🏈 Wild Weekend in the NFL, Big College Football Upsets, + More!

Good Morning, Blitzers!

We had a wild weekend in sports. If you like dramatic finishes and big upsets in football then this was the weekend for you. It’s a short holiday week, that means it’s okay to start slacking off now and reading the Blitz when you’re supposed to be working. So let’s dig in!

WTF Stat: KaVontae Turpin reached a top speed of 21.35 mph on his 99-yard kick return touchdown, the 3rd-fastest top speed on a kick off return this season. Turpin is now responsible for 3 of the 20 fastest speeds by a ball carrier this season, and this not-necessary but totally necessary spin move:

🏒 The St. Louis Blues fired Drew Bannister as their head coach after less than a year in the role, replacing him with Jim Montgomery, who had recently been let go by the Boston Bruins. Bannister, promoted to head coach in May after serving as interim coach, went 9-12-1 record to start the season. This marks the 23rd coaching change in the NHL since January 2023.

🏀 UCLA ended No. 1 South Carolina's 43-game winning streak with a 77-62 victory at Pauley Pavilion. Londynn Jones led UCLA with 15 points, making all five of her 3-pointers. The Gamecocks (5-1) had not lost since April 2023. Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points and Tessa Johnson added 14 for South Carolina, which also saw its 33-game road win streak snapped. This was UCLA's first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked team, and the Bruins' defense dominated the game, leading by double digits at halftime.

NFL Week 12

What You Missed

→ Wild Finishes part 1 (Cowboys vs Commanders) - With 33 seconds and no timeouts left, down seven points (a 99.8% chance of losing), the Commanders did the impossible and completed an 86-yard touchdown in a miracle play reminiscent of Stefon Diggs’ play with the Vikings. All they needed was the extra-point to tie, andddd:

→ Wild Finishes part 2 (Bears vs Vikings)- Once again I have to apologize to Bears fan, y’all cannot catch a break. The game looked to be over multiple times for the Bears. They trailed 27-16 with less than a minute left and had a 99.9% chance of losing according to actual win probabilities. They would score with only 22 seconds left, and then miraculously, recover the onside kick. Then they completed a 27-yard pass to set them up for a field goal to tie (which wasn’t blocked this time!) An unreal sequence of events to comeback and tie. But it was all for naught as they would end up going 3-and-out in overtime and losing by a field goal, 30-27.

→ Wild Finishes part 3 (Chiefs vs Panthers)- At this point this is so commonplace for the Chiefs that it’s not really even a wild finish. A valiant effort by the Panthers helped them come storming back in the second half. Down eight, they drove down the field scored and converted the 2-point conversion to tie the game. But 1:46 was left on the clock for Patrick Mahomes and company. As we’ve seen numerous times, that is more than enough time. The Chiefs easily drove down the field (helped by a 33-yard run by Mahomes), and set up the game winning field goal.

→ Good teams take care of business - Lions didn’t win by 40, but dominated the Colts 24-6 nonetheless. Dolphins won easily at home against the Patriots 34-15 behind Tua Tagovailoa 317 yards passing and 4 TD passes. Buccaneers took care of the Giants 30-7 and Baker Mayfield was even doing the Tommy DeVito celebration in the end zone.

What We Learned

→ Texans may not be as good as I thought - All year the Texans have been finding ways to win. Most victories have been closer, grittier games. But going up against the 2-8 Titans at home, you figured this one would be a blowout. That didn’t happen. There were countless times in this game where it looked like the Titans were actively trying to help the Texans comeback and win. But thanks to some sloppy play, and a missed 29-yard field goal, the Texans ended up losing 30-27. The Texans now sit at 7-5 and are 15th in the NFL in point differential at +17. Luckily they have an even worse opponent next week in the Jaguars.

Surprises

→ The AFC West is the the best division in the AFC - We knew the Chiefs would be a top team in the NFL but the Chargers and Broncos are legit. The Broncos took care of business yesterday against the Raiders 29-19, it wasn’t the prettiest of games but over the last three games Bo Nix has thrown for 795 yards, 8 TDs and 0 Interceptions.

→ Seahawks beat Cardinals in a defensive battle - The over/under for this one was 47.5, and if I were a betting man (I am), I would have gone with the over (luckily I didn’t bet this). The Cardinals were red hot winning their last four games and putting up 26 points per game, while Geno Smith and the Seahawks have been moving the ball all season. Instead of a shootout we saw both teams put up under 300 yards of offense, and have a very tough time moving the ball on the ground or converting 3rd downs.

Standouts

→ RB Saquon Barkley - What a game. Barkley went off on SNF totaling 302 yards, two 70+ yard TD runs, and this disgusting open field cut:

→ RB Josh Jacobs - Jacobs has had a tremendous first year with the Packers - however, the one area where he’s hasn’t lit up the stat sheet is touchdowns. Yesterday he took care of that, rushing for 106 yards and 3 TDs. Jordan Love only threw for 163 yards and the Packers still mopped the floor with the 49ers 38-10.

🏈 Tonight

The Ravens @ Chargers @ 8:15 EST on ABC.

College Football Recap

The Shockers

Florida 24- #9 Ole Miss 17: How bout them Gators?! Back-to-back to wins against ranked opponents and this one stung for the Rebels. Ole Miss basically had a playoff spot in its hands if they could just beat Florida and Mississippi State, but DJ Lagway and Florida had other plans. Jaxson Dart…more like Jaxson Fa—, ok grow up. Two interceptions in the last three minutes and they were really bad interceptions. Florida grinded its way to bowl eligible and now Ole Miss can only pray for ESPN to convince the committee to let more SEC teams in.

Oklahoma 24 - #7 Alabama 3: This game is an absolute head scratcher. Alabama couldn’t get anything going on offense and Oklahoma looked like what the preseason predictions thought they could be. Similar to Ole Miss, Alabama was in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot and puked all over themselves. Jackson Arnold ran for 138 yards. This one will go down as one of the worst losses for Alabama in the last 30 years.

Kansas 37 - #16 Colorado 21: The never say die Jayhawks, this is the third week in a row Kansas has beaten a ranked team to keep its bowl eligibility alive. They become the only unranked team to achieve the feat… Ever. Colorado and Coach Prime had everything going for them to make the Big 12 championship and potentially the playoff, now that gets real murky. Chaos in college football. We love it.

Auburn 43 - #15 Texas A&M 41: Auburn has barely shown a pulse all season long, but Saturday night at Jordan-Hare magic was in the air. This game had everything. A&M roared back after going down 21-0, the 4th quarter saw several lead changes and then the Tigers prevailed in quadruple overtime. We were hurtling towards a Texas/Texas A&M game to decide who went to the SEC championship, but that would be too easy, right?

Statement Games

#21 Arizona State 28 - #14 BYU 23: This game had a wild ending. BYU threw an interception, which was returned inside the BYU 10, ASU’s QB did everything he could to lose the game, fans rushed the field early, they cleared the field and BYU almost got the Hail Mary. This is a huge win for the Sun Devils, but thanks to Colorado, not quite a devastating loss for the Cougars. We are in for a wild ending for the Big 12.

#8 Notre Dame 49 - #19 Army 14: Notre Dame did not play with its food in this game and essentially secured a spot in the playoffs. They do have a game against USC in the Coliseum next week, but barring something crazy (I mean…do I bet my life’s savings on USC because CHAOS), the Irish will get into the playoff and host a first round game. As Samuel L. Jackson said in Jurassic Park: “Hold onto your butts.”

#2 Ohio State 38 - #5 Indiana 15: Welp, IU fans, the rose-colored glasses have been ripped off and stomped into the mud. Just too many mistakes on their own side of the field to pull off an upset against a talented Ohio State squad. Now begins the conversation whether or not a one-loss Big Ten is worthy of an at-large bid into the college football playoff. If IU had the blue-blood credentials of say…a Penn State they would be in without a thought.

That Could Have Been Embarrassing

#12 Boise State 17 - Wyoming 13: 2-9 Wyoming, the house that Josh Allen built, could have pulled off the funniest upset, but alas, the Broncos staved off the upset and kept themselves firmly in line for a playoff berth and maybe a bye week. Of note, Ashton Jeanty eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing on the season and should be the frontrunner for the Heisman. 

#4 Penn State 26 - Minnesota 25: A lot of college football pundits were talking trash about Penn State’s soft schedule…and then they come out and almost lose to Minnesota. However, this is the “Could Have Been Embarrassing” section. The Nittany Lions held on for a one-point win, and while they likely won’t be in the Big 10 championship game (unless Ohio State chokes against Michigan), they’ll be the better for it and will be an at-large bid into the dance.

Video Game Stats

QB Tyler Huff (Jack. State) - 9/12, 54 yards, 30 car, 177 yards, 3 TD

RB Cam Skattebo (ASU) - 28 car, 147 yards, 3 TD

RB Jarquez Hunter (AUB) - 28 car, 130 yards, 3 TD, 4 rec, 23 yards

RB Devin Neal (KAN) - 37 car, 207 yards, 3 TD, 4 rec, 80 yards, TD

RB Ahmad Hardy (UL-Monroe) - 30 car, 204 yards, 2 TD

RB Tahj Brooks (TTU) - 28 car, 133 yards, 3 TD, 2/3 , 38 yards, 9 rec, 65 yards, TD

RB Ollie Gordon II (OK State) - 15 car, 156 yards, 3 TD

WR/DB Travis Hunter (COLO) - 8 rec, 125 yards, 2 TD, 7 tkl

Top Ten Power Rankings

*Note this isn’t an AP Top 25, this is who I think are the best ten teams after this week. Come at me.

1. Ohio State - W vs. IU, 38-15

2. Oregon - Idle

3. Texas - W vs. Kentucky, 31-14

4. Georgia - W vs. UMASS, 59-21

5. Penn State - W vs. MINN, 26-25

6. Tennessee - L vs. UGA, 17-31

7. Notre Dame - W vs. UTEP, 56-0

8. Miami - W vs. WAKE, 42-14

9. SMU - W vs. UVA, 33-7

10. South Carolina - W vs. WOFF, 56-12

Knocking on the Door: Arizona State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Clemson

Top NBA Games

Celtics 107, Timberwolves 105: The Celtics held on to beat the Timberwolves 107-105, Jaylen Brown led the way with 29 points, including five straight 3-pointers to start the game. Jayson Tatum added 26 points, and Derrick White contributed with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. Despite Boston building a 19-point lead, the Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards' 28 points, kept the game close. Minnesota had a chance to win at the buzzer with Naz Reid's shot, but it missed, allowing Boston to secure its fifth straight win.

Heat 123, Mavericks 118:  Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 33 points to lead the Heat to a 123-118 overtime victory. Bam Adebayo added 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyler Herro contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds. Dallas was without Luka Dončić due to a wrist injury, and despite Kyrie Irving's 14 points in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks' four-game win streak was snapped.

Nets 108, Kings 103:  Cam Thomas scored 34 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 108-103 win. Despite blowing a 19-point first-half lead, the Nets held the Kings to just 15 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Thomas scored nine points in the final period, and Brooklyn's bench outscored Sacramento's 44-9.

Top NHL Games

Maple Leafs 3, Utah Hockey Club 2: Mitch Marner scored twice in a dominant second period, extending the Leafs winning streak to four games. William Nylander also scored for Toronto. Utah, playing its first back-to-back games of the season, got goals from Logan Cooley and Jack McBain. Toronto captain Auston Matthews missed his eighth game due to an upper-body injury, but the team has gone 7-1-0 in his absence.

(Only 1 game last night)

On this day in 1979, Pat Summerall and John Madden broadcast their first game together. They would go on call 300+ games, eight Super Bowls. One of the best duos ever. Good summary of why they worked from this NY Post article:

“I don’t think there’s a big secret to being good. The secret is just to have people like you. Likability. I don’t like tension. There’s enough s–t going on. I just want to relax on Sunday. I don’t want to sit on the edge of my chair. I want to sit back in my chair and enjoy the day.

“Pat and John allowed you to do that. You felt like you could approach them on the street and tell them you liked their work without their jumping down your throat. They were people’s people. They just were. To me, that’s the secret. You’ve got to want people like you. Don’t be phony about it. Just be who you are.”

Trivia Time Answer

What position has accounted for the most MLB MVP awards?

B) First basemen- 37 total MVPs for first basemen with Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols accounting for the most (3x each). Full list can be found here.