Artwork by Kiera Classen

I really circled the drain last week, seeing both Harbaugh Brothers defeated and sending me to 4-6 for the postseason, and no chance of finishing above .500. But, this is the Super Bowl, and if I get this one right it could be the saving grace of my postseason. Tom Brady is looking for his fourth Super Bowl ring in five starts, while Eli looks to earn his second championship. There are multiple parallels between this Super Bowl and the ’07 Super Bowl these two teams played in. But will it be the same result?

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots: Tom Brady brings in his offense clicking on all cylinders, even after a game against the tough Ravens’ defense. Brady apologized for his performance in the AFC Championship game, but why? He won the game and had a rushing touchdown. Apology accepted here. Brady is clutch and has the determination of a champion. He also brings along Rob Gronkowski who has the best hands in the Patriot receiving core. Gronkowski broke multiple tight end records this season, and has continued his path of destruction right into the playoffs. Gronkowski matches up well against a weaker Giants linebacking core and secondary. The Patriots defense has also been playing well since the playoffs started. They were ridiculed so much going into the playoffs, they had to step up for this team to go far. Vince “Big Boy” Wilfork stepped up and has single-handedly changed games for this team. Last week, Wilfork pushed the Ravens’ center straight back into Joe Flacco. Wilfork then took Flacco down with just one hand. The Ravens were off the field and the Patriots scored after the punt. Wilfork had a seven point turn around on that one play.

The Giants have just as good as a pass rush too. Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck man the frontline and have combined for 30.5 sacks. They have gotten after the quarterback this postseason much like in ’07. This Giants team has heated up mightily over the last weeks in the run game. Amadaw Bradshaw has run over the Falcons, Packers, and 49ers defense. Why wouldn’t he against the Patriots? Then there’s Eli Manning, who has proven me wrong three weeks in a row. Manning has proven his elite status by winning games in the fourth quarter, and once in overtime in the NFC Championship Game. Eli will want this Super Bowl ring to finally one-up his brother and looked upon as the better quarterback.

This will be the final week of football, and it honestly makes me a little sad. For six months, there won’t be any football played. But, this is also the best weekend in football because the entire season has boiled down to this. Patriots or Giants? If history repeats itself, Giants. If the better team wins, Patriots. At the end, I give my kiss of death to the Patriots. The Call: Patriots, 35-20

Image courtesy of google images

Last week featured some of the best playoff football of the entire season. We saw the mighty Packers fall and fall hard, the 49ers had “The Catch” all over again to beat the Saints, the Ravens defense dominated and scratched out a win, and “Tebow Time” came to a bitter-bitter end. With all these events happening I found myself going 3-1, and raise my record for the playoffs to .500 at 4-4. I’m feeling another great week ahead with the Conference Championships. The Giants are going to San Fransisco to play the 49ers, and the Ravens take a trip north to take on the New England Patriots. I see two close games, but only two teams can play for the Lombardi Trophy.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots: The Ravens finally got their first home playoff game since 2006, and they took advantage. Though they couldn’t stop Arian Foster who ran for 132 yards and a score, the defense allowed only 140 passing yards and 17 points. But, Tom Brady is a bit better than T.J. Yates to say the least. Tom Brady went all Tom Brady on the Broncos and threw for 363 yards, six touchdown passes, and was able to let off the gas after throwing five of those touchdown passes in the first half against the Broncos defense. Brady has had his worst games in his career against this same Ravens defense. Last time these two teams played in New England in the playoffs, the Ravens’ Ray Rice ran over the Pats’ defense and Joe Flacco had a good day throwing for a couple touchdowns. In the end, the Ravens won 33-14. Joe Flacco proved himself as a playoff quaterback, and continued to stay this way.

I see more of the same for the Ravens in this game. This may be Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis’ final shot at a Super Bowl, and he will played inspired football against the Patriots. The Patriots have fallen the last few years at home in the playoffs, and it all started with this Ravens team. Ray Rice should have a big day, and carry the Ravens right to Indy for the Super Bowl. The Call: Ravens, 24-21.

New York Giants vs. San Fransisco 49ers: This looks like a matchup from the late 80′s and the early 90′s, but its this weekend’s game. The 49ers played an awesome game against the Saints last week. They forced Drew Brees to throw four interceptions, and forced six turnovers. The defense was gashed a couple of times, but that was when they decided to play a prevent defense. When aggresive, the Niners’ defense figured out the Saints and beat them fair and square. Candlestick Park was loud, and the Niners had a clear home-field advantage. They get to play at home agian this weekend against the New York Football Giants. Eli Manning played amazing last week especially on third down where it seemed like every time they threw, they converted. The defense showed up in the biggest way though. They were able to get Rodgers off his game, and the whole offense of the Packers seemed, off. Rodgers missed wide open receivers, and the receivers also dropped the ball. Anyways, the Giants were stonewall and wouldn’t allow any big plays.

This game certainly won’t be too exciting to watch because of the strong defenses on both teams. The Niners are in the comfort of the Bay, and the weather will benefit the better running team who is the Niners. I have gone against the Giants the last two weeks, and they have proven me wrong. Well, try it again Eli. The Call: 49ers, 17-10.

The Ravens and 49ers in the Super Bowl. John and Jim  Harbaugh are brothers, and the head coaches of the two respective teams. Dare I say it, the HarBowl?

Tebow had a thriller last week, can he do it again?

It looked as if I was going to go 2-2 last week with my predictions until this happened. The best thing about predictions, is you always live to see another day, and I see myself bouncing back this week. Let’s start in the NFC, and see who comes out victorious and advances to their Conference Championship.

New Orleans Saints vs. San Fransisco 49ers: The Saints were world beaters last week, and showed the football world that they were back just as strong as the team that won Super Bowl 44. The Saints are an amazing throwing team, and Drew Brees utilizes all of his weapons at will. Brees threw for 466 yards last week and 3 touchdowns and blew out the Lions after the game appeared to be close going into the fourth quarter. The downfall to the Saints in this game though is the fact that they have to take this style of game outside. The Saints are 3-2 in outdoor games this year and score an average of 20 points a game in those games. The outside for them this week is cool and windy San Fransisco. San Fran doesn’t only have the weather on their side, but they also have the best defense left in the league. The 49ers have Aldon Smith and Justin Smith on their defensive line and they combined for 21.5 sacks this season. The 49ers stop the run as well, allowing a league best 77 yards a game. In addition to that, Patrick “Whatchutalkinabout” Willis is returning and he is the heart and soul of the San Fransisico team. Frank Gore is a beast for the 49ers offense, 1211 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, and will dominate the front line of the Saints. 49ers tightend Vernon Davis also finds himself open in the redzone many times is a touchdown machine.

If the weather conditions are right, Drew Brees could become ineffective throwing down the field. I don’t see the Saints running the ball, whatsoever, on the defense, and 49ers’ quarterback Alex Smith will only have to make a couple plays down field to win. The Call: 49ers, 21-20

New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers: If the Green Bay Packers are Superman, then the New York Giants are kryptonite. In otherwords, this game is going to be tough for the Packers definitively win, even in Lambeau. The Packers are getting back the missing pieces of their offensive line this week in Right Tackle Brian Bulaga and Left Tackle Chad Clifton. Wide Receiver Greg Jennings also comes back for the passing attack of the Pack and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is well, Aaron Rodgers. He has been unstoppable in Lambeau, and has thrown for 45 touchdowns this year. The Giants though, have the key to stopping this record breaking offense. A great pass rush. Last week vs. Atlanta, the Giants allowed only 183 passing yards and stopped the Falcons twice on 4th and short. The Giants had an effective offense, and ran the ball so effectively they possessed the ball for almost 10 minutes longer than the Falcons.

If the Giants are to win this game, they have to put Rodgers on the ground quickly and then run the ball effectively on the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field. But, Superman always figures out a way to stop the poisoning of kryptonite. The Call: Packers, 35-31

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens: Houston showed their stingy defense last week vs the Bengals allowing only one touchdown and had three interceptions, even one by defensive lineman J.J. Watt. Houston also ran the ball very well against the Bengals with 188 and 152 of those yards by running back Arian Foster. This set up a big passing game for T.J. Yates who had 152 yards and a 40 yard touchdown pass. Baltimore changes week to week, they are either the clear cut favorites to win the Super Bowl, or just go “ka-thud.” At home the first option is usually who they are. Ray Rice is the entire offense for the Ravens with 1364 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. They go as they as Rice goes, but the X-Factor is quarterback Joe Flacco. He is a good quarterback, and will become elite with a Super Bowl championship.

It all starts here for the Ravens. The Texans had their fun last week, but won’t win this week. The Call: Ravens, 28-20.

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots: Trust me here Broncos fans, I’m going against them until they lose.  The Call: Patriots, 31-13.

Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to their first postseason appearance since 2006. They play the Steelers on Sunday.

Great matchups await us this weekend, as we watch to see who will take one step closer to Superbowl 46. On Saturday, January 7th will feature the Cincinnati Bengals going to and playing the Houston Texans. Then later on the 7th will show the Detroit Lions making a postseason appearance for the first time in 11 years against the high octane offense of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. On Sunday, January 8th, the Atlanta Falcons play the New York football Giants, and of course, the Tim Tebow-lead Broncos play the Pittsburgh Steelers  at Mile High. Here’s my predictions for this fun-filled weekend.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans: The Houston Texans come into this game with a defense that is ranked 3rd overall in the league, and are making the franchise’s first playoff appearance. Houston has the best running back in the game, Arian Foster, who ran for 1224 yards and is one of the best receiving backs coming out of the backfield. Cincinnati isn’t half bad either on the running game side of things. They have Cedric Benson who hits the hole hard, and is a 1000 yard rusher. Benson is a big reason for the success of the “Red Rifle” Andy Dalton. Dalton is an excellent mobile quarterback and he can chuck the ball all over the yard. None more to sensational receiver A.J. Green, who caught 65 passes in his rookie season this year.

The Texans last win of the season came in week 14 against this same Bengals team by a score of 20-19, and they lost out against three teams with a combined record of 17-31 and none of those teams were playoff teams. The Texans are playing poorly at the wrong time of the year, and the Bengals are playing well. The Call: Bengals 14-13.

Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints: Cue the wild circus music for this game, because it will be a wild offensive shoot out. Drew Brees is my MVP this year, threw for the most yards in a single season, and he will continue his air assault against the 22nd ranked Lions pass defense. Brees can throw it deep to receivers like Robert Meachem and Marquis Colston. He has a great redzone tightend in Jimmy Graham. It also doesn’t hurt to have an up and coming star running back like Mark Ingram to run the ball against defenses. Lions are also stacked on offense. Matt Stafford passed for 5038 yards this year and a good chunk of those went to Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. Johnson is a monster, and as long as the ball is within any kind of reach, he will catch it.

Both teams have respectable defenses, but they have been vulnerable to the pass all year. The Saints are undeafeated in New Orleans this year, and I see that record to continue this week in a close, last possesion game. The Call: Saints 37-35

Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants: Matt Ryan of the Falcons  is a consistent quarterback, that simply finds ways to win. His receiver Julio Jones runs a quick slant, catches the ball, and turns on the speed and turns a small gain into a touchdown. Roddy White is a physical monster that caught 100 balls this year and will catch even more against a banged up Giants secondary. Yet, the Giants quarterback isn’t half bad either. Eli Manning could finally shine in the league spotlight without any talk of his brother Peyton. Manning has come up big in tight situations, and his receiver Victor Cruz is going to be a superstar.

The Falcons have the clear advantage in the run game with Micheal Turner (1340 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns), and can widdle the clock down to a point where Eli can’t lead a last second drive. The Call: Falcons 23-17

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos: Tim Tebow has the ball with only two minutes left in the game. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can only watch from the sidelines. The Broncos are only down by a touchdown and have all the momentum and the fans are on their feet. Tebow shows his magic and he leads the Broncos down to the 15 yard line of Pittsburgh. Only :10 seconds left and Tebow calls his number in the huddle. “I got this guys,” he tells them. The ball is hiked and Tebow fakes a handoff to McGahee. He fakes right and cuts left. Gets by the defensive line and breaks a tackle from All-Pro James Harrison. Tebow then gets a great head fake on Jame Farrior. Tebow’s at the ten yards line. Gets a block from his receiver Eric Decker, at the five, could he do this? It will be the biggest upset in Denver sports history! Then, CRACK, Tebow is laid out by Steelers Troy Polamalu at the two yard line. No time left on the clock. Game Over. “Tebow Time” done.

I’m sorry Broncos fans. The Call: Steelers 13-6.

Did I just pick 3 of the 4 road teams to win this weekend? Well, it appears I did. Uh-oh, run.

Artwork by Kiera Classen

Lets just say my first BCS bowl prediction article was a miss (Honestly Nebraska, a loss to Northwestern at home?) Now that the season has panned out and teams like Oklahoma were, unfortunately, upset we see who will win the big BCS bowl games.

Sugar Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Michigan): Both teams come into this bowl game with the at-large bids and did not win their Conferences. Both teams have excellent defenses where both have an average of 17.2 points scored against in a game. Both teams don’t pass the ball well, with Virginia Tech ranked 66^th in the nation and Michigan ranked 90^th, but they both are in the top 30 in rushing yards. Virginia Tech lost two times this year, and both times to Clemson; once in regular season and once in the ACC Championship game. Michigan also only lost twice, and to two passing teams; Iowa and Michigan State. Michigan scores quickly with quarterback Denard Robinson, who rushed and passed for over 1000 yards this year, and Virginia Tech can manufacture great drives, so look for some scoring in the middle part of the game.

Michigan may be vulnerable to the passing attack, but don’t look for Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas (19 TDs, 2799 passing yards on the season) to do much against a well coached Michigan defense. The Call: Michigan wins 45-30

            Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Oklahoma State vs. Standford):  This will be the highest scoring bowl game of the year, without a doubt. Oklahoma State is 2^nd in passing offense, an average of 386 yards of passing per game, and has the best quarterback wide receiver tandem in the country with QB Brandon Weeden (4328 yards passing, 34 passing TD) and WR Justin Blackmon (113 Receptions, 1336 receiving yards, 15 receiving TD). The Oklahoma State Cowboys is 2^nd in the nation for points scored with an average of 49.3 per game, and have put up 60 more than once.  The Standford Cardinal has the best quarterback in the nation: Andrew Luck. Not only will he be the first in this year’s NFL Draft, but he also had a chance to win the Heisman finishing second in the voting. Luck fits the ball in tight throwing windows like I have never seen before, and rolls out and throws-on-the-run perfectly. He alone will put up enough points to beat just about any team.

The offenses of the Standford Cardinal and the Oklahoma State Cowboys will combine for over 1000 yards passing. It may come down to whose defense can stop whose offense first in a shootout like this, and that advantage lies with the Cardinal (23^rd ranked defense).  The Call: Standford 63-52.

            Discover Orange Bowl (Clemson vs. West Virginia): Clemson shows a strong passing offense with 284 yards a game, and an average run offense with 155 yards a game. Their only losses this year have come when the offense was anemic and scored only 17 points or less. The quarterback of the Clemson Tigers Tash Boyd has 3578 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns, and is a big threat to the West Virginia defense. Speaking of West Virginia, they play in this bowl game because they seemed to stumble upon the Big East title. This team has a bad defense, but a good passing attack. The running aspect of this team is terrible because they are ranked 100^th nation, and don’t have a speed running back. Quarterback of West Virginia, Geno Smith (25 passing TDs, 3978 passing yards), will definitely keep his Mountaineer team in the game.

This game will be the biggest bore of the college football season. Clemson won the ACC, and comes into the game with a cold offense. West Virginia is on a hot streak, but has beaten some poor teams. It pains me that I have to watch this game. The Call: Clemson 23-21.

            Rose Bowl (Wisconsin vs. Oregon):  This will be the most interesting bowl to watch of the bunch. Wisconsin brings quarterback sensation Russell Wilson, Heisman finalist Montee Ball, and a defense that is ranked 4^th in the entire nation. Ball has 1759 rushing yards, and 6.4 yards a carry average, and 32 rushing TDs on the season and proven to the nation he will run over anybody. Especially this Oregon defense, which is not strong on the defensive line, and a linebacking core that isn’t the greatest, but they bring a strong and quick offense. LaMicheal James (7.4 yards a carry average, 1646 rushing yards) is getting white hot when it matters. The Oregon offense is high octane and is so efficient, they have driven the length of the field in under two minutes at times.

Chip Kelley take too many risks for me, but it seems to work. As stated, Oregon has a quick offense, but its too quick. They won’t be able to have a long , sustained drive against this Badger defense. Wisconsin was in the Rose Bowl last year and came so close to winning. If Wisconsin has the ball at the end of the game, and has to run out the clock to win, they will do it. This game may hit overtime, and will be intriguing from start to finish. The Call: Wisconsin 37-30.

            The BCS National Championship (LSU vs. Alabama): I thought about boycotting this game. How can a team get the number one ranked team in the nation at home, flop and lose the game, not win their conference much less their division, and still play for a National Championship? That is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has the best defense in the nation and can score points with running back Trent Richardson (Heisman Finalist, 1583 yds, 6 yards per rush average, and 20 rushing TDs). Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (16 TD, 5 interceptions) is a game manager and won’t take big risk/reward plays down the field. He shouldn’t against this airtight LSU secondary. Leading the way is nickel cornerback Tyrann “Honeybadger” Mathieu, who makes game changing plays in special teams. In the SEC Championship game, he returned a punt return for a touchdown and broke the flood-gates open for LSU scoring. LSU also has defensive lineman Micheal Brockers (47 tackles, 2 sacks) and Sam Montgomery (9 sacks) to get Richardson down quickly in the back field.

LSU seems to have the better team, and will bring the better team. Mathieu will make a momentum changing punt return and get the narrow win for the Tigers. The Call: LSU 13-10.

File photo by Kiera Classen

Even though the Spartans stayed close early in the consolation round football game on Friday, they lost all momentum after halftime and ended up losing their season finale to Douglas County 42-14.

The Spartans started the night very good, with a touchdown run from Senior Running Back Raycell Rush that went for 60 yards, and the game was tied at 7-7 after the scoring run. The Spartans defense then came onto the field and stopped the Huskies in three plays and forced a punt. The special teams came on the field and the Huskies made a huge error, with a high snap to the punter that sailed over his head and was recovered by the Spartans on the Douglas County one yard line. TJ punched in a score from a quarterback sneak from Brandon Gonzales. After the promising score of 14-7, everything fell apart.

The Husky’s quarterback Aaron Rosipalja was a dual threat on the field all day against the Spartans, being very mobile and having a great arm. Every time it looked like the Spartans had a sack, he would run out of it and get a five or six yard gain. Then he completed a great pass to the corner of the endzone for a touchdown that couldn’t have been defended by some of the league’s best. Rosipalja kept the Spartans on their heels, and it cost them the game in a big second half by Douglas County.

The season ended with a less than stellar record of 3-7, the exact same as last year, and in quite an extraordinary situation, TJ won and lost all of the exact same games as the 2010 season.  Spartan fans hope for a change in the 2012 season with more wins, and possibly a playoff birth.

9/2/11Vs. Columbine L TJ-14 Columbine-48

9/8/11@ Chaparral L TJ-0 Chaparral-41

9/16/11Vs. Heritage L TJ-0 Heritage-29.

9/23/11Vs. South L TJ-7 South-39

9/30/11@Lakewood L TJ-7 Lakewood-33

10/6/11 Vs.Lincoln W TJ-28 Lincoln-21

10/15/11Vs. George Washington W TJ-32 George Washington-12

10/21/11Vs. East                                 L TJ-20 East-43

10/29/11Vs. Montbello W TJ-34 Montbello-12

11/4/11 Vs. Douglas County L TJ-14 Douglas County-42

File photo by Kiera Classen

TJ’s defense played an amazing game with five turnovers created, and gave the Spartans a win over the rivaled Montbello Warriors, 34-12.

The day began with TJ honoring the senior football players and cheerleaders who put in hard work throughout their tenure, and showed the younger players how to uphold the Spartan tradition. TJ’s offense clicked on all cylinders right from the start, when Senior Quarterback Brandon Gonzales threw a 55 yard strike to wideout Jamal Shields for a quick lead. TJ’s defense wasn’t as effective from the start though, and Montbello’s Matthew Hogan ran all over them for an entire drive. The Warriors capped off the scoring possession with a quick draw to Jerrell Nettles, missed the two-point attempt, and the score was 7-6 Spartans. Hogan had another great run in the first half, and scored another touchdown with a 60 yard scamper, and the score was 12-7 Warriors, heading into the locker room at the end of the first half.

TJ stiffened up in the second half and got four of the five turnovers in the second part of this game, two of them fumbles and the other two interceptions. The Spartan offense took advantage of each opportunity Montbello gave them and scored touchdowns. Gonzales threw for two more touchdowns, one to running back Raycell Rush on a screen and the other to tightend Deondre Kary, then he ran for a score from the one yard line.

Emotions ran high at the very end of the game, with a brawl ensuing over on the Montbello sideline between both teams. Their was only 38 seconds left in the game, and the officials had no choice but to run the remainder of the time off of the clock to end the game, so no other fights would ensue. The teams didn’t have a chance to shake hands due to concerns for the safety of the players.

TJ will play its consolation round next week against Douglas County.  More details will be posted here when they are announced.

9/2/11Vs. Columbine L TJ-14 Columbine-48

9/8/11@ Chaparral L TJ-0 Chaparral-41

9/16/11Vs. Heritage L TJ-0 Heritage-29.

9/23/11Vs. South L TJ-7 South-39

9/30/11@Lakewood L TJ-7 Lakewood-33

10/6/11 Vs.Lincoln W TJ-28 Lincoln-21

10/15/11Vs. George Washington W TJ-32 George Washington-12

10/21/11Vs. East                                 L TJ-20 East-43

10/29/11Vs. Montbello W TJ-34 Montbello-12

]]> http://www.tjjournal.com/2011/10/31/senior-day-bodes-well-for-spartans/feed/ 0 http://www.tjjournal.com/2011/10/23/spartans-collapse/ http://www.tjjournal.com/2011/10/23/spartans-collapse/#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:50:22 +0000 Matthew Fabian http://www.tjjournal.com/?p=18222 TJ keeps it close in first half, but lose Angels in second half

File photo by Kiera Classen

Senior quarterback Brandon Gonzales continued to impress, but the Spartans defense couldn’t stop the Angels’ attack, and lose the game 43-20.

The Spartans came out of the locker room fired up to beat East after the debacle in the parking lot earlier that day. East was playing for their Homecoming. Both were foaming at the mouth to get a victory. The Spartans got the ball first in the game and scored an impressive touchdown. Senior Running Back Raycell Rush appeared to be down at the Angels’ 40 yard, but got back on his feet and scored a touchdown. East had to respond before the game got out of their hands.

The Angels did respond, in a big way. They handed the ball off to their star running back Shahid Hoover and he cut through the TJ defense. As soon as he bounced outside of the tackles, the play was out of the Spartans’ hands and they scored a quick six. TJ really had the wind taken out of their sails when they turned the ball over in the redzone. Gonzales threw a backwards pass to senior wide receiver Antonio Clark and Clark couldn’t corral it. Chad Hanna of East scooped the ball and took it to the 48 yardline, after a penalty brought it back. East scored on that possession, and all of a sudden the TJ players were out of the game. East took control of the remainder of the contest.

TJ has to respond with a win next week if they want to have any hopes of recovering this season. They play Montbello on Sat. Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. at All City Stadium.

9/2/11Vs. Columbine L TJ-14 Columbine-48

9/8/11@ Chaparral L TJ-0 Chaparral-41

9/16/11Vs. Heritage L TJ-0 Heritage-29.

9/23/11Vs. South L TJ-7 South-39

9/30/11@Lakewood L TJ-7 Lakewood-33

10/6/11 Vs.Lincoln W TJ-28 Lincoln-21

10/15/11Vs. George Washington W TJ-32 George Washington-12

10/21/11Vs. East                                 L TJ-20 East-43

10/29/11Vs. Montbello @All City Field 1:00 p.m.

Artwork by Kiera Classen

Already well into the college football season, it’s time to turn to the orb and see what the college bowl games match-ups will look like at the end of the season. With so many games during the bowl season, the predictions have been narrowed down to the BCS bowl games.

First, is the forgotten BCS bowl game, the All State Sugar bowl. The orb’s reading: Alabama vs. Boise State. Boise State goes undefeated again this year. But thanks to the fact collegiate football is based on computer projections, they end up at the Sugar Bowl. Since Boise State plays a easy schedule throughout the season, the computer system projects them low in the standings, even with a perfect record. However, Alabama brings out a stout defense under brilliant coaching mind Nick Saban, and a hard-nosed running game that ranks 19^th in the nation with Trent Richardson, the man brought in to replace Mark Ingram. Winner: Alabama by 14.

Next is the most controversial BCS bowl game of them all, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. It has had scandals running deep through its system, executives of the bowl placing bets on the game, with money earned from the NCAA despite, the NCAA kept it as a BCS bowl game. Anyways, the important part is the teams playing on the field. The orb’s reading: West Virginia vs. Texas A&M. The only reason West Virginia goes to this game is because the Big East has to send somebody. Not even a close contest: A&M is faster in the receiving core, has a better quarterback with Ryan Tannehill, brings the 19^th ranked passing offense, and is better coached under Mike Sherman. Winner: Texas A&M by 30

One of the classic BCS bowl games is the Discover Orange Bowl. Last year, Andrew Luck lead the Standford Cardinals to a big win over the ACC champ Virginia Tech. This year, Virginia Tech gets back to the game but with a different opponent. The orb’s reading: Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez is the difference in this game. Tech can’t stop Martinez running and throwing in the same game. He has the ability to pass for 250 yards and run for 166 yards in one game. He accounts for 6 touchdowns by himself. Winner: Nebraska by 10.

The Rose Bowl is the granddaddy bowl game of them all. So many great players and games had been played in this bowl. This year looks to be no different. The orb’s reading: Standford vs. Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Badgers lost a heart-breaker last year to the TCU Horned Frogs. This year, they will hand out the heart-breaker to the Standford Cardinals. Wisconsin finds a way to stop Andrew Luck with the 3^rd points against defense. Also, Montee Ball will have a day with over 150 yards rushing against a porous Standford defense. Winner: Wisconsin by 6 in Overtime.

Finally, the National Championship game. The entire college football season will lead up to this one game. This year’s matchup will be: Oklahoma vs. LSU. A great game indeed. Oklahoma coming out as the Big 12 champ looking to get Bob Stoops his second national championship as the Sooners head coach. LSU fights tooth and nail all year to find themselves in the place they are in. Looking to take a BCS championship back to the SEC for a sixth straight year, Les Miles wants to find another national championship victory as a head coach. In the end, quarterback play will win the game. Oklahoma has the upper hand with Landry Jones, who has the ability to pass for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. Even though the LSU secondary is tough, Oklahoma’s receiving core will make adjustments and Landry Jones will get them the ball in the endzone. Winner: Oklahoma by 7.

Photo by Kiera Classen

With TJ getting great field position the entire game and fielding a stifling defense, the offense took advantage of great opportunities to score, and won 32-12 over the George Washington Patriots in TJ’s Homecoming game.

The players fed off the emotions of the rowdy crowd; more than once would a player turn to the stands and get the student section fired up. The Spartans wanted to come out early in the game and keep the energy going. At the onset, the defense stopped George in a three and out and had good field position after a poor punt by the Patriot’s punter. TJ’s offense couldn’t score on the first try, but there would be plenty more opportunities for the rest of the game. The coaching staff of TJ put together a game plan that kept the Patriots guessing.

Senior Quarterback Brandon Gonzales had a two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. The other touchdown was a goal line formation handoff to running back Raycell Rush who powered in for six points. The defense would continue the favor to the Patriots and get off the field quickly, to allow the offense to take control of the game. TJ also played a very clean football game. Only three penalties were called on the Spartans, and two of those were offsetting penalties.

As stated by legendary Spartan Coach Dr. Herman Motz who was honored earlier in the day, “I would rather be lucky than good.” This panned out true for the Spartans because the Patriots had six dropped passes. At least two of those passes appeared to be easy touchdowns which would have kept George in the game. Yet, the defense couldn’t do any wrong and only allowed touchdowns on two busted plays.

After the game a relieved Coach Owens said, “It was a great Homecoming victory.” A perfect way to sum up the day, and send the Spartans to the dance with happiness and pride. TJ wants to keep the win streak going next week, when they play arguably their biggest city rival, against the East Angels.

9/2/11Vs. Columbine L TJ-14 Columbine-48

9/8/11@ Chaparral L TJ-0 Chaparral-41

9/16/11Vs. Heritage L TJ-0 Heritage-29.

9/23/11Vs. South L TJ-7 South-39

9/30/11@Lakewood L TJ-7 Lakewood-33

10/6/11 Vs.Lincoln W TJ-28 Lincoln-21

10/15/11Vs. George Washington W TJ-32 George Washington-12

10/21/11Vs. East @All City Field7:00 p.m.

10/29/11Vs. Montbello @All City Field 1:00 p.m.