South Florida: 2017 Birmingham Bowl Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Quinton Flowers did it again at the Birmingham Bowl, launching another winning touchdown throw with a game against a Power 5 team on the line.

Flowers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tyre McCants with 16 seconds left to give No. 23 South Florida a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday.

Flowers led the Bulls (10-2) to a second straight dramatic victory in the bowl game at Legion Field, throwing for a pair of touchdowns in the final 4:26 after struggling in the first half.

"I was telling myself, I've got to hit my guys in the chest," Flowers said. "I've got to put the ball in their chest and just give them a chance. I just went out there and my coach called the play that I wanted and thank God Tyre did what he was supposed to do and I did what I was supposed to do and we came out with the victory."

The Bulls, who are 21-4 the past two seasons, won last year's Birmingham Bowl on Flowers' 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime against South Carolina.

The Red Raiders (6-7) had taken the lead back with Nic Shimonek's 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open T.J. Vasher in the end zone with 1:31 remaining. That left Flowers with plenty of time to work, it turns out.

He ran 13 and 21 yards for first downs, the latter coming on a third-and-10 play. Then he found McCants on their second scoring connection.

The senior passed for 311 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 106 yards and a fifth score. Marquez Valdes-Scantling gained 133 yards on three catches.

Shimonek took Texas Tech across midfield in the final seconds but his desperation pass on the run was completed well short of the end zone.

Shimonek, who had led a fourth-quarter comeback in the regular-season finale against Texas, completed 32 of 59 passes for 416 yards. This time the Red Raiders couldn't seal the deal.

"That's really exactly what was going through my mind," Shimonek said. "It was almost the same exact type scenario (as Texas)."

He threw for three touchdowns and was intercepted twice on deflected balls.

Keke Coutee had 11 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown while Justin Stockton ran for 103 yards.

The Red Raiders set up two touchdowns in the third quarter off fumble recoveries, taking a 24-17 lead. The defense helped preserve the lead with a pair of fourth down stops, including a goal line stand. Quentin Yontz stuffed Darius Tice from inside the 1 early in the fourth, but Flowers wound up getting the ball back across midfield.

He cashed in this time with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie it with 9:30 left.

"Defensively, it was stop after stop that we had to go get," first-year South Florida coach Charlie Strong said.

"And even for our offense, they had two turnovers and then they had two big fourth-down stops and our offense just continued to play."

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders couldn't translate a 249-130 edge in first-half yards into an advantage on the scoreboard. They converted 10 of 19 third downs.

South Florida: Flowers had a terrific second half after going 4-of-14 passing for 52 yards in the first. He concluded it on a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCants with 51 seconds left to tie it, 10-all. ... Defensive tackle Deadrin Senat had three first-half sacks for South Florida, matching his season total coming into the bowl.

FLOWERS RECORDS



Flowers became the American Athletic Conference's career leader in total offense with a 21-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. He broke the mark of 11,431 yards held by Temple's Phillip Walker. Flowers also set school records for career touchdown passes and rushing yards, finishing with 34 school or conference marks.

PENALTIES GALORE: Both teams were penalized 10 times, with Texas Tech flagged for 107 yards and South Florida for 100.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: Shimonek and leading rusher Stockton are seniors, while all but two defensive starters have eligibility remaining. Coutee is a junior who said he hasn't made a decision on whether to enter the NFL draft.

South Florida: The Bulls must replace Flowers, plus leading receiver Valdes-Scantling and tailback D'Ernest Johnson on offense and eight starters on defense. Leading tackler Auggie Sanchez leaves a big hole to fill.

South Florida: 2016 Birmingham Bowl Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- South Florida's Quinton Flowers says there were a lot of big-name college football programs that thought he could be a star player. As a running back. Or maybe as a safety.

But Flowers knew he could be a great quarterback. And on Thursday in the Birmingham Bowl against a team from the Southeastern Conference, he proved it once again.

Flowers ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more -- including what proved to be the winner in overtime -- to help No. 25 South Florida beat South Carolina 46-39.

"A lot of big schools didn't give me a chance," Flowers said. "A lot of big schools wanted me to play a different position. But South Florida was the place that loved me, cared about me and wanted me to be their quarterback."

Flowers said South Carolina coach Will Muschamp -- who was then at Florida -- was among the coaches who wanted him to switch positions. Muschamp got an up-close look at Flowers' quarterback skills on Thursday.

"He's an outstanding athlete," Muschamp said.

South Florida (11-2) squandered a 39-21 lead in the second half, but recovered for its school-record 11th victory. Flowers threw a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime, finding Elkanah Dillon in the end zone.

South Carolina's overtime drive ended after Jake Bentley was sacked by Mike Love on fourth down. Bentley fumbled and Khalid McGee recovered to end the game.

It was a sweet ending for a South Florida program that has had a lot of upheaval during December. Coach Willie Taggart left for Oregon after the regular season and former Texas coach Charlie Strong was hired a few days later.

But the Bulls, who played Thursday under interim coach T.J. Weist, pushed aside the distractions and finished their season with another win.

"The bottom line is we finished this game off strong. We finished it right," Weist said. "We came through in the end."

Flowers, who was selected the game's Most Valuable Player, completed 23 of 32 passes for 261 yards and ran for 105 yards on 21 carries.

The Bulls controlled the game for most of the afternoon, but the Gamecocks rallied to tie it at 39 with 1:11 remaining on A.J. Turner's 1-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion.

Bentley completed 32 of 43 passes for 390 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Deebo Samuel caught 14 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown.

Muschamp said he was pleased with the offense. It was the defense -- specifically the lack of an effective pass rush against Flowers -- that left him frustrated.

"When you score 39 points, you should win the game," Muschamp said.

South Carolina (6-7) was hurt by five turnovers, including a pick-six thrown by Bentley that Tajee Fullwood returned 47 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

South Florida: The Bulls felt they weren't getting much respect on a national level after their 10-win regular season. A win over an SEC opponent is more evidence that South Florida might have been a little underappreciated.


South Carolina: The Gamecocks had their chances, but too many crucial mistakes doomed the program to a 7-loss season. The good news is South Carolina has a promising young quarterback in Bentley.

UP NEXT

South Florida: The Bulls have a lot of changes in store as the Strong-era begins. South Florida looks well-positioned to be a factor in the AAC for years to come.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks took a small step forward during Muschamp's first season. Now he'll try to improve the talent on the roster during recruiting to get the program back among the SEC East's elite programs.

Miami Heat: 2012-13 NBA Champions

That’s three titles for a town and two crowns for its king.

With a season, a playoffs, an NBA Finals and a Game 7 that will echo for years to come, the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 on Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena to win its second NBA championship in a row and cap the most exciting two weeks in South Florida sports history.

LeBron James played stunning, brilliant basketball to earn the NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year and Dwyane Wade, who played throughout the playoffs despite knee problems, saved his best for the final game of a grueling postseason. James finished with 37 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, going 12 of 23 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Wade had 23 points, 10 rebounds and an assist and made 11 of his 21 attempts.

“This team is amazing, and the vision that I had when I decided to come here is all coming true,” James said. “Through adversity, through everything we’ve been through, we’ve been able to persevere and to win back-to-back championships. It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’m happy to be part of such a first-class organization.”

FINALLY, BACK TO BACK WINS

To repeat as champion, the Heat had to win back-to-back games for the first time since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami won Game 7s in back-to-back series, providing South Florida with one of the most exhilarating rides professional sports can offer.

It was the Heat’s first Finals Game 7 in the 25-year history of the franchise and it was a classic. The teams seemed to swap the lead on nearly every possession throughout the third quarter, and the final period provided nail-biting drama until the final minute. Game 7 was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands seven times.

“This was a tremendous game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It wouldn’t end any other way.”

James, who scored 22 points in the second half, nailed a 19-foot jumper with 27.9 seconds left to give the Heat a 92-88 lead and then, to seal the championship, stole a pass from Manu Ginobili after a timeout. He then made a pair of free throws to kick-start the celebration.

James scored 69 points in the final two games of the Finals and here’s a jaw-dropping statistic: Throughout his career, James has averaged 34.4 points in five career Game 7s.

“He made enough shots to make us change our defense over and over again,” Heat center Tim Duncan said. “We just couldn’t find a way to stop him.”

CHALMERS HITS KEY THREE

Mario Chalmers banked in a long three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to give the Heat a 72-71 lead. From there, the madness began. Consider this for a measure of how crazy Game 7 truly was: Only five players scored for the Heat, yet James, Wade, Chalmers and Shane Battier outscored the Spurs 92-88.

“Shane ain’t hit a shot since I don’t know when and tonight he was unconscious,” Wade said.

Battier, who redeemed himself 1,000 times over for his performance in the Eastern Conference finals, scored 18 points, going 6 of 8 from three-point range. Chalmers had 14 points, and Chris Andersen had three points to round out the uneven scoring. Ray Allen, Mike Miller and Chris Bosh shot 0 of 14 combined.

“It’s better to be timely than good,” Battier said. “I believe in basketball gods and I felt like they owed me big-time.”

For Duncan, the Spurs’ four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer, it was his first loss in a Finals. He finished with 24 points, going 8 of 18 from the field, but went 2 of 6 in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Spurs shot 30 percent (6 of 20) from the field in the final period.

San Antonio led by three with 46.4 seconds left in the third quarter before Battier tied the score with his fourth three-pointer of the game.

“Game 7 is always going to haunt me,” Duncan said.

A STORYBOOK SEASON

Alongside the 1972 undefeated Dolphins, the 2013 Heat will go down as one of the greatest professional sports teams in South Florida history. The unforgettable run began with a franchise-best 66-win regular season, which included a 27-game winning streak, and ended on a makeshift stage in the middle of AmericanAirlines Arena with Heat owner Micky Arison raising his franchise’s third Larry O’Brien Trophy.

“Go party,” someone screamed into the stage’s microphone to the 19,900 fans in attendance and an entire city watching from homes and parties and bars throughout South Florida.

Thursday night marked the seven-year anniversary of the Heat’s first championship. In that time, Miami has celebrated more NBA titles than any other city. But this party was different. It was ecstasy borne from endurance and wonderment crafted by willpower.

For Heat players, coaches and fans, the back-and-forth nature of the final month of the postseason was a gut-wrenching exercise. Beginning May 22 and not ending until the final game on the last possible day of the postseason, the Heat swapped wins for losses and kept an entire city wrapped in dueling emotional states of despair and joy.

Last year, when the Heat won its first title of the Big 3 Era and put to rest the pain of 2011, James said the struggle was the toughest thing he had ever accomplished. This run to the title was exponentially more difficult and the sweetness of victory resonated throughout the region deep into the night.

‘THE SWEETEST ONE’

“This is the sweetest one by far because of everything we’ve been through, everything I’ve been through individually,” Wade said, “and to get here to this moment, to have that kind of performance, that kind of game, help lead my team – it’s special.”

James’ stretch of greatness since the start of the 2011-12 regular season has been a masterstroke of legendary athletic excellence. He has won it all two years running – the championship, the MVP and the NBA Finals MVP – becoming the first player to win all three in back-to-back seasons since Michael Jordan in 1991 and 1992.

“Everything that we’ve been through throughout this postseason, especially in these Finals, to be down – we were down every odd game,” James said. “We were scratching for our lives.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/21/v-fullstory/3462544/miami-heat-defeats-san-antonio.html#storylink=cpy

We've just moving this next door! There's nothing to worry about! Really!

The sky is red tonight

We're on the edge tonight

No shooting star to guide us

Eye for an eye, why tear each other apart?

Please tell me why, why do we make it so hard?

Look at us now, we only got ourselves to blame

It's such a shame

How many times can we win and lose?

How many times can we break the rules?

Between us – only teardrops

How many times do we have to fight?

How many times till we get it right?

Between us – only teardrops

So come and face me now

Here on the stage tonight

Let's leave the past behind us

Eye for an eye, why tear each other apart?

Please tell me why, why do we make it so hard?

Look at us now, we only got ourselves to blame

It's such a shame

Tell me

How many times can we win and lose?

How many times can we break the rules?

Between us – only teardrops

How many times do we have to fight?

How many times till we get it right between us?

Only teardrops

(Tell me now) What's gone between us has come between us

Only teardrops

(Tell me now) What's gone between us has come between us

How many times can we win and lose?

How many times can we break the rules?

Between us – only teardrops

How many times do we have to fight?

How many times till we get it right?

Between us – only teardrops, only teardrops

Oh... only teardrops, only teardrops

How many times can we win and lose?

How many times can we break the rules?

Between us – only teardrops

How many times do we have to fight?

How many times till we get it right?

Between us – only teardrops!

ISML 2012: Lunch Hour, October 30, 2012

Brian Griffin: That was Faze to Love by Miyuki Hashimoto from her 2006 album "Lovey-Dovey." I'm Brian Griffin and in this midnight edition of the Lunch Hour, back on the menu for the final time this year is the International Saimoe League and the fifth winner of the Heavenly Tiara is Kanade Tachibana, who is with us here on the Lunch Hour. Kanade, welcome to the program.

Kanade: Good afternoon here in Tokyo, Brian. It's a pleasure to be here once again.

Brian: A pleasure to have you, dear leader of the Free Moe World. Well, are you satisfied yet?

Kanade: More than. I never thought I would see the day that I would be named the winner of this Heavenly Tiara, but...it has finally come. I was in tears, hugging Yuzuru when it happened. I can now say that I have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in my Saimoe career. And now everything will be a bonus.

Brian: When Eucliwood Hellscythe spoke to you over the phone telling you she conceded, what were your thoughts?

Kanade: At least I didn't die again. *laughter* No, actually she didn't feel bad at all because she didn't expect to get this far and finish runner-up in this thing. We had a chat about the race and about the future and that was that. Eu's a cool person to be with, and it was an honor to have faced him in this final race.

Brian: It's a party down at SSS headquarters, with Yuri Nakamura and Yui also picking up victories. A clean sweep for Angel Beats. What do you think of that?

Kanade: It's a bonus. Yurippe and Yui were in tears when they found out that they also won their final matches. It's been a blessed day for all of us, and I think the voters smiled at the legacy we left, the message we sent. Truly, this will go down as the best day ever in our lives. We will never forget October 30, 2012. No one here will.

Brian: What does your husband Yuzuru Otonashi think of this victory?

Kanade: He was crying too. He whispered to me: "I knew I made the right choice when I wanted you to be my wife." And we shared a long kiss and then I spoke to everyone at the rally. Our two-year old son was sleeping, so he couldn't get to see us celebrating. I think Yuzuki is going to be happy when he finds out his mother is the Leader of the Free saimoe World. Or maybe he won't care because he still thinks of me as Mom.

Brian: The three of you make a wonderful family, for sure. Let's talk a little bit about the Korea tournament. We know that Hitagi Senjougahara is now the Moe President for the Republic of Korea but there has been talk that next year's elections will possibly have an overhaul in terms of the layout. What do you think?

Kanade: I think free and fair elections are a wonderful thing, and for the committee there to change something that isn't broken is a clear sign of disrespect to the process of finding who is most moe. It's a process that is unnecessary, and I hope the committee in Korea will have a change of heart and stay the course. I talked with Hitagi last week about the plans she has for leading that country and they are big plans. She wants to help continue the legacy Homura left this year but accelerated a little bit. I think Hitagi is going to make a great Moe President of Korea and I wish her all the best.

Brian: Kanade Tachibana, the fifth winner of the International Saimoe League, is here with us. Kanade, there is only one tournament remaining and that is the 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament, where the Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan is going to be elected. And it will go to a representative from the Saki Party. What are your thoughts on the story down there?

Kanade: First off, congratulation to Saki for finally breaking through and make it their year in Japan. However, commiserations must go to the other competitors that were left in the dust. It's not right that the number of voters in that contest has to dwindle due to IP bands. You can never get rid of multiple voting, no matter how hard you try. The world should be allowed to vote in a contest of 2channel's prestige. To limit the votership destroys credibility and really calls into question the leadership of the people at 2channel, who should know better in terms of organizing this tournament. My pick to win this all is Toki Onjouji over Kuro Matsumi. I talked with Toki two hours ago from her hospital bed and I told her to hang in there because she will get through her situation. It's great to see that she is recovering, if slowly.

Brian: Your thoughts on the Diadem winners: Ririchiyo Shirakiin and Kuroyukihime?

Kanade: These are two friends of mine that will get it done next year. If I don't get assigned to the Stella Division next season, I expect to give both of them a stern challenge because I want to take on the best moekkos out there. Hime and Chiyo have a huge upswing and I can't wait to face them, if it is possible.

Brian: Finally, any message you want to give the fans out here in America?

Kanade: Thank you for your support throughout this campaign. I hope to represent everything great about the world and I look forward to taking part in this competition next year. And to the people on the East Coast, please stay safe and dry. My heart goes out to all of you out there. Take care of yourselves. I love you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Brian: Kanade Tachibana, our 2012 International Saimoe League champion. Thank you for stopping by.

Kanade: Any time. I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Brian: Up next, we talk about the storm that has been ravaging the East Coast and left destruction in its wake, Superstorm Sandy. This is the Lunch Hour on 97.1 WQHG, and if you want seconds, don't go anywhere...