Rocktober #8: Off the Beaten Path
October 22, 2011Open Thread: Browns vs. Seahawks
October 23, 2011While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
#6 Wisconsin’s title hopes were dashed with just 4 seconds left. Perhaps the most incredible ending to a football game imaginable just happened tonight. After blowing a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter, Sparty found themselves tied 31-31 with unbeaten Wisconsin in the last minute. They drove to Wisconsin’s 44 yard line with six seconds left. Michigan State went for the hail mary, which was batted out of the endzone to a Spartan player, Keith Nichol, standing right at the goalline. Somehow, the ball was ruled inches short of the goalline as Nichol was stood up by Wisconsin defenders. However, thanks to the beauty of instant replay, the correct call was made and Sparty was awarded with the most improbable game winning TD in recent memory.
Even though he was calling for a hook and ladder before the final play, Brent Musburger was all over the final play and got it 100% correct even calling out instant replay deciding the fate of this game. It’s not every day you see a hail mary win a football game after a replay review… but that’s the beauty of sports. [Matt Yoder/Awful Announcing]
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St. Louis took a 2-1 World Series lead with 16-7 trashing of the Rangers. Pujols, widely acknowledged as baseball’s best hitter, slugged three home runs in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 16-7 pummeling of the Rangers in Game 3 of the World Series. It might have been the best offensive performance in the history of the Fall Classic.
The three homers tied a series record achieved twice by Babe Ruth and once by Reggie Jackson. His five hits equaled the mark held by Paul Molitor of the Milwaukee Brewers. His six runs batted in tied the record set by the Yankees’ Bobby Richardson in 1960 and tied by Yankee Hideki Matsui in 2009.
Not bad company. Oh, yes, and Pujols set a series record with 14 total bases. And became the first player to get hits in four consecutive innings. [Steve Hensen/Yahoo!]
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Scott Raab has a cool bus. [WNFY Tumblr]
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The Browns might want to try the no-huddle against Seattle. Of course, it all comes down to execution. If no one misses assignments, throws inaccurate passes or drops balls, the offense could get rolling regardless of whether it uses a huddle. But at times, the Browns have been able to eliminate some of those miscues when they’re in a hurry. Maybe the offense’s poor execution in the first quarter is a mental hurdle that could be cleared with a change of pace.
“I think sometimes our best offense is the two-minute drill,” McCoy said. “We do a pretty good job of that. I think at times when it’s called and our backs are against the wall like that, we somehow find a way.”
Shurmur, though, is quick to point out that the Browns wouldn’t necessarily thrive in a no-huddle offense just because they have been able to produce in two-minute drills.
“It’s different,” he said.
Defenses often alter their schemes and enter prevent mode in two-minute scenarios. Racing the clock obviously changes things, too. [Nate Ulrich/Ohio.com]
4 Comments
Herbie and Musburger failed to give their opinion on the play. Herbie just cackled and Musburger was mainly silent. I was 99.99% Sparty scored, Nichol twisted towards (in my opinion over) the goal line right before being pulled back. Just surprised the refs didn’t rule touchdown on the field and then surprised the touchdown was awarded. In the replay, the ref is RIGHT THERE and I thought that meant it had to be extra conclusive. Anyways great game. Hoping Buckeyes can score enough points against an angry Wisconson next week.
On a day when every single college game was awful, it was nice to see the Big Ten deliver an amazing game. Oklahoma-Texas Tech also was incredible.
Go Green!
As for the play, there have been multiple pictures floating around showing that Nichol did indeed get the ball to break the plane, and the ESPN guys had their own enhanced images showing the same thing. East Lansing was rocking last night!
That entire game (Wisconsin-Michigan State) was AMAZING… it was already the game of the year in my opinion well before the Hail Mary pass that decided it. Another reason why I love college football, even with the corrupt BCS system.