NJIT Upsets Michigan: Yeah, We Didn't Have That One, Either

((HT: BTN))

After Yale knocked off UConn yesterday, the HQ thought that this end of the college hoops season might be one of THOSE college basketball seasons.

We might be right...

NJIT (the New Jersey Institute of Technology) has been a traditional doormat since they promoted themselves up to Division I athletics. They've been around D1 since 2006-07 and, at one point, lost 51 in a row in their transitional phase. But the losing streak doesn't count in the stacks because of the classification.

As the only independent in D1, they have to take a lot of road game paychecks- one of them is the game at Crisler Arena against Michigan this afternoon. The end result comes up as one of the early season shockers.

Josh Lewin and Stephen Bardo have the recap


When you hit almost 60-percent from the floor and you're good from three-point, this is what you get sometimes...

Good for the Highlanders...

Here's how the voice of the Highlanders Matt Provence called the end of the game.

#6 Sun Devils Go Down 35-27 At Oregon State

The curtain has fallen in Corvalis for Arizona State's College Football Playoff chances as Oregon State defeated the Sun Devils 35-27.

The 12th man was present at Reser Stadium and that fans made life difficult for the Sun Devils.

“The crowd was awesome, the atmosphere was great." Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. "It’s great to see us just cut loose and play football. It was hard, it was good, I really appreciate how our team responded.”

One of those Oregon State players that cut loose was Beaver QB Sean Mannion who figured out ASU's defense with a pair of second half touchdown passes. Mannion ended the game throwing for 251 yards.

"It was a great team victory just the way we won it against a great opponent." Mannion said.  "ASU is as tough as anybody we have to tip our hats to them. iI think every aspect of the game came up, the run game was outstanding."

Oregon State sealed the upset when linebacker Michael Doctor picked off a Tyler Kelly pass late in the fourth quarterback and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown that sent the Beaver fans into a frenzy.

 "We knew we didn't have anything to lose,"  Doctor said.

Arizona State falls to 8-2 overall, 5-2 in conference but it's CFB playoff hopes are pretty much dead.

Oregon State is now 5-5 overall and needs one more win to go to a bowl game.

BUZZER BEATER: Cedrick Bowen Slam At 0,1 In OT Defeats Ole Miss

Charleston Southern's Cedrick Bowen has the honor with the first buzzer beater of the college
basketball season and it was a damn good one.




With that Charleston Southern defeated Ole Miss in overtime 66-65.  Bowen would finish with 12 points.

Here's Bowen's reaction after the game. (Thanks WCSC-TV Charleston, S.C.)


Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports
The last time Charleston Southern defeated an SEC school was back in 1986 when CSU defeated South Carolina 85-81.

ICYMI: The Dirty Dozen Gets Scrambled

((HT: ESPN/SEC on CBS/Fox Sports/Northwestern Football)

Did you ever have one of those days where absolutely everything you thought was an absolute lock came crashing down around your ankles and left you in such a state that your pants wouldn't fit anymore...???

Let's face it... all hell broke loose at the top of the rankings (whether you choose to look at Brother Phil's Dozen or some other source) and sent it all in the blender for the foreseeable future...

Examples...

Starting in Oxford... it was proven once again that Alabama has SERIOUS special teams issues in their loss to Ole Miss where Bo Wallace would keep the football and stash it someplace after the game was over as he tried to escape the throng that stormed the field.
Oklahoma decided that a road game against TCU in their new digs was a great idea... It wasn't...and plays like this one Gary Patterson pulled out of the back of the playbook help. What kind of flaws do USC have...??? There seems to be the one glaring one right now... Late game focus... it came into play as Arizona State came from behind to surprise them Some would think that Miss State's win over Texas A&M was an upset... The HQ doesn't think so as their suspect defense was exposed and Dak Prescott went off in a 48-31 win But here's one last one for you to think about as we head to Sunday... Northwestern hosted Wisconsin and they weren't good hosts- beating the Badgers 20-14 in a bit of a mucker it looks like...

Maybe Oregon Should Stop Playing Arizona When They're Ranked (UPDATED W/Locker Room Reax)

((HT: Pac-12 Network))

You could see the signs early on...

Constant pressure in Marcus Mariota's face and keeping all the receiver activity in front of the secondary. In addition to that, the Arizona defense made sure that Mariota didn't get loose in his own and break off a big run.

Arizona traded punches with Oregon and won in Autzen Stadium- again...

Whaddya want to bet that folks ni Michigan are REALLY rueing the idea that Rich Rod ended up in Tucson and wasn't around in Ann Arbor for all this Brady Hoke mess...


Great strip and steal by Scooby Wright and:

WHAT IS UP WITH THOSE UNIFORMS???!!!

Yes, the HQ knows despite their hideousness, they will sell out and some of the proceeds will hopfully go to a great cause.

Here's the reaction in the Arizona locker room...
((HT: Arizona Wildcats their own selves))

Yes, We're Showing Yale Highlights...

((HT: WTNH-TV))

This wasn't really one of those games that comes up and bites you as a reason to be shown under a normal circumstance

But, it turned out to be one of the games of the day
John Pierson has the context


The HQ has always been one of those groups that enjoys telling the story of the underdog- and when a Division I-AA squad knocks off a Division I squad... doesn't matter who, where, or when... we'll show it...

It's also the 100th anniversary of the Yale Bowl, so it gives us another reason to tell the story of Coach Reno and what he and the Elis pulled off yesterday.

How About Another FCS Win Over FBS...???

((HT: Patrick Netherton his own self))

We include this one because we can...

P-Netherton is the pay-by-play voice for the Northwestern State (LA) Demons and they were on the road last night at Joe Aillet Stadium to take on Louisiana Tech.

All we needed was a last-second field goal for the upset
The HQ got it...


Well called, sir... congratulations...

And that win puts a big dent in the La Tech bowl ideas...

OSG Prem: Okay, Manchester United Isn't All The Way Back...

((HT: BPL on NBCSN))

After the dismantling of QPR last weekend by Manchester United, the HQ had raised an eyebrow thinking that maybe Louis van Gaal had the team going in the right direction.

The HQ may have sold the return a little soon...

After leads of 2-0 and 3-1, Leicester City came storming back at King Power to score FOUR UNANSWERED to beat the Reds 5-3. A lot of people thought the final score was a misprint, but it's not.

In a weekend that was strange to say the very least (like West Brom's win over Spurs also on Sunday), this seemed to be the exclamation point in the whole table.

Here's goal five off a PK reinforcing Ulloa's importance for the Foxes


Louis van Gaal, as you saw at the end of the last highlight, was befuddled and beside himself...
((HT: BBC Sport/Beanyman Sports))

Just How Bad Is Texas Football Right Now...???

And by "Texas," the HQ means specifically the Longhorns...

We get that Charlie Strong is disposing of a lot... No, A LOT!!!... of Mack Brown's recruits in a cleaning house of massive proportions- 8 so far with four more players that were "suspended" for the game against BYU Saturday night...

The larger questions was: Just how many guys were left to chase after Cougars QB Taysom Hill...???

Answer: Not enough...

It was ugly and it was the most points allowed by a Texas team since they gave up 66 to UCLA

Charlie Strong took the blame for the "embarassment..."
((HT: KVUE-TV))
KSL-TV's Alex Kirry gives the game-day grades, and the HQ imagines they're a lot of "A's"

Cupcake Saturday: Can We Swap #MACtion For The Big 10...???

((HT: Big Ten Network))

It was ugly...

Michigan State lost to Oregon as the Ducks scored the last 28 points in Eugene
Notre Dame shut out Michigan
Virginia Tech took care of Ohio State in front of the largest crowd in the history of the Horseshoe

But, it was silly elsewhere...

Rutgers beat Howard
Nebraska needed a late TD to beat McNeese
Penn State barely beat Akron
Minnesota beat Middle Tennessee
Maryland turned the ball over six times but a blocked punt gave them a win over South Florida

The bigger news came from two MAC teams that held on...

Central Michigan sprinted out to an early lead over Purdue in Lafayette and beat the Boilermakers- who are living up to the old nickname of "Pur-don't..."
((HT: CMU Sports))


The other not-so-shocking shocker was Northern Illinois taking care of Northwestern
Defense from guys like Paris Logan helps


So, in a day that could have solidified the Big Ten/12 as one of the power conferences this season, all Saturday did was confuse the issue and give one conference a big "I told you so..." for scheduling prowess. It proved that some teams are bad, some need work, and some just aren't there yet.

OSG Prem: Manchesters And Everton Have Rough Days

((HT: BPL on NBCSN))

It was just one of those days... and that's what makes the premier League what it is...
Just when you think you have everything figured out- forget it...

First, Burnley was hosting Manchester United- Easy one for the Reds, right...???
Nope... a goalless draw...

Maybe van Gaal was right. It might take a year...
((HT: Beanyman Sports))


City didn't do any better on a day where they could have had SERIOUS bragging rights. Mark Hughes returned to his old haunt coaching Stoke against the Citizens and he came away with the 1-0 win. Once again... shocking...


The best squad money can buy is pitting up some serious numbers already. So much for Diego Costa being out for as many as six weeks with that hamstring he hurt in training. The Blues put up 6 against Tim Howard and Everton. Costa put in two on his own...


Elsewhere, a really mad Harry Redknapp lost Loic Remy in a sale before the transfer deadline. But QPR got the 1-0 win today over Sunderland.
Neil Warnock and Crystal Palace went toe-to-toe with Newcastle- both teams left with a point after a 3-3 draw.
Nathan Dyer put two on West Brom and the Swans added another just because in a Swansea City 3-0 win.
Southampton found some offense somewhere and won 3-1 over West Ham...

OSG Prem: van Gaal Now Says It Will Take A Year

((HT: Sky Sports))

It was weird to say the very least...

Manchester United got bounced from the Capital One Cup yesterday. Which, in and of itself, may not have been a surprise at some point but it was the manner in which they got bounced.

The loss was to League One side MK Dons 4-0...

Yup... 4-0...

And while Manchester United were without a lot of its stars in that line-up, it's still the principle of the thing.


So, we have gone from a third of the season to a full year...

That can't be good...

Bellis Wins In Flushing At The Age of 15

((HT: ESPN/USTA))

CiCi Bellis became the youngest winner in the US Open since 1996 with her three-set win over 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova

Here's the highlights


She rallied from down a break in the third set for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win. Anna Kournikova was 15 in 1996 and not since Mary Joe Fernandez was that age in 1986 had an American won at such a young age.

Wild Day At Wimbledon: Nadal, Sharapova, And The Williams Sisters Gone

((HT: Wimbledon/Shane B's Vine))

First, Maria Sharapova got bumped out in three sets by Angeline Kerber. The 19-year-old Aussie Nick Kyrgios has taken another huge, ranked player down in Rafa Nadal.

After saving 9 match points in his win over Richard Gasquet, Kyrgios took out the 2-time champ in four sets: 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. He hit 37 aces and he's the first to get to the quarters in his tourney debut in a decade.


Obviously, Kyrgios, the 144th-ranked player in the world won't forget this moment at the All England Club


And, then, a very wobbly Venus Williams was encouraged to withdraw her sister-pairing in women's doubles
Evidence below


She was diagnosed with a viral illness.

Aussie Kyrgios Saves 9 Match Points In Win Over Gasquet

((HT: Wimbledon))

Australia's Nick Kyrgios found quite a way to announce himself as the youngest seed in the Wimbledon fortnight. He ended up saving 9 match points, starting out 2 sets down to 13th-seed Richard Gasquet, to do this at 9-8 in the fifth set.


Here's the post-match Q-and-A session, presumably when he could catch his breath

They Said It Would Happen...And It Did In The US Open Cup... NASL Beats MLS

((HT: atpdv/Real Salt Lake))

Pundits (whoever consider themselves as such) thought that, at least, one NASL side would knock off MLS sides in the opening

night of 4th Round US Open Cup play.

It actually, happened three times.

New York Cosmos beat NY Red Bulls 3-0. Carolina Railhawks beat Chivas USA in PK's and the Atlanta Silverbacks may have had a signature win for the franchise in their stoppage-time win over Real Salt Lake, 2-1, at Silverbacks Park (the full house pictured, right).

The reason "they"- whoever the "they" is was that the critical mass of a domestic tournament combined with the tournament in Brazil took a lot of key players out of circulation. In the RSL-Atlanta match-up, Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando are in Brazil and Saborio was out with injury- otherwise he would have been with the Costa Rican side that won their opening round match.

The Red Bulls were without Tim Cahill and Roy Miller for their World Cup competition. Dax McCarty was out due to knee injury, and, Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave because of turf.

The Goats were, well, the Goats... as a 9th-place team in the MLS Western Conference, only had Minda called up by Ecuador as a replacement at the last...

But, getting back to the action at the HQ home base, after a horrific gaffe by Carillo in the 10th minute that gave RSL the 1-0 lead the Silverbacks pressed for the remainder of the clock and got the duke.

Here's the highlights


OSG Sports caught up with Poku afterwards about what is, probably, "that" win for the franchise in the soccer-scape:

"The coaches and players were ready," he admitted post-match. "It's the first time I played against a professional team. And since we're a new team together with new coaches, we're starting to figure it out. I think we're getting there."

And in stoppage time, Poku was getting some encouragement to go ahead and shoot to keep the match from going to the same fate the last time the two played where RSL took the match in extra time to advance in the Cup.

"I had the ball and the guys were saying, "Poku, just take it!' So, I gotta take it, right? There was what...??? One minute left...??? So I took the shot..."

And with a shrug of his shoulders, Poku described how games can change on a drop. The Silverbacks looked like a team that knew they could work the far channels with Rudolph and Burgos- working crosses into the box for guys like Chavez to elevate and cause problems for RSL keeper Joe Attinella.

Silverbacks Technical Director Eric Wynalda, who is a joy to watch and cover if only for educational purposes for starters, sees the win as one of those victories that you can grow from:

"I think it's one of those seminal moments, yeah," he said. "The season, at times, has been painful for us this year. But when you excel, it can breathe life into a franchise.

"It's what this tourney is all about. You talk about how this is a game for us and a time to shine. We've embraced it. We've showcased it. And it's why I love this competition. It's been a hard go, and there are times where we've let ourselves down. But to the other part... we believe we can win games like this. We've got another game, now, in ten days and we'll put a lot into that. It gives us another quality opponent and it couldn't come at a better time."

The Silverbacks get either a trip to Orlando to play Orlando City SC or to Colorado to play the MLS Rapids on June 24.

And as for Willie B FC...???

Growth comes in stages... it's why it's called exactly that- sometimes it's in spurts. Sometimes it's in fits and starts and as long as the new faces in new places can figure it out, the curve under Wynalda looks like the stair-steps the franchise is looking for after last year's Soccer Bowl appearance.

It's about building an attitude with the players who buy in and bringing the right players to fit the philosophy that will court success. The thought process Wynalda is looking for with guys who wear the red and black kits over time will fill in just fine...

And Costa Rica Tells Uruguay To Stick It

((HT: ESPN/FIFA))

A lot of firsts, except for Jon Champion calling both of the early shockers in the soccer matches in Brazil...

Costa Rica gets their first win in over a decade in the competition and they put THREE in Uruguay in a decisive 3-1 win. Cavani put home a PK in the 24th minute to give the Uruguayans and their smedium uniforms a 1-0 lead. They carried the lead into the break and then, well, they broke.

The Ticos scored the most goals ever in a game with Campbell, Duarte, and Urena knocking it in the net. Maxi Pereira picked up a red card for a silly challenge on Campbell and it's on in Group D.

There was a question about the Duarte goal and whether or not the play should have been whistled offsides...
But the Urena goal had a great amount of slice spin on it for the dagger


And now Uruguay has to fight uphill for the rest of Group stage

Speaking Of CWS History: Here's One For Jackson State

((HT: KLFY-TV))

They've lost since, but Jackson State got their first-ever win in College World Series history against 6th-national seed Louisiana-Lafayette in Lafayette, 1-0.

The HQ has covered the rough season the JSU team has had- that all started with their bus burning to the ground on the side of the road with their equipment in it. Other Mississippi schools pitched in and have given them the basics to get through their season. The group have galvanized and have run through everyone since.

Here's their first-round win
KLFY News 10

Good for them, indeed...

Unless, of course, it's a "different color"
JSU Head Coach Omar Jackson was asked about Miss State's donation...
((HT: Sporting News/ESPN))

This Loss Could Cost Barca The Title...

((HT: La Liga))

All it took was Fausto Rossi's first of the season 16 minutes in to make the HQ wonder what may really be wrong with Lionel Messi...


Valladolid's shocker 1-0 win over Barca may cost them the title down the line...

Now, it's up to Atletico Madrid, who visit Celta Vigo later on Saturday, and Real Madrid, who host Levante on Sunday to figure out how the standings will shake out after this weekend...

Syracuse's 2-Tone Uniform Will Be Locked Up Permanently, Boston College Upsets #1 Orange

Syracuse broke out their throwback jerseys Thursday night against Boston College and instead was thrown down by the Eagles in overtime 62-59.

The Eagles came into the game 2-10 in the ACC, 6-19 overall.  Loss number 20 for Boston College wasn't happening in the Carrier Dome.

Here's the highlights with FOSG Matt Park on the call. Thanks Syracuse Orange


Here's Eagles head coach Steve Donahue after the game.

Donahue is referring to Boston College men's basketball sports information director and FOSG Dick Kelley who passed away last Thursday after a three year battle fighting ALS.

Syracuse's shooting was just awful.  The Orange only shot 32 percent from the field and 16 percent from the 3 point line.

“We’re not putting the ball in the basket." Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "We’re not going to win games shooting 32 percent, 16 percent from the three. It’s pretty simple, it’s not complicated. We need to be better on offense, it’s that simple.”

Boston College did shoot much better going 42 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three point line.

Eagle sophomore guard Olivier Hanlan led all scorers with 20 points.

It doesn't net easier for Syracuse and the Orange have #5 Duke on the docket for Saturday night.  It will mark the first time a Syracuse team has put their sneakers on the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"Right now we need to think about having two good days of preparation and Duke is one of the toughest places to play in the last five years and I’m sure they have one of the best home records of any team in the last five years."  Boeheim said.  "And they’re playing really well and they attacked us really well here. It’ll be a great challenge for us and that’s something we need for us to regroup. We have plenty of time to reflect back on the season when the season is over.”