American Sports Thread

[gawa316]

Fresno just got scutched by San Jose State I think?

Yip fell at the final hurdle. Defense was shocking though and never got close to  Fales once. big if but if we beat Utah state there may be a wee trip to Vegas to play USC, silver lining and all that.

[Muck Savage]

Fair play to Auburn, didn't think they could get close.
Will be interesting what happens next weekend. FSU should win easy against Duke, but if OSU gets a win then let BCS maddess start. The playoffs will be great when they come in but then there will be questions about the 4-5 teams. Take today, would Bama be good for a 4th or 5th place?

College football is way better than the pros, true heart.

[AZOffaly]

Well my U of A tip didn't exactly pay off. ASU waxed them.

[Syferus]

Insane  finish!! Tbh, Auburn have been crazy lucky this year. TWO one in a million plays in the space of a month

If you think this has been all or even mainly luck after yesterday you probably need your stomach pumped because you've swallowed too much of something dodgy.

[stringbean]

Insane  finish!! Tbh, Auburn have been crazy lucky this year. TWO one in a million plays in the space of a month

If you think this has been all or even mainly luck after yesterday you probably need your stomach pumped because you've swallowed too much of something dodgy.

Ah now Syferus, whilst there's no doubt Auburn have played well this season, those 2 plays to happen in 2 successive games really is something out of the ordinary. Not saying Auburn aren't good but to get to a National Championship luck needs to be on your side. Look at ND last season!

[Syferus]

Insane  finish!! Tbh, Auburn have been crazy lucky this year. TWO one in a million plays in the space of a month

If you think this has been all or even mainly luck after yesterday you probably need your stomach pumped because you've swallowed too much of something dodgy.

Ah now Syferus, whilst there's no doubt Auburn have played well this season, those 2 plays to happen in 2 successive games really is something out of the ordinary. Not saying Auburn aren't good but to get to a National Championship luck needs to be on your side. Look at ND last season!

No one's saying the Tigers haven't had luck but the sentiment that it's just luck or a fluke took  a real battering last night. Auburn hung with a dynasty-level team for four quarters in a rivalry and knock-out game, lucky teams don't do that. And with the Tide's kicking game gone to hell and their D unable to stem Auburn on the ground I could only see one winner in OT, FG return or no FG return.

And on the FG return - it was far less of a lucky play than the Georgia game. Malzahn called a timeout to ice the kicker and saw that Bama had alot of big lads an very few tacklers on the FG team and switched in Chris Davis to return the FG if it dropped short, a 57-yarder is huge at the best of times. Auburn out-fought and out-thought the Tide in what will probably go down as the greatest Iron Bowl of all-time and, given games like the 2010 edition and Punt Bama Punt, that is saying something.

A wonderful perspective by Ivan Maisel:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Someday, someday, there will be a greater Iron Bowl finish than this one. Babe Ruth died, and the Yankees continue to play. Sinatra has come and gone, and people still sing. Forty-one years after "Punt Bama Punt," Chris Davis caught a field goal attempt nine yards deep in the end zone, and started running.

So it's possible that the way that No. 4 Auburn dethroned No. 1 Alabama 34-28, will be eclipsed. But at this moment Saturday night, with the cheers at Jordan-Hare Stadium still reverberating from here to Columbus, Ohio, it doesn't seem possible at all. With the clock showing all zeroes, Davis returned Adam Griffith's Hail Mary of a 57-yard field goal attempt 109 yards for a touchdown.

"We saw they had a guy back there," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "Everybody knew they had to cover him. We just didn't, we didn't cover it right."

In the 15 seconds or so that it took Davis to sprint from end line to end line, Alabama lost its chance at a third consecutive BCS championship; Auburn won the SEC West and planted itself in the BCS title debate, No. 3 Ohio State saw its BCS hopes come to life, and the spectrum of emotions that college football can elicit stretched a little beyond its limit.

"I knew when I caught the ball I would have room to run," Davis said, "and I knew we had bigger guys on the field to protect and that was all after that."

The game unfolded as Alabama's toughest games have unfolded all season long. The Tide started slow, fell behind, warmed up and took the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a 99½-yard touchdown pass from AJ McCarron to Amari Cooper. In any other Iron Bowl, that would've been the stuff of legend. But then Alabama's karma got run over by Auburn's karma, in which the Tigers keep believing until they pull off a miracle finish. That's what happened against Georgia, when Ricardo Louis caught a deflected pass for a 73-yard touchdown in the final minute.

And that's what happened Saturday, when Auburn scored two touchdowns in the last 32 seconds, and every choice Saban made came back to bite him.

With a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter, and 4th-and-1 at the Auburn 13, Saban chose not to send kicker Cade Foster onto the field. The senior, who had made 11 of 12 field goals this season coming into the game, reverted to his form of two years ago, when he missed three field goals in a 9-6 loss to LSU.

Foster missed a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, he appeared to make a 28-yarder, but a false start penalty pushed the ball back five yards, and he missed that. So this time, instead of sending Foster onto the field, Saban sent T.J. Yeldon into the line. Auburn stuffed him, just as it had done on third down.

"Cade was just having a rough day," Saban said. "... We missed several field goals. It's not for sure you would have made it. I mean you say you should have a kicked a field goal. Well, that's assuming you make it."

Fast forward to Alabama's last possession. Auburn had just tied the game 28-28 when Nick Marshall took advantage of a spectacular breakdown in the Alabama secondary and completed a 39-yard pass to Sammie Coates. Alabama had the ball at its own 29 with :25 left. Two plays gained only nine yards. With :07 left, and Auburn expecting a Hail Mary pass, McCarron handed off to Yeldon again. He sprinted 24 yards and out of bounds at the Auburn 38. The clock said all zeroes. Both teams and every fan in Jordan-Hare expected overtime to begin shortly. But referee Matt Austin announced that the replay official had determined that Yeldon stepped out of bounds before the clock expired.

Instead of throwing a Hail Mary, Saban decided to have Griffith kick one. "Griffith can kick them further than Cade," Saban said.

The freshman's kick came down wide right a yard short of the crossbar, where Davis awaited.

"The first thing I'm looking at is does it have enough distance," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "I saw it didn't have enough distance, and my eyes kind of got on Chris. They had their field goal team out there and it had some big guys on it. I thought he made a couple of guys who could tackle miss ..."

The video replay appeared to show the Alabama players watching the kick. The textbook says that the kicking team shouldn't watch the ball. The players should take their lanes and cover. Alabama practices the play during Friday walk-throughs. No one from the scout team poses as the returner. The kicking team just races downfield.

"We just imagine. Nobody actually returns it," Alabama tight end Brian Vogler said. "... You practice it so many times, and when it happens, you're not expecting that kind of speed."

Davis raced up the left hash mark. Vogler came at him at the middle of the field but seemed hesitant.

"I was actually caught off-guard that no one blocked me," Vogler said. "I was running down the field expecting a blind side [hit] out of nowhere, and when I finally got the opportunity, I was kind of in shock I hadn't gotten laid out by then."

Davis accelerated up the sideline. At midfield, it became apparent no one would touch him.

Three years ago, Alabama led No. 1 Auburn 24-0 in Tuscaloosa and lost, 28-27. It seemed as if that would be the loss that, 20 years from now, when Saban has retired and been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, would still awaken him at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat. But, no, not anymore.

"Slow motion," Alabama quarterback McCarron said, describing what he saw from the sideline. "I mean, this is one of those crazy plays. It's almost like a video game. That's something you do on 'Madden' or 'NCAA.' It's just a wild play."

"When I looked back, I said I couldn't believe this," Davis said. "When I was running, I said 'God is good.'"

If God only gives us what we can handle, then he saves an extra shovel full for Saban. Every coach has his Achilles' heel. Bear Bryant couldn't beat Notre Dame. Darrell Royal couldn't beat Barry Switzer, who had it all over Tom Osborne.

Saban? He can't just lose an Iron Bowl. He has to lose it in the most painful way possible.

Three years ago, Alabama led No. 1 Auburn 24-0 in Tuscaloosa and lost 28-27. It seemed as if that would be the loss that, 20 years from now, when Saban has retired and been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, would still awaken him at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat.

But, no, not anymore.

"First time I ever lost a game that way," Saban said. "First time I have ever seen a game lost that way. We had the wind behind us, but [we] still should have covered it. The game should not have ended that way."

Common sense says that. History says that. But no one in Auburn is saying that. Move over, "Punt Bama Punt." There's a new legend to tell.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10061956/chris-davis-stunning-return-becomes-new-standard-iron-bowl-classics

[Linkbox]

Maisel is excellent. Forde for Yahoo wrote a good piece as well.

Edited to attach link: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--iron-bowl-chris-davis-jr-return-lifts-auburn-over-alabama-into-college-football-lore-043127433.html

Don't agree with him that it was the most outstanding ending ever though. 'The Play' from 82 is just unbelievable. 'Agghhh the band is on the field!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfebpLfAt8g

[stringbean]

I see fsu and ohio state are front runners for the nat championship game providin they win their division. Think this is harsh on auburn or mizzou as even with 1 loss their resumes are mightily impressive. I think ohio states schedule has been too soft to earn a title shot however its such a huge program that voters mightn't look past them

[cadhlancian]

If Auburn beat Mizzou this week, they will move past OS in the BCS, that's all that matters...

[AZOffaly]

I don't think they will if OSU also beat Michigan State.

[BallyhaiseMan]

AZ is correct,there is no way a one loss team gets in over the undefeated winner of a major conference,although in saying that OSU's strength of schedule is absolutely pathetic.
Am i right in saying their SOS right now is 106??
Hopefully the Spartans can take care of business this weekend.

[AZOffaly]

AZ is correct,there is no way a one loss team gets in over the undefeated winner of a major conference,although in saying that OSU's strength of schedule is absolutely pathetic.
Am i right in saying their SOS right now is 106??
Hopefully the Spartans can take care of business this weekend.

I hope Duke shock the world and take down FSU because I'm worried winston is going to be  charged and if he is he will miss the BCS game. That would make it a damp squib.

[Syferus]

There was madness in Legion Field Birmingham - the home of the Iron Bowl for most of its history - last Saturday too. For reason unknown to everyone the UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) played Southern Miss at 1pm, meaning anyone attending was unlikely to see the 3:30pm start of the Iron Bowl. Every UAB fan is either a Tide or Auburn fan as well. The actual attendance was about half the 6,500 odd that was announced.

Guess the GAA isn't the only organisation where mad scheduling reigns.

There's actually a lot of underhand things going on between UA and UAB, with the former nominally the 'main' campus of the University of Alabama and their board shorting money that should be going to UAB's sport programs. UAB itself is a massive university and in the largest metro area of Alabama by many magnitudes. There really should be three major college programs in Alabama but it suits the Tide to keep UAB as a perennial loser.

[Oraisteach]

Lest I be guilty of premature speculation, I should wait until after Saturday before opining.  The truth is, Michigan State, the #1 defense in the country, is going to be a very stern test for OSU, so the Bucks should be looking no further ahead than Saturday.  Failing to do so will be catastrophic.  Further, MSU itself should really be undefeated were it not for a slew of questionable pass interference penalties against Notre Dame in its 17-14 defeat.

Regarding strength of schedule, according to Jeff Sagarin's site, Auburn ranks #26, Mizzou #41, OSU #61 and FSU #66.  Sure, OSU didn't have the fiercest opponents, but there's no doubt its ranking was weakened by playing FAMU (an FCS school).  It was a lose-lose situation, and even though OSU racked up over 70 pts. against them, OSU still dropped in the BCS standings.  Remember that traditional SEC power Florida actually lost to an FCS team.  The truth is, OSU didn't schedule FAMU until Vanderbilt (another SEC team) backed out of its commitment to play OSU, leaving the Buckeyes scrambling.

As for Auburn, they have one loss (losing by two touchdowns to a 3-loss team), and as spectacular as their last two victories were, they were very lucky.  The Hail Mary against Georgia was more like an entire Rosary, and the win at Alabama, though amazing, should never have happened.  What was Nick Saban thinking on that final field goal attempt leaving gorillas on the field when the Tigers were clearly going to attempt a run-back?  And talking of field goals.  Four misses (five if you count the 4th down run they failed to complete because Saban had no faith in his kicker's ability to complete a fairly easy attempt).

In addition, not only is OSU undefeated, it has won 24 straight games, a remarkable feat in Division 1 football.  Even a very powerful FSU team, with EJ Manuel at QB, sustained two defeats last year.  If OSU defeats MSU. should it have to put together 36 consecutive wins before it gets a crack at the national championship?  With next year's 4-team playoff, maybe it could weather one loss—unlikely though.

Anyway, it's all pie in the sky until OSU tops MSU, by no means a certainty, and Auburn beats Mizzou.  Quality of wins may play a role too.  Assuming both the Tigers and Bucks win, and there isn't a blowout victory, then it's unlikely the BCS gods will go against precedent and elevate a one-loss team over an undefeated one from one of the power conferences.

I can't wait for an exciting Saturday of college football.

On a not entirely unrelated note, I read that a Birmingham, Alabama, woman shot and killed another woman at an Iron Bowl party because the victim did not express adequate distress that the Tide had lost to the Tigers.

[Syferus]

Lest I be guilty of premature speculation, I should wait until after Saturday before opining.  The truth is, Michigan State, the #1 defense in the country, is going to be a very stern test for OSU, so the Bucks should be looking no further ahead than Saturday.  Failing to do so will be catastrophic.  Further, MSU itself should really be undefeated were it not for a slew of questionable pass interference penalties against Notre Dame in its 17-14 defeat.

Regarding strength of schedule, according to Jeff Sagarin's site, Auburn ranks #26, Mizzou #41, OSU #61 and FSU #66.  Sure, OSU didn't have the fiercest opponents, but there's no doubt its ranking was weakened by playing FAMU (an FCS school).  It was a lose-lose situation, and even though OSU racked up over 70 pts. against them, OSU still dropped in the BCS standings.  Remember that traditional SEC power Florida actually lost to an FCS team.  The truth is, OSU didn't schedule FAMU until Vanderbilt (another SEC team) backed out of its commitment to play OSU, leaving the Buckeyes scrambling.

As for Auburn, they have one loss (losing by two touchdowns to a 3-loss team), and as spectacular as their last two victories were, they were very lucky.  The Hail Mary against Georgia was more like an entire Rosary, and the win at Alabama, though amazing, should never have happened.  What was Nick Saban thinking on that final field goal attempt leaving gorillas on the field when the Tigers were clearly going to attempt a run-back?  And talking of field goals.  Four misses (five if you count the 4th down run they failed to complete because Saban had no faith in his kicker's ability to complete a fairly easy attempt).

In addition, not only is OSU undefeated, it has won 24 straight games, a remarkable feat in Division 1 football.  Even a very powerful FSU team, with EJ Manuel at QB, sustained two defeats last year.  If OSU defeats MSU. should it have to put together 36 consecutive wins before it gets a crack at the national championship?  With next year's 4-team playoff, maybe it could weather one loss—unlikely though.

Anyway, it's all pie in the sky until OSU tops MSU, by no means a certainty, and Auburn beats Mizzou.  Quality of wins may play a role too.  Assuming both the Tigers and Bucks win, and there isn't a blowout victory, then it's unlikely the BCS gods will go against precedent and elevate a one-loss team over an undefeated one from one of the power conferences.

I can't wait for an exciting Saturday of college football.

On a not entirely unrelated note, I read that a Birmingham, Alabama, woman shot and killed another woman at an Iron Bowl party because the victim did not express adequate distress that the Tide had lost to the Tigers.

To be fair, it was the first time ever that Florida had ever lost to a FCS team and it's probably going to go down as one of the most embarrassing results in the history of the Gators given it happened in the Swamp.

Ideally we'd have play-offs with FSU v Bama and OSU v Auburn, and we would were this 2014, but the fact remains that the SEC is very much a better conference than the Big Ten and it would smack of controversy to leave Auburn out of the BCS game if they're the SEC champions - they'd be the hottest team in college football. It would probably tarnish the BCS title more by excluding the SEC champions than it would excluding OSU, in all honesty.

Mizzou only have a OT loss to South Carolina (a team who proved themselves very real this season) so the SEC championship game is certainly no given and could develop into another classic. Auburn should have a home-town edge in terms of attendance given Atlanta is a short hop from the Plains but we'll see if they can keep themselves focused after the Iron Bowl.

Were Auburn to be excluded, what are the odds of a second Iron Bowl?