It was an excellent weekend for UNM sports. The Lobo football team gets 21-14 conference win over UNLV, Steve Alford's men's basketball team opens the season with 92-40 triumph over New Orleans, and the men's soccer team takes the conference championship over Cal State Bakersfield.
Oh, also, Monster Jam was at Tingley this weekend all vintage-style.
Sexual abuse charges against Jerry Sandusky suggest his youth mentoring charity might have been a pipeline for potential victims.
Despite the UFC 137 main event changes, BJ Penn and Nick Diaz delivered an exciting bout featuring a back and forth, crowd-pleasing battle. In the first round, Penn was very aggressive by getting the better of the striking and momentarily taking Diaz' back. But in the second and third rounds Diaz' conditioning enabled him to give Penn the worst beating of his career. Diaz demonstrated pinpoint accuracy by nailing Penn with lethal combinations to the head and body. Despite Penn bleeding for the first time in his career, he still showed fighting spirit by not allowing the former Strikeforce champion to finish him. But getting beat up by Diaz forced BJ Penn to unexpectedly retire from the sport. No one knows for certain if Penn has truly retired, but if he has, Penn doesn't have anything to be ashamed about. Meanwhile Diaz’ performance was enough to convince UFC President Dana White to grant him a title shot against George St. Pierre. While GSP vs. Diaz will be a money maker for the UFC, Albuquerque fighter Carlos Condit lost his title shot and will be forced to climb the ladder again to regain his spot.
It wasn't all bad news for Albuquerque fighters as Lightweight contender Donald Cerrone destroyed Dennis Siver on the Spike TV prelims. Cerrone has gone 4-0 this year and can make a case to fight for the title. But his main goal is to stay active and now is rumored to face Nate Diaz at UFC 141.
Ray Rice had three TD’s.
NFL
Last Monday night, the Baltimore Ravens went through a nightmare when they got embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. So when the Ravens welcomed the Arizona Cardinals, many thought Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis would take out their anger on one of the worst teams in the league. Instead, the Cardinals humbled the Ravens defense by taking a 24-6 lead into halftime. But Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin’s seven receptions for 145 yards and running back Ray Rice’s three touchdowns helped fuel a 21-point comeback. The Cardinals tied up the game in the fourth quarter but Flacco’s pass to rookie Torrey Smith set up a Ravens game winning field goal.
Steelers vs. Pats
It's rare to see the New England Patriots get bullied by any team in the NFL. Often Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick push around and frustrate their rivals. But when New England traveled to Pittsburgh, the Steelers turned the tables and dominated the Patriots defense. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made Belichick’s defense look amateur by going 36-50 in the air with two touchdowns. Despite having long offensive drives, New England was unable to finish off their longtime AFC foe. Brady threw a red zone touchdown late in the fourth quarter to cut the lad to six. But a botched onside kick and a safety sealed Pittsburgh's 25-17 victory. With Roethlisberger finally finding his rhythm, the Steelers have recovered from their opening day disaster against the Ravens and look primed for a deep playoff run.
NFL commish Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith squash the lockout
On Monday morning, the good news started pouring in for fans of American football. The lockout which had threatened the country's (true, modern) pastime finally ended. The focus now turns to the actual start of the season, currently slated for September 8.
When the new NFL season begins, there will be a couple important differences, but most of them will be invisible. When it comes to the changes that both sides were pushing for, there was compromise instead of hard manifestation—at least to this point. The schedule will remain a 16-game affair —for now. Owners will be getting more money than they were previously. Practices will change, and there is already grumbling from those who are attached to the old schedule.
These differences, however, are inevitable when two sides are fighting for every inch. All told, in the process of negotiation, the NFL was officially locked out for more than 4 months, the longest lockout in NFL history. However, the good news is that no official games were lost to the labor dispute, save an exhibition game which had been scheduled for August 7.
A great summary of the winners and losers of the draft has been written up at espn.com. In regards to that article, though, I'd defy anyone to go out and talk to a football fan. There is a reason that this was the top story on ESPN for the last three days, and why it continues to get mentioned on CNN. In times like these, when people are looking toward August 2 as a potential for the United States government defaulting on its debt, Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, took the time to point out that if football can get a deal done, certainly the bureaucrats in Washington should be able to follow suit; especially when the matter is of such increased gravity. For those who prefer their sports without politics, there's a handy comparison, too: The NFL lockout being resolved in a timely fashion gives hope to the fans of the NBA, which is still engaged in a lockout of its own.
At the end of the day, though, despite lists of winners and losers and total amount of time lost to this lockout, the easiest proof is in the pudding. Next time you're out and about, ask a sports fan—whether it's at a bar, at work, or even just at a stoplight—"Hey, how do you feel that the NFL lockout is over?" Chances are, they'll gripe a bit. They'll mention how it was millionaires fighting with billionaires. And they'll say how ridiculous it was to have to slog through the news. But, at the end of that conversation, most people, as Americans who love football above all others, will smile and say, "Hey, I'm just glad it's back."
Aaron Rodgers completed the transformation of the Green Bay Packers into his team. The days of Brett Favre are completely over with this victory, and it probably couldn't have come at a better time for the Packers. As Favre played out his (hopefully last) season in Minnesota, there were practically daily signs of Farve burning out as opposed to fading away. Forget the off-field drama, just look at the production of Favre versus the young gun who used to back him up.
The Packers piled on the Steelers in the first half, capitalizing on every opportunity they could. They went up 14-0 in the first quarter alone. At that point, it looked like it would be another boring Super Bowl. The second quarter didn't bode well either when the Steelers were stymied in their drive for a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't gone to three Super Bowls in six years for no reason. After the third quarter ended, the Packers were up only 21-17 and the tide seemed to be turning. Mike Tomlin had done his job by firing up his troops and Ben Roethlisberger was poised to seal his legacy at the young age of 28.
The Cheeseheads grabbed up the momentum with an eight-play, 55-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. Rodgers was in full command of the game with a 111.5 passer rating, compared to Roethlisberger's 77.4. Roethlisberger has been in (and won) two Super Bowls already. He was supposed to bring the savvy and the all-important Super Bowl experience. Instead, he was eclipsed by Rodgers who's ready to shine his championship acumen for a few more years.
When the Steelers scored with 7:34 minutes left in the fourth and commanded their defensive unit on the field to make a stand, things seemed headed for a Hollywood-comeback-ending. But the first word in the game is defense, and the Packers dug in. With 2:07 minutes left in the game and only one timeout, Roethlisberger completed two passes and then threw three incompletes in a row. The Steelers turned over the ball, Rodgers knelt on it and the transformation of backup quarterback to new big man in Green Bay was complete.
The field in the National Football League has been officially narrowed to two teams: the Green Bay Packers will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Feb. 6 in Arlington in the new Cowboys Stadium.
In the first face-off yesterday, the Green Bay Packers crushed the Chicago Bears in what ended as a closer game than it really should have. Despite the low score, Chicago never seriously threatened Green Bay. When Jay Cutler went down in the first half—not to return for the rest of the game—the Bears seemed lost. However, third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie stepped up to his role in a big way and made something of a game of the second half. In fact, Chicago didn't even manage to put up any score until the fourth quarter. By that point, it seemed certain that the game was over, but Hanie refused to let things end without the Bears on the board.
The Packers have done a great job of stepping up their game as the season has creeped closer to the big game. Aaron Rodgers—more than proving his place as the post-Brett Favre quarterback for Green Bay—ended the night with a somewhat ugly line, but did everything that was asked of him. Most importantly winning. Along the way, he threw for 288 yards with two interceptions, ran in a touchdown and had a passer rating of 55.4—by far the lowest of his post-season. Despite all this, Rodgers and the Packers came out triumphant, defeating their long-time rivals in Chicago and setting up a meeting in Super Bowl XLV with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The New York Jets played in the same style of the Bears, refusing to put up points in the first half. It could have been considered a charitable gesture if it had been done on purpose—but no one believes that—and the Jets dug themselves too big a hole to get out of. The Pittsburgh Steelers, with their championship pedigree, proved to be too much to overcome.
While New York's Mark Sanchez has been impressive since being drafted last year, he was no match for Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. The Jets and their vaunted defense allowed 24 points in the first half, while only scoring three of their own. The good news: the defense woke up in the second half and held the Steelers scoreless. After the Jets managed a safety and a touchdown in the short span of four minutes, it seemed like hope was alive.
But Pittsburgh's defense isn't nicknamed the Steel Curtain for nothing and they held up their end of the defensive bargain.
Super Bowl 2011 will feature two young quarterbacks who are at different stages in their careers. Roethlisberger has been to the Super Bowl twice already and is accepted fully by his team and his city. Aaron Rodgers is still tending to that second bit. If there were any people in Green Bay who hadn't bought fully into Rodgers, surely this Super Bowl trip will convince them. Win or lose, Rodgers is now firmly in command of the Packers and the Cheesehead Nation. Combined with Roethlisberger's previous wins, this will make for an entertaining bowl game between two quarterbacks in total control with nothing really to lose and everything to gain.
The University of New Mexico football season may be done, but we still have one more thing to cross off our list before the new year arrives: the New Mexico Bowl. In the age of wildly proliferating bowls, I know it's not the honor it used to be. The fact remains, however, that we've got something of a special spot this year: the New Mexico Bowl is officially the first Bowl game and gets mentioned as such. Additionally, it'll be shown on ESPN, which is always nice for Albuquerque.
The NM Bowl pits Brigham Young University against University of Texas El Paso. While there's been some griping about the teams selected, at least they both sport .500 records. Much has been made of the fact that BYU and UTEP are headed in different directions but the New Mexico Bowl should be a decent game.
With the drought officially over thanks to the winter wonderland that's been pouring down here in Albuquerque, the New Mexico Bowl might actually resemble a football game in December, too. The game starts at noon, local time, tomorrow, and you can rest assured that tailgaters will be out in the parking lot of University Stadium as early as 8 a.m., no matter the weather. Tickets are still available so try to make it.
An interesting tidbit about the New Mexico Bowl is that it seems to be cursed: No team that's won it has had a winning season since. As we're now two years removed from our last appearance, perhaps this ominous statistic will provide some kind of cold comfort of hope for Lobo football next season.
America is the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving—a holiday dedicated to eating as much as humanly possible and then lying around on the couch in a tryptophan-induced coma until you’ve digested enough to attack that pecan pie your aunt Rose brought over. What could be more all-American? To aid you in this day-long salute to gluttony and sloth, here are the TV highlights that will keep you and your fat relatives couch-bound this Thursday.
Normally, Detroit doesn't have too much to cheer about. But on Saturday night UFC 123 took center stage in front of 16,404 MMA fans. The main event featured Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida locked in a three-round chess match. Jackson won a close decision despite getting thrashed by Machida in the third round. Even Jackson was surprised he won when UFC cage announcer Bruce Buffer read the result. Both fighters and the fans are open to a rematch but UFC President Dana White felt Jackson won the first two rounds and thinks a rematch is unnecessary. With UFC light-heavyweight champion Shogun Rua still recovering from a knee injury, White may not have a choice but to give Machida another shot at Jackson.
From the moment the bell rang, B.J. Penn looked determined to beat Matt Hughes by any means necessary. Penn was on a two fight losing streak and needed an impressive victory to keep himself relevant as a contender.
It only took 21 seconds for Penn to destroy Hughes and remind the MMA world why 'The Prodigy' is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the game today. Meanwhile, Hughes may see retirement looming on the horizon. Penn's impressive victory earns him a shot at tough contender Jon Fitch in Australia early next year.
Lobo Sports
The California Bears gave Lobo basketball their first loss of the season and a major reality check. With no home crowd to save New Mexico, bad shooting and turnovers allowed the Bears to score 51 points in the second half to capture the 89-64 victory. Lobo point guard Dairese Gary had a team-leading 16 points but also had five turnovers. The Lobos now turn their focus on Northwood for Wednesday's home game.
BYU continued to add to the nightmare of Lobo football. The Cougars are having a disappointing final season in the Mountain West Conference, but it did not stop the 40-7 beatdown. Cougar quarterback Jake Heaps totaled three touchdowns to make BYU bowl-eligible. Stump Godfrey continued to be the only glimmer of hope by throwing for 125 yards and a touchdown. Now the Lobos welcome BCS contender TCU to University Stadium for the season finale.
It's been a depressing couple of months if you're a Lobo fan. The football team is a national joke and continues its quest become the worst team in college football.
Luckily the doors will open on the new $60 million Pit arena and a new era of Lobo basketball. Despite many basketball experts and websites picking New Mexico to finish third in the Mountain West, the Lobos are bound to surprise the basketball world once again. Losing Roman Martinez and Darington Hobson leaves the Lobos looking for a floor general, but the new additions have good chance of filling the void.
Saturday's exhibition matchup with Manchester College was a coming out party for the underclassmen. Alex Kirk and Tennessee transfer Emmanuel Negedu adds a strong low post presence to complement Junior forward A.J Hardeman. If Negedu and Kirk are productive on both sides of the ball, outside shooting should increase dramatically. Despite the exhibition game blowouts, there are still mistakes Head Coach Steve Alford will need to correct before their regular season debut against Detroit.
Speaking of the football team, Head Coach Mike Locksley finally got the monkey off his back by defeating Wyoming by a game-winning field goal. The first victory of the season should leave the Lobos off the ESPN's bottom 10 for at least another week. Locksley should keep the sweater and tie look, as he'll need all the luck he can get when the Lobos face Air Force.
NFL
To say times are tough for the Dallas Cowboys is a massive understatement. America's team was supposed to be the darlings of the NFL and a Super Bowl contender. Instead, these boys are perhaps the worst team in the league. Last night Green Bay destroyed Dallas 45-7 which may force owner Jerry Jones to finally make a coaching change.
He should fire coach Wade Phillips and give assistant coach Jason Garrett a trial run. The organization has been prepping Garrett for the position. Why not see if Garrett has what it takes to turn the team around? If he fails, it gives Jones an easy reason to get rid of Garrett, as well. Whatever Jones decides to do, something drastic needs to be done to save this sinking ship.
Select sidebar boxes to add below. You can also click and drag to rearrange the boxes; minimize, maximize and close using the little icons on each box. To re-add a box you closed, return to this menu.
Because you are not logged in, any changes you make to these boxes will vanish as soon as you click to another page. If you log in, the boxes will stick.
