College Football Preview 2012

Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead
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The Big Ten Conference has 2 favorites, Michigan and Wisconsin. Both teams have explosive play makers, Michigan's Senior QB Denard Robinson and Senior RB Montee Ball. Robinson passed for 2,173 yards and rushed for 1,176 more. Ball ran for 1,923 yards and 33 TDs and caught 6 more for a total of 39. However, there are a few other teams that can make their way into the championship game. Nebraska has a great QB-RB combination of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. Martinez is a great running QB and is decent at passing the ball. If Martinez improves his passing, Nebraska will be a force to be reckoned with. Michigan State just lost it's most successful QB in Kirk Cousins, but that doesn't mean they will struggle this year. They have a very good defense. Junior LB Denicos Allen was a monster with 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Junior DE William Gholston had 16.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Senior DB Johnny Adams had 3 picks and had 147 INT return yards. Junior LB Max Bullough led the teams in tackles with 89, including 7.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. If the offense puts up some points, MSU will be a scary team to face.

Arkansas can be a top team in the nation, but it is not even ranked  a top 4 team in the their conference. The loss of head coach Bobby Petrino was big. However, the fact that they have an experienced QB in Tyler Wilson makes it less painful. Wilson threw for 3638 yards and 24 TDs last year, while throwing only 6 interceptions. He averaged 8.3 yards per attempt, 63.2 completion percentage, and a 148.4 passer rating. Vs. Texas A&M last season, he threw for 510 yards and 3 TDs. RB Knile Davis, who missed all of last season due to injury, is back and going to look to top the 1,322 rushing yards he put up in 2010. They have a tough schedule (All SEC teams do), but they get to face both Alabama and LSU at home. Even with their schedule, Arkansas has a chance to be a top team. 

Utah's transition from the MWC to the PAC-12 last year was good. They had a record of 8-5, came in 3rd in the South Division, and won the Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech. This happened with their starting QB missing the last 9 games of the season due to injury. The Utes can do even better this year if everyone stays healthy.  Starting RB John White is returning.  He rushed for 1,519 yards and 15 TDs. When Utah faced BYU, White sprinted for 174 years, averaging 7.9 yards per rush, and 3 TDs. They are going to need to run the offense around him. If they get him going, he will force extra defenders into the box, setting up play action. If they don't flood the box, keep giving him the ball, he will make plays and get the ball in the end zone. 

Collin Klein
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Kansas State had a great year last year, going 10-3, and participating in the Cotton Bowl. That was their 1st 10 win season since 2003. Duel Threat Quarterback Collin Klein is looking to have another stellar season, after throwing for 1,918 yards and running for 1,141 yards. To be successful again, the defense needs to do better against elite offenses. In their 2 regular season losses, they gave up 58 points to Oklahoma and 52 points to Oklahoma State. They also gave up 50 points to Texas A&M. Senior's LB Arthur Brown (101 tackles last year, 9.5 for loss), DE Meshak Williams (7 sacks, 10 tackles for loss), and DB Nigel Malone (7 picks last year) need to lead the defense. Their return game is great. Sophomore WR/KR Tyler Lockett was a monster in the return game, averaging 35.2 yards per return. If the defense isn't more productive, their season will not be as successful as last year.

There are 4 new teams playing FBS football this year. South Alabama was a FCS Independent and is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst moved from the Colonial Athletic Association to the MAC. Both Texas State and Universiry of Texas-San Antonio moved from the Southland Conference to the WAC. None are expected to make a very big impact, as they are not eligible to play for a bowl game.

Notes on FCS, Division II, Division III

• North Dakota State (#2 in the The Sports Network Poll and #1 in Coaches Poll), the 2011 FCS Champs, will try to repeat as champions
• Division 2's Pittsburg State (#1 in AFCA Coaches Poll and D2Football.com Poll) and Northwest Missouri State (#3 in both polls) face off at Arrowhead Stadium on October 13th
• University of Wisconsin-Whiterwater (#1 in AFCA Coaches Poll and D3Football.com Poll) looking to win their 4th consecutive Division III chapionship and 5th in the last 6 years

MLL Championship Weekend Wrap-Up

Major League Lacrosse just finished up it's championship weekend. The weekend took place at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2 semi-final games took place on Saturday and then the championship on Sunday. 

The Denver Outlaws in a huddle
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In the 1st game of Semi-finals on Saturday, the Long Island Lizards faced the Denver Outlaws. However, the Outlaws' Brendan Mundorf, this seasons' MLL MVP, was out for the game due to an injury to his ankle. Denver was number 1 in the standings in the regular season, with a record of 11-3, while the Lizards were 4th at 8-6. The game started off  as all Long Island. After the 1st period, the Lizards were up 3-1. They added 5 goals to the Oulaws 1 to take a commanding 8-2 lead going into halftime. The Lizards added 4 more goals to 1 for the Outlaws at the start of the 3rd. Then, Denver's offense took off. They scored 9 unanswered goals to tie the game at 12. Then, Jeremy Sieverts, who won LL's Most Improved Player this season, broke the tie to give Denver a 13-12 lead. Chris Bocklet led the game with 6 goals.

Game 2 of the day featured the Chesapeake Bayhawks against the hometown team,the Boston Cannons. Boston took the early lead by scoring 5 goals in the 1st period compared to 2 by the Bayhawks. The Bayhawks responded well in the 2nd period, scoring 5 goals, including 2 two-pointers (from at-least 16 yards out) while the Cannons could only muster up 3. Going into halftime the score was close, after halftime was over, Chesapeake dominated. They scored 7 goals in the 2nd half to put the game out of reach. Chespeake won 16-10, led by Kyle Dixon who had 3 goals, 2 two-point goals, and an assist along with Ben Rubeor who had 6 goals.

Both participants in the championship game are not new to the stage. Chesapeake had 3 previous championships and 2 other appearances in the game. Denver had 4 previous appearances, all resulting in being  the runner-up. The Bayhawks were looking to make it their 2 championship in 3 seasons. The Outlaws looking to get their 1st championship.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks after winning the MLL Title
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Denver started off well by scoring the 1st 2 goals. However, the Bayhawks countered with scoring 5 consecutive goals to end the 1st period. Then, within the 1st minute of play in the 2nd period, Chesapeake's Ben Hunt scored a two-pointer to take a 7-2 lead. Denver scored 3 goals in the rest of the period, while Chesapeake scored 3 more. At the half, it was 10-5. The 3rd period was all Bayhawks, They shutout the Outlaws in the quarter, while adding 3 goals, including a two-pointer, to their lead. They added 2 goals in the 4th, while Denver could not come back as Chesapeake won 16-6. Hunt had 4 goals and 2 two-point goals. The Bayhawks' goalie, Kip Turner  had 12 saves in the game.  With  6 goals in the semi final game and 2 goals in the championship game, Rubeor was named the MLL Championship Weekend MVP. 

Uganda's Moment In The Sun

Uganda at the Opening Ceremonies
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This year's Little League's most inspiring and possibly best story just happened. It wasn't in an elimination game or a championship game. It didn't feature a powerhouse like a Japan or Chinese Taipei or a team from the US.  No, it featured a team from Lugazi, Uganda in a crossover game. 

This is the 1st ever team from Africa to compete at the Little League World Series. Last year, a team from Kampala, Uganda qualified for the tournament in Williamsport, PA. However, there were not allowed to play due to their visas being denied. In their spot, a team from Saudi Arabia represented the Middle East-Africa Region. 

To get to the Little League World Series, Uganda had to win the Middle East-Africa Regional Tournament. The tournament was held in Kutno, Poland. In the 1st game of the tournament, Uganda lost to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 1-2. That didn't faze them as the next day they defeated the team from Dubai, UAE, 6-0. On the 3rd day of the tournament, Uganda flattened Doha, Qatar, 13-1, and then beat the team from Kuwait City, Kuwait, 8-0. Their 3-1 record tied them with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for 1st place. Tie-breaking rules put Uganda and Kuwait in the finals. In the finals, Uganda defeated Kuwait, 5-2, 

In the 1st game in Williamsport vs. a team from Aguadulce, Panama representing Latin America, Uganda lost 9-3. Justine Makisimu got Africa's 1st hit in the 1st at-bat of the game. In the 6th inning, Daniel Alio hit a 2-run homer. The loss sent the team to face Mexico, who also lost their 1st game. In Game 2, Mexico 10 run-ruled Uganda 12-0. That eliminated Uganda from the tournament. But, teams that go 0-2 get to play in the a 3rd game that doesn't effect the tournament.

Daniel Alio tags out the runner trying to steal home
on a wild pitch
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In the crossover game, Uganda faced off against the representative from the Northwest Region of the US, Gresham, Oregon. Oregon lost their games to New Castle, Indiana from the Great Lakes Region, 0-4, and to the Mid-Atlantic's representative from Parsippany, NJ, 10-4. No one scored through the 3rd inning. Oregon broke that in the top of the 4th when they drove across 2 runs on a Hunter Hemenway triple. Uganda answered in their half of the inning when Alio scored on a wild pitch and then Felix Enzama scored on a passed ball. Oregon couldn't break the tie in their half of the inning. Uganda had runners on 1st and 2nd when Enzama hit a ground ball to 2nd base. The 2nd baseman threw the ball to the shortstop, who got the out at 2nd, and then made a wild throw to 1st. Due to the bad throw, the runner from 2nd scored. Uganda had the lead. Oregon rallied in the 6th, but they couldn't get a run across. Alio pitched a great game going 5.1 innings with 8 strikeouts. 

In my opinion, the play of the game happened in the top of the 6th with a runner on 1st. With a 3-1  count a strike was called on the batter. The batter tosses his bat, thinking that the pitch was ball four. The runner on 1st base was half way between bases, unsure of what happened. Uganda's catcher Makisimu was heads up and walked out to in front of the plate and then fired it to 2nd base who then threw it to 1st base where they got the runner. That play showed how far baseball has come in Africa. Not every player would know what to do in this game situation. 

This might be a sign of what is coming. Soon players from Uganda may be signed by major league clubs, maybe some will make it to the major leagues.  Uganda has never been a top sports country. At the 2012 Olympics, Uganda has won 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Stephen Kiprotich won the men's marathon at the 2012 Olympics. At the Commonwealth Games, they had 12 golds, 15 silvers, and 17 bronze medals. Their soccer team, the Cranes, has never been to a FIFA World Cup and the best they have done at the Africa Cup of Nations is 2nd. This is the start of something that might make Uganda more active. Every athlete would want to go play in front of the world in a world-class facility. Athletes, and others who want to be successful in life from Uganda can know believe that it is possible to be a factor in the world. This win might end up being bigger then baseball. 

2012 London Olympics Legacies

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt
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Bolt has put himself into the All-Time Greats category in both athletics and Olympics history. He is my MVP of the Games. After a great performance in Beijing where he won Gold in his only 3 events, the 100, 200 and 4x100 meters, many people were selecting fellow countryman and partner in workouts, Yohan Blake, to defeat him in the 100 meters and 200 meters. At the Jamaican trials, Blake beat Bolt in both events. His 1st event at Olympic Stadium was the 100 meters. In the final, he defeated Blake by .12 of a second and got the Olympic Record at 9.63. The 200 meters was much the same, defeating Blake by .12th of a second and was .02 seconds of an Olympic Record. His last event he partnered with Blake, the 4x100 meter relay. Bolt got the baton from Blake in the final and sprinted to the World Record and 1st time ever a relay team ran the 4x100 in go under 37 seconds. He is definitely one of the best of all-time.

Michael Phelps 

Michael Phelps was looking to become the most decorated Olympian. He did that, by getting 6 more medals to make his career total of 22. He has 18 gold medals, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals. But, the Olympics showed the Phelps isn't who he once was. He didn't medal n the 200 meter IM, no Olympic or World Records, and got his 1st 2 ever silver medals. But, he still got 4 golds to prove, he wasn't going to leave quietly. 

Ryan Lochte 

This was Ryan Lochte chance to prove he is, at the moment, better then Phelps and best in the world. However, he underachieved in London. He won 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. He went 1-1 when up against Phelps, winning the 200 meter IM and Phelps winning the 400 meter IM. He won his other gold in a relay. If he wanted to be better then Phelps, he needed to medal in every event and have more golds then silvers and bronze combined.

The Fab Five (US Women's Gymnastics Team)

The Fab Five: Wieber, Douglas, Maroney, Raisman,
and Ross
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The Fab Five is a tale of many different stories. We will start with the team in the team competition. That is the big success story, where the US win by more then 5 points and their 2nd ever gold. The most successful individual is, to many people's surprise, Aly Raisman. In addition to the team gold, she won floor gold, bronze in the balance beam, and tied for 3rd in the individual all-around, but was pushed back to 4th due to the tiebreaker. Jordyn Wieber was a favorite for the individual all-around. However, she did not even make the final, despite becoming 4th overall. Due to only one country being allowed 2 participants per gymnastics final, Wieber was bumped out because Raisman and Gabby Douglas got higher scores. She was devestaed. One of the biggest shock of the games. Douglas won the individual all-around gold, but didn't medal in uneven bars and balance beam. McKayla Maroney's silver medal in the vault might have been even more surprising then Wieber. She was the heavy favorite, especially after a fantastic vault in the team final. Kyla Ross only  final was the team final. 

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings

Misty and Kerri solidified themselves as the best beach volleyball team ever. They only lost one set on their way to gold, against sisters Doris and Stephanie Schwaiger of Austria. In the gold medal match, they defeated fellow countrywomen Jen Kessy and April Ross 21-16 and 21-16 to get their 3rd gold in 3 Olympics. They put beach volleyball on the map in the United States and made it one of the sports to watch every 4 years. 

US Men's Basketball Team

The US men's basketball team will be remembered for LeBron James triple-double, Kevin Durant's tournament scoring record, and Kobe Bryant and Coach K's final game. But, it was more of the role players that made the team successful. Kevin Love was the big man who played his heart out to win. Chris Paul was clutch in the last few minutes of the gold medal match vs Spain. Carmelo Anthony was a good 6th man coming off the bench. Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams provided good energy.

The Games of the XXX Olympiad 

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
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This Olympics' slogan fits how the Games turned out. The slogan was "Inspire A Generation". I think these games will inspire a generation. What will inspire people the most will be women participants from every country for the first time. That will inspire more women to do sports. Also, Oscar Pistorious, the 1st double amputee to participate in athletics, will inspire people to believe that anything is possible. This Olympics also has the 1st ever athlete from South Sudan. It's athlete, Guor Marial, participated as an Independent Olympian because South Sudan does not have an Olympic Committee yet. I think the biggest legacy of the 30th Olympics will be the beginning of the China-US rivalry. The medal race was very close until the US pulled away in the final days. China wants to beat the US and US always wants to be 1st. The next few Olympics will be intense.

Notable Names Through The Olympics 1st Week

Kim Ha Na, Meiliana Jauhari, Ha Jung En, Jung Kyung Eun, Kim Min Jung, Greysia Polii, Wang Xiaoli, and Yu Yang

Wang, Yu, Jung, and Kim hear it from Torsten Berg
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These 8 badminton participants were disqualified from the women's doubles tournament. Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang were the 2011 World Champs and number 1 seed from China. Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na of South Korea faced the Chinese duo in the last match of the Group A. Both were 2-0. The winner might have to face the number 2 seed of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, who lost a day earlier, in the semi-finals instead of the finals. So they wouldn't have to face the 2 seed until the finals, Wang and Yu deliberately tried to loose the match. They faltered on many serves and missed easy shots. The South Koreans also performed poorly. Later in the day, Ha Jung En and Kim Min Jung of South Korea faced Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii. All 4 players were told to play hard and after they were not, tournament referee and umpire Torsten Berg disqualified them all by giving them black cards. They were taken back after the players promised they would play harder. They Indonesia's ended up losing the match. The 2 other teams in their group made the quarters due to the DQ's.

Torsten Berg Talks To Ha, Kim, Jauhari, and Polii
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The defending men's singles gold medalist and number 2 seed in this years competition, China's Lin Dan said about the controversy that, "This situation really is not in the Olympic sporting spirt," and "I think it will definitely bring a negative impact." He also said that having a round-robin style preliminary round is also at blame, saying, "If they just had a knockout round it would all be fine. You lose and that's it," and "Why would the tournament rules people have (a format) like this?" This is the 1st time the competition has a preliminary round. In the past, it was just a regular single-elimination tournament.

Ruta Meilutyte

Ruta Meilutyte, the 15 year old swimmer from Lithuania, surprised many at the London Aquatics Centre. It all started when, in the 4th Heat for the women's 100 meter breaststroke, she came in 1st in not only the heat that include olympic record holder Leisel Jones from Australia, but also 1st of all participants. In the semi-finals, she set a European record in the event with a time of 1:05.21 and was, again, 1st overall. Swimming in Lane 4 in the finals, she won the gold medal with a time 1:05.47. In the 50 meter freestyle, she was 1st in her heat, but did not qualify for the semi's and in the 100 meter freestyle,she finished 5th in her heat and didn't make the semi's.

Natalia Partyka

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Natalia Partyka

Poland's Natalia Partyka is not your average table tennis player. She has no right forearm. That does not stop her from playing in not only the Paralympics, but the Olympics, too. The 68th ranked women's player is participating in both the women's singles and women team tournaments. For the women's singles, she had a preliminary round and 1st round byes. Partyka started play in round 2. She started by playing Mie Skov of Denmark. Partyka won 4 sets to 3. In the 3rd round, she lost to Jie Li of the Netherlands, 4-2 after being up by 2 sets. She will be playing on Denmark's women's team for the team competition. They will face Singapore in the 1st Round.

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson 

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson have been playing great in the men's handball tournament. Hanson, the 2011 Men's IHF World Handball Player of the Year, has been lighting it up for Denmark. He is tied for 6th in goals with 22 and 4th in assists with 17. The Left Back has led Denmark to a 3-1 record in Group B with 1 game to go, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. His best match so far was against Serbia when he scored 7 goals and dished out 5 assists. Palmarson has been a leader for 4-0 Iceland. He has 25 goals, which puts him 4th in goals, and 15 assists, which puts him at 6th for assists. When Iceland faced Tunsia, Palmarson scored 8 goals and had 4 assists. 

Elisa De Francisca, Arrianna Errigo, Valentina Vezzali

Ilara Salvatori, Errigo, Vezzali, and De Francisca celebrate
a gold medal in women's team foil
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Women's foil fencing was dominated this year by the Italians. Elisa De Francisca, Arriana Errigo, and Valentina Vezzali all won 2 medals and all only participated in 2 events. It all started on July 28th when the women's foil competition started. It started with a round of 64 and then dwindled down to 4. De Francisca made it to face South Korea's Nam Hyun Hee, who see defeated 11-10. Fellow countrywomen Errigo and Vezzali faced off in the other semi-finals. The 22 year old, Errigo, defeated the 3 time women's foil gold medalist (2000-2008) in Vezzali, 15-12. That set up a DeFrancisca-Errigo final. In the bronze medal match, Vezzali won to secure the bronze medal. In the final, DeFrancisca edged Errigo 12-11. In the women's team foil, Italy cruised to the final by blowing out Great Britain, 42-14, and France, 45-22. The final was better for Italy's opponent, Russia, as Italy won 45-32.