Sunday, September 26, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Wisconsin Uses Powerhouse Running Game To Overwhelm Austin Peay

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Madison, WI, United States (AHN) – The Wisconsin Badgers generated an incredible 618 yards of offense while limiting Austin Peay to just 157 total yards in a 70-3 devastation over the Governors Saturday afternoon.

Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien went an efficient 15-for-17 for 217 yards and three touchdowns, but it was the Badgers running game the Governors struggled with the most.

James White carried the ball 11 times for 145 yards and four touchdowns, and John Clay had 15 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown. The Badgers ran a total of 44 run plays and 24 pass attempts.

Wisconsin scored on every one of its seven possessions in the first half and took a 49-3 lead at the break.

Austin Peay (2-2) managed a single Stephen Stansell 51-yard field goal out of the FCS in its first-ever matchup against a Big Ten opponent.

Wisconsin piled up 33 first downs to just 8 for AP, and racked up almost eight yards per carry for its foe.

Wisconsin suffered no turnovers and just one penalty in a near-perfect performance.

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Purdue Loses Game, Quarterback In Setback To Toledo

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

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Sam Klemet – AHN Sports Correspondent

West Lafayette, IN, United States (AHN) – It’s never good when your starting quarterback goes down and it’s even worse when that’s coupled with a loss.

Purdue suffered both Saturday.

The Boilermakers were stunned by Toledo 31-20 at Ross-Ade Stadium and for the second straight week, Robert Marve was knocked out of the game.

“We played Ball State last week, a MAC school, and thought it was going to be the same thing,” said Purdue receiver Cortez Smith. “We were proven wrong. We need to be more focused.”

The Rockets opened the game with a 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended on a five-yard touchdown pass from Austin Dantin to Eric Page.

“I don’t think our guys played as fast as they could,” said Purdue head coach Danny Hope. “We didn’t play well enough in the first half. We shot ourselves in the foot a bunch.”

Later in the first quarter, Dantin connected on his second scoring toss, a nine-yarder to tight end Danny Noble.

The touchdown was the result of a Boilermakers fumble. Quarterback Robert Marve lost the ball while falling to the ground after hurting his leg when planting to throw a pass.

He would not return and Purdue’s offense struggled.

The Boilermakers had just five first half completions for 32-yards.

On the other side of the ball, the Rockets were efficient and took a 17-0 lead into halftime.

“Any time you’re fighting your way out of a hole it’s going to spell terror,” said Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan.

Purdue battled back in the second half, but could not recover.

The Boilermakers finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter with a 49-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs, but on the ensuing drive, Dantin made the play of the day.

He faked a handoff, rolled to the right, and scampered 58-yards for a touchdown.

Dantin finished the game 24-31 for 209 yards passing and added 64 yards on the ground including a pair of rushing scores.

“It is disappointing. It’s not the kind of ball we want to play,” said Purdue linebacker Jason Werner. “It’s frustrating and I know we have the talent to play a lot better football.”

Purdue pulled within four in the fourth quarter but a pair of late turnovers by backup quarterback Rob Henry put the game out of reach.

The Boilermakers (2-2) are off next week and will travel to Northwestern on October 9.

Toledo (3-1) will return home to face Wyoming.

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Wild Goalie Harding To Undergo Knee Surgery; Season In Doubt

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

AHN Sports Staff

Minneapolis, MN, United States (AHN) – Minnesota Wild netminder Josh Harding will undergo surgery to repair a ligament tear in his right knee, the team announced Saturday.

Reports indicated Harding sustained a torn medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The 26-year-old Harding suffered the injury after a collision with St. Louis Blues winger Brad Boyes in the first period of Friday’s exhibition tilt.

Harding, a former NHL all-star, would likely skip the 2010-2011 season to rehabilitate his knee after the crucial knee operation.

The snake-bitten Harding recently recovered from a right hip injury prior to the exhibition match.

Harding went 9-12 with a 3.05 goal against average and .900 save percentage in 25 regular-season games last season.

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Reports: DuPuy Leaving MLB Executive Post

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

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Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – Sources close to the Major League Baseball commissioner’s office recently revealed Bob DuPuy, president and chief operations officer for the past eight years, will be stepping down from his post as the No. 2 executive under Bud Selig.

ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported DuPuy, 62, is “on his way out,” according to sources. Calls to MLB were unsuccessful and DuPuy declined to comment.

A possible rift between one-time close friends Selig and DuPuy may have lent to the impending resignation, which is expected to take effect some time prior to the start of the 2011 season.

DuPuy was a partner and management committee member of industry giant Milwaukee-based law firm Foley & Lardner, prior to taking over the MLB post.

The Cornell law alum and Vietnam Veteran had been groomed as a possible replacement for Selig, whose contract expires following the end of the 2012 season.

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Cochran In Front At SAS Championship; Boasts Four-Shot Lead

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Cary, NC, United States (AHN) – The last two winners on the Champions Tour kept up their solid play Saturday at the Prestonwood Country Club.

Russ Cochran, winner two weeks ago in Korea, birdied his final two holes of the day for a five-under par 67 that gave him a 36-hole total of 131, 13-under par going into Sunday’s final round of the SAS Championship.

Closest player to Cochran was Ted Schulz, who won the First Tee Open at the beginning of the month to earn exempt status on the tour. Schulz shot 68 and posted a nine-under par 135 total.

Five shots back are three solid players — John Cook, Nick Price and Tom Pernice Jr. The trio is tied at 136, eight under.

Cook got off to a red-hot start in the second round. He played the back nine first and shot an eight-under par 29 that included a pair of eagles.

He cooled off on the front and managed an even par 35 for 64, the day’s low round.

Cochran was confident after the 67 that followed up his impressive 64 on Friday.

“I’ve been on a high the last three or four weeks,” said the left-hander from Paducah, Ky., who used only 24 putts on Friday and just 26 in his second round.

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Kirkpatrick`s Late Interception Lifts Alabama Over Arkansas

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Fayetteville, AR, United States (AHN) – Crimson Tide defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick intercepted Ryan Mallett with under four minutes remaining, setting up Mark Ingram’s go-ahead touchdown run that capped a 24-20 comeback win for Alabama over Arkansas Saturday.

From the start it looked like the Razorbacks were headed for the upset behind Mallett, who ran for a score and connected on 25-of-38 for 357 yards and a touchdown.

Arkansas scored on its second play from scrimmage and led 20-7 with 5:04 left in the third frame.

The Tide defense, however, would bail the defending national champions out.

They held the prolific Razorbacks scoreless over the final 20 minutes and intercepted Mallett three times, including twice in the fourth quarter to spark the unlikely comeback.

Greg McElroy went 18-for-26 for 194 yards, a touchdown and two picks.

Ingram finished with 24 carries for 157 yards and two scores in his second game back from injury.

Trent Richardson had eight carries for 85 yards and two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.

The Razorbacks Jarius Wright led all receivers with six catches for 131 yards, while Julio Jones led the Tide with five catches for 55 yards.

Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) heads home to take SEC rivals the Florida Gators next Saturday.

Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC) hosts Texas A&M Oct. 9.

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Busch Scores Record 11th Nationwide Win Of Season At Dover

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter

Dover, DE, United States (AHN) – Part-time NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kyle Busch probably isn’t going to succesfully defend his championship, but the Las Vegas youngster certainly is making a name for himself in the series this season.

On Saturday Busch set a single-season record for wins (11) in the series when he won at Dover International Speedway.

Busch surpassed Sam Ard for the previous record (10 wins) just 23 races into the season and running part-time in the series in the Toyotas on Joe Gibbs Racing.

Busch is now seven races short of tying Mark Martin for the most career Nationwide wins (48).

On Saturday Busch scored No. 11 in dominant form by leading 192 of 200 laps, while teammate Joey Logano ran second and was followed by title-contender Carl Edwards, who made up some ground on points leader Brad Keselowski (17th-place finish).

The only thing that slowed Busch was the 10-minute, 42-second red flag caused by an accident involving Drew Herring and Elliott Sadler, who also had nasty hit earlier this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono.

Busch has logged 18 top-five finishes this season for JGR.

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Lester, Red Sox, Continue To Play Spoiler With Win Over Yanks

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – The Boston Red Sox may not be participating in the upcoming postseason, but they’ll have a say in who earns home field advantage.

A 7-3 win Saturday, their second-straight over the Yankees in the weekend three-game set, dropped New York a full game behind Tampa in the AL East. Of each team’s seven remaining games, four are between each other.

Cy Young candidate Jon Lester dealt seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight to improve to 19-8 with a 2.96 ERA.

David Ortiz knocked in two runs to pace the the Red Sox, who led 6-0 before New York even got on the board. Marco Scutaro, J.D. Drew, Victor Martinez and Ryan Kalish each knocked in a run for Boston.

Curtis Granderson hit his sixth home run in 10 games, a meaningless two-run shot in the eighth. Alex Rodriguez added his 610th career home run in the ninth.

Ivan Nova (1-1) gave up four runs in 4 2-3 innings for New York (92-63).

The Yanks had the best record in baseball a week ago, but after four-straight losses they are looking up at the Rays and Twins for best overall record (92-61).

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Purdue Comeback Falls Short, Stunned By Toledo

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 08:33 AM PDT

Sam Klemet – AHN Sports Correspondent

West Lafayette, Indiana, United States (AHN) – The Purdue Boilermakers were stunned at home losing 31-20 to Toledo.

Rockets quarterback Austin Dantin was 24-31 for 209 yards and two touchdowns (5,9). He also ran for a pair of scores including a 58-yarder in the 3rd quarter.

Purdue battled back from a 17-0 deficit at the half, getting within four with about eight minutes left.

Carson Wiggs missed two field goals in the game, both wide right.

Rob Henry replaced Robert Marve at quarterback for the Boilermakers after Marve injured his leg in the first quarter.

Purdue (2-2) now has a bye week. They will travel to Northwestern on October 9th.

Toledo (3-1) will go home to play Wyoming.

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Furyk Takes One Shot Lead At Tour Championship

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 08:33 AM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) – There’s nothing better than some good fatherly advice to sooth one’s nerves and and make difficult situations a bit easier to handle.

Jim Furyk got some right before he started his third round at the East Lake Golf Club on Saturday.

Furyk listened to his dad, Mike, and went out and steadied his way to an even par round of 70 that was good for a one-shot lead going into Sunday’s finale of the PGA Tour Championship, golf’s mega-money event.

“Just play golf, keep doing the same things you’re doing,” Mike Furyk told his son as he headed for the first tee.

“He tends to think I get too mechanical out there,” said the tournament leader of his dad’s advice. Did he listen? “Yeah, I do,” he said. Furyk went out and played good steady golf.

He was unspectacular but steady as he parred the first nine holes then bogeyed the 10th. He got back in his routine and played solid until he finally put together a couple of birdies at the 14th and 15th holes.

The birdie at 15 would provide a big swing at the top of the leaderboard. Luke Donald, playing with Furyk, had a short, routine wedge for his third shot into the 600-yard par five.

“I hit a horrible wedge shot and from there it got worse,” described Donald, who missed that wedge shot into a greenside bunker then blasted to 15 feet. “I three putted from 15 feet,” Donald lamented as he saw a three shot swing take place.

Donald fell from eight-under to seven under and Furyk’s birdie put him at nine-under for the day and looking at a two shot lead.

Furyk fell back to eight-under when a fairway bunker shot at the 17th hole came up well short of the green, as did his third, he got up and down for a bogey and would finish the day with a 54-hole total of 202.

Furyke’s effort was good enough for a one-shot lead over Donald and Retief Goosen.

Goosen used a strong putting performance to make a move toward the top. He shot 66 for the second straight day and got in the clubhouse tied with Donald at seven-under, 203.

Goosen had only 27 putts on the day and had a chance to tie for the lead but his tee shot at the par three 18th came up short of the green and he failed to get up and down from that front greenside bunker.

Still, Goosen was thrilled with his position and will find himself in the final pairing with Furyk on Sunday.

“I had no idea,” Goosen said, admitting that he didn’t realize he could actually claim the FedEx Cup title on Sunday. “We might not know who’s gonna win it until the last couple of holes tomorrow (Sunday),” he pointed out.

Donald knows he’ll have his work cut out for him after watching Furyk’s work during the third round. “He’s a solid player,” Donald said. “I’d rather be level with him than one shot back. Still, I’m in good shape,” Donald said, knowing a victory will win him the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus that goes with it.

After Donald and Goosen, Geoff Ogilvy finished at five-under, 205 after a 72 and a day of wayward tee shots that kept him from making any kind of run at the leaders. Paul Casey and Kevin Na were another shot back at four-under par, 206, followed by the day’s hottest player, Nick Watney.

Watney went into the third round 13 shots off the lead and with bogeys at the third and fifth hole, he was falling farther behind. Then something happened. “It just started clicking,” Watney said of his game.

He birdied the eighth and nine holes then made a remarkable, record-setting run on the final nine. He birdied seven of the nine finishing holes, nine of his last 11 and shot an incredible seven-under par 28 on the inward nine and posted the low round of the tournament, a 63.

“That’s the beauty of the game,” Watney said with a grin afterwards. “I was trying not to get in my own way. He (caddie Chad Reynolds) read every putt for me down the stretch,” said Watney, who finished at two-under par for the tournament and a shot behind Charley Hoffman.

It will take a Watney-like effort for many of the points leaders on Sunday to have any hope of winning the tournament and the FedEx Cup. Hoffman has the best chance of the top five who led in points coming into the event.

Hoffman shot 69 and is at three-under and five off the lead. Points leader Matt Kuchar may be too far back at four-over, 214 and Dustin Johnson is even farther back after a 73 that put him at 217.

But Watney’s back nine charge showed that the tournament and the FedEx Cup are still within reach for a number of players.

But considering the steady play he has shown the first three days, it might be Furyk’s tournament to win or lose. He said he’s not going to dwell on it.

“I’ll be excited,” Furyk said, looking forward to the challenge and pressure of the final 18 holes. “I’ll watch some college football today. We play earlier on Sunday. I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

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