One of the Power Blog guys was bored this past weekend, so he decided to enter a half-court shot contest during a UC Davis men's basketball game. He's the one who shoots second....in the white shirt.....
Hoorah!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Bummer of a Thursday Night NFL game
A dud NFL game tonight, with the Carolina Panthers (2-12) facing the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4). Quarterback woes for the Panthers spread like wildfire across the whole team, leading to a bad 2010 campaign. Panthers fans are praying for no miracle win tonight so that they remain in line for the #1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.
The Steelers should come away with an easy win. Their offense has struggled lately, and I like their chances to work out a few issues despite the short week of preparation. Nothing better to feast on than the team with the NFL's worst record.
The Steelers should come away with an easy win. Their offense has struggled lately, and I like their chances to work out a few issues despite the short week of preparation. Nothing better to feast on than the team with the NFL's worst record.
Poinsettia Bowl tonight
The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (what a name) kicks off tonight at 5:00pm PST in San Diego, California.
The Navy Midshipmen (9-3) face off against the San Diego State Aztecs (8-4) in one of the best pre-Christmas bowls. In regards to notable teams and an even matchup, its possibly the best game we'll have until Air Force and Georgia Tech face off on December 27 in what should be a quick game with a maximum of a combined 10 passes and 100 rushes.
As for tonight, we should see a game that deserves to trump the viewership of NFL Thursday Night Football (see 2-12 Carolina vs. 10-4 Pittsburgh...yuck).
Who Will Win: San Diego State
This game will be a terrific matchup between a team who seems to live and die by the passing game (SDS) and a team who lives and dies by the rushing game (N). San Diego State averages over 300 yards passing per game, good for 11th in the nation (out of 120 teams). Ryan Lindley is a tremendous quarterback and his two top receivers, DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown, are studs. However, the key to an Aztecs win will come if they can stop the Navy triple-option rushing attack. In October, triple-option threat Air Force rushed for over 300 yards against the Aztecs, and the San Diego State offense bailed on the rush defense in a 27-25 win. The Aztecs will need defensive success to hold off the Midshipmen.
How They Could Win: Navy
With nine wins, and a solid triple-option attack led by senior leader Ricky Dobbs, there are a lot of reasons to believe Navy can win this game. The Midshipmen were not dealt a brutal schedule this year, so the Aztec passing attack will be the best one that Navy has faced all season. My biggest concern for Navy is the field conditions. Over 10 inches of rain soaked the field over the past week, leaving a very saturated ground behind. Even though Navy rushes for a hair under 300 yards per game, I worry that the field will be a second enemy tonight. The wet ground will slow down the rushes, affecting everyone's footing. San Diego State can resort to a strong, vertical passing attack to counter the elements. The Midshipmen will have a shot if they can find vertical running success, taking time off the clock and keeping this score under 30. Force two turnovers or more, and the Midshipmen will come away with a win on the San Diego State's backyard.
The Navy Midshipmen (9-3) face off against the San Diego State Aztecs (8-4) in one of the best pre-Christmas bowls. In regards to notable teams and an even matchup, its possibly the best game we'll have until Air Force and Georgia Tech face off on December 27 in what should be a quick game with a maximum of a combined 10 passes and 100 rushes.
As for tonight, we should see a game that deserves to trump the viewership of NFL Thursday Night Football (see 2-12 Carolina vs. 10-4 Pittsburgh...yuck).
Who Will Win: San Diego State
This game will be a terrific matchup between a team who seems to live and die by the passing game (SDS) and a team who lives and dies by the rushing game (N). San Diego State averages over 300 yards passing per game, good for 11th in the nation (out of 120 teams). Ryan Lindley is a tremendous quarterback and his two top receivers, DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown, are studs. However, the key to an Aztecs win will come if they can stop the Navy triple-option rushing attack. In October, triple-option threat Air Force rushed for over 300 yards against the Aztecs, and the San Diego State offense bailed on the rush defense in a 27-25 win. The Aztecs will need defensive success to hold off the Midshipmen.
How They Could Win: Navy
With nine wins, and a solid triple-option attack led by senior leader Ricky Dobbs, there are a lot of reasons to believe Navy can win this game. The Midshipmen were not dealt a brutal schedule this year, so the Aztec passing attack will be the best one that Navy has faced all season. My biggest concern for Navy is the field conditions. Over 10 inches of rain soaked the field over the past week, leaving a very saturated ground behind. Even though Navy rushes for a hair under 300 yards per game, I worry that the field will be a second enemy tonight. The wet ground will slow down the rushes, affecting everyone's footing. San Diego State can resort to a strong, vertical passing attack to counter the elements. The Midshipmen will have a shot if they can find vertical running success, taking time off the clock and keeping this score under 30. Force two turnovers or more, and the Midshipmen will come away with a win on the San Diego State's backyard.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Preview
Tonight at 8:00pm ET, the Louisville Cardinals and Southern Miss Golden Eagles will face off in this year's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Who Will Win: Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles, underdogs (3 pts) against the Cardinals, will be able to win this game courtesy of their offense. The last time I thought a strong offense would get slowed by a capable defense in a bowl game, Troy gave Ohio the business in a 48-21 victory. This high-powered Southern Miss offense averaging almost 38 points per game and over 458 yards of offense will be able to beat Louisville. Freshman Kendrick Hardy awoke the Golden Eagles rushing game late in the season, rushing for 676 of his 855 yards in the final six games of the season. Quarterback Austin Davis has numerous athletic targets to work with. Louisville, meanwhile, has named a starter at quarterback but hasn't ruled out two other quarterbacks from getting playing time, leaving a messy trio of guys to lead the Cardinals' offense.
How They Could Win: Louisville
Louisville has won four straight matchups against Southern Miss, including a 25-23 victory last fall. Bilal Powell rushed for 1,330 yards for Louisville, and will need to be at his best tonight in order to get the Cardinals a victory. If he can help keep Louisville's offense on the field, and consequently the Southern Miss offense off the field, the Cardinals have a chance in this one. Louisville needs to take advantage of an aggressive Southern Miss front seven, finding Powell and other receivers through screen passes and quick passes.
Who Will Win: Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles, underdogs (3 pts) against the Cardinals, will be able to win this game courtesy of their offense. The last time I thought a strong offense would get slowed by a capable defense in a bowl game, Troy gave Ohio the business in a 48-21 victory. This high-powered Southern Miss offense averaging almost 38 points per game and over 458 yards of offense will be able to beat Louisville. Freshman Kendrick Hardy awoke the Golden Eagles rushing game late in the season, rushing for 676 of his 855 yards in the final six games of the season. Quarterback Austin Davis has numerous athletic targets to work with. Louisville, meanwhile, has named a starter at quarterback but hasn't ruled out two other quarterbacks from getting playing time, leaving a messy trio of guys to lead the Cardinals' offense.
How They Could Win: Louisville
Louisville has won four straight matchups against Southern Miss, including a 25-23 victory last fall. Bilal Powell rushed for 1,330 yards for Louisville, and will need to be at his best tonight in order to get the Cardinals a victory. If he can help keep Louisville's offense on the field, and consequently the Southern Miss offense off the field, the Cardinals have a chance in this one. Louisville needs to take advantage of an aggressive Southern Miss front seven, finding Powell and other receivers through screen passes and quick passes.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
UC Davis Women Win Causeway Classic
The UC Davis women's basketball team defeated Sacramento State 78-55 on Sunday afternoon to win the annual Causeway Classic matchup.
The Aggies improve to 8-2 on the season while Sacramento State drops to 3-10.
Heidi Heintz paced the Aggies with 14 points and Paige Mintun added 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.
The Hornets were led by 11 points from Sami Field-Polisso and 10 points from Mallorie Franco. Kylie Kuhns added 9 points and 12 rebounds.
The Aggies outrebounded Sacramento State 50-39 and forced the Hornets into 22 turnovers.
UC Davis trailed 7-2 in the early moments of the first half, but promptly went on an 18-5 run to build a lead, and would not trail from that point on. The Aggies led 38-28 at halftime.
UC Davis continues their short road trip with a game on Tuesday at San Jose State (0-10), with tip-off scheduled for 7:00pm.
Overall for the 2010-2011 athletic season, UC Davis now leads the Causeway Classic series 7-2. There are 8 match-ups remaining in Causeway Classic events throughout the remainder of 2010-2011.
The Aggies improve to 8-2 on the season while Sacramento State drops to 3-10.
Heidi Heintz paced the Aggies with 14 points and Paige Mintun added 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.
The Hornets were led by 11 points from Sami Field-Polisso and 10 points from Mallorie Franco. Kylie Kuhns added 9 points and 12 rebounds.
The Aggies outrebounded Sacramento State 50-39 and forced the Hornets into 22 turnovers.
UC Davis trailed 7-2 in the early moments of the first half, but promptly went on an 18-5 run to build a lead, and would not trail from that point on. The Aggies led 38-28 at halftime.
UC Davis continues their short road trip with a game on Tuesday at San Jose State (0-10), with tip-off scheduled for 7:00pm.
Overall for the 2010-2011 athletic season, UC Davis now leads the Causeway Classic series 7-2. There are 8 match-ups remaining in Causeway Classic events throughout the remainder of 2010-2011.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
2010-2011 Bowl Week 1 Preview
Each week, we will preview one week of the 2010-2011 NCAA football bowl season. The bowls begin Saturday, December 18 and continue through January 10. After each week, we will also look back to see how things worked out in the previous week of games.
Saturday, December 18
New Mexico Bowl
UTEP vs. BYU
Who Will Win: BYU
The Cougars came on strong to end the season to clinch bowl eligibility. Things sure didn't look good after a loss TCU dropped BYU to 2-5 on October 16. However, the Cougars rattled off four straight wins against lesser opponents in the Mountain West Conference to get to six wins, and just missed upsetting rival Utah in the annual Holy War. Quarterback Jake Heaps, only a freshman, has come a long way in establishing himself as a successful replacement for a long list of great BYU quarterbacks who came before him.
How They Could Win: UTEP
UTEP comes in to this game in opposite fashion of BYU, instead having lost five of their last six after starting the season 5-1. The Miners are led by quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, who threw for over 2,500 yards this season and 19 touchdowns. He has a favorite receiver in Kris Adams, who caught 11 of those touchdowns this season. If those two can pair up to be successful against the BYU secondary, UTEP has a shot in this one.
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Who Will Win: Fresno State
The Bulldogs get the edge in this one because of the recent un-doing of Northern Illinois in the past three weeks. After Northern Illinois lost a heartbreaker in the MAC Championship, their head coach (Jerry Kill) who guided them to one of their most successful seasons in school history departed for the head coach vacancy at Minnesota. The feelings are different for the Huskies in this one versus Fresno State, who comes in with a capable offense led by quarterback Ryan Colburn and running back Robbie Rouse. Fresno State's defense will be tested against a NIU offense averaging 37.8 points per game.
How They Could Win: Northern Illinois
Statistically, the Huskies seem favored in this game. They score about eight more points per game than Fresno State, and allow ten less points per game. Chad Spann leads a rushing attack that was 7th in the nation, with over 1,000 yards of his own. Weather will play a factor in this one in Boise, Idaho, forecasted to be in the mid 30's with precipitation, so the NIU running game will be a major player for the Huskies to win this game.
New Orleans Bowl
Ohio vs. Troy
Who Will Win: Ohio
Playing in only their fifth bowl game, the Bobcats are looking for their first ever postseason victory. Head coach Frank Solich has won two bowl games elsewhere, and looks to bring that success into a 'W' for Ohio. It will be a great matchup between a solid Ohio defense and a very strong Troy offense. I like the Bobcats to come out on top in this one courtesy of their defense.
How They Could Win: Troy
The Trojans offense is stellar, led by Corey Robinson who threw for 3,339 yards to lead an offense averaging a hair under 33 points per game. Troy does not rely much on its rushing attack, but teams are so worried about the Trojans' passing ability that Troy can find success on the ground when needed, with their top two backs averaging over five yards per carry.
Saturday, December 18
New Mexico Bowl
UTEP vs. BYU
Who Will Win: BYU
The Cougars came on strong to end the season to clinch bowl eligibility. Things sure didn't look good after a loss TCU dropped BYU to 2-5 on October 16. However, the Cougars rattled off four straight wins against lesser opponents in the Mountain West Conference to get to six wins, and just missed upsetting rival Utah in the annual Holy War. Quarterback Jake Heaps, only a freshman, has come a long way in establishing himself as a successful replacement for a long list of great BYU quarterbacks who came before him.
How They Could Win: UTEP
UTEP comes in to this game in opposite fashion of BYU, instead having lost five of their last six after starting the season 5-1. The Miners are led by quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, who threw for over 2,500 yards this season and 19 touchdowns. He has a favorite receiver in Kris Adams, who caught 11 of those touchdowns this season. If those two can pair up to be successful against the BYU secondary, UTEP has a shot in this one.
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Who Will Win: Fresno State
The Bulldogs get the edge in this one because of the recent un-doing of Northern Illinois in the past three weeks. After Northern Illinois lost a heartbreaker in the MAC Championship, their head coach (Jerry Kill) who guided them to one of their most successful seasons in school history departed for the head coach vacancy at Minnesota. The feelings are different for the Huskies in this one versus Fresno State, who comes in with a capable offense led by quarterback Ryan Colburn and running back Robbie Rouse. Fresno State's defense will be tested against a NIU offense averaging 37.8 points per game.
How They Could Win: Northern Illinois
Statistically, the Huskies seem favored in this game. They score about eight more points per game than Fresno State, and allow ten less points per game. Chad Spann leads a rushing attack that was 7th in the nation, with over 1,000 yards of his own. Weather will play a factor in this one in Boise, Idaho, forecasted to be in the mid 30's with precipitation, so the NIU running game will be a major player for the Huskies to win this game.
New Orleans Bowl
Ohio vs. Troy
Who Will Win: Ohio
Playing in only their fifth bowl game, the Bobcats are looking for their first ever postseason victory. Head coach Frank Solich has won two bowl games elsewhere, and looks to bring that success into a 'W' for Ohio. It will be a great matchup between a solid Ohio defense and a very strong Troy offense. I like the Bobcats to come out on top in this one courtesy of their defense.
How They Could Win: Troy
The Trojans offense is stellar, led by Corey Robinson who threw for 3,339 yards to lead an offense averaging a hair under 33 points per game. Troy does not rely much on its rushing attack, but teams are so worried about the Trojans' passing ability that Troy can find success on the ground when needed, with their top two backs averaging over five yards per carry.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Missed One Thing
One story I missed that I want to make sure you're aware of. In the third quarter of the game this afternoon between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, Miami special teams player Nolan Carroll was intentionally tripped by a staff member on the Jets' sideline. Using the NFL.com recap through the previous link, find the video "Dolphin gets tripped on Jets sideline." On a punt, Carroll used the sideline in an attempt to pass by the Jets two cover players. A member of the Jets staff, somebody not in uniform, intentionally put a knee forward as Carroll passed by, sending him to the ground. The alleged staff member, Sal Alosi, has since apologized, but this action is very uncalled for. Carroll was injured on the trip, caused by the knee-to-knee contact with Alosi. "The team is reviewing the situation and is looking into the appropriate next steps," Jets senior director of media relations Bruce Speight said in a statement after the game.
In my opinion, this guy should be immediately fired. It was inexplicable and uncalled for. It is a huge injury risk. Carroll stayed down for a few moments and was helped from the field. At this point, it appears he will be okay, but the knee-to-knee contact caused by Alosi could have been a recipe for a knee injury disaster. It will be very interesting to see how this story plays out, and to hear ESPN shows such as Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption debate it as the week goes on.
Any thoughts on the issue?
In my opinion, this guy should be immediately fired. It was inexplicable and uncalled for. It is a huge injury risk. Carroll stayed down for a few moments and was helped from the field. At this point, it appears he will be okay, but the knee-to-knee contact caused by Alosi could have been a recipe for a knee injury disaster. It will be very interesting to see how this story plays out, and to hear ESPN shows such as Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption debate it as the week goes on.
Any thoughts on the issue?
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