Notre Lamed: Irish Lose Heartbreaker at Stanford and Other Rivalry Week Tales

Alex Ferguson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:25:00 -0500

We've got a lot to talk about in a little time, bearing in mind that's we've been watching football all day and we're a little tired.

This couldn't be a better rivalry week—or more's the case, rivalry evening.

At the end of it, the only coach crying was Charlie Weis (well, he probably wasn't, but there we go). On fourth-and-job, Jimmy Clausen's Hail Mary was batted down by a Stanford secondary that had done its best to hand the Irish the game, and the Cardinal beat the Catholics 45-38.

If Stanford running back superstar Toby Gerhart (dear God did I take a long time to get that name right!) doesn't go to the NFL, then we're pretty sure he'd be a good minor league baseball player, or any college should take him about as future running backs coach or head coach. He's all heart baby.

We also got to see some redemption, which is always nice on a rivalry week where smack is talked from start to finish.

So here's the list:

LSU coach Les Miles: With over a minute on the clock in regulation, needed a minute to tie to the game against Arkansas, and instead of royally screwing up like he did against Ole Miss, the Tigers coaching staff and offense managed to get its head together and force overtime.

They then played poorly in OT, but thanks to the closest 'wide right' field goal miss you'll ever see by Arkansas, the Tigers won, much to the joy of around 92,000 people, some of whom were seen (to my laughter) using the 'F' word opening in front of ESPN cameras to question Miles' coaching efforts. I only wish we'd been there.

Georgia's Reshad Jones: The talented safety missed a tackle in the 2008 home loss to Georgia Tech that essentially gave the nerds a rare victory in Good Old Fashioned Hate.

Jones was brilliant on Saturday night, making a last-gasp tackle to force a player out-of-bounds with seconds on the clock to essentially save Georgia's 30-24 victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech at the high school stadium known as Bobby Dodd. Best sign goes to the Tech fans though: "And The Nerds Shall Take Over The World."

South Carolina: No-one could have given South Carolina more crap than we did throughout the year—especially quarterback Stephen Garcia. Don't get me wrong, we still think he's one of the SEC's poorer quarterbacks, but he—and a tremendous defense - helped to engineer an upset of hated rival Clemson.

Georgia defensive co-ordinator Willie Martinez: He might well be out of Athens by Monday, but boy, his 'D' battled today—especially against Georgia Tech's tremendous running game, which was stifled all night long.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen: For all intents and purposes, Mississippi State had been a laughing matter when talked about as a possible SEC West destination for good recruits. At the start of the season, we didn't expect MSU, with their new head coach, to beat Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl this year. They did, and we can shut up now.

And a quick bit of love for Mississippi State's band, who may just get into the VFA's top ten cheerleading squads for 2009—if a band is indeed cheerleading (which we think it is). I love the copy of "Rammer Jammer." It's not been sung very often.

Read more Steve Spurrier news on BleacherReport.com

South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas Pull Upset Games for Thanksgiving--

jay holgate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:54:08 -0500

Original Story Published on SEC Sports Report

ATLANTA, Ga —It’s rivalry weekend. The final SEC games of the regular season don’t need any more hype but I see this as Upset Weekend .

This Thanksgiving weekend there are five state championship games at stake which includes three SEC vs ACC match-ups. Three games could be upsets so don’t get caught with a turkey bone in your mouth on Saturday night.

I was 5-1 in my SEC picks and picked the LSU upset and nailed the sleeper game with Kentucky upsetting the Dogs. I’m 74-16 for the season which keeps me at 82 percent accuracy for the year.

Here are my Saturday predictions:

SEC Upset Game No. 1: SEC vs ACC–South Carolina vs Clemson in Columbia

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier needs a big win as bad as anybody in the SEC.

Spurrier has lived in the state long enough where he even hates Clemson now. The Cocks have played games close but not brought home the wins. Two weeks to prepare for this game was a much needed break. South Carolina is hungry.

Clemson has dominated the series this decade. This season, Clemson has won six games in a row. Coach Swinney says he's not even thinking about the ACC Championship game until the rivalry game is over.

I believe Clemson comes in with a chip on their shoulder. South Carolina gets some huge turnovers and wins in a close one 24-21.

SEC Upset Game No. 2: 15 LSU vs Arkansas in Baton Rouge

The Tigers are favored by 3.5 points but this is an upset in the making.

Coach Les Miles has been catching a ton of heat about the poorly managed Ole Miss upset. He is a glass half-full guy and he lives for momentum. There is too much mud on his face from last week to get focused enough for Arkansas.

Meanwhile, Razorback quarterback Ryan Mallett is lighting up the skies. Mallett is getting better every week and this Hawg team is starting to have some confidence again. This game might get ugly. Hawgs win 24-16.

Upset SEC Game No. 3: Tennessee vs Kentucky in Lexington

The odds makers like Tennessee by three. The Vols have owned the Cats for 24 years in this series.

I believe Coach Kiffin told the Knoxville Police department to expedite the investigation of starting safety Janzen Jackson because his dad needed more players on defense.

It worked. Amazingly, Jackson has been cleared of charges and available to play Saturday. But the Vols are pretty banged up.

Kentucky has won five of their last six games this season and has enough momentum going to pull the upset on Saturday. Kentucky’s Randall Cobb is a playmaker and as long as he is on the field, the Cats have a chance. I believe the Cats pull the upset 21-20.

2 Alabama vs Auburn in the Plains

Coach Nick Saban knows what is at stake here. Beating Auburn coach Gene Chizik in their first clash on the road would be another notch on his wall. A big win against Auburn in the Plains helps recruiting significantly.

Auburn has been hot and cold all year and who knows which team will show up Saturday. If Auburn is hot, they may keep it close. Either way, I don’t see any reason in which Bama loses this one. Roll Tide 31-14.

1 Florida vs Florida State in the Swamp

The Gators have won five in a row against the Seminoles and this year will have the same result. Tim Tebow will have another great game as his team finishes the regular season undefeated. Gators romp 35-14.

Georgia vs Georgia Tech in Atlanta

I never thought I would see this. Georgia Tech is favored to beat powerhouse Georgia by a touchdown. This Georgia team seems like it never got on the tracks this season.

The Dawgs have lived off big plays for a decade and for now those days are behind them. It’s hard to pick an ACC team but I will close my eyes. The Jackets will win 28-24.

25 Ole Miss vs Miss State in Starkville

The Rebels won a squeaker last week against LSU and it was big win for the program. This week, Coach Nutt will have to travel and finish off with a win over the in-state rival to capture the Egg Bowl. Look out for Dexter. State will put up a good fight but not a win. Rebels win 35-24.

I enjoyed my visit to Knoxville last weekend and will be traveling to western Tennessee for Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to the upset games and would love to see the SEC beat the ACC in all three games. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Until next time, I will see you on the ball field.

Jay Holgate is an SEC sports analyst, freelance writer and life coach based in Atlanta, Georgia. He can be heard around the South on sports radio.

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Notre Lamed: Irish Lose Heartbreaker at Stanford and Other Rivalry Week Tales

South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas Pull Upset Games for Thanksgiving--