 36 yards on offense in the second half.
23/20/24/21 Arizona State (6-2) The Sun Devils trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8) 48-14. Brock Osweiler completed 18 of 28 passes for 307 yards and two TDs and Cameron Marshall carried the ball 15 times for 114 yards and three TDs to lead the Sun Devils. Josh Moten returned a fumble 16 yards for one of the two Colorado scores.
24/23/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats were idle this week.
25/24/NR/25 West Virginia (6-2) The Mountaineers overcame a 31-20 halftime deficit to defeat the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-3)41-31. Rutgers’ true freshman Gary Nova tossed two TDs and Jawan Jamison scored twice on the ground to help put the Scarlet Knights up at the half. But The West Virginia defense came out strong in the second half and shut out Rutgers while the Mountaineers’ offense put 20 points on the board. Geno Smith threw for two TDs and ran for a third after the break. Shawne Alston had 14 carries for 110 yards including a 52 yard run in the first quarter for the Mountaineers. Teammate Tavon Austin had an 80-yard TD run also in the first quarter. Jawan Jamison carried the ball 19 times for 96 yards for the Knights.
NR/25/21/NR Southern Mississippi (7-1) The Golden Eagles beat the Miners of UTEP (4-4) 31-13. Austin Davis had three TD passes and Jamal Woodyard rushed 16 times for 134 yards including a 68 yard TD run for the Golden Eagles.
NR/NR/22/22 Texas (5-2) The Longhorns routed the Kansas Jayhawks (2-6) 43-0. The Kansas defense is perhaps the worst in the country. Saturday, however, even their offense was pretty bad. While Texas was amassing 590 net yards on 93 plays, Kansas managed to run just 36 plays for 46 yards. Read that last sentence again. FORTY SIX yards on 36 plays. If you fell down 36 times you could get more than 46 yards without even taking a step. Part of that is due to the four sacks for minus 21 yards suffered by Jordan Webb. Then again, he only completed 7 of 16 passes for 48 yards. On the Texas side of the ball, Joe Bergeron rushed 13 times for 136 yards and Malcolm Brown 28 times for 119 yards. Each of them had two touchdowns. David Ash completed 14 of 18 for 145 yards and scored a TD on the ground.
NR/NR/NR/24 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers and the Mississippi Rebels (2-6) were tied 17 all at the half. After the break things weren’t quite so even as the Tigers pulled away for a 41-23 win. It was the Rebels eleventh consecutive loss in league play. Auburn’s Sophomore Clint Moseley completed 12 of 15 for 160 yards, but, more importantly, four of those 12 completions went for TDs. His teammate, Michael Dyer, rushed 27 times for 177 yards. For the Rebels, Brandon Bolden rushed 13 for 114 yards and two TDs.
Two of the undefeated teams fell this week: #6 Clemson and #10 Kansas State. And then there were six.
In addition, there were several upsets ranging from minor (#9 Michigan State lost to #13 Nebraska and #10 Kansas State falling to #11 Oklahoma) to major (#6 Clemson losing to unranked Georgia Tech, #12 Wisconsin losing to unranked Ohio State—well, maybe not major major, but still pretty big—and #16 Texas A&M falling to unranked Missouri. There will be plenty of reshuffling when the polls come out later.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers were idle this week.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide were idle this week.
(#1 and #2 WILL meet November 5th.)
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (8-0) The Cowboys played host to the Baylor Bears (4-3) and feasted upon Bear stew. The final score was 59-24 but it was only that close because Baylor scored three TDs and 21 points in the fourth quarter (compared to the Cowboys’ 10 points) when the second and third stringers were making an appearance. Joseph Randle had a career high 152 yards rushing and scored four TDs. And, for once, the defense came through, too, as Brodrick Brown recovered two fumbles, and Daytawion Lowe and Justin Gilbert had interceptions as the Cowboys forced five turnovers
4/3/5/6 Stanford (8-0) The Cardinal and the #20 Trojans of USC (6-2) must have really enjoyed playing each other. They kept going and going and going. Three OTs, in fact. And the Cardinal came away with a come from behind 56-48 victory when the Trojans’ Curtis McNeal's fumbled into the end zone to bring the game to a halt. Andrew Luck passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score but he also threw a rare interception that Nickell Robey returned 33 yards for a TD and put the Trojans ahead 34-27 with 3:08 left in regulation. Luck then led the Cardinal down the field for a Stepfan Taylor 16 yard TD run with 38 seconds left to tie. Taylor would also score the TD in the third overtime period that put the Cardinal ahead.
5/5/4/4 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos were idle this weekend.
6/6/6/5 Clemson (8-1) The Tigers suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (7-2) by a score of 31-17. Tevin Washington ran the ball 27 times for 176 yards and scored once for the Yellow Jackets. Teammate Orwin Smith ran just s times for 37 yards but crossed the goal line twice. Tajh Boyd completed 23 of 40 passes for 295 yards but had just one TD and two costly interceptions. The Tigers also lost two fumbles during the game.
7/7/10/7 Oregon (7-1) The Ducks hosted the Cougars of Washington State (3-5) and came away with a 43-28 victory. While all eyes were on starting quarterback Darron Thomas, returning after missing last week’s game with a leg injury, and LaMichael James, returning to action after missing the last two games with a dislocated elbow, it was true freshman running back De'Anthony Thomas who provided the show. With the Ducks leading by a paltry 15-10 at the half, Darron Thomas—who had completed 8 of 13 for 153 yards and a TD but also two interceptions--was replaced by Bryan Bennett at QB. Bennett was just 4 of 7 for 88 yards but that included a De'Anthony Thomas 45 yard TD. De’Anthony Thomas also returned a kick 93 yards for a TD for the Ducks.
8/8/17/10 Arkansas (7-1) The Razorbacks trailed the Commodores of Vanderbilt (4-4) 21-14 at the half and 28-20 after three quarters, but they rallied early in the fourth quarter to tie it up with a successful 2-point conversion after the Commodores’ Zac Stacy fumbled, and the Razorbacks’ Jerry Franklin picked it up and ran it 94 yards for a touchdown. The Hogs went on to win 31-28 when a potential tying 27-yard field goal by Vandy’s Carey Spear went wide right with 8 seconds left.
9/10/19/11 Michigan State (6-2) The Spartans visited the #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1). For the third consecutive week the Spartans faced a ranked opponent but this time on the road and they lost 24-3. Rex Burkhead of Nebraska rushed 35 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
10/12/8/9 Kansas State (7-1) The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the #11 Sooners of Oklahoma (7-1) 58-17. More specifically to the arm of Landry Jones who threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns and to the hands of wide receiver Ryan Broyles who caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score. Unfortunately for the Sooners, they had to do it without their leading rusher Dominique Whaley, who fracture his left ankle on the first play of the game.
11/9/7/8 Oklahoma (7-1) The Sooners beat the #10 Wildcats of Kansas State (7-1) 58-17. See above for more.
12/11/20/15 Wisconsin (6-2) The Badgers dropped their second game of the year. This one was a heart breaker as Braxton Miller threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith with 20 seconds left to the Buckeyes of Ohio State (5-3) a 33-29 victory. Miller, a freshman, ran for 99 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, in addition to completing 7 of 12 passes for 89 yards and the winning score.
13/13/18/14 Nebraska (7-1) The Cornhuskers beat the #9 Michigan State Spartans (6-2) 24-3. See above for more.
14/14/12/13 South Carolina (7-1) The Gamecocks beat the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-5) 14-3. Connor Shaw threw for one TD and ran for the other. Filling in for injured Marcus Lattimore who is gone for the season, Brandon Wilds ran for 137 yards for the Gamecocks.
15/15/11/12 Virginia Tech (8-1) The Hokies edged the Duke Blue Devils (3-5) 14-10 Saturday. Each team was intercepted twice and the Blue Devils lost the ball once on a fumble. Sloppy game all around.
16/16/15/16 Texas A&M (5-3) The Aggies fell to the Missouri Tigers (4-4) in overtime despite—once again—having a double digit lead at half time. The Aggies lead 28-17 at the midway point but saw the game tied at 31 all at the end of regulation. Ryan Tannehill completed 35 of 53 passes for 317 yards and three TDs for the Aggies. James Franklin was 16 of 24 for 198 yards and two TDs for the Tigers but also ran for 97 yards and a pair of scores. Teammate Henry Josey rushed 20 times for 162 yards and a TD.
17/17/13/18 Michigan (7-1) The Wolverines trounced the Boilermakers of Purdue (4-4) 36-14. Purdue started the scoring on a 48-yard TD pass from Caleb TerBush to Gary Bush and they finished it with a 19-yard TD pass from Robert Marve to O.J. Ross but in between it was all Michigan. Fitzgerald Toussaint rushed 20 times for a career-best 170 yards and two TDs as Michigan sandwiched 36 unanswered points between the Boilermakers scores.
18/18/9/17 Houston (9-0) The Cougars hosted the Owls of Rice (2-6) on Thursday night. Rice scored 34 points but that was not even half of what the Cougars put on the board. In fact, it didn’t even match what Houston scored in the first half—or the second. 73-34 was the final. Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for Houston’s first score. It was his seventh kickoff returned for a TD and tied the NCAA record held by C.J. Spiller.
Then things got wonky. Chris Boswell of the Owls hit a 51-yard field goal. A fumble on a squib kick set up a 1-yard Rice TD. Case Keenum threw an interception. A fumbled was returned 12 yards for a score by Cameron Nwosu of the Owls. Suddenly the Owls led 17-7.
Then the rain slackened (Yeah, it was raining in Houston. I said it was wonky.) and Case Keenum got unlimbered. Yes, Tyler Smith (who scored on the 1-yard run) would also score on a 67 yard pass from Nick Fanuzzi and again on a 97 yard run from scrimmage, but that would be all she wrote for Rice. A short story compared to the novel Case Keenum would author.
When the Cougars and Keenum were finished, he would have 24 completions in 37 attempts, 534 yards passing, and nine (9!) touchdowns. Five of those TD passes went to Patrick Edwards who had 7 receptions for 318 yards. That’s 45.4 yards per catch! His TDs were on catches of 57, 64, 37, 22, and 47 yards.
Oh yeah. Keenum didn’t play the final 8 minutes.
19/22/25 Texas Tech (5-3) The Red Raiders got blown away by the Cyclones of Iowa State (4-4) 41-7. Red-shirt freshman Jared Barnett made his first start for the Cyclones. He rushed for 92 yards and a TD on 19 carries and completed 14 of 26 passes for 144 yards and another TD. The Cyclones racked up 368 yards on the ground as , in addition to Barnett’s 92 yards, James White rushed 31 times for 138 yards and a TD and Duran Hollis had 4 rushes for 101 including a 71 yard TD romp.
20/NR/14/NR Southern California (6-2) The Trojans lost 56-48 in triple OT to the #4 Cardinal of Stanford (8-0). See above for more.
21/19/16/19 Penn State (8-1) The Nittany Lions edged past the Fighting Illini (6-3) 10-7 on a snowy, blustery afternoon in Happy Valley. It was Coach Joe Paterno’s 409th victory making him the winningest coach in Division One football. Silas Redd scored the winning TD with 1:08 to go on a 3-yard run. Moments earlier, an Illini defender was whistled for pass interference in the end zone—on fourth down. Neither team mustered much on the offensive side of the ball, Illinois had just 286 net yards on 74 plays and Penn State a mere 209 on 69 plays. Of those 209 yards, Silas Redd had 137 of them on 30 rushes. The last 3 yards proved to be the decisive ones.
22/21/23/23 Georgia (6-2) The Bulldogs came from behind in the fourth quarter to edge the Gators of Florida (4-4) 24-20. The Gators scored on a fourth and 19 from the Georgia 31 yard line in the first and had a 99 yard kick return for another TD in the second but it wasn’t enough. Georgia scored on a 20-yard TD pass Michael Bennett from Aaron Murray on a fourth and 5 play and again on a 14-yard TD pass Murray to Tavaress King on a fourth and 6. Murray completed the day just 15 of 34 for 169 yards, the two TDs, one interception and three sacks. He added 42 yards on 9 carries. The Gators’ John Brantley was 12 of 34 for 245 yards and one TD although he got sacked 6 times. Jeff Demps had a 99 yard kick return for a TD. The Gators also had a 63 yard kick return that set up a field goal and a 72 yard reception by Jeff Demps (his only catch) on the first play from scrimmage. However, they managed just 36 yards on offense in the second half.
23/20/24/21 Arizona State (6-2) The Sun Devils trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8) 48-14. Brock Osweiler completed 18 of 28 passes for 307 yards and two TDs and Cameron Marshall carried the ball 15 times for 114 yards and three TDs to lead the Sun Devils. Josh Moten returned a fumble 16 yards for one of the two Colorado scores.
24/23/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats were idle this week.
25/24/NR/25 West Virginia (6-2) The Mountaineers overcame a 31-20 halftime deficit to defeat the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-3)41-31. Rutgers’ true freshman Gary Nova tossed two TDs and Jawan Jamison scored twice on the ground to help put the Scarlet Knights up at the half. But The West Virginia defense came out strong in the second half and shut out Rutgers while the Mountaineers’ offense put 20 points on the board. Geno Smith threw for two TDs and ran for a third after the break. Shawne Alston had 14 carries for 110 yards including a 52 yard run in the first quarter for the Mountaineers. Teammate Tavon Austin had an 80-yard TD run also in the first quarter. Jawan Jamison carried the ball 19 times for 96 yards for the Knights.
NR/25/21/NR Southern Mississippi (7-1) The Golden Eagles beat the Miners of UTEP (4-4) 31-13. Austin Davis had three TD passes and Jamal Woodyard rushed 16 times for 134 yards including a 68 yard TD run for the Golden Eagles.
NR/NR/22/22 Texas (5-2) The Longhorns routed the Kansas Jayhawks (2-6) 43-0. The Kansas defense is perhaps the worst in the country. Saturday, however, even their offense was pretty bad. While Texas was amassing 590 net yards on 93 plays, Kansas managed to run just 36 plays for 46 yards. Read that last sentence again. FORTY SIX yards on 36 plays. If you fell down 36 times you could get more than 46 yards without even taking a step. Part of that is due to the four sacks for minus 21 yards suffered by Jordan Webb. Then again, he only completed 7 of 16 passes for 48 yards. On the Texas side of the ball, Joe Bergeron rushed 13 times for 136 yards and Malcolm Brown 28 times for 119 yards. Each of them had two touchdowns. David Ash completed 14 of 18 for 145 yards and scored a TD on the ground.
NR/NR/NR/24 Auburn (6-3) The Tigers and the Mississippi Rebels (2-6) were tied 17 all at the half. After the break things weren’t quite so even as the Tigers pulled away for a 41-23 win. It was the Rebels eleventh consecutive loss in league play. Auburn’s Sophomore Clint Moseley completed 12 of 15 for 160 yards, but, more importantly, four of those 12 completions went for TDs. His teammate, Michael Dyer, rushed 27 times for 177 yards. For the Rebels, Brandon Bolden rushed 13 for 114 yards and two TDs.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween Night
It's Halloween!
Enjoy.
(He could sing and dance like few others. But, man, was he weird in his personal life!)
Enjoy.
(He could sing and dance like few others. But, man, was he weird in his personal life!)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Snow Report from the Aerie,
October 28, 2011
We got just shy of 3 inches of snow yesterday. The first snow of the season is often a surprise. This one came while some trees (locusts in particular) were still green. Other trees still had many leaves although they had already turned yellow, brown or red. Temperatures overnight fell to the mid 20s and down in the valley, where there wasn't as much snow, there was a very heavy frost. As the sun warms things up, the leaves that have changed color are finally severing their connection with the branches to which they clung. Snow is melting on the tree branches and the pine limbs (and locusts') are springing back to their previous locations.
It could be worse. There's a winter storm watch out for Saturday. Most of it will be to the east of us but we can still get another 1-3 inches of the white stuff.
That purple? That's the area forecast to receive 6 to 12 inches of snow. In PA that's the area east of I-81. The zone includes the Poconos of PA, the Kittatinny Ridge of NJ, the Catskills of NY, the Berkshires of western CT and MA, and all points in between. (We're in the gray area along the PA-NY border.)
It looks like I'll be hanging birdfeeders sooner than later.
It could be worse. There's a winter storm watch out for Saturday. Most of it will be to the east of us but we can still get another 1-3 inches of the white stuff.
That purple? That's the area forecast to receive 6 to 12 inches of snow. In PA that's the area east of I-81. The zone includes the Poconos of PA, the Kittatinny Ridge of NJ, the Catskills of NY, the Berkshires of western CT and MA, and all points in between. (We're in the gray area along the PA-NY border.)
It looks like I'll be hanging birdfeeders sooner than later.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Snow!?!
The forecast was for some light snow this evening, but Mother Nature sped things up a bit and the flakes started falling in earnest around 2 PM. That might mean we will get considerably more than the light dusting the original forecast from weather.com included. In fact, the accumulation maps are now saying we might get 1-3 inches.
Some of the poplars are still holding onto their yellow leaves as are the oaks their brown ones. The locusts are still green, for crying out loud!
Part of the west side lawn and the trail into the back field.
Green locusts getting turned white on the west side of the Arie's lawn.
The snow is sticking on the grass, trees and deck but it has yet to start sticking to the driveway and--I assume--road. As the snow cools those bare earth surfaces and the temperature continues to drop they, too, will soon be white.
The Tundra and Aveo get a coat but not the driveway...yet.
And the forecast now says there's a possibility of more snow west of the I-95 corridor on Saturday. Will it reach this far west? Stay tuned!
Some of the poplars are still holding onto their yellow leaves as are the oaks their brown ones. The locusts are still green, for crying out loud!
Part of the west side lawn and the trail into the back field.
Green locusts getting turned white on the west side of the Arie's lawn.The snow is sticking on the grass, trees and deck but it has yet to start sticking to the driveway and--I assume--road. As the snow cools those bare earth surfaces and the temperature continues to drop they, too, will soon be white.
The Tundra and Aveo get a coat but not the driveway...yet.And the forecast now says there's a possibility of more snow west of the I-95 corridor on Saturday. Will it reach this far west? Stay tuned!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
College Football 2011, Preweek 9
While the top two teams (LSU and Alabama) are idle this week, there are still plenty of chances for upsets. #4 (Stanford) squares off against #20 (USC), #9 (Michigan State) faces #13 (Nebraska), #10 (Kansas State) hosts #11 (Oklahoma). In addition, there are several games in which an upset is a possibility: #12 Wisconsin at Ohio State, #21 Penn State host Illinois, and (I’m hoping) #25 West Virginia will be at Rutgers.
If not mentioned, all games are on Saturday.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers are idle this week.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide will be idle this week.
(#1 and #2 WILL meet November 5th.)
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (7-0) The Cowboys will host the Baylor Bears (4-2).
4/3/5/6 Stanford (7-0) The Cardinal take on the #20 Trojans of USC (6-1) on the road this weekend. The second consecutive week they have faced a Top 25 team—on the road.
5/5/4/4 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos will be idle this weekend.
6/6/6/5 Clemson (8-0) The Tigers are on the road to face the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (6-2).
7/7/10/7 Oregon (6-1) The Ducks will host the Cougars of Washington State (3-4).
8/8/17/10 Arkansas (6-1) The Razorbacks visit the Commodores of Vanderbilt (4-3).
9/10/19/11 Michigan State (6-1) The Spartans will visit the #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1). For the third consecutive week the Spartans face a ranked opponent. So far they are 2-0.
10/12/8/9 Kansas State (7-0) The Wildcats host the #11 Sooners of Oklahoma (6-1).
11/9/7/8 Oklahoma (6-1) The Sooners visit the #10 Wildcats of Kansas State (7-0).
12/11/20/15 Wisconsin (6-1) The Badgers visit the Buckeyes of Ohio State (4-3).
13/13/18/14 Nebraska (6-1) The Cornhuskers host the #9 Michigan State Spartans (6-1).
14/14/12/13 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks visit the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-4).
15/15/11/12 Virginia Tech (7-1) The Hokies will visit the Duke Blue Devils (3-4).
16/16/15/16 Texas A&M (5-2) The Aggies will be hosting the Missouri Tigers (3-4).
17/17/13/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines will host the Boilermakers of Purdue (4-3).
18/18/9/17 Houston (7-0) The Cougars host the Owls of Rice (2-5) on Thursday night.
19/22/25 Texas Tech (5-2) The Red Raiders host the Cyclones of Iowa State (3-4).
20/NR/14/NR Southern California (6-1) The Trojans host the #4 Cardinal of Stanford (7-0).
21/19/16/19 Penn State (7-1) The Nittany Lions host the Fighting Illini (6-2).
22/21/23/23 Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs will visit the Gators of Florida (4-3).
23/20/24/21 Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils host the Colorado Buffaloes (1-7).
24/23/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats are idle this week.
25/24/NR/25 West Virginia (5-2) The Mountaineers are on the road again. This week they face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-2).
NR/25/21/NR Southern Mississippi (6-1) The Golden Eagles visit the Miners of UTEP (4-3).
NR/NR/22/22 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns host the Kansas Jayhawks (2-5).
NR/NR/NR/24 Auburn (5-3) The Tigers will host the Mississippi Rebels (2-5).
If not mentioned, all games are on Saturday.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/1/2/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers are idle this week.
2/2/3/2 Alabama (8-0) The Crimson Tide will be idle this week.
(#1 and #2 WILL meet November 5th.)
3/4/1/3 Oklahoma State (7-0) The Cowboys will host the Baylor Bears (4-2).
4/3/5/6 Stanford (7-0) The Cardinal take on the #20 Trojans of USC (6-1) on the road this weekend. The second consecutive week they have faced a Top 25 team—on the road.
5/5/4/4 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos will be idle this weekend.
6/6/6/5 Clemson (8-0) The Tigers are on the road to face the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (6-2).
7/7/10/7 Oregon (6-1) The Ducks will host the Cougars of Washington State (3-4).
8/8/17/10 Arkansas (6-1) The Razorbacks visit the Commodores of Vanderbilt (4-3).
9/10/19/11 Michigan State (6-1) The Spartans will visit the #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1). For the third consecutive week the Spartans face a ranked opponent. So far they are 2-0.
10/12/8/9 Kansas State (7-0) The Wildcats host the #11 Sooners of Oklahoma (6-1).
11/9/7/8 Oklahoma (6-1) The Sooners visit the #10 Wildcats of Kansas State (7-0).
12/11/20/15 Wisconsin (6-1) The Badgers visit the Buckeyes of Ohio State (4-3).
13/13/18/14 Nebraska (6-1) The Cornhuskers host the #9 Michigan State Spartans (6-1).
14/14/12/13 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks visit the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-4).
15/15/11/12 Virginia Tech (7-1) The Hokies will visit the Duke Blue Devils (3-4).
16/16/15/16 Texas A&M (5-2) The Aggies will be hosting the Missouri Tigers (3-4).
17/17/13/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines will host the Boilermakers of Purdue (4-3).
18/18/9/17 Houston (7-0) The Cougars host the Owls of Rice (2-5) on Thursday night.
19/22/25 Texas Tech (5-2) The Red Raiders host the Cyclones of Iowa State (3-4).
20/NR/14/NR Southern California (6-1) The Trojans host the #4 Cardinal of Stanford (7-0).
21/19/16/19 Penn State (7-1) The Nittany Lions host the Fighting Illini (6-2).
22/21/23/23 Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs will visit the Gators of Florida (4-3).
23/20/24/21 Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils host the Colorado Buffaloes (1-7).
24/23/NR/NR Cincinnati (6-1) The Bearcats are idle this week.
25/24/NR/25 West Virginia (5-2) The Mountaineers are on the road again. This week they face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-2).
NR/25/21/NR Southern Mississippi (6-1) The Golden Eagles visit the Miners of UTEP (4-3).
NR/NR/22/22 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns host the Kansas Jayhawks (2-5).
NR/NR/NR/24 Auburn (5-3) The Tigers will host the Mississippi Rebels (2-5).
Aerie Report, October 25, 2011
What we did today:
That was our day.
******
Was a nice day, but we've some rain and snow on the way according to weather.com. With lows down to 28 degrees Thursday night and 30 degrees on Saturday night we may get a little of the white stuff here at 2100 feet. We should get a good frost, even if we don't get any snow. (And AccuHunch, located in State College, PA, is saying "Snow? What snow? We don't see any stinkin' snow in the forecast!")
We could have seen some Northern Lights last night, but didn't know to look for them. *sigh*
- Up early (thanks to the cats), Terry's Aveo for oil change and inspections at Mansfield Exxon (which no longer pumps gas--old pumps couldn't take $4 a gallon and new pumps were too costly, so it's strictly a mechanics' center now).
- Had breakfast at Grandma's Kitchen (thank goodness for the never empty cup of coffee!).
- Back home we packed over 100 books for donation to the Green Free Public Library in Wellsboro into the Jeep Compass and took them over.
- Had lunch at Harland's Family Style Restaurant.
- Picked up cider at the cider mill (no apple dumplings? Darn it!).
- Picked up Terry's Aveo (oil done, passed inspection, Ryan says new tires in the spring).
- Back home--again--we dug the carrots out of the ground, cut off the greens, scrubbed them, sliced the larger ones, blanched them and then froze three large Zip-Loc bags.
That was our day.
******
Was a nice day, but we've some rain and snow on the way according to weather.com. With lows down to 28 degrees Thursday night and 30 degrees on Saturday night we may get a little of the white stuff here at 2100 feet. We should get a good frost, even if we don't get any snow. (And AccuHunch, located in State College, PA, is saying "Snow? What snow? We don't see any stinkin' snow in the forecast!")
We could have seen some Northern Lights last night, but didn't know to look for them. *sigh*
Monday Night Football
Did anybody watch Monday Night Football on ESPN this week? I did for no other reason than I wanted to get the taste of the 62-7 shellacking Indianapolis suffered at the hands of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night out of my mouth. That and I wanted to see Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Ray Rice tear into Jacksonville. This game accomplished neither goal.
Jacksonville's defense was superb, holding Baltimore off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and from attaining a first down until sometime in the third quarter. They forced Rice to fumble--twice. And for a guy who hadn't put the ball on the turf in over 500 carries that says a lot. (Rice finished the night with just 8 carries for 28 yards--terrible!)
Sure, the Jaguars' offense was nearly as inept as their defense was excellent, but they managed to eke out the win thanks to four field goals by Josh Scobee from 54, 54, 22, and 51 yards. I hope he got the game ball.
The first half showed three very teams on the field: the Jags' offense, the Ravens' offense and the officials. Both offenses fumbled away chances (Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled twice for the Jags including one on the 1-yard line going in), at one point Flacco put the Ravens in a fourth and 43 situation--fourth and 43!--and the officials had FOUR calls overturned after challenges--two on each side. Now that's something you don't see every week--thank goodness.
Yeah, I watched until I could stomach the comedy of errors and then switched full time to the Rangers-Cards World Series Game 5. There was more scoring and tension in that baseball game than there was in the football game.
Jacksonville's defense was superb, holding Baltimore off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and from attaining a first down until sometime in the third quarter. They forced Rice to fumble--twice. And for a guy who hadn't put the ball on the turf in over 500 carries that says a lot. (Rice finished the night with just 8 carries for 28 yards--terrible!)
Sure, the Jaguars' offense was nearly as inept as their defense was excellent, but they managed to eke out the win thanks to four field goals by Josh Scobee from 54, 54, 22, and 51 yards. I hope he got the game ball.
The first half showed three very teams on the field: the Jags' offense, the Ravens' offense and the officials. Both offenses fumbled away chances (Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled twice for the Jags including one on the 1-yard line going in), at one point Flacco put the Ravens in a fourth and 43 situation--fourth and 43!--and the officials had FOUR calls overturned after challenges--two on each side. Now that's something you don't see every week--thank goodness.
Yeah, I watched until I could stomach the comedy of errors and then switched full time to the Rangers-Cards World Series Game 5. There was more scoring and tension in that baseball game than there was in the football game.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
College Football 2011, Week 8 results
Two more teams fell from the ranks of the undefeated this week and teams ranked #3, 4, 11, 20, and 23 were upset. Several other ranked teams also suffered losses—to higher ranked teams (#19 & #22). In most of the remaining games the teams that won, won big.
Expect lots of changes in the poll positions when they come out.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/2/5/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers romped over the #19 Auburn Tigers (5-3) Saturday 45-10. Rueben Randle caught near identical TD passes from quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Lee also completed a 10-yard TD to Russell Shepard. Kenny Hillard had two TDs on the ground and Ron Brooks returned an interception 28 yards for a TD.
2/3/4/2 Alabama (8-0) The Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers (3-4) were tied 6-6 at the half and the Vol’s fans were probably dreaming. Unfortunately, they play two halves. And ‘Bama owned the second half on their way to a 37-6 victory. Tennessee was held to just 155 net yards while Alabama amassed 437 yards.
3/1/3/3 Oklahoma (6-1) The Sooners and the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (5-2) had to wait out a lightening delay at the start of their game Saturday night. Oklahoma probably wishes it never got started as they fell to the Red Raiders—at home!-- 41-38. Seth Doege completed 33 of 52 for 441 yards and four Tds and ran for another in leading Texas Tech in the upset. It wasn’t as close as the score makes it appear as the Sooners scored the final two TDs. Landry Jones was 30 of 55 for 412 yards and five TDs in a rare losing cause in Norman.
4/4/14/6 Wisconsin (6-1) The Badgers were knocked out of the ranks of the unbeaten by the #15 Michigan State Spartans (6-1) as they were upset Saturday night 37-31. Wisconsin jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but trailed 23-14 at the half. They struggled back to lead 31-30; a lead they held until the final play of the game. On that play, Kirk Cousins threw a Hail Mary caught by Keith Nickol who then struggled into the endzone for a 44 yard TD and a Spartan win. In their last three games, Michigan State has beaten Ohio State (10-7), Michigan (28-14) and now Wisconsin (37-31). The latter two were undefeated at the time. Next up for MSU is Nebraska (6-1).
5/7/2/5 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos led the entire game but could not put the Air Force Falcons (3-4) away Saturday afternoon. Kellen Moore completed 23 of 29 for 281 yards and 3 TDs and Doug Martin had 125 yards and a TD on 21 rushes. Considering the Broncos netted 423 yards offense on only 55 plays from scrimmage in 23 minutes 42 seconds, that’s not bad production. Air Force had 66 plays and controlled the ball for 36 minutes 18 seconds, netting 408 yards.
6/6/1/4 Oklahoma State (7-0) The Cowboys drubbed the Missouri Tigers (3-4) 45-24 Saturday. Joseph Randle rushed 14 times gaining 138 yards and scoring three TDs. He also caught one pass which went for a fourth TD. QB Brandon Weeden completed 33 of 49 for 338 yards and 3 TDs for the Cowboys.
7/5/6/8 Stanford (7-0) The Cardinal routed the #22 Washington Huskies (5-2) Saturday night 65-21. And they did much of the damage on the ground. The Cardinal rushed for 446 yards led by Stepfan Taylor (10 carries for 138 yards and 1 TD), Tyler Gaffney (9 carries for 117 and 1 TD), and Anthony Wilkerson (14 carries for 93 and 2 TDs). Oh yeah, Andrew Luck was 16 of 21 for 169 yards and 2 TDs.
8/8T/7/7 Clemson (8-0) The Tigers defense may not be able to keep folks from scoring lots of points, but their offense more than makes up for it. This week they drubbed the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2) 59-38. Tajh Boyd tossed five TD passes (tying a school record) on a 27 of 46 for 367 yards afternoon. The Clemson defense proved it could score too. Defensive end Kourtnei Brown returned an interception 20 yards for a TD and a fumble recovery 26 yards for another.
9/8T/13/10 Oregon (6-1) The Ducks routed the Colorado Buffaloes (1-7) 45-2. And the 2 points came after it was 45-0 on a bad punt reception. Repeat after me: “Never try to field a punt between the 10-yard line and the goal line.”
10/10/19/9 Arkansas (6-1) The Razorbacks needed to rally from behind to edge the Ole Miss Rebels (2-5) 29-24. The Rebels held a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. The Razorbacks then scored 19 unanswered points and held on for the win.
11/14T/21/15 West Virginia (5-2) The Mountaineers got crushed by the Syracuse Orange (5-2) Friday night 49-23. Ryann Nassib tossed 3TDs to tight end Nick Provo, connected on another to David Stevens and ran for yet one more for the Orange. ‘Cuse’s Antwon Bailey carried the ball 22 times for 125 yards and a TD and Dorian Graham returned a kickoff 98 yards for a TD. .
12/16/8/11 Kansas State (7-0) The Wildcats routed the Kansas Jayhawks (2-6) 59-21. Collin Klein ran for four TDs and tossed for one with a 19 yard completion to Tyler Lockett who also returned a kick 97 yards for a TD.
13/11/16/13 Nebraska (6-1) The Cornhuskers routed the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (1-6) 41-14 Nebraska gained 346 yards on the ground with Rex Burkhead got 117 of them on 23 carries.
14/12/11/14 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks had the weekend off.
15/13/25/16 Michigan State (6-1) The Spartans upset the #4 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1) 37-31. See above for more.
16/14T/12/12 Virginia Tech (7-1) The Hokies fell behind the Eagles of Boston College (1-6) 7-6 by the half. That didn’t last as Virginia Tech outscored BC 24-7 in the second half for a 30-14 victory. David Wilson had 134 yards and a TD on 17 carries for the Hokies.
17/18/18/17 Texas A&M (5-2) The Aggies beat the Iowa State Cyclones (3-4) Saturday afternoon 33-17. Christine Michael rushed for 142 yards and one TD on 18 carries. Randy Bullock connected on field goals of 25, 47, 47 and 20 yards for the Aggies.
18/17/9/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines were idle this week.
19/23/NR/20 Auburn (5-3) the Tigers lost the #1 LSU Tigers (8-0) Saturday afternoon.
20/19/20/22 Georgia Tech (6-2) The Yellow Jackets were upset for the second consecutive week. This time it was 24-7 when the Hurricane of Miami (Fla.) (4-3) held them to a net 211 yards and just 7 points, well below their season’s average of 517 yards
21/20/10/19 Houston (7-0) The Cougars dominated the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-5) Saturday afternoon 63-28. Case Keenum was 24 of 28 for 376 yards and six TDs. Coupled with 12 yards gained on the ground, Keenum eclipsed the FBS record for total offense set by Hawaii’s Tim Chang from 2000-04. Cotton Turner, mopping up in the fourth quarter, completed 5 of 9 for 103 yards and a TD.
22/24/NR/25 Washington (5-2) The Huskies were whipped into submission by the #7 Cardinal of Stanford (7-0) Saturday night 65-21.
23/21/NR/23 Illinois (6-2) The Fighting Illini fell behind the Purdue Boilermakers (4-3) 21-0 by half time and never managed to recover losing 21-14. The Illini fell for the second consecutive week to a Big Ten opponent.
24T/25/NR/NR Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils had the weekend off.
24T/NR/23/NR Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs were idle this week.
NR/22/17/21 Penn State (7-1) The Nittany Lions and the Northwestern Wildcats (2-5) went head to head and matched scores in the first half. PSU held a 27-24 lead at the half. Only Penn State scored in the second half coming away with a 34-24 victory. Matt McGloin started at QB for PSU and finished the day with 17 completions on 26 attempts for 192 yards and two TDs. PSU is now 4-0 in the Big Ten
NR/NR/15/24 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns had the weekend off.
NR/NR/22/NR Notre Dame (4-3) The Fighting Irish fell prey to the Trojans of Southern California (6-1) Saturday night 31-17. George Atkinson’s 96-yard kick return for a TD gave the Irish hope. Jawanza Starling’s 80-yard fumble return for a TD took it away. Matt Barkley had three TDs in a 24 of 35, 224 yard performance.
NR/NR/24/NR Southern California (6-1) The Trojans beat the Irish of Notre Dame (4-3) on the road Saturday night 31-17. See above for more.
Expect lots of changes in the poll positions when they come out.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/2/5/1 LSU (8-0) The Tigers romped over the #19 Auburn Tigers (5-3) Saturday 45-10. Rueben Randle caught near identical TD passes from quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Lee also completed a 10-yard TD to Russell Shepard. Kenny Hillard had two TDs on the ground and Ron Brooks returned an interception 28 yards for a TD.
2/3/4/2 Alabama (8-0) The Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers (3-4) were tied 6-6 at the half and the Vol’s fans were probably dreaming. Unfortunately, they play two halves. And ‘Bama owned the second half on their way to a 37-6 victory. Tennessee was held to just 155 net yards while Alabama amassed 437 yards.
3/1/3/3 Oklahoma (6-1) The Sooners and the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (5-2) had to wait out a lightening delay at the start of their game Saturday night. Oklahoma probably wishes it never got started as they fell to the Red Raiders—at home!-- 41-38. Seth Doege completed 33 of 52 for 441 yards and four Tds and ran for another in leading Texas Tech in the upset. It wasn’t as close as the score makes it appear as the Sooners scored the final two TDs. Landry Jones was 30 of 55 for 412 yards and five TDs in a rare losing cause in Norman.
4/4/14/6 Wisconsin (6-1) The Badgers were knocked out of the ranks of the unbeaten by the #15 Michigan State Spartans (6-1) as they were upset Saturday night 37-31. Wisconsin jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but trailed 23-14 at the half. They struggled back to lead 31-30; a lead they held until the final play of the game. On that play, Kirk Cousins threw a Hail Mary caught by Keith Nickol who then struggled into the endzone for a 44 yard TD and a Spartan win. In their last three games, Michigan State has beaten Ohio State (10-7), Michigan (28-14) and now Wisconsin (37-31). The latter two were undefeated at the time. Next up for MSU is Nebraska (6-1).
5/7/2/5 Boise State (7-0) The Broncos led the entire game but could not put the Air Force Falcons (3-4) away Saturday afternoon. Kellen Moore completed 23 of 29 for 281 yards and 3 TDs and Doug Martin had 125 yards and a TD on 21 rushes. Considering the Broncos netted 423 yards offense on only 55 plays from scrimmage in 23 minutes 42 seconds, that’s not bad production. Air Force had 66 plays and controlled the ball for 36 minutes 18 seconds, netting 408 yards.
6/6/1/4 Oklahoma State (7-0) The Cowboys drubbed the Missouri Tigers (3-4) 45-24 Saturday. Joseph Randle rushed 14 times gaining 138 yards and scoring three TDs. He also caught one pass which went for a fourth TD. QB Brandon Weeden completed 33 of 49 for 338 yards and 3 TDs for the Cowboys.
7/5/6/8 Stanford (7-0) The Cardinal routed the #22 Washington Huskies (5-2) Saturday night 65-21. And they did much of the damage on the ground. The Cardinal rushed for 446 yards led by Stepfan Taylor (10 carries for 138 yards and 1 TD), Tyler Gaffney (9 carries for 117 and 1 TD), and Anthony Wilkerson (14 carries for 93 and 2 TDs). Oh yeah, Andrew Luck was 16 of 21 for 169 yards and 2 TDs.
8/8T/7/7 Clemson (8-0) The Tigers defense may not be able to keep folks from scoring lots of points, but their offense more than makes up for it. This week they drubbed the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2) 59-38. Tajh Boyd tossed five TD passes (tying a school record) on a 27 of 46 for 367 yards afternoon. The Clemson defense proved it could score too. Defensive end Kourtnei Brown returned an interception 20 yards for a TD and a fumble recovery 26 yards for another.
9/8T/13/10 Oregon (6-1) The Ducks routed the Colorado Buffaloes (1-7) 45-2. And the 2 points came after it was 45-0 on a bad punt reception. Repeat after me: “Never try to field a punt between the 10-yard line and the goal line.”
10/10/19/9 Arkansas (6-1) The Razorbacks needed to rally from behind to edge the Ole Miss Rebels (2-5) 29-24. The Rebels held a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. The Razorbacks then scored 19 unanswered points and held on for the win.
11/14T/21/15 West Virginia (5-2) The Mountaineers got crushed by the Syracuse Orange (5-2) Friday night 49-23. Ryann Nassib tossed 3TDs to tight end Nick Provo, connected on another to David Stevens and ran for yet one more for the Orange. ‘Cuse’s Antwon Bailey carried the ball 22 times for 125 yards and a TD and Dorian Graham returned a kickoff 98 yards for a TD. .
12/16/8/11 Kansas State (7-0) The Wildcats routed the Kansas Jayhawks (2-6) 59-21. Collin Klein ran for four TDs and tossed for one with a 19 yard completion to Tyler Lockett who also returned a kick 97 yards for a TD.
13/11/16/13 Nebraska (6-1) The Cornhuskers routed the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (1-6) 41-14 Nebraska gained 346 yards on the ground with Rex Burkhead got 117 of them on 23 carries.
14/12/11/14 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks had the weekend off.
15/13/25/16 Michigan State (6-1) The Spartans upset the #4 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1) 37-31. See above for more.
16/14T/12/12 Virginia Tech (7-1) The Hokies fell behind the Eagles of Boston College (1-6) 7-6 by the half. That didn’t last as Virginia Tech outscored BC 24-7 in the second half for a 30-14 victory. David Wilson had 134 yards and a TD on 17 carries for the Hokies.
17/18/18/17 Texas A&M (5-2) The Aggies beat the Iowa State Cyclones (3-4) Saturday afternoon 33-17. Christine Michael rushed for 142 yards and one TD on 18 carries. Randy Bullock connected on field goals of 25, 47, 47 and 20 yards for the Aggies.
18/17/9/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines were idle this week.
19/23/NR/20 Auburn (5-3) the Tigers lost the #1 LSU Tigers (8-0) Saturday afternoon.
20/19/20/22 Georgia Tech (6-2) The Yellow Jackets were upset for the second consecutive week. This time it was 24-7 when the Hurricane of Miami (Fla.) (4-3) held them to a net 211 yards and just 7 points, well below their season’s average of 517 yards
21/20/10/19 Houston (7-0) The Cougars dominated the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-5) Saturday afternoon 63-28. Case Keenum was 24 of 28 for 376 yards and six TDs. Coupled with 12 yards gained on the ground, Keenum eclipsed the FBS record for total offense set by Hawaii’s Tim Chang from 2000-04. Cotton Turner, mopping up in the fourth quarter, completed 5 of 9 for 103 yards and a TD.
22/24/NR/25 Washington (5-2) The Huskies were whipped into submission by the #7 Cardinal of Stanford (7-0) Saturday night 65-21.
23/21/NR/23 Illinois (6-2) The Fighting Illini fell behind the Purdue Boilermakers (4-3) 21-0 by half time and never managed to recover losing 21-14. The Illini fell for the second consecutive week to a Big Ten opponent.
24T/25/NR/NR Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils had the weekend off.
24T/NR/23/NR Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs were idle this week.
NR/22/17/21 Penn State (7-1) The Nittany Lions and the Northwestern Wildcats (2-5) went head to head and matched scores in the first half. PSU held a 27-24 lead at the half. Only Penn State scored in the second half coming away with a 34-24 victory. Matt McGloin started at QB for PSU and finished the day with 17 completions on 26 attempts for 192 yards and two TDs. PSU is now 4-0 in the Big Ten
NR/NR/15/24 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns had the weekend off.
NR/NR/22/NR Notre Dame (4-3) The Fighting Irish fell prey to the Trojans of Southern California (6-1) Saturday night 31-17. George Atkinson’s 96-yard kick return for a TD gave the Irish hope. Jawanza Starling’s 80-yard fumble return for a TD took it away. Matt Barkley had three TDs in a 24 of 35, 224 yard performance.
NR/NR/24/NR Southern California (6-1) The Trojans beat the Irish of Notre Dame (4-3) on the road Saturday night 31-17. See above for more.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Bats and Windmills, not so perfect together.
I was going through some posts over at Watts Up With That and came across one (Holy irony, Batman!) about how the death of one Indiana bat (an endangered species) has caused a small wind farm (36 turbines) east of Pittsburgh to be shut down at night.
That, in turn led to a blog post about a Canadian project on Wolfe Island in the St. Lawrence River and a proposed New York project in the same area. (Cape Vincent, NY and Wolfe Island are located at the drainage of Lake Ontario in to the St. Lawrence.) The Indiana bat has a documented territory that overlaps some of the proposed wind farm.
(The latter also points out the personal involvement of Darrel Aubertine, New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner. Seems he owns some of the land involved in the development of the New York wind farm project. But that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.)
Meanwhile, alternative sources of energy just do not seem to be as "green" as their backers claim them to be.
That, in turn led to a blog post about a Canadian project on Wolfe Island in the St. Lawrence River and a proposed New York project in the same area. (Cape Vincent, NY and Wolfe Island are located at the drainage of Lake Ontario in to the St. Lawrence.) The Indiana bat has a documented territory that overlaps some of the proposed wind farm.
(The latter also points out the personal involvement of Darrel Aubertine, New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner. Seems he owns some of the land involved in the development of the New York wind farm project. But that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.)
Meanwhile, alternative sources of energy just do not seem to be as "green" as their backers claim them to be.
Aerie Report, October 20, 2011
Last night's Tiadaghton Audubon Society meeting was an interesting one with Bob and Diane presenting a slide show of their trip to the Peruvian Amazon with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours.
They flew from LA to Lima, Peru and then northeast over the Andes into the Amazon basin. There they boarded a cruise ship and traveled up and down two large tributaries of the Amazon River leaving the ship only to use smaller skiffs to explore the even smaller rivers and streams in search of the myriad bird species the area had to offer. During the two weeks, they added over 350 birds to their life lists.
The entire time they were just a few degrees latitude south of the equator where they had 90 degree temperatures and near equal relative humidity with daily early afternoon heavy rains. While the birding may have been great, those weather conditions alone are a huge turnoff for me! They were not permitted to make any landings for fear of snakes, ants, spiders, scorpions and other venomous creatures. That too is a big turnoff. Then there's the cost. It ain't cheap!
******
On the way home from Wellsboro, the sky to our south would occasionally light up indicating there was some heavy weather on the way. It had drizzled and misted all day, but it looked like we were in for some natural pyrotechnics along with heavy rain.
It didn't take long and by 10 PM there was sufficient lightening and thunder to have the cats going bonkers. Luckily the worst of it would pass just to the Aerie's west back toward Wellsboro and beyond through the Pine Creek gorge. Even so, we received 1.08 inches of rain.
While we are currently enjoying a bit of a lull in the rain department, the winds are now coming out of the west-southwest and we are, according to the radar, likely to see more showers later today or this evening. There's a massive circulation centered over Lake Erie just about where Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario meet. Last night we got a taste of the eastern edge but the western side of that circulation is a huge mass of rain covering all of Lake Michigan, eastern Wisconsin, much of Michigan, all of Indiana, and western Ohio. And it's slowly heading this way. The forecasters must know something the map isn't showing, however, as they say we have only a 30% chance of rain over the next 36 hours.
They flew from LA to Lima, Peru and then northeast over the Andes into the Amazon basin. There they boarded a cruise ship and traveled up and down two large tributaries of the Amazon River leaving the ship only to use smaller skiffs to explore the even smaller rivers and streams in search of the myriad bird species the area had to offer. During the two weeks, they added over 350 birds to their life lists.
The entire time they were just a few degrees latitude south of the equator where they had 90 degree temperatures and near equal relative humidity with daily early afternoon heavy rains. While the birding may have been great, those weather conditions alone are a huge turnoff for me! They were not permitted to make any landings for fear of snakes, ants, spiders, scorpions and other venomous creatures. That too is a big turnoff. Then there's the cost. It ain't cheap!
******
On the way home from Wellsboro, the sky to our south would occasionally light up indicating there was some heavy weather on the way. It had drizzled and misted all day, but it looked like we were in for some natural pyrotechnics along with heavy rain.
It didn't take long and by 10 PM there was sufficient lightening and thunder to have the cats going bonkers. Luckily the worst of it would pass just to the Aerie's west back toward Wellsboro and beyond through the Pine Creek gorge. Even so, we received 1.08 inches of rain.
While we are currently enjoying a bit of a lull in the rain department, the winds are now coming out of the west-southwest and we are, according to the radar, likely to see more showers later today or this evening. There's a massive circulation centered over Lake Erie just about where Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario meet. Last night we got a taste of the eastern edge but the western side of that circulation is a huge mass of rain covering all of Lake Michigan, eastern Wisconsin, much of Michigan, all of Indiana, and western Ohio. And it's slowly heading this way. The forecasters must know something the map isn't showing, however, as they say we have only a 30% chance of rain over the next 36 hours.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Aerie Report, October 19, 2011
Stepping out on the deck yesterday morning I spied two large does bedding down on the trail about 40-50 yards from the house. The wind was in my favor and they didn't seem to mind the sounds of the sliding door opening and closing or my being on the deck. We watched each other for over half an hour before I got bored. Ten minutes after I came in side, they disappeared.
I noticed a lot of little birds flitting through the trees and assume they are migrants heading south. Some may be Gold Finches but in their winter plumage, they are terribly olive drab in appearance. They all disappeared later in the day as if they had places to go and things to do off to the south.
I then went out and ran some errands.
My first stop was at the orthopedist's up in Corning to report in on my progress post surgery and get some answers about my arthritic knees. The knees are doing as well as can be expected considering the lack of cushioning cartilage. Ms. Ryan, the PA (physician's assistant) to whom I report, is a personable young woman who provided plenty of information as to what I can expect in the coming years. She is the one who would be giving me cortisone shots (insurers want patients to go that route first because it's cheaper, she says) and, if they should fail to provide relief, Synvisc shots (much more expensive but more effective, she says). She seems somewhat disconcertingly enthusiastic about administering shots but is willing to hold off until they become necessary (it's just a matter of time, she says). Good thing she's so easy to talk to--and cute as well--or she might be scary.
Anyway, Ms. Ryan did answer all my questions, including under what circumstances I should be calling her again to get those shots. (Short answer: When the pain--and there will be pain--won't go away after taking some Tylenol for a day or two.) Knowing how I will likely push myself (the Bolt Hole roof still needs to be finished and firewood needs cutting, splitting and hauling), I expect I'll be calling her sometime in the next year or two.
BTW As usual when visiting a doctors office they take your vitals. BP reading: 111 over 81 with a pulse of 51.
******
My next stop was at the propane supplier to find out when I could expect my next delivery. If you remember, I had to call them several times at the end of last winter to get them to come up because we were running low on fuel and their new method of determining delivery dates was still being tweaked. The gall at the desk told me that the delivery ticket would be printed the last week in October (That's next week? Time does indeed fly!) and we should get delivery no later than the end of the first week in November. As long as we don't have a hard frost yet, that's an acceptable time frame since we've just recently gone below 20% on the tank's gauge. I'm not looking forward to that bill.
******
Then I went next door to Agway. I picked up a nice sized pumpkin for the front steps to go along with the mum that Terry purchased last week. It's not Halloween/Autumn if you don't have mums and pumpkins on your steps...even if no one ever visits.
I also asked about the price of black oil sunflower seeds. Talk about sticker shock! Last year we paid in the neighborhood of $16-17 for a 40 pound bag. This year seed is up to $27-28 for the same size bag. Ouch! The clerk said, being Tuesday, there was a 10% discount. Oh well, it's only money.
Last year we went through 10 bags of seed (plus about 50 pounds of thistle and many, many blocks of suet) and I was of a mind to purchase that amount but needed to check with Terry and clear out a space in the garage to stack the bags. After doing both, I went back and picked up my 10 bags of sunflower seeds. Now I've just got to get the feeders cleaned up/built and I'm ready to go.
We get too much entertainment from watching the birds, squirrels and chipmunks NOT to put feed out. And the bears that occasionally visit make life...interesting.
******
This morning we're back to overcast and cloudy with a bit of mist in the air. The forecast had been for rain overnight and through much of the day--up to an inch according to AccuHunch--but, so far, that's been incorrect.
Never got above 60 degrees yesterday and probably won't today either. yesterday, Terry slow cooked some ribs in the oven and then baked brownies for a church function today. That helped keep the house warm. Today we'll be burning up some of that propane we still have since the sun's not likely to make an appearance.
******
We've an Tiadaghton Audubon Society meeting tonight. Two of our club members went on a river cruise in Peru last winter and they will be reporting on that. Should be interesting.
I noticed a lot of little birds flitting through the trees and assume they are migrants heading south. Some may be Gold Finches but in their winter plumage, they are terribly olive drab in appearance. They all disappeared later in the day as if they had places to go and things to do off to the south.
I then went out and ran some errands.
My first stop was at the orthopedist's up in Corning to report in on my progress post surgery and get some answers about my arthritic knees. The knees are doing as well as can be expected considering the lack of cushioning cartilage. Ms. Ryan, the PA (physician's assistant) to whom I report, is a personable young woman who provided plenty of information as to what I can expect in the coming years. She is the one who would be giving me cortisone shots (insurers want patients to go that route first because it's cheaper, she says) and, if they should fail to provide relief, Synvisc shots (much more expensive but more effective, she says). She seems somewhat disconcertingly enthusiastic about administering shots but is willing to hold off until they become necessary (it's just a matter of time, she says). Good thing she's so easy to talk to--and cute as well--or she might be scary.
Anyway, Ms. Ryan did answer all my questions, including under what circumstances I should be calling her again to get those shots. (Short answer: When the pain--and there will be pain--won't go away after taking some Tylenol for a day or two.) Knowing how I will likely push myself (the Bolt Hole roof still needs to be finished and firewood needs cutting, splitting and hauling), I expect I'll be calling her sometime in the next year or two.
BTW As usual when visiting a doctors office they take your vitals. BP reading: 111 over 81 with a pulse of 51.
******
My next stop was at the propane supplier to find out when I could expect my next delivery. If you remember, I had to call them several times at the end of last winter to get them to come up because we were running low on fuel and their new method of determining delivery dates was still being tweaked. The gall at the desk told me that the delivery ticket would be printed the last week in October (That's next week? Time does indeed fly!) and we should get delivery no later than the end of the first week in November. As long as we don't have a hard frost yet, that's an acceptable time frame since we've just recently gone below 20% on the tank's gauge. I'm not looking forward to that bill.
******
Then I went next door to Agway. I picked up a nice sized pumpkin for the front steps to go along with the mum that Terry purchased last week. It's not Halloween/Autumn if you don't have mums and pumpkins on your steps...even if no one ever visits.
I also asked about the price of black oil sunflower seeds. Talk about sticker shock! Last year we paid in the neighborhood of $16-17 for a 40 pound bag. This year seed is up to $27-28 for the same size bag. Ouch! The clerk said, being Tuesday, there was a 10% discount. Oh well, it's only money.
Last year we went through 10 bags of seed (plus about 50 pounds of thistle and many, many blocks of suet) and I was of a mind to purchase that amount but needed to check with Terry and clear out a space in the garage to stack the bags. After doing both, I went back and picked up my 10 bags of sunflower seeds. Now I've just got to get the feeders cleaned up/built and I'm ready to go.
We get too much entertainment from watching the birds, squirrels and chipmunks NOT to put feed out. And the bears that occasionally visit make life...interesting.
******
This morning we're back to overcast and cloudy with a bit of mist in the air. The forecast had been for rain overnight and through much of the day--up to an inch according to AccuHunch--but, so far, that's been incorrect.
Never got above 60 degrees yesterday and probably won't today either. yesterday, Terry slow cooked some ribs in the oven and then baked brownies for a church function today. That helped keep the house warm. Today we'll be burning up some of that propane we still have since the sun's not likely to make an appearance.
******
We've an Tiadaghton Audubon Society meeting tonight. Two of our club members went on a river cruise in Peru last winter and they will be reporting on that. Should be interesting.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Cellar Dwellers
Okay, we’ve looked at the Top 25--and then some. (See the previous post.) Now let’s take a look at the opposite end of the spectrum: The Bottom 10
Three teams have yet to win a game and currently have 0-6 records. Two of the ten have the week off. Two of this week’s games involve teams in this group facing one another (#112 Tulane against #118 Memphis, and #115 Middle Tennessee State against #116 Florida Atlantic). Will a win help any of these an opportunity to move up and out? Probably not. But should Minnesota defeat Nebraska, or Western Kentucky beat La.-Lafayette, UAB beat UCF, or New Mexico beat TCU, then the winner of that game has a chance to get out from under—temporarily.
As listed by CBSSPorts120 these are the teams ranked #111 through 120 out of 120 teams playing in the FBS.
111 The UNLV Rebels (1-5) have an extra week to prepare to face the Colorado State Rams (3-3) on Oct. 29.
112 The Tulane Green Wave (2-5) host the Memphis Tigers (1-6) Saturday afternoon.
113 The Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-5) host the #13(AP) Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) Saturday afternoon.
114 The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-4) are on the road against the La.-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (6-1) Saturday afternoon.
115 The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-4) Oct. 22 @Florida Atlantic Owls (0-6) Saturday afternoon.
116 The Florida Atlantic Owls (0-6) host the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-4) Saturday afternoon. The Owls have a chance to get their first victory.
117 The Idaho Vandals (1-6) are idle this week. Their next game is at home against the Hawaii Warriors Oct. 29.
118 The Memphis Tigers (1-6) head to Tulane to play the Green Wave (2-5) Saturday afternoon.
119 The UAB Blazers (0-6) play Thursday night against the UCF Knights (3-3).
120 The New Mexico Lobos (0-6) head to TCU to play the Horned Frogs (4-2) Saturday afternoon.
Three teams have yet to win a game and currently have 0-6 records. Two of the ten have the week off. Two of this week’s games involve teams in this group facing one another (#112 Tulane against #118 Memphis, and #115 Middle Tennessee State against #116 Florida Atlantic). Will a win help any of these an opportunity to move up and out? Probably not. But should Minnesota defeat Nebraska, or Western Kentucky beat La.-Lafayette, UAB beat UCF, or New Mexico beat TCU, then the winner of that game has a chance to get out from under—temporarily.
As listed by CBSSPorts120 these are the teams ranked #111 through 120 out of 120 teams playing in the FBS.
111 The UNLV Rebels (1-5) have an extra week to prepare to face the Colorado State Rams (3-3) on Oct. 29.
112 The Tulane Green Wave (2-5) host the Memphis Tigers (1-6) Saturday afternoon.
113 The Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-5) host the #13(AP) Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) Saturday afternoon.
114 The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-4) are on the road against the La.-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (6-1) Saturday afternoon.
115 The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-4) Oct. 22 @Florida Atlantic Owls (0-6) Saturday afternoon.
116 The Florida Atlantic Owls (0-6) host the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (1-4) Saturday afternoon. The Owls have a chance to get their first victory.
117 The Idaho Vandals (1-6) are idle this week. Their next game is at home against the Hawaii Warriors Oct. 29.
118 The Memphis Tigers (1-6) head to Tulane to play the Green Wave (2-5) Saturday afternoon.
119 The UAB Blazers (0-6) play Thursday night against the UCF Knights (3-3).
120 The New Mexico Lobos (0-6) head to TCU to play the Horned Frogs (4-2) Saturday afternoon.
College Football 2011, Preweek 8
Week 8
There are four polls for consideration this week. Two of them use computer programs. The CBSSprts120 ranks are calculated using a computer the BCS uses the Harris Poll, the Coaches’ Poll and a computer. Both computer polls use “strength of schedule” as a component. This is based upon the teams all ready played and how they have measured up against their opponents. Teams not yet played are not taken into consideration. As a result, it is a very volatile value that will result in these two polls showing considerable changes from week to week.
Ten undefeated teams are left and all of them are playing this week. Most notably we have three games in which two ranked teams face off: #1 LSU (7-0) against #19 Auburn (5-2), #4 Wisconsin (6-0) vs #15 Michigan State (5-1), and #7 Stanford (6-0) vs #22 Washington (5-1).
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/2/5/1 LSU (7-0) The Tigers are playing at home against the #19 Auburn Tigers (5-2) Saturday afternoon.
2/3/4/2 Alabama (7-0) The Tide are at home against the Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) Saturday night.
3/1/3/3 Oklahoma (6-0) The Sooners host the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (4-2) Saturday night.
4/4/14/6 Wisconsin (6-0) The Badgers head out on the road to play the #15 Michigan State Spartans (5-1) Saturday night.
5/7/2/5 Boise State (6-0) The Broncos play host to the Air Force Falcons (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
6/6/1/4 Oklahoma State (6-0) The Cowboys will be on the road to face the Missouri Tigers (3-3) at noon Saturday.
7/5/6/8 Stanford (6-0) The Cardinal play at home against the #22 Washington Huskies (5-1) Saturday night.
8/8T/7/7 Clemson (7-0) The Tigers host the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-1) Saturday at noon.
9/8T/13/10 Oregon (5-1) The Ducks head to Colorado to play the Buffaloes (1-6) Saturday afternoon.
10/10/19/9 Arkansas (5-1) The Razorbacks go on the road to play the Ole Miss Rebels (2-4) Saturday afternoon.
11/14T/21/15 West Virginia (5-1) The Mountaineers head north to play the Syracuse Orange (4-2) Friday night at 8 on ESPN.
12/16/8/11 Kansas State (6-0) The Wildcats entertain the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) Saturday at noon.
13/11/16/13 Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers head to Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers (1-5) Saturday afternoon.
14/12/11/14 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks have the weekend off.
15/13/25/16 Michigan State (5-1) The Spartans host the #4 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0) Saturday night.
16/14T/12/12 Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies host the Eagles of Boston College (1-5) Saturday afternoon.
17/18/18/17 Texas A&M (4-2) The Aggies head to Ames to play the Iowa State Cyclones (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
18/17/9/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines are idle this week.
19/23/NR/20 Auburn (5-2) the Tigers host the #1 LSU Tigers (7-0) Saturday afternoon.
20/19/20/22 Georgia Tech (6-1) The Yellow Jackets are on the road playing the Hurricane of Miami (Fla.) (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
21/20/10/19 Houston (6-0) The Cougars host the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-4) Saturday afternoon.
22/24/NR/25 Washington (5-1) The Huskies head south to face the #7 Cardinal of Stanford (6-0) Saturday night.
23/21/NR/23 Illinois (6-1) The Fighting Illini play on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers (3-3) at noon Saturday.
24T/25/NR/NR Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils have the weekend off.
24T/NR/23/NR Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs are idle this week.
NR/22/17/21 Penn State (6-1) The Nittany Lions face the Northwestern Wildcats (2-4) on the road Saturday night.
NR/NR/15/24 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns have the weekend off.
NR/NR/22/NR Notre Dame (4-2) The Fighting Irish host the Trojans of Southern California (5-1) Saturday night.
NR/NR/24/NR Southern California (5-1) The Trojans play on the road against the Irish of Notre Dame (4-2) Saturday night.
There are four polls for consideration this week. Two of them use computer programs. The CBSSprts120 ranks are calculated using a computer the BCS uses the Harris Poll, the Coaches’ Poll and a computer. Both computer polls use “strength of schedule” as a component. This is based upon the teams all ready played and how they have measured up against their opponents. Teams not yet played are not taken into consideration. As a result, it is a very volatile value that will result in these two polls showing considerable changes from week to week.
Ten undefeated teams are left and all of them are playing this week. Most notably we have three games in which two ranked teams face off: #1 LSU (7-0) against #19 Auburn (5-2), #4 Wisconsin (6-0) vs #15 Michigan State (5-1), and #7 Stanford (6-0) vs #22 Washington (5-1).
(Polls are AP, Coaches’, the CBSSports120 and the BCS. NR = not ranked)
1/2/5/1 LSU (7-0) The Tigers are playing at home against the #19 Auburn Tigers (5-2) Saturday afternoon.
2/3/4/2 Alabama (7-0) The Tide are at home against the Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) Saturday night.
3/1/3/3 Oklahoma (6-0) The Sooners host the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (4-2) Saturday night.
4/4/14/6 Wisconsin (6-0) The Badgers head out on the road to play the #15 Michigan State Spartans (5-1) Saturday night.
5/7/2/5 Boise State (6-0) The Broncos play host to the Air Force Falcons (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
6/6/1/4 Oklahoma State (6-0) The Cowboys will be on the road to face the Missouri Tigers (3-3) at noon Saturday.
7/5/6/8 Stanford (6-0) The Cardinal play at home against the #22 Washington Huskies (5-1) Saturday night.
8/8T/7/7 Clemson (7-0) The Tigers host the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-1) Saturday at noon.
9/8T/13/10 Oregon (5-1) The Ducks head to Colorado to play the Buffaloes (1-6) Saturday afternoon.
10/10/19/9 Arkansas (5-1) The Razorbacks go on the road to play the Ole Miss Rebels (2-4) Saturday afternoon.
11/14T/21/15 West Virginia (5-1) The Mountaineers head north to play the Syracuse Orange (4-2) Friday night at 8 on ESPN.
12/16/8/11 Kansas State (6-0) The Wildcats entertain the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) Saturday at noon.
13/11/16/13 Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers head to Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers (1-5) Saturday afternoon.
14/12/11/14 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks have the weekend off.
15/13/25/16 Michigan State (5-1) The Spartans host the #4 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0) Saturday night.
16/14T/12/12 Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies host the Eagles of Boston College (1-5) Saturday afternoon.
17/18/18/17 Texas A&M (4-2) The Aggies head to Ames to play the Iowa State Cyclones (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
18/17/9/18 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines are idle this week.
19/23/NR/20 Auburn (5-2) the Tigers host the #1 LSU Tigers (7-0) Saturday afternoon.
20/19/20/22 Georgia Tech (6-1) The Yellow Jackets are on the road playing the Hurricane of Miami (Fla.) (3-3) Saturday afternoon.
21/20/10/19 Houston (6-0) The Cougars host the Thundering Herd of Marshall (3-4) Saturday afternoon.
22/24/NR/25 Washington (5-1) The Huskies head south to face the #7 Cardinal of Stanford (6-0) Saturday night.
23/21/NR/23 Illinois (6-1) The Fighting Illini play on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers (3-3) at noon Saturday.
24T/25/NR/NR Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils have the weekend off.
24T/NR/23/NR Georgia (5-2) The Bulldogs are idle this week.
NR/22/17/21 Penn State (6-1) The Nittany Lions face the Northwestern Wildcats (2-4) on the road Saturday night.
NR/NR/15/24 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns have the weekend off.
NR/NR/22/NR Notre Dame (4-2) The Fighting Irish host the Trojans of Southern California (5-1) Saturday night.
NR/NR/24/NR Southern California (5-1) The Trojans play on the road against the Irish of Notre Dame (4-2) Saturday night.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Morning at the Aerie, October 17, 2011
Another 0.22 inches of rain fell overnight. It started sometime around 4 PM on Sunday and stopped during the dark hours after midnight. This morning dawned clear as a bell with not a cloud in the sky with crisp cool temperatures somewhere around 40 degrees. Only a faint odor of a wandering skunk marred the beginning of a glorious day.
The wind and the rain have knocked 90% of the fall colors off the hillsides beginning the transformation to the gray/brown of winter colors. Only the deep greens of the pines and hemlocks remain. The larch have yet to make their transformations to the golden stage that precede their loss of needles.
I felt compelled to build a fire in the fireplace yesterday morning. The winds that were howling through the area all day and night on Saturday, coupled with the overcast, drizzling and finally rainy skies had dropped the inside temperatures to the point where the furnace was kicking on but even that didn't knock the rawness out of the air. The fire brought the temperature up to 70 dry degrees and that did the trick.
Terry's sojourn to the sunny and hot climes of southern California has ended. Her flight home took her to New Jersey's Newark airport last night and she should be driving back to the Aerie this afternoon. We (the cats and I) will be here to welcome her home.
The wind and the rain have knocked 90% of the fall colors off the hillsides beginning the transformation to the gray/brown of winter colors. Only the deep greens of the pines and hemlocks remain. The larch have yet to make their transformations to the golden stage that precede their loss of needles.
I felt compelled to build a fire in the fireplace yesterday morning. The winds that were howling through the area all day and night on Saturday, coupled with the overcast, drizzling and finally rainy skies had dropped the inside temperatures to the point where the furnace was kicking on but even that didn't knock the rawness out of the air. The fire brought the temperature up to 70 dry degrees and that did the trick.
Terry's sojourn to the sunny and hot climes of southern California has ended. Her flight home took her to New Jersey's Newark airport last night and she should be driving back to the Aerie this afternoon. We (the cats and I) will be here to welcome her home.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Things Seen on the Road
Driving around the other day I spotted a Nissan Cube.
It's one fug uckly box of a car but the one I saw made me smile just the same. The vanity plate read: "Rubiks"
******
This morning a truck parked in Mansfield had one of these on the rear bumper:
All I could think was, "No. Haven't got any in the freezer...yet,"
It's one fug uckly box of a car but the one I saw made me smile just the same. The vanity plate read: "Rubiks"
******
This morning a truck parked in Mansfield had one of these on the rear bumper:
All I could think was, "No. Haven't got any in the freezer...yet,"
College Football 2011, Week 7 results
Week 7 resulted in several upsets among the Top 25. The number of undefeated teams is slowly swindling as the season progresses. In the Big Ten, #11 Michigan lost to #23 Michigan State, #12 Georgia Tech fell to unranked Virginia, #16 Illinois lost to an unranked Ohio State. #21 Baylor lost to #22 Texas A&M.
Three teams lost their undefeated standing this week: Michigan, Illinois and Baylor. That leaves just 10.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’ and the CBSSports120. NR = not ranked)
1/2/4 LSU (7-0) The Tigers beat the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-3) 38-7. The game was 0-0 at the end of one quarter but the Tigers took a 17-7 lead into the half thanks to two Jarrett Lee TD passes and shut out the Vols in the second half.
2/3/1 Alabama (7-0) The Tide spotted the Mississippi Rebels (2-4) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Jeff score TD, but that was all the Rebels would managed as the Tide rolled to a 52-1 victory. Trent Richardson ran 17 times for 183 yards and four TDs. One was a 76 yard ramble.
3/1/3 Oklahoma (6-0) The Sooners beat the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) 47-17. The Jayhawks kept it close in the first half and trailed by just 27-17, but the Sooners’ defense shut them down in the second half. Oklahoma had 610 yards of offense to Kansas’ 252 yards. Landry Jones completed 29 of 48 for 363 yards and three TDs. Michael Hunnicutt kicked four field goals for the Sooners.
4/4/13 Wisconsin (6-0) The Badgers routed the Indiana Hoosiers (1-6) 59-7. Russell Wilson caught a 25 yard TD pass from running back Montee Ball for the Badgers. Ball scored three TDs of his own on runs of 5, 35 and 54 yards. Jarod Abbreseris returned a punt 60 yards for a TD and Derek Landisch recovered a fumble in the end zone for another as the Badgers proved dominant in all phases of the game.
5/6/2 Boise State (6-0) The Broncos romped over the Rams of Colorado State (3-3) 63-13. The Broncos scored 21 in the first, 14 in the second and 28 in the third quarter. Kellen Moore was 26-of-30 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns , Doug Martin ran 20 times for 200 yards and three scores (26, 65, and 14 yards) and TylerShoemaker caught nine passes for 180 yards and two TDs and added a 36-yard run on a fake punt that led to another score. And they did all that in 2 ½ quarters before being replaced by their backups. Which explains the 0-0 in the fourth quarter. I thought they might have had to call the game due to snow or something. Boise ran 83 plays for a net 742 yards. Bet they could have made it to 1K if all the starters stayed in.
6/7/5 Oklahoma State (6-0) The Cowboys beat the #22 Texas Longhorns (4-2) 38-26. Sooners’ Jeremy Smith carried the ball just 7 times but he had 140 yards thanks to two long TD runs 30 and 74 yards. With the score 21-10 at halftime, the Cowboys’ Justin Gilbert returned the second half kickoff 100 yards for a TD. It was the fourth kickoff return for a TD in his career. His feat was matched on the ensuing kickoff when the Longhorns’ Foswhitt Whittaker also returned the kick 100 yards for a TD—his second in two weeks.
7/5/7 Stanford (6-0) The Cardinal beat the Washington State Cougars (3-3) 44-14. The Cardinal started slow but they had Luck on their side. Andrew Luck may have been intercepted on his first pass of the game, but he finished 23-36 for 337 yards and four TDs. All four came in the second half. Ty Montgomery finished the Cardinal scoring with a 96 yard kick return which was the answer to the Cougars second TD and final of the game.
8/8/8 Clemson (7-0) The Tigers beat the Maryland Terrapins (2-4) 56-45. They’ll probably have a similar score in basketball in a few weeks. The Tigers fell behind 14-10 after the first quarter and trailed 28-17 at the half. Then they got even. They outscored the Terps 18-10 in the third for a 35-34 lead. Fell behind 45-42 in the fourth and then scored twice--once on an 89 yard kickoff return by Sammy Watkins, the other a 44 yard run by Andre Ellington--to salt the game away. As I said…Basketball. (Watkins also caught two TD passes from Tajh Boyd. Ellington also had a 3 yard TD run early on.) Tajh Boyd completed 26 of 38 for 270 and four TDs. The Terps’ Davin Meggett had two TD runs. C.J. Brown carried the ball 22 times for 162 yards.
9/9/20 Oregon (5-1) The Ducks proved to be too much for the #18 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2) as they dropped the Sun Devils 41-27. With LaMichael James on the sidelines with a dislocated elbow, and even though starting QB Darron Thomas had to come out of the game in the second half due to a leg injury, there were lots of smiles in Eugene. James’ replacement, Kenjon Barner, ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, and freshman De'Anthony Thomas ran for 73 yards and two TDs. Darron Thomas completed 13 of 17 passes for 187 yards (he also ran 4 times for 16 yards) before being replaced by Bryan Bennett who was just 2 of 5 for 22 yards but ran for 5 times for 65 yards.
10/11/18 Arkansas (5-1) The Razorbacks had the week of.
11/10/6 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines fell from the ranks of the undefeated at the hands of the #23 Michigan State Spartans (5-1) 28-14. The Wolverines haven't beaten the Spartans since 2007. Michigan’s Denard Robinson had a rough time he managed just 42 yards on 18 carries (one TD) and completed just 9 of 24 passes for 124 yards (one TD) with one interception (returned for a TD by Isaiah Lewis) before leaving the game after a hard hit in the fourth quarter.
12/12/11 Georgia Tech (6-1) The Yellow Jackets high octane offense was smothered by the Virginia Cavaliers (4-2) as the Cavaliers pulled off the 24-21 upset. Virginia jumped out to a 14-0 lead and saw it disappear. Then they lead 24-14 and held on for dear life. The Cavaliers amassed 407 yards of net offense to the Yellow Jackets’ 296. Both teams had 272 yards on the ground but the Cavaliers had a huge advantage in the passing game: 135 yards to just 24. Rod Sweeting returned an interception 32 yards for a Georgia Tech TD to tie the game at 14 all in the second quarter.
13/16/25 West Virginia (5-1) The Mountaineers were idle this weekend.
14/14/21 Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers had the weekend off.
15/13/15 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks won their game against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State (3-4) 14-12 but may have lost their season. Connor Shaw struggled all game but managed to find Alshon Jeffery for a go ahead TD with 3:50 remaining in the game. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore also struggled. Lattimore came into the game averaging an SEC-best 129.8 rushing yards per game, but managed only 39 yards on 17 carries. He did score the other Gamecock’s touchdown, however. He left the game in the fourth quarter when he suffered a knee injury while blocking. Initially diagnosed as a sprain, an MRI revealed a torn ligament and some cartilage damage. Meaning Lattimore’s season is over.
16/15/9 Illinois (6-1) The Fighting Illini fell to the Buckeyes of Ohio State (4-3) 17-7. Each team fumbled three times but the Illini lost one of those and were intercepted twice. Those three turnovers were all the Buckeye’s needed as Ohio kept the ball on the ground rushing 51 times--in 55 plays from scrimmage—for 211 yards—of a net 228.
17/18/14 Kansas State (6-0) The Wildcats remain undefeated beating the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (4-2)41-34. They had to come from behind to do it. The Wildcats trailed 28-29 at the half but their defense stiffened and the offense clicked in the second half as they outscored Tech 21-6 to pull away. Collin Klein ran for 110 yards and three TDs on 23 carries for K-State. Klein also threw for one TD. Seth Doege completed 43 passes on 63 attempts for 461 yards and one TD for the Red Raiders. He also ran for a score. But he threw three INTs, one of which was returned 24 yards by Nigel Malone for a Wildcat TD.
18/20/17 Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils fell to the #9 Oregon Ducks (5-1) 41-27. See above for more.
19/17/NR Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies beat the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest (4-2) 38-17. The Deacons jumped out to a 10-0 lead after one, but the Hokies put 21 on the board in the second quarter and never looked back. Logan Thomas threw for two TDs on 17 of 32 for 280 yards and ran for two more on runs of one and three yards. Thomas carried 11 times for 30 yards. David Wilson also carried the ball 17 times for 136 yards and a TD for the Hokies.
20/24/22 Baylor (4-2) The Bears lost to the #21 Aggies of Texas A&M (4-2) 55-28. Ryan Tannehill completed 25 of 37 for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes and Ryan Swope caught four of them, also a career-best. Two of those were for 68 yards.
21/23/NR Texas A&M (4-2) The Aggies beat the #20 Baylor Bears (4-2) 55-28. See above for more.
22/21/10 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns fell to the # 6 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (6-0) 38-26. See above for more.
23/19/NR Michigan State (5-1) The Spartans knocked the #11 Wolverines of Michigan (6-1) from the ranks of the undefeated, 28-14. See above for more.
24/NR/NR Auburn (5-2) The Tigers beat the Florida Gators (4-3) 17-6. Florida turned the ball over three times in a sloppy game in which neither team could get their offense going.
25/22/12 Houston (6-0) The Cougars had the weekend off.
NR/25/23 Penn State (6-1) The Nittany Lions beat the Purdue Boilermakers (3-3) 23-18. While not anemic, neither teams offense could do much in the air. Penn State was just 10 of 23 with one INT. Purdue was 14 of 30 with three INTs, but they did get one TD on a Caleb TerBush to O.J. Ross completion. Anthony Fera had two field goals of 29 yards and another form 40 yards out for the Nittany Lions.
NR/NR/16 Notre Dame (4-2) The Irish were idle this weekend.
NR/NR/24 Rutgers (5-1) The Scarlet Knights edged the Midshipmen of Navy (2-4) 21-20. The Knights’ defense limited the nation leading ground game (the Midshipmen were averaging 366 yards per game) to just 162 yards on 46 carries. Rutgers’ true freshman quarterback, Gary Nova, completed 23 of 31 passes for 271 yards and two TDs. He did throw two interceptions, however, one of which was returned by Navy’s Chris Ferguson 16 yards for a TD in the second quarter. Jawan Jamison ran for 101 yards on 22 carries and a TD for the Knights. Mohamed Sanu had 10 catches for 100 yards. Kriss Proctor completed 5 of 12 for 106 yards but also had two INTs against a Rutgers defense that ranks among the best in the nation in take-aways. In addition to the two interceptions by Nova, Rutgers fumbled three times, losing one—at the goal line by Savon Huggins—in the first quarter.
Three teams lost their undefeated standing this week: Michigan, Illinois and Baylor. That leaves just 10.
(Polls are AP, Coaches’ and the CBSSports120. NR = not ranked)
1/2/4 LSU (7-0) The Tigers beat the Volunteers of Tennessee (3-3) 38-7. The game was 0-0 at the end of one quarter but the Tigers took a 17-7 lead into the half thanks to two Jarrett Lee TD passes and shut out the Vols in the second half.
2/3/1 Alabama (7-0) The Tide spotted the Mississippi Rebels (2-4) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Jeff score TD, but that was all the Rebels would managed as the Tide rolled to a 52-1 victory. Trent Richardson ran 17 times for 183 yards and four TDs. One was a 76 yard ramble.
3/1/3 Oklahoma (6-0) The Sooners beat the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) 47-17. The Jayhawks kept it close in the first half and trailed by just 27-17, but the Sooners’ defense shut them down in the second half. Oklahoma had 610 yards of offense to Kansas’ 252 yards. Landry Jones completed 29 of 48 for 363 yards and three TDs. Michael Hunnicutt kicked four field goals for the Sooners.
4/4/13 Wisconsin (6-0) The Badgers routed the Indiana Hoosiers (1-6) 59-7. Russell Wilson caught a 25 yard TD pass from running back Montee Ball for the Badgers. Ball scored three TDs of his own on runs of 5, 35 and 54 yards. Jarod Abbreseris returned a punt 60 yards for a TD and Derek Landisch recovered a fumble in the end zone for another as the Badgers proved dominant in all phases of the game.
5/6/2 Boise State (6-0) The Broncos romped over the Rams of Colorado State (3-3) 63-13. The Broncos scored 21 in the first, 14 in the second and 28 in the third quarter. Kellen Moore was 26-of-30 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns , Doug Martin ran 20 times for 200 yards and three scores (26, 65, and 14 yards) and TylerShoemaker caught nine passes for 180 yards and two TDs and added a 36-yard run on a fake punt that led to another score. And they did all that in 2 ½ quarters before being replaced by their backups. Which explains the 0-0 in the fourth quarter. I thought they might have had to call the game due to snow or something. Boise ran 83 plays for a net 742 yards. Bet they could have made it to 1K if all the starters stayed in.
6/7/5 Oklahoma State (6-0) The Cowboys beat the #22 Texas Longhorns (4-2) 38-26. Sooners’ Jeremy Smith carried the ball just 7 times but he had 140 yards thanks to two long TD runs 30 and 74 yards. With the score 21-10 at halftime, the Cowboys’ Justin Gilbert returned the second half kickoff 100 yards for a TD. It was the fourth kickoff return for a TD in his career. His feat was matched on the ensuing kickoff when the Longhorns’ Foswhitt Whittaker also returned the kick 100 yards for a TD—his second in two weeks.
7/5/7 Stanford (6-0) The Cardinal beat the Washington State Cougars (3-3) 44-14. The Cardinal started slow but they had Luck on their side. Andrew Luck may have been intercepted on his first pass of the game, but he finished 23-36 for 337 yards and four TDs. All four came in the second half. Ty Montgomery finished the Cardinal scoring with a 96 yard kick return which was the answer to the Cougars second TD and final of the game.
8/8/8 Clemson (7-0) The Tigers beat the Maryland Terrapins (2-4) 56-45. They’ll probably have a similar score in basketball in a few weeks. The Tigers fell behind 14-10 after the first quarter and trailed 28-17 at the half. Then they got even. They outscored the Terps 18-10 in the third for a 35-34 lead. Fell behind 45-42 in the fourth and then scored twice--once on an 89 yard kickoff return by Sammy Watkins, the other a 44 yard run by Andre Ellington--to salt the game away. As I said…Basketball. (Watkins also caught two TD passes from Tajh Boyd. Ellington also had a 3 yard TD run early on.) Tajh Boyd completed 26 of 38 for 270 and four TDs. The Terps’ Davin Meggett had two TD runs. C.J. Brown carried the ball 22 times for 162 yards.
9/9/20 Oregon (5-1) The Ducks proved to be too much for the #18 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2) as they dropped the Sun Devils 41-27. With LaMichael James on the sidelines with a dislocated elbow, and even though starting QB Darron Thomas had to come out of the game in the second half due to a leg injury, there were lots of smiles in Eugene. James’ replacement, Kenjon Barner, ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, and freshman De'Anthony Thomas ran for 73 yards and two TDs. Darron Thomas completed 13 of 17 passes for 187 yards (he also ran 4 times for 16 yards) before being replaced by Bryan Bennett who was just 2 of 5 for 22 yards but ran for 5 times for 65 yards.
10/11/18 Arkansas (5-1) The Razorbacks had the week of.
11/10/6 Michigan (6-1) The Wolverines fell from the ranks of the undefeated at the hands of the #23 Michigan State Spartans (5-1) 28-14. The Wolverines haven't beaten the Spartans since 2007. Michigan’s Denard Robinson had a rough time he managed just 42 yards on 18 carries (one TD) and completed just 9 of 24 passes for 124 yards (one TD) with one interception (returned for a TD by Isaiah Lewis) before leaving the game after a hard hit in the fourth quarter.
12/12/11 Georgia Tech (6-1) The Yellow Jackets high octane offense was smothered by the Virginia Cavaliers (4-2) as the Cavaliers pulled off the 24-21 upset. Virginia jumped out to a 14-0 lead and saw it disappear. Then they lead 24-14 and held on for dear life. The Cavaliers amassed 407 yards of net offense to the Yellow Jackets’ 296. Both teams had 272 yards on the ground but the Cavaliers had a huge advantage in the passing game: 135 yards to just 24. Rod Sweeting returned an interception 32 yards for a Georgia Tech TD to tie the game at 14 all in the second quarter.
13/16/25 West Virginia (5-1) The Mountaineers were idle this weekend.
14/14/21 Nebraska (5-1) The Cornhuskers had the weekend off.
15/13/15 South Carolina (6-1) The Gamecocks won their game against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State (3-4) 14-12 but may have lost their season. Connor Shaw struggled all game but managed to find Alshon Jeffery for a go ahead TD with 3:50 remaining in the game. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore also struggled. Lattimore came into the game averaging an SEC-best 129.8 rushing yards per game, but managed only 39 yards on 17 carries. He did score the other Gamecock’s touchdown, however. He left the game in the fourth quarter when he suffered a knee injury while blocking. Initially diagnosed as a sprain, an MRI revealed a torn ligament and some cartilage damage. Meaning Lattimore’s season is over.
16/15/9 Illinois (6-1) The Fighting Illini fell to the Buckeyes of Ohio State (4-3) 17-7. Each team fumbled three times but the Illini lost one of those and were intercepted twice. Those three turnovers were all the Buckeye’s needed as Ohio kept the ball on the ground rushing 51 times--in 55 plays from scrimmage—for 211 yards—of a net 228.
17/18/14 Kansas State (6-0) The Wildcats remain undefeated beating the Red Raiders of Texas Tech (4-2)41-34. They had to come from behind to do it. The Wildcats trailed 28-29 at the half but their defense stiffened and the offense clicked in the second half as they outscored Tech 21-6 to pull away. Collin Klein ran for 110 yards and three TDs on 23 carries for K-State. Klein also threw for one TD. Seth Doege completed 43 passes on 63 attempts for 461 yards and one TD for the Red Raiders. He also ran for a score. But he threw three INTs, one of which was returned 24 yards by Nigel Malone for a Wildcat TD.
18/20/17 Arizona State (5-2) The Sun Devils fell to the #9 Oregon Ducks (5-1) 41-27. See above for more.
19/17/NR Virginia Tech (6-1) The Hokies beat the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest (4-2) 38-17. The Deacons jumped out to a 10-0 lead after one, but the Hokies put 21 on the board in the second quarter and never looked back. Logan Thomas threw for two TDs on 17 of 32 for 280 yards and ran for two more on runs of one and three yards. Thomas carried 11 times for 30 yards. David Wilson also carried the ball 17 times for 136 yards and a TD for the Hokies.
20/24/22 Baylor (4-2) The Bears lost to the #21 Aggies of Texas A&M (4-2) 55-28. Ryan Tannehill completed 25 of 37 for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes and Ryan Swope caught four of them, also a career-best. Two of those were for 68 yards.
21/23/NR Texas A&M (4-2) The Aggies beat the #20 Baylor Bears (4-2) 55-28. See above for more.
22/21/10 Texas (4-2) The Longhorns fell to the # 6 Cowboys of Oklahoma State (6-0) 38-26. See above for more.
23/19/NR Michigan State (5-1) The Spartans knocked the #11 Wolverines of Michigan (6-1) from the ranks of the undefeated, 28-14. See above for more.
24/NR/NR Auburn (5-2) The Tigers beat the Florida Gators (4-3) 17-6. Florida turned the ball over three times in a sloppy game in which neither team could get their offense going.
25/22/12 Houston (6-0) The Cougars had the weekend off.
NR/25/23 Penn State (6-1) The Nittany Lions beat the Purdue Boilermakers (3-3) 23-18. While not anemic, neither teams offense could do much in the air. Penn State was just 10 of 23 with one INT. Purdue was 14 of 30 with three INTs, but they did get one TD on a Caleb TerBush to O.J. Ross completion. Anthony Fera had two field goals of 29 yards and another form 40 yards out for the Nittany Lions.
NR/NR/16 Notre Dame (4-2) The Irish were idle this weekend.
NR/NR/24 Rutgers (5-1) The Scarlet Knights edged the Midshipmen of Navy (2-4) 21-20. The Knights’ defense limited the nation leading ground game (the Midshipmen were averaging 366 yards per game) to just 162 yards on 46 carries. Rutgers’ true freshman quarterback, Gary Nova, completed 23 of 31 passes for 271 yards and two TDs. He did throw two interceptions, however, one of which was returned by Navy’s Chris Ferguson 16 yards for a TD in the second quarter. Jawan Jamison ran for 101 yards on 22 carries and a TD for the Knights. Mohamed Sanu had 10 catches for 100 yards. Kriss Proctor completed 5 of 12 for 106 yards but also had two INTs against a Rutgers defense that ranks among the best in the nation in take-aways. In addition to the two interceptions by Nova, Rutgers fumbled three times, losing one—at the goal line by Savon Huggins—in the first quarter.
Rutgers 21, Navy 20
It should have been a larger margin, but RU got stopped inside the 10 yard line--twice--in the first half, once when Savon Huggins fumbled the ball on the one yard line and once when they failed to convert a field goal.
On offense, the Scarlet Knight's redshirt freshman Jawan Jamison carried the ball 22 times and gained 101 yards and one touchdown as the Knights finally produced a running attack with 152 yards on the ground. True freshman quarterback Gary Nova completed 23 of 31 tosses for 271 and two TDs. Sure, he also threw two INTs--one getting returned for a Navy touchdown--but he gained some invaluable experience.
On defense, the Knights continued to produce turnovers getting two interceptions against Navy. Considering that Navy only threw the ball 13 times, completing six, that's quite an achievement. They also stifled the Navy running attack. Navy came into the game leading the nation with an average 366 yards a game on the ground. They only managed 162 yards on 42 carries against Rutgers' stingy defense led by Junior LB Khaseem Greene and junior DT Scott Vallone who achieved career-highs with 14 and 12 tackles, respectively. Junior CB Brandon Jones blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt that would have put Navy ahead with 4:43 to go in the game.
Stories here and here.
Rutgers is now 5-1, 2-0 in Big East play, and will face Louisville in Kentucky on Friday night. Then it's at home against West Virginia on Oct 29 and South Florida Nov 5. The Knights play Army in Yankee Stadium on Nov 12 and Cincinnati at home on Nov 19 before closing out the season at Connecticut on November 26th.
On offense, the Scarlet Knight's redshirt freshman Jawan Jamison carried the ball 22 times and gained 101 yards and one touchdown as the Knights finally produced a running attack with 152 yards on the ground. True freshman quarterback Gary Nova completed 23 of 31 tosses for 271 and two TDs. Sure, he also threw two INTs--one getting returned for a Navy touchdown--but he gained some invaluable experience.
On defense, the Knights continued to produce turnovers getting two interceptions against Navy. Considering that Navy only threw the ball 13 times, completing six, that's quite an achievement. They also stifled the Navy running attack. Navy came into the game leading the nation with an average 366 yards a game on the ground. They only managed 162 yards on 42 carries against Rutgers' stingy defense led by Junior LB Khaseem Greene and junior DT Scott Vallone who achieved career-highs with 14 and 12 tackles, respectively. Junior CB Brandon Jones blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt that would have put Navy ahead with 4:43 to go in the game.
Stories here and here.
Rutgers is now 5-1, 2-0 in Big East play, and will face Louisville in Kentucky on Friday night. Then it's at home against West Virginia on Oct 29 and South Florida Nov 5. The Knights play Army in Yankee Stadium on Nov 12 and Cincinnati at home on Nov 19 before closing out the season at Connecticut on November 26th.
Random thoughts from the Aerie, October 16, 2011
Driving down to Mansfield this morning to get the Sunday papers and gas up the Tundra, I heard an ad for the newest place opening in town: A Perkins Restaurant.
While Mansfield has its share of fast food chains (Taco Bell/KFC, Arby's, McDonald's, Wendy's) it hasn't had a more "upscale" chain eatery. There are several mom-and-pop places that serve breakfast as well as other meals (Grandma's Kitchen, The Black Swan Cafe, Eddie's Restaurant) and a few that are open for lunch and dinner (The Wren's Nest, Cast and Crew, Lamb's Creek Food & Spirits, etc.), but adding a Perkins has quite a few local resident's all aflutter--at least those that didn't prefer that it be a Cracker Barrel.
It's not like there aren't scores of places to eat within a short drive of here. "Short" being a relative term. Could be anywhere from 15 miles (Wellsboro) to 75 miles (Williamsport, Corning, Elmira, Watkins Glen, Binghamton, etc. ). Surprisingly, for such a rural area, there are folks who consider the latter just "way too far!"
And should you opt for more home cooked fare, there are church dinners every single weekend. They rotate the locations so as not to step on one another's toes, so to speak. Then there are the Saturday or Sunday breakfasts at the local firehouse. Some to support the volunteer firefighters, some for the Scouts, some for whoever might need help this month. Or the barbecue chickens at the VFW.
I tell, ya, the area runs on it's stomachs.
******
Why are we here?
We built the Aerie in north-central Pennsylvania because:
1) PA has a much, much lower tax burden than either NJ (our original home) or NY (where we have the Bolt Hole).
2) Mansfield is a college town/ (Little did I know they would stop playing regular football as soon as we moved in! Or that they didn't really make any sort of effort for continuing education classes--poor homework on my part!)
3) It was still convenient to the Bolt Hole at nearly the same 250 miles door to door we had when living in NJ.
4) It was sufficiently rural for my hermitic tendencies yet close enough to "civilization" for Terry.
5) Neither Terry nor I would like living in the southern heat of Florida, or the muggy summers of the Carolinas or southern Missouri. Winters in Alaska might cause me to hibernate--for real!
6) The Northern Tier of PA is cool enough in the summer, colorful enough in the fall, invigorating enough in the spring, and enjoyable enough in the winter despite all the bitching I do about snow. We like seasons, damn it!
7) Montana and Idaho, early candidates, were too far away...we thought...from family. Now with Rick and Sandy in Portland, Oregon that has become a moot point.
8) While I also considered doing some full-timing (living on the road in an RV traveling wherever we wished), I realized that would be impractical for several reasons. Both Terry and I need a base for our hobbies: stitching and woodworking, hunting require lots of "stuff" that takes up space.
While Mansfield has its share of fast food chains (Taco Bell/KFC, Arby's, McDonald's, Wendy's) it hasn't had a more "upscale" chain eatery. There are several mom-and-pop places that serve breakfast as well as other meals (Grandma's Kitchen, The Black Swan Cafe, Eddie's Restaurant) and a few that are open for lunch and dinner (The Wren's Nest, Cast and Crew, Lamb's Creek Food & Spirits, etc.), but adding a Perkins has quite a few local resident's all aflutter--at least those that didn't prefer that it be a Cracker Barrel.
It's not like there aren't scores of places to eat within a short drive of here. "Short" being a relative term. Could be anywhere from 15 miles (Wellsboro) to 75 miles (Williamsport, Corning, Elmira, Watkins Glen, Binghamton, etc. ). Surprisingly, for such a rural area, there are folks who consider the latter just "way too far!"
And should you opt for more home cooked fare, there are church dinners every single weekend. They rotate the locations so as not to step on one another's toes, so to speak. Then there are the Saturday or Sunday breakfasts at the local firehouse. Some to support the volunteer firefighters, some for the Scouts, some for whoever might need help this month. Or the barbecue chickens at the VFW.
I tell, ya, the area runs on it's stomachs.
******
Why are we here?
We built the Aerie in north-central Pennsylvania because:
1) PA has a much, much lower tax burden than either NJ (our original home) or NY (where we have the Bolt Hole).
2) Mansfield is a college town/ (Little did I know they would stop playing regular football as soon as we moved in! Or that they didn't really make any sort of effort for continuing education classes--poor homework on my part!)
3) It was still convenient to the Bolt Hole at nearly the same 250 miles door to door we had when living in NJ.
4) It was sufficiently rural for my hermitic tendencies yet close enough to "civilization" for Terry.
5) Neither Terry nor I would like living in the southern heat of Florida, or the muggy summers of the Carolinas or southern Missouri. Winters in Alaska might cause me to hibernate--for real!
6) The Northern Tier of PA is cool enough in the summer, colorful enough in the fall, invigorating enough in the spring, and enjoyable enough in the winter despite all the bitching I do about snow. We like seasons, damn it!
7) Montana and Idaho, early candidates, were too far away...we thought...from family. Now with Rick and Sandy in Portland, Oregon that has become a moot point.
8) While I also considered doing some full-timing (living on the road in an RV traveling wherever we wished), I realized that would be impractical for several reasons. Both Terry and I need a base for our hobbies: stitching and woodworking, hunting require lots of "stuff" that takes up space.
Bridge to Jail
Remember that bridge that was stolen in western Pennsylvania? Well, they caught the two guys who pulled off the heist.
Surprisingly, the paper out of Elmira has a more complete story than the one linked above from Pittsburgh which is much nearer Beaver County.
Ya gotta love this line:
The Pittsburgh paper does include this little Halloweenish tidbit, however:
Surprisingly, the paper out of Elmira has a more complete story than the one linked above from Pittsburgh which is much nearer Beaver County.
Police allege that Benjamin Arthur Jones, 24, and Alexander William Jones, 25, of New Castle, used a blowtorch to break up the 50-foot long by 20-foot wide Covert's Crossing Bridge between Sept. 27 and Oct. 5.
They face felony charges of criminal mischief, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
Authorities allege in the criminal complaint that the brothers sold 31,000 pounds of steel grate and I-beams and received $5,179 for the scrap, or approximately 16.5 cents per pound.
They were arrested after the recycling company contacted police.
Ya gotta love this line:
"It's something you don't expect to lose," New Castle Development Co. spokesman Gary Bruce told the New Castle News.Jeez! Ya think!
The Pittsburgh paper does include this little Halloweenish tidbit, however:
Some people in Lawrence County believe Covert's Crossing might have been haunted. The historical society, in a video about haunted spots in the county, says some residents claim that a beautifully dressed woman haunts the bridge on prom night.
Men Teaching Classes for Women
This just came via email from Bruce. Obviously one of those adult school sensitivity things they have in Massachusetts. ;-)
Men Teaching Classes for Women at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By Sun, October 30, 2011
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.
Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Bitching About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?
Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase
Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5
Curling Irons--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM
Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM
Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8
Health Watch--They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!
Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.
Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.
Class 11
Learning to Live--How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined
Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
Men Teaching Classes for Women at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By Sun, October 30, 2011
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.
Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Bitching About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?
Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase
Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5
Curling Irons--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM
Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM
Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8
Health Watch--They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!
Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.
Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.
Class 11
Learning to Live--How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined
Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
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