Top 10 of 2019: #7

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in 2019, Top 10

#7. Dirk Nowitzki Retiring from the NBA

Video by NBA

*This article was written by a contributor who wishes to remain anonymous.

“At forward in his 21st season, the greatest Dallas Maverick in franchise history, the tall baller from the G, number 41, Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirk Nowitzki!!” echoed in the American Airlines Center on April 9, 2019 in what would be Nowitzki’s last home game. In typical Dirk fashion, he waited until after his last game in the house he built to let the fans know he was calling it quits. No farewell tour. No year long celebration like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and even baseball stars such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Even though many teams recognized the situation this past season like when Doc Rivers, coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, stopped the game to pay homage to to the legend, Dirk clearly never sought any special treatment. In his 21 seasons, Dirk was a professional who never sought unnecessary attention. It is because of this humility that I find it important to write this article. We must remember the retirement of the 2007 NBA MVP, the 2011 Finals MVP, the 14 time All-Star, and the 6th All-Time scorer in the history of the league.

When asked to discuss the top sports moments of 2019, Dirk Nowtizki retiring without a doubt must make the list. Not only did Dirk transform the game for big men shooters, he revolutionized the game for Europeans. Nowadays, it is not hard to find big men who can shoot such as Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Jokic, Karl Anthony-Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, and Anthony Davis. Kids growing up watching those stars today don’t see anything crazy about a seven-footer who can knock down the three. Yet, it was a rare skill in 1998 when Dirk was drafted out of Würzburg, Germany. No longer was a big man just a bully in the paint, it was now necessary to give them respect beyond the arc.

Video by Bleacher Report

Dirk was an example of the benefits that could come when drafting European talent. He created a serious interest for players in the EuroLeague and ironically paved the way for future Mavericks Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Without his incredible success, the respect to the European talent pool may not be there.

Dallas Mavericks Basketball GIF by NBA - Find & Share on GIPHY
Courtsey of Giphy

Lastly, Dirk did all of this with class and respect. Don’t get me wrong, he annoyed players. The fadeaway was tough to guard and Dirk knew how to sell the foul. He was also a bit of a liability on the defensive end of the court. But he never had a problem with a teammate. He was a likeable player and as a young kid from Germany, he handled becoming a celebrity in Dallas-Fort Worth well. He engaged with the community and most importantly, he remained loyal (tough to find and you may never find it again). He wanted to win with Dallas and towards the end of his career, Dirk routinely took pay cuts to try and get it done with the team who drafted him. As a kid myself born in 1996 and raised in Dallas, Dirk was a role model and I always found myself in the driveway trying to recreate his fade away. At a certain point, I even wanted him to leave the Mavericks to try and win 1 more. But he stayed. I can only hope the Mavericks provide their two big Europeans more support than Dirk had in his 21 seasons. As of right now, it looks like they have. 

CFB Playoffs: #2 Ohio St. vs. #3 Clemson

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in Football, NCAA Football

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Whichever holiday you celebrate, we can all come together and rejoice in College Football Playoff season. The playoffs are finally upon us and let us rejoice and be glad. Grad School’s Cole West did a preview of the 1st semifinal game which can be found here: http://gradschoolsports.net/2019/12/24/college-football-playoffs-1-lsu-vs-4-ou-preview/

I will be previewing the primetime matchup between the Clemson Tigers and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Neither team is short of playoff appearances with the Buckeyes making their 3rd playoff appearance, winning it all 2014. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be playing in their record-tying 5th CFB playoff and will hoping to win back to back championships and their 3rd title in the last 4 years. Let’s dive into the matchups in this highly anticipated affair which has Clemson narrowly favored by 2.5 points

Clemson Offense:

This Clemson offense is very similar to last year’s team and is once again led by QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. After some early season troubles, Lawrence has really rebounded in the 2nd half of the season and enters the game with the 7th best QBR in the nation. Lawrence has homerun targets in receivers Tee Higgins, who comes into the game with over 1,000 receiving yards, and Justyn Ross, the 13th best receiver in the ACC. Etienne has been magnificent on the ground for the Tigers as they have the 9th best rushing attack in all of college football. The Tigers offensive line has been stellar all season as well as they are 5th in the country in sacks allowed. Overall, this offense has been absolutely phenomenal and is clicking on all cylinders heading into the semifinal.

Ohio State Defense:

Two words: Chase Young. Lining up to defend against Lawrence and Co. will be arguably the best player in all of college football and a prospective number one pick in next year’s draft. Young is 1st in the country in both tackles for loss and sacks, and 2nd in forced fumbles. While Young has been a force to be reckoned with, this OSU defense is incredibly well-rounded. Statistically, they have the 2nd best passing defense and 7th best rushing defense in the nation. LB Malik Harrison has also enjoyed a great season and will team with Young to put pressure on the Tigers offense.

Ohio State Offense:

Offensively, the Buckeyes have a 3-headed monster in QB Justin Fields, RB J.K. Dobbins, and WR Chris Olave that Columbus has not seen since the 06 season. They have arguably the best offensive line in college football and the unit was a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore award. Playing in the very competitive Big 10, this offense has been battle-tested against some of the better defensive units in the nation. However, they have not faced a defense like the Tigers and could face some challenges moving the ball on Saturday.

Clemson Defense:

Statistically, the Tigers have the best defense in all of college football. They are at the top in both total defense and passing defense, 5th in turnover margin, and have the 9th best rushing defense. Brent Venables is a defensive mastermind and has one of the best defensive players in all of football in LB Isiah Simmons. The All-American Simmons has been remarkable this year and is an absolute unit at 6’4, 230 lbs. The Tigers also have one of the best scoring defenses in the country. Therefore, pressuring OSU QB Justin Fields and forcing him to make miscues could give Clemson the advantage it needs on Saturday.

Now the last time these 2 teams met in the 2016 semifinal, Clemson manhandled the Buckeyes 31-0 en route to their title win over Alabama. I, along with the rest of the country, expect a much closer game this year.

Who wins this game? I honestly think this is a coin flip game. Clemson has steamrolled their competition this year. However, there is an argument to be made that the teams they played don’t deserve to be properly identified as “competition.” Throughout the season, analysts have been underestimating this Tigers group however, everyone knows head coach Dabo Swinney will use that as fuel to have his team properly prepared and motivated for Saturday.

On the other hand, Ohio State has also dominated their competition and have played one of the more challenging schedules in the country. Ryan Day has done a great job in his 1st year as head coach and there were many around the country who believed OSU deserved the number one overall seed in the playoff.

I will have an official prediction on Friday when I release my Picks from God, however as of publishing I like the Buckeyes to prevail.

Top 10 of The Decade: #7

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in Decade, Top 10

7. Dee Gordon’s home run against the New York Mets in 2016, one day after the death of teammate Jose Fernandez.

On September 25, 2016, Jose Fernandez, an MLB All-Star and one of the games most well-liked players, passed away due to a boating accident. Players and fans alike around the league were devastated. Fernandez was only 24 years old but had established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the league.

On Monday September 26, 2016, the Miami Marlins played their first game since Fernandez’s passing against the New York Mets. Dee Gordon, the 2B of the Marlins and one of Fernandez’s closest friends, was the leadoff hitter that day. Gordon, typically a left-handed hitter, stepped into the right-handed batters box wearing Fernandez’s helmet. After seeing the first pitch from Mets’ pitcher Bartolo Colon, Gordon proceeded to switch to the left-hand side of the plate. On a 2-0 fastball from Colon, Gordon promptly smacked a homerun to the right-field bleachers and began to weep uncontrollably as he rounded the bases. As he crossed home plate, he pointed to the sky in remembrance of his good friend. It was a moment that will be forever be remembered by baseball fans around the world.

Video by MLB

In the postgame interview, Gordon told a reporter “I don’t have kids, so hitting a homerun for Jose Fernandez is the best moment of my life.” It is in these moments where sports can truly bring everyone together. Dee Gordon’s homerun is one, as a baseball fan, I will never forget.

Clippers-Lakers Highlight the 2019 NBA Christmas Lineup

by Zach Truesdale, posted in NBA

Ah, the annual bundle of NBA Christmas games. A great time to spend with the family and watch some of the most-anticipated competition of the season. As the last festive lineup of the decade arrives, there is much to look forward to as some of the biggest names in the league face off as the year comes to a close.

Raptors v Celtics (ESPN)

As of right now, both teams are playing great, each being within the top-5 spots in the Eastern Conference. Though both teams do have key injuries on each side, I think the lack of Pascal Siakam (groin) will allow the Celtics to continue riding the hot hand of their 3-game win streak and leave Toronto with a W.

Prediction: Celtics get tough win on the road.

76ers v Bucks (ABC)

Another potential Eastern Conference Final Match-up is on display as the #1 Milwaukee Bucks take on the #5 Philadelphia 76ers. This is a personal favorite because of the challenge that is stopping Giannis Antetokounmpo. They have been hard to slow down especially since the Greek Freak has shown his ability to extend his range. However, this game will truly test the strength of the Bucks depth as they face a contending Philadelphia team. This will be a great battle down low for those who love seeing heavily contested buckets.

Prediction: 76ers take the home field advantage and the win

Warriors v Rockets (ABC)

The injuries and adjustments to this year’s Warriors team makes them quite underwhelming. And as usual, the back court of Russell Westbrook and James Harden wish to make a statement on the team they just can never get by in the playoffs. Since the Warriors are down and out this season, I expect a dominating performance from Houston. You have to make a statement when given such a golden opportunity. And being on Christmas, this is the Rocket’s present as they should take this win in front of their home crowd.

Prediction: Rockets win in fashion, Harden and Westbrook drop 30+ each.

Lakers v Clippers (ESPN)

It has been recently announced that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be playing this Christmas together for the first time as teammates. Not only does this make for the game of the week, but this will be the first time the two revamped Los Angeles teams face each other this season. With all due respect to the baller that is Montrezl Harrell, I see the trio of Centers (Davis, McGee and Howard) dominating the paint. The Klaw, PG-13 and company versus The King, The Brow and their squad. This is the match-up sports fans live for. L.A. fan or not, this will be the game to watch.

Prediction: Lakers’ big men shine in a roller coaster of a game.

Nuggets v Pelicans

Everyone was excited to see Zion play this Christmas, but unfortunately due to injury the opportunity must bee pushed to next season. The #2 seed Denver Nuggets will face the second-to-last New Orleans Pelicans to cap off the last Christmas game of the decade. I expect Nikola “The Joker” Jokić to pull from his bag of tricks and have a fun Christmas win, despite the Most Improved Player campaign that Brandon Ingram is displaying.

Prediction: Nuggets win with ease and we see some more crazy Jokić passes.

The Jerry Problem

by Clayton Neider, posted in Football, NFL

Jerry Jones is the worst owner in all of sports. He has built the most valuable sports franchise in the world, but inappropriately talks to the press, oversteps his role, and even turns his back on the cowboys and leaves games early. He is a disgrace to the team and is a disease that needs to be cured. This is not the man I want to own and manage The Dallas Cowboys.

Time and time again I hear Dallas fans look for problems in the organization saying its the coaching staff, the quarterback, the defense, or anything else. It is a different “problem” every week. One thing that has been consistent over the last 30 years is, The Jerry Problem. Dallas rightfully so wants Jason Garrett gone, but lets take a look at The Jerry Problem.

The Dallas Cowboys get off to a hot start at 3-0. The fans are beginning to believe once again that this is “our year.” A phrase that I have heard all my life. The Cowboys were #4 in the power rankings per ESPN coming into week 4. Kellen Moore had reshaped the Cowboys offense to a pass first attack that was shredding offenses. Dak Prescott threw for over 900 yards in his first 3 games. The Cowboys are on track for it to be “our year.”

Fast Forward 3 weeks and we are reminded that greatness can only last so long, especially considering the records of the three teams we beat. This three game stretch reminds us that it once again is not “our year.”

The Dallas Cowboys face a tough decision in deciding to extend Garrett or look elsewhere. Jerry Jones has loved Garrett for many seasons shown by the following statement, “We have a lot invested in Jason. Jason is certainly, in my mind, the coach that could turn this thing around and cause us to have a great year.” Throughout the season he has reminded the Cowboys that he is the guy, “I wouldn’t make a change & give us a chance to do what I want to dream about doing.” and “There will be no coaching change.” Jerry Jones believed in Garrett until he didn’t.

Jerry Jones flips his opinion of Garrett overnight and states, “we’d have zero chance” to win a Super Bowl with the current head coach. This couldn’t be the same man that believed in Jason Garrett just a little over a month ago. At 6-6 leading the NFC East, Jerry Jones idiotically goes to the media once again to publicly indicate that Jason Garrett will be fired after the season is over unless he wins a Super bowl. This is incredibly inappropriate for a team atop of the division controlling their own destiny.

Imagine your boss giving you an impossible task. Now imagine the pressure of this task knowing if you don’t finish you would be fired. This is the scenario that Jason was put under and is down right idiotic of Jerry Jones to say. If I knew I was going to be fired within the next two months, I would have no incentive to work and the team showed it on the field. In the next few games you saw a flat Cowboys team that had no energy trying to rally behind Dak Prescott. The issues on the field have one explanation, The Jerry Problem.

Jerry Jones only option with a team 6-6 vying for the playoffs was to fire Jason Garrett mid-season and promote Kris Richard as the Interim Head Coach. Richard played football at USC under Pete Carroll and joined him on his coaching staff at Seattle where he was the secondary coach and helped develop talent that included Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. AKA “The legion of boom.” Dallas hired him as the defensive backs coach in 2018 and he has done a phenomenal job helping the Dallas defense turn into a top 10 defense. In the offseason after his first year there was much speculation about him being promoted or even becoming a defensive coordinator somewhere else.

At 6-6, who would you rather have, a lackluster, hand clapper, emotionless Jason Garrett who has no reason to fight to win the division? Or would you rather have a fiery Kris Richard with a lot to prove with the capability of winning the division and doing some damage in the playoffs.

A team that has top 5 talent in almost every area on the field is now #14 in the power rankings (Per ESPN). This seems to have always been the case for the Cowboys in the past 20 years, a talented team that grossly continues to underperform.

The choice was simple, the choice was obvious, the choice was necessary. Jerry Jones has been the problem, is the problem, and will always be the problem for The Dallas Cowboys.

State of the Patriots 12/24/19 – Just Getting Loose?!

by Brian Murray, posted in NFL

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other Holiday you may celebrate! I am optimistically looking forward to 2020 and I hope you are too!

Pats are 12-3 heading into week 17

The Patriots won the AFC East for the 11th year in a row this past weekend, a truly remarkable feat in a league designed for constant parity and turnover. Baring another “Miami Miracle” this weekend, we’ll finish the season with an impressive 13 wins.

Positives from the Bills game

I thought last week’s game against the Bills was one of the most exciting games of the year. Two evenly matched teams played hard nose football the whole game, and it came down to the last possession. That being said, I thought the Pats got back to playing ‘Patriots football’ and pretty much controlled the game throughout.

Positive #1

The big guys up front on both sides of the ball were outstanding. Isaiah Wynn, Joe Thuney, and Shaq Mason have really led the way for a surging position group. Mason in particular has been really good down the stretch this year after a shaky start to the season. He’s had 85 grade or above from Pro-Football Focus in four of his last seven games. I was critical of him earlier in the year, but I think he’s starting to show why he’s worth the money we paid him. Joe Thuney has been outstanding and has really anchored the O-line all year. He’s got a PFF grade of 78.5, which is pretty solid and I hope the Pats give him a new contract after this season. Marcus Cannon went down after getting the back of his ankle rolled up on during a run play. According to sources, he was at practice today so that is a good sign going forward.

Positive #2

This was the first game where I felt confident in our receiver’s abilities to get open for Tom. The ball was really spread around against the Bills as Edelman, White, Harry, Burkhead, Meyers, Sanu, Watson, and LaCosse all played important parts in the passing game.

The two most exciting components to me were the emergence of Rex Burkhead both running and catching balls out of the backfield, and the continued development and usage of N’Keal Harry.

Based on the last two games, I think Burkhead has been criminally underused this season. He’s great catching balls out of the backfield, and he can make people miss in the open field. Plus, he showed he’s tough to tackle straight up, as he bounced right off a Bills linebacker for the go ahead touchdown.

N’Keal Harry also continues to show toughness and versatility both running and catching the ball. Two weeks in a row now, the Pats have called end around runs with him and aside from a missed block from Sanu, each one has gone for 10+ yards. The hand-off to Harry on the 4th and 1 where he was stopped short was really disappointing. Sanu totally whiffed on his block, and seemed to barely make any effort at all. Harry didn’t back down from his match-up with top Bills corner, Tre’Davious White. Harry blocked against him hard, much to the chagrin of White. I still think Harry’s got a long way to go to be top option passing wise, but he works hard, blocks hard, and is super athletic. This guy has all the tools to be a monster weapon and I’m rooting for him.

Positive #3

Special teams and defense continues to get it done.

DPOY candidate Stephon Gilmore and Pro-Bowl snub JC Jackson played outstanding yet again. I was also really impressed with Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler, two under the radar defensive lineman who have played outstanding for the Pats in the last two years. Guy in particular is highly rated for not missing tackles (he’s only missed one all year).

The defense did a great job of putting pressure on Josh Allen when it mattered the most. During the last drive of the game, the Bills made it all the way down to the 25ish yard line and had three shots to the end zone. On the first one, Allen missed his tight end in the back corner for a potentially game tying touchdown. On the second Allen was sacked, and on the third, the Pats blitzed hard, and Allen had no time other than to run back ten yards and chuck it up. JC Jackson subsequently knocked the pass down.

Another thing we can’t take for granted is the kicking game. Nick Folk nailed three field goals, including a 51 yard attempt and one extra point. Good kicking has been a rare commodity in the NFL this year, and if the Pats can rely on Folk to be confident down the stretch, it’ll be a huge luxury.

A look ahead

The Pats are hosting the Dolphins at home this week. Obviously, the Dolphins don’t really have much to play for and aren’t a top team, but I expect them to compete nonetheless. It’ll be interesting to see the dynamics of Brian Flores’ and all the former Pats coaches and players coming back to Foxborough for the first time. It’s been no secret that Flores brought a large contingent of Patriots from last year’s team with him down to South Beach. This past week, he claimed two players from the Pats practice squad. I wonder if that has ruffled anybody’s feathers in the building.

The Pats need to win this game. If they win, a first round bye, and home field in the Divisional game is ours. If not, the Chiefs will get home field and the bye (assuming they win). By all accounts, the Pats are taking this one super seriously. In the locker room after the Bills game, Belichick called the game a playoff game and the upcoming game against the Dolphins a playoff game as well. Nobody’s taking this one lightly, and I would expect nothing less. I’m expecting this team to rally around the now famous quote from Elandon Roberts for the rest of the season, “I’ll run through a M*****f***** face, offense, defense, special teams, it don’t matter.”

Onto Miami. Go Pats.

CFB Playoffs: #1 LSU vs #4 OU Preview

by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

It is almost that time of year: The College Football Playoffs. The playoffs start this Saturday at 3:00 CT. The undefeated LSU Tigers take on the 12-1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick- Fil- A Peach bowl. This will be the 4th appearance in the playoffs for the Sooners, while this is the first postseason appearance for the Tigers. Regardless, both teams are looking for their first playoff win as the Sooners are 0-3.

The Sooners may be 0-3 in the playoffs, so far but their transfer QB, Jalen Hurts, has nothing but wins and experience. Before transferring to OU in the 2019 season, Hurts played QB at Alabama where he led the Rolling Tide to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 (he was the backup in the 2018 season). Hurts is 3-1 as a starter in the College Football Playoffs. Hurts also has experience beating the LSU Tigers, beating them two years in a row as a starter. That type of experience can go a long way for the Sooners.

On the other side is the LSU Tigers who have stormed through the regular season. Posting wins against Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Auburn, it is no question that LSU has looked like the best team in the country. Now the Tigers are looking for their first win in the College Football Playoffs to send them to the national championship.

The biggest story this past week regarding these teams is the news that Oklahoma will be playing without three of their players. Oklahoma’s DE- Ronnie Perkins, RB- Rhamondre Stevenson, and WR- Trejan Bridges are suspended for the Peach Bowl. While it is still unclear what provoked the suspension, The Athletic’s, Jason Kersey, reported it as a “rules violation.” The biggest loss is DE, Ronnie Perkins. Perkins is considered the Sooners best pass rusher with six sacks, and 38 total tackles. This is now a major disadvantage for the Sooners as they try to stop Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, and his high-powered offense

The LSU Tigers have some bad news as well as running back Clyde Edwards- Helaire suffered a hamstring injury during practice last week. Edwards- Helaire is LSU’s leading rusher with 1,290 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. LSU coach, Ed Orgeron, said Edwards- Helaire is questionable for the Peach Bowl. However if anyone knows hamstring injuries, they know how hard they are to recover from in football. If Edwards- Helaire does not play, running backs, Tyrion Davis-Price, John Emery Jr., and Chris Curry would assume the workload. Those three running backs have a combine 118 attempts and nine rushing touchdowns on the season. The replacements have some experience; however, it would still be a major blow if the Tigers were without their starting running back.

Keys to the Game

Oklahoma

1.Run the Football

This is arguably the most important factor for the Sooners on Saturday: the ability to run the football. OU comes into this football game 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game with over 240 yards a game. This would be huge for OU as it wears down the LSU defense, open up the passing game, and keep LSU’s high-powered offense off the field.

2. Win the Turnover Battle

Oklahoma comes into the game as 13.5 point underdogs. Something underdogs cannot do in a football game if they want to win is have turnovers; therefore, OU needs to win the turnover battle. Jalen Hurts has shown this season that he struggles to hold on to the football. That cannot be the case Saturday, or else LSU will take advantage and make OU pay for it. If OU’s defense can force turnovers, that will give the OU defense a lot of confidence, momentum, and maybe some points on the board for OU.

LSU

1.Convert on 3rd Downs

One of the keys to the game for LSU is to convert on 3rd downs. LSU currently converts on 3rd downs 49.67% of the time which ranks 7th in the nation. Converting on 3rd downs will allow LSU’s offense to stay on the field and wear and tear the OU defense. This will allow receivers such as JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson to get involved early as well as boost the confidence for the LSU offense. OU’s defense currently is 48th in the country on opponents points per game with allowing 25.4 points per game. For LSU’s offense who averages 46.3 points per game (ranked 3rd), they should be more than capable converting on 3rd downs to put up points on the scoreboard.

2. Stop/Limit the Run

I mentioned this earlier, but LSU must be able to stop or limit the run for the Sooners. The Sooners average over 240 rushing yards a game. They run a power-style run offense that can wear down defenses. OU can run it with Jalen Hurts who has 1,255 rushing yards or RB, Kennedy Brooks, who has 976 yards on the season. This is worst case scenario for LSU: that Oklahoma is able to run all over the LSU defense to extend drives, and more importantly keep Joe Burrow and LSU off the field.

This will be a big opportunity for OU and the Big-12 to make a statement if they were to pull off the upset because the College Football Playoff committee has traditionally not shown as much respect to Big-12 teams over the years compared to teams in the SEC or Big-10.

The SEC and Big-12 champions will meet in Atlanta on December, 28th at 3:00 CT on ESPN. Both teams will be competing for a chance to play in the national championship.

Top 10 of The Decade: #8

by brandonwayman, posted in Decade, Moments

8. Marshawn Lynch’s Beastmode run against the New Orleans Saints in 2010.

Trying to milk the clock while holding onto a 34-30 lead in the 2010 NFC Wild Card Round, the Seahawks faced a 2nd and 10 on their own 33-yard line versus the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. Not many pundits had given the 7-9 Seahawks a chance in the game due to them being the first team with a losing record to make the postseason in NFL history. With nothing to lose and respect to gain, the Seahawks elected to hand off the ball to their midseason acquisition Marshawn Lynch on a power run. Lynch then activated his now infamous “Beast Mode” running style, and he broke eight attempted tackles by the Saints’ defenders. The run peaked when Lynch threw a stiff arm that sent Roman Harper flying to the grown, and Lynch added an exclamation mark by diving into the endzone to extend the Seahawks lead to double digits with 3 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game. The run left the crowd in such a frenzy that the roar registered on Seismograph readings.

Video by NFL

The Seahawks would go on to win the game 41-36. However, the great run had a greater impact than just propelling the Seahawks to the divisional round. The victory set the tone for the Pete Carroll era where the Seahawks went on to make the playoffs 8 times, the Super Bowl twice, and win Super Bowl XLVIII in the decade.

Top 10 of 2019: #8

by Alec Murray, posted in 2019, Top 10

8. Liverpool’s improbable comeback over Barcelona

Photo by DW.com

Quickly before we dive into this one, since not everyone has a great idea of how European soccer competitions, specifically the Champions League, are structured, we’ll give a quick run-down. This is pretty important background information to why this moment made our top 10 list for 2019. Feel free to skip this next paragraph if you have a decent understanding of the Champions League.

The UEFA Champions League is a tournament that sets out to crown one club as the champion of European club soccer. The structure is similar to the FIFA World Cup where 32 of the best teams from all of Europe are drawn into 8 groups. Then each group plays a home-and-home round robin schedule, and the top 2 teams from each group advance to the knockout stages. Each knockout fixture is determined over two matches, one game at each club’s home stadium, with the scores from both matches being aggregated to determine the winner. If the aggregate score is tied, then the first tie-breaker used to determine a winner is away goals. Whichever team scored more goals in their opponent’s stadium advances. If that doesn’t solve it, then extra time, and potentially penalty kicks, are utilized. The Champions League is *the* premier tournament in club soccer, with the final each year drawing 2-3x the viewership of the Super Bowl.

On to Liverpool and Barcelona. These two giants of clubs came into their semifinal tie with 5 Champions League titles a piece. This fixture was potentially the biggest headliner of the entire tournament as both teams were loaded with talent and play in two of the most famous stadiums in Europe. Barcelona, along with Lionel Messi, also featured two former Liverpool stars in its lineup in Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho who were sold for and €82M and €145M respectively. Liverpool, meanwhile, were seeking to avenge their loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in the season prior.

Liverpool played about as well as any team could in the intimidating atmosphere that is Camp Nou in Barcelona, but found themselves 3-0 down when the final whistle blew on the first leg of the tie on April 30. An opening goal by Suarez, followed by two from Messi (including an unbelievable free kick) were the difference.

Heading back home, Liverpool would need to score at least 3 goals to force extra time, but if Barcelona were to grab an ever-valuable away goal, Liverpool would then need 5 to advance. This would be a reasonably difficult feat against just about any club, but needing to accomplish it against Barcelona without the services of two of their three attackers in Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah seemed impossible.Things got off to a favorable start though as Divock Origi tapped in a follow up after a great run from captain Jordan Henderson to make the score 1-0 at halftime. Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum was subbed on at the start of the second half and had an immediate impact, scoring twice in quick succession to level the aggregate score by the 56th minute. Having climbed all the way back, the outcome would be decided in the last half hour of the game, plus extra time/penalties if needed. They would not be needed as it turned out. Some clever thinking by Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold on a corner kick will go down in history, as he took the corner quickly, and caught the Barcelona defense napping to find Origi alone in front of the net who guided the ball into the top corner. Leading 4-3 on aggregate in the 79th minute, Liverpool would grind out the final 10 minutes to complete one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

The Reds would go on to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final, collecting their 6th European title and first since 2005.

Top 10 of 2019: #9

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in 2019, Moments

9. Stephen F. Austin beats #1 Duke at Cameron Indoor.

On November 26, Stephen F. Austin, a small school in East Texas, did the improbable by knocking off #1 Duke 87-85 in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Over the past 3 years, SFA has become known as a potential bracket buster come March, however Duke had not lost a home game in 150 games. The Blue Devils came into the game as 28 point favorites.

The Lumberjacks were able to stifle Duke’s offense the entire game and were able to take away the Blue Devil’s home-court advantage. Duke led by 5 at the half, however the Lumberjacks were able to bounce back in the 2nd half to force overtime. It was in overtime where the Lumberjack magic came to life as mass chaos would ensue.

With 15 seconds left, Duke’s Tre Jones missed a jump shot but Wendell Moore snagged the offensive rebound. Moore kicked it back out to Jack White who passed it back to Jones. Jones drove to the lane however the Lumberjack forced him to make an errant pass. The ball kicked away and was grabbed by Lumberjack Gavin Kensmil who then passed it to Nathan Bain. In a frantic dash across the court, Bain laid the ball in at the buzzer in front of the Cameron Crazies to give the Lumberjacks the upset victory.

Video by ACC Digital Network

As the Lumberjacks went into a frenzy on the court, Cameron Indoor was silent. In the post-game press conference, SFA coach Kyle Keller said “I told our players, banners can’t beat us tonight. The players have to beat us.” Anytime Duke loses, Americans around the country can rejoice. However, there is call for extra celebration when a mid-major like SFA can knock off Coach K’s team on their home-court.