Florida: 2018 Peach Bowl Champions

ATLANTA -- Florida capped its big comeback season -- and left Michigan reeling again.

Lamical Perine had a 5-yard scoring catch and 53-yard touchdown run to lead No. 10 Florida's strong rushing attack Saturday, helping the Gators affirm their return to relevance with a 41-15 rout of No. 8 Michigan in the Peach Bowl.

After finishing 4-7 in 2017, Florida enjoyed a dramatic turnaround in Dan Mullen's first season as coach.

The victory put Florida (10-3) in position to enter next season as a Top 10 team.

"In year one, to come here and to know where we were this time a year ago to where we are today, it's special to me," Mullen said. "... To finish as a 10-win season, one of the Top 10 teams in the country, that's pretty special."

Florida (10-3) closed the season with four straight wins.

"I don't know many teams that'd be lining up to play us right now," Mullen said.

Michigan (10-3) closed a promising season with two straight lopsided losses.

Feleipe Franks ran and passed for touchdowns to lead Florida's offense.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson led Florida's defense with two interceptions, including one returned 30 yards for a touchdown with less than five minutes remaining. Gardner-Johnson's first interception early in the second half, when Florida led only 13-10, set the tone for the Gators.

"We showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight and treated it like a regular week," Gardner-Johnson said. "I don't know how they prepared. But I don't think they prepared too well."

The Wolverines faced the unenviable task of having four top starters, including top rusher Karan Higdon and leading tackler Devin Bush, skip the game to focus on the NFL draft.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said he thought his Michigan players recovered from allowing 567 yards in a 62-39 loss to Ohio State to close the regular season, ending the Wolverines' hopes for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"I thought they were ready. ... I thought they were emotionally ready, yeah," Harbaugh said, adding he still considered the season to have been "very good."

"It would have been a great season had we won this game," he said. "Didn't get that done."

Harbaugh said he does not plan staff changes.

Florida compiled 427 total yards, including 257 on the ground.

Franks had a 20-yard scoring run in the second quarter and finished with 74 yards rushing on 14 carries while passing for 173 yards. Perine had 76 yards rushing. Jordan Scarlett ran for 59 yards, including a 1-yard scoring run.

Trailing 13-10, Michigan's first possession of the second half began at its 48. The excellent scoring opportunity was only a prelude for disappointment.

The Wolverines gained one first down before Patterson's deep pass over the middle was intercepted at the 3 by Gardner-Johnson, whose 47-yard return to the Michigan 44 set up the Gators.

Speedy Kadarius Toney gained 30 yards on a fourth-down, end-around run to the Michigan 5. Franks' 5-yard touchdown pass to Perine pushed the Florida lead to 20-10.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida: From the start, with players bouncing up and down on the sideline, the Gators seemed intent on ending their feel-good season with a win. Florida made a statement it will be a team to watch in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division in 2019 after it piled up big yards on the nation's top-ranked defense.

Michigan: The Wolverines' loss of talent was evident on both sides of the ball, especially at running back. Tru Wilson made the start as the replacement for Higdon at running back but had only three carries for nine yards. Christian Turner and Chris Evans each had seven carries. The committee approach couldn't make up for Higdon's departure. Michigan was held to 66 yards rushing, including 32 by Turner.

REPLAY SADNESS

Michigan had two apparent touchdowns negated following video reviews by officials.

On the Wolverines' first possession, Turner's 46-yard touchdown run was turned into a modest 8-yard gain when the review showed he stepped out of bounds at the Florida 38.

Michigan came away with no points when fullback Ben Mason was stopped for no gain on back-to-back runs.

"That hurt," Harbaugh said.

Patterson's apparent 8-yard scoring pass to Tarik Black was taken away in the fourth quarter when the review showed Black lost control of the ball when falling back.

REPEAT ROOKIE

Turner, who played in only two regular-season games, will retain his freshman eligibility in 2019 under college football's new redshirt rule.

PATTERSON'S DAY

Shea Patterson's 9-yard scoring pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the first quarter was the Wolverines' only touchdown. Patterson threw two second-half interceptions and completed 22 of 36 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.

UP NEXT

Florida: Franks will return for his junior season as Florida will attempt to build off the 10-win season. It opens the 2019 season against Miami on Aug. 31 in Orlando.

Michigan: The Wolverines expect to have four returning starters on their offensive line, including left guard Ben Bredeson, when they open the 2019 season Aug. 31 against Middle Tennessee State. Patterson returns for his senior season at quarterback, with Michigan again trying to build an offense to keep pace with its recent string of top-five defenses.

Cosmo

Où sont les filles, les femmes au tempérament de guerrière

Oui qui savent comment faire la fête qu'elles soient mères ou célibataires?

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Les résidences, les quartiers UP, les 205, les Audi TT?

Où sont les blacks, les blancs, les jaunes, les verts, les rouges et les gris?

Loin des amalgames politiques, bienvenue en Cosmopolitanie, oui!

Montre moi comme tu es, ce soir est un jour de paix! (Aha)

Montre toi comme tu es, ce soir pas de tenue exigée! (Aha)

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Ce soir c'est rap, c'est funk, R'n'B ou bien électro

Variété, reggae, rock'n roll, coupé décalé zouk et dancehall

Ce soir c'est boxe, c'est foot, c'est Messi et Ronaldo,

Lebron James et automoto, c'est Sangoku et les Naruto

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Les chauves, les crêtes, les cheveux frisées

Les blondes, les brunes, les cheveux tissés

Ce soir c'est love, and peace!

Unis grâce à la musique,

Loin des amalgames politiques, ce soir plus personne ne nous divise, oui!

Montre moi comme tu es, ce soir est un jour de paix! (Aha)

Montre toi comme tu es, ce soir pas de tenue exigée! (Aha)

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Eh, eh, fais moi rêver

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Lalalala

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Purdue: 2017 Foster Farms Bowl Champions

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When Elijah Sindelar took the field for Purdue's late comeback attempt in a bowl game he thought back on a failed opportunity in a similar situation in the season opener.

The difference from that interception he threw against Louisville to a bowl-game winning touchdown against Arizona sums up the progress the Boilermakers made in their first season under coach Jeff Brohm.

Sindelar threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Mahoungou with 1:44 remaining and Purdue capped its most successful season in years in dramatic style with a 38-35 victory over Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl on Wednesday night.

"I just did not want to do that again," Sindelar said about his interception in the opener. "I remembered that feeling, I was going to try to do everything I could to make sure we didn't have to experience that again."

The Boilermakers (7-6) had squandered a 17-point halftime lead when Khalil Tate threw his fifth TD pass with 3:21 remaining to give the Wildcats (7-6) the lead.

But Sindelar responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with the deep throw into the end zone to Mahoungou, giving the Boilermakers their first winning record since 2011 and first bowl win over a major conference team since beating Washington in the 2002 Sun Bowl. Purdue had won only nine games in the previous four seasons before Brohm arrived.

"That's a memory you'll cherish for the rest of your life," Brohm said "They definitely earned it because they put in the hard work, have gone through the adversity and continued to hang in there."

Sindelar threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, with Mahoungou (118 yards) and Gregory Phillips (149) each topping the 100-yard mark and catching two TD passes.

Tate was just as good, showing he can win with his arm as well as he can with his legs that carried him to 1,353 yards rushing in the regular season. Tate threw for 302 yards and five touchdowns but his late interception to Jacob Thieneman ended the comeback attempt.

"They made one more play than we did at the end to win," coach Rich Rodriguez said. "It's pretty simple. Give them credit but I'm also pretty excited about the future."

Brohm pulled out all the stops, going for it three times on fourth down, calling a couple of flea-flickers and using an innovative trick play on a fake kneel down to set up a field goal at the end of the first half that made it 31-14.

THE TAKEAWAY

Purdue: The Boilermakers were dynamic in the 31-point first half, showing off offensive prowess that was rarely seen on a consistent basis during the regular season. The offense stalled mostly in the second half before the winning score. The most promising drive before that ended when Markell Jones got stopped just short of the first-down marker on a fourth-down pass.

Arizona: The Boilermakers managed to keep Tate's electric running in check, holding him to just 58 yards on 20 carries. But that opened up space for him to exploit them with downfield throws and he had career highs in touchdown passes and yards passing.

DISPUTED PLAY

Arizona was still steaming after the game about the fake kneel down at end of the first half on a play Purdue practiced all season.

The Boilermakers took over at their 32 with 56 seconds left after Tate lost a fumble. Purdue appeared to be taking a knee on the play to run out the clock, but running back D.J. Knox was crouching hidden behind a guard. Sindelar then handed the ball to Knox, who waited a second as the linemen stood and then ran around left end for a 30-yard gain that helped set up the field goal.

Rodriguez thought it should have been a dead play because he said the officials told his players not to rush.

"If the refs tells us it's a kneel it's really a dead play," linebacker Tony Fields II said. "We can't do anything as linebackers or DBs. They don't even want us to rush the quarterback because that's an injury prevention thing. They got us."

Brohm successfully ran a similar play in the Boca Raton Bowl last year at Western Kentucky.

THEY SAID IT


Mahoungou hurt his shoulder the play before his winning catch but wasn't going to leave the game. He drew on a saying from position coach JaMarcus Shephard.

"He says, `Don't tell me how rough the seas are, just bring me the damn ship," Mahoungou said. "So I just had to bring the damn ship."

UP NEXT

Purdue: The Boilermakers will try to build on Brohm's successful first season. They start with a tough conference test when they host Northwestern on Aug. 30.

Arizona: The Wildcats are excited to see what a full season with Tate at quarterback looks like. The 2018 campaign will start at home against BYU on Sept. 1.

Texas: 2017 Texas Bowl Champions

HOUSTON -- Texas coach Tom Herman knows he has a long way to go to get the Longhorns where he wants them to be.

But finishing with the school's first winning record since 2013 following a 33-16 victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl on Wednesday night certainly has them on the right track.

"It's really important for these guys to call themselves a winner," Herman said, "and to be able to walk around their hometowns over the next few weeks of Christmas break knowing they had a winning season. It wasn't going to be life or death. We would have been just fine next year, but this was a big step forward."

Freshman running back Daniel Young had 64 yards receiving with a touchdown and added 48 yards on the ground to pace Texas (7-6).

The Longhorns, in a bowl for the first time since 2014, bounced back from a loss to Texas Tech in their regular-season finale to finish with their first winning record since going 8-5 in coach Mack Brown's final season in 2013.

Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger split time at quarterback for Texas, and both players threw a touchdown pass. The defense helped out, too, with Anthony Wheeler scoring a TD on a fumble return in the first half and Davante Davis grabbing an interception with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Armanti Foreman dashed 18 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing drive to extend the lead to 33-16 and put the game out of reach.

Michael Dickson, who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter, was selected the game's Most Valuable Player, making him the first non-offensive player to be Texas Bowl MVP and the second punter ever to win MVP of a bowl game, joining Florida State's Graham Gano, the MVP of the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl.

Dickson, who will forego his senior season to declare for the NFL draft, punted 11 times for 452 yards, with four landing inside the 5.

He was shocked that he won the honor.

"I didn't believe it when they told me at first," he said. "I was like, `Wait, why am I going on stage?' It's still kind of sinking in now."

Missouri coach Barry Odom said he's never seen a punting performance like Dickson's.

"I guess that's why he won that award," Odom said. "He's pretty good and they played well off of it."

Drew Lock passed for 269 yards and a touchdown, but also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the loss, which snapped a six-game winning streak for the Tigers. Lock led the nation during the regular season with a Southeastern Conference-record 43 touchdown passes and had thrown three or more in eight straight games.

"We'll use this as a learning tool and motivation and continue to build our program and build our team," Odom said. "We've got a lot of exciting things happening."

Buechele connected with Young on a 22-yard touchdown pass to put Texas up 7-0 early in the first quarter. Ehlinger found John Burt for a 7-yard score later in the first to push the lead to 14-0.

The Tigers (7-6) got within 14-7 when Ish Witter ran 4 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. But Witter fumbled later in the period and Wheeler scooped it up and rumbled 38 yards for a touchdown to leave Texas up 21-7 at halftime.

Lock threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Johnathon Johnson on the first play of the second half, but the 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Tigers down 21-13.

They cut the margin to 21-16 with a 28-yard field goal by Tucker McCann with about three minutes left in the third quarter, but weren't able to move the ball much after that.

The Longhorns went up 23-16 when a bad snap sailed over Lock's head and rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety near the end of the third quarter.

Texas used a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it 26-16 with about 12 minutes left.

Ehlinger was 11 of 15 for 112 yards, and Buechele finished 6 of 14 for 55 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas: Herman's first season with the Longhorns was somewhat of a disappointment, but his team's performance against Missouri should give fans hope that the program is back on the right track.

Missouri: Texas found a way to stymie Missouri's potent offense after the Tigers scored 45 or more points in each of their previous six games, a school record.

HONORING NOBIS

Texas junior linebacker Breckyn Hager honored former Longhorns star Tommy Nobis, who died this month at 74, by wearing his retired No. 60 jersey. The Longhorns also wore stickers on their helmets with No. 60 to honor Nobis. The linebacker played for Texas from 1963-65 and was the top pick in the 1966 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He was a five-time Pro Bowler who played in the NFL until 1976.

UP NEXT


Texas: Herman appears to have two improving quarterbacks in Buechele and Ehlinger, but to develop more consistency next season the coach might need to pick one as his starter and stick with him.

Missouri: Lock will have to decide if he'll declare for the NFL draft or return for his senior season. With offensive coordinator Josh Heupel leaving to coach Central Florida, Lock's decision could hinge on his feelings about the new offensive coordinator.

"This game won't affect my decision at all," Lock said. "If we had come out and scored 150 points on them, it wouldn't have made a difference. If we had scored zero, it wouldn't have made a difference. I still have things to evaluate, and I'm going to take in a little more information before the deadline."

Ottawa RedBlacks: 2016 Grey Cup Champions

OTTAWA — Last year there was clutch in the Capital; this year there was a juggling 19-yard touchdown catch by Ernest Jackson in overtime of the Grey Cup.

Jackson’s highlight-reel grab in the first possession of overtime ended up being the difference, as the City of Ottawa has its first professional football championship in 40 years thanks to a 39-33 win by the Ottawa REDBLACKS over the Calgary Stampeders in the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.

Henry Burris combined with Jackson to help the REDBLACKS fend off a furious Calgary comeback from 20 points down, capping off the biggest upset in Canadian Football League Grey Cup history.

Burris was named Grey Cup Most Valuable Player for his efforts while Brad Sinopoli earned Most Valuable Canadian.

The 41-year-old Burris overcame a pre-game injury scare and threw three touchdown passes while running for two more, becoming the oldest quarterback ever to win a Grey Cup. The 17-year veteran threw for 461 yards, the fourth-most ever in a Grey Cup game, earning his second title as a starting CFL quarterback and his first since 2008.

The Stampeders rallied from 20 points down and kicked the game-tying field goal with 10 seconds left to force overtime, the first Grey Cup game to go past regulation since the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes did it in 2005. But in the end, Bo Levi Mitchell’s third-down pass in overtime fell incomplete, sealing an Ottawa REDBLACKS victory.

Patrick Lavoie and Sinopoli caught touchdown passes for the REDBLACKS while defensive back Forrest Hightower intercepted two passes in the winning effort.

Burris was questionable to play after reportedly suffering a knee injury in the warm-up but in the end became the first quarterback since Danny McManus in 1996 to break 400 passing yards in a Grey Cup.

Mitchell threw three interceptions while veteran receiver Marquay McDaniel left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return after a 51-yard catch in the first quarter.

The last time an Ottawa franchise won a Grey Cup was in 1976, when the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Toronto’s CNE Stadium. But on Sunday night, on the exact same site, a capacity crowd of 33,421 watched at BMO Field as the 8-9-1 REDBLACKS upset the heavily-favoured 15-2-1 Stampeders.

With Burris playing potentially the final game of his career, the intrigue surrounding the CFL’s third all-time leading passer reached new heights when he was seen limping off the field following warm-ups. Initial reports indicated the REDBLACKS’ starting pivot had injured his knee and was questionable to play.

But after Trevor Harris came out of the tunnel for player intros and then stood in on the coin flip, Burris was the one under centre when Ottawa’s offence first took the field in the opening quarter. Minutes later, Burris was the one capping off a 10-play scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown on the quarterback sneak.

The REDBLACKS had the Grey Cup’s first points but the hard-throwing Mitchell was quick to respond. The Katy, Texas native, fresh off the first MOP honour of his career on Thursday night, connected with a wide open McDaniel over the middle for a 51-yard pickup into Ottawa territory.

Calgary’s second possession of the game ended with a seven-yard hookup between Mitchell and this year’s Most Outstanding Canadian Jerome Messam, knotting the score at a touchdown apiece.

Ottawa rounded out the first-quarter scoring with a 37-yard field goal off the foot of Ray Early.

Down three points, the Stampeders appeared to be picking up momentum after sacking Burris for a six-yard loss and forcing Ottawa’s first punt of the game. But on the ensuing punt, Roy Finch fumbled the return and Serderius Bryant recovered for the REDBLACKS, flipping both possession and field position.

Burris and the REDBLACKS wasted no time finding the end zone after that as Lavoie caught all three of his quarterback’s completions on the drive, including a six-yard touchdown off of play action to extend the lead to 17-7.

After ending the second quarter on Early’s second field goal of the game, a chip shot from 29 yards out, the REDBLACKS tilted the field further in their favour in the third. Burris had just overshot an open Khalil Paden on an attempted flea-flicker on first down, but he wouldn’t miss again, completing passes to Sinopoli and Jackson before going back to Sinopoli for a nine-yard touchdown.

At that point, Ottawa had a commanding 27-7 lead — but sleeping on the league-leading Stamps would no doubt be a mistake.

It was that third-quarter touchdown that seemed to kick Calgary into gear, starting with a Peredes field goal and followed by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Lemar Durant. The play was reviewed and upheld as the REDBLACKS failed to make contact with Durant while he was down, all of a sudden cutting the Stamps’ deficit to 27-17.

Down 10 with the fourth quarter just under way, Calgary’s quarterback continued to heat up along with the rest of the Stamps’ offence. And just when it seemed like the drive had stalled, the Stampeders challenged for pass interference against Jonathan Rose at the goal line and won, leading to a one-yard plunge across the goal line by Andrew Buckley.

Buckley’s touchdown capped off an eight-play, 66-yard scoring drive and also marked the first touchdown in a Grey Cup by a Canadian Quarterback since 1968, making it a 27-23 ball game with 13:24 remaining.

The teams exchanged punts and just when the REDBLACKS needed a response, Burris and company came through. A 22-yard catch and run by Juron Criner moved the sticks on second-and-long, then on second-and-five Burris went for the deep ball and it was Criner again making a highlight-reel grab — this one over the head of Matt Bucknor.

That led to Burris’ second rushing touchdown of the game, again from a yard out, capping off a six-play, 70-yard drive to put Ottawa back in the driver’s seat.

Calgary threatened late to pull within a score as Messam’s first-down run set up a 35-yard highlight-reel grab by the rookie Daniels down to the Ottawa 27. The drive ended with a 19-yard rushing touchdown by Daniels, pulling the Stamps within a field goal with under 2:00 remaining.

The Stamps quickly got the ball back when Rob Maver’s onside kick was recovered by Love, while Mitchell and Daniels continued to move the Red and White down the field.

With the clock ticking under a minute left, an illegal contact penalty against Abdul Kanneh kept Calgary moving with a first down inside the 10. Not long later, however, it was Kanneh saving the game for Ottawa with a shoe-string tackle on Andrew Buckley.

Paredes’ chip shot on third down sent the game to overtime, while from there Burris and Jackson took care of the rest.

Mitchell finished with 391 passing yards on 28-of-38 passing with two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions. Messam, meanwhile, was held to 35 rushing yards on eight carries, but did add 59 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air.

Sinopoli had six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown while Jackson chipped in with six receptions for 96 yards.

The win for Ottawa ends a remarkable turnaround in the nation’s capital, where the expansion REDBLACKS went from a 2-16 season in 2014 to appearing in back-to-back Grey Cups and, now, winning one.

Questions, meanwhile, will surround Ottawa’s star quarterback in Burris, who’s been non-committal on his future beyond 2016.

Western Bulldogs: 2016 AFL Premiers

If you were going to take 60 years to win a premiership, and you wanted to make it a premiership worth 60 years of waiting,  how would you script it?

Here's one way.

You could start two years beforehand with a crisis that led to the captain and coach leaving the club. You could replace the coach with a rookie called Luke Beveridge whose chief claim to fame was a couple of premierships in the amateurs and a stint in security in the public service.

You could replace the captain with a heart-and-soul veteran called Bob Murphy who in the season in question would do his knee and not play again after round three. You could put him out on the ground on grand final day anyway, because as sure as eggs, he was. I don't mean after the game, but during it. Surely you could see it. You could have it that he had his matchday guernsey on under his jacket all day.

You could survive a rash of injuries to other players besides, and finish seventh on the ladder, from where no-one has won a premiership before, and put yourself in a position where you had to win four finals in a row, starting with one in Perth.

You could win, and two, and three, gathering momentum as you go, and sweeping your hometown up along with you, and a lot of incidentals and casuals besides. You could turn the grand final, which it might easily be forgotten is just a game of football, into a kind of morality play. You could write it so that at the end of the day, everyone felt a little bit better about footy.

Even your opponents might come around to that point of view eventually, for this was a rare grand final day on which it was possible to barrack for one team and not against the other. You could, without giving offence to the Swans, make it that good guys win.

When it was done, and you'd stopped pinching yourself and slapping your own face, and the time came to divide the spoils, you could have that coach call up to the podium that maimed skipper and as 100,000 are your witness, hand over his premiership medallion, saying something like: "This is yours, mate. You deserve it more than anyone." Then he would also hand over joint responsibility with the stand-in captain for receiving and raising that mythical cup.

You'd have to write in a pause here, for tears and tissues, and _ why not? ­_ a beer.

Impossible, yes? A fable, yes? Well, why not give it a few more twists?  Why not pair yourself in the grand final with the Sydney Swans, the minor premier, the team that that is always there, the gold standard when it comes to finals style footy, the team whose captain, Kieren Jack, no-one could doubt at the end when he said:  "We didn't get the job done, but we're coming back. We're going nowhere."

Why not make it that you engage them on titanic terms for three-and-a-half quarters, and every now and then have them look as if  they might be about to shrug you off, and send shivers up all spines at the crucial moment early in the last quarter when Lance Franklin shapes a goal from 50 metres that reduces the margin to a point, and seems to presage a winning Swans surge?

Why not massage the script so that you match the Swans in what they do well, ferocity at the fall of the ball, and add something they don't, fleetness of foot and a preparedness to use it? Why not make it the sort of game in which every good turn deserved another, and every tackle, too, and in the third quarter have it that both teams find extra reserves of strength, as men in mortal danger do?

Why not now cast some improbable heroes? One could be, say, Tom Boyd, a lump of a lad who you poached from Greater Western Sydney in that crisis moment, really the president insisted and because you didn't want to be seen as a club that would accept to be pushed around, but who for two years you have found to be a bit of puzzle. Maybe he could grow through this final series, figuratively, but you would almost swear literally and on this day play his best match.

One could be Jason Johannisen, although you probably wouldn't given him that haircut. One  could be Liam Picken, son of a Collingwood great, but now with one over his dad, a premiership. Maybe it could be that he took four years to get onto a list, and spent most of his career since tagging, but was liberated by the new coach to play as a deadly forward?

One could be Dale Morris, a 33-yearold who the coach surely had in mind when he said this team was all heart, because for a dozen years it has leapt out of his chest so that he could play on and beat outsized opponents, and did again this day.

One could enigmatic Jake Stringer, who had only one decent moment for the day, but what a moment?

Why not, when the time came, link all these instant heroes in the final act? You could have it that in the centre of the MCG, Franklin is about to drive the Swans forward, but is tacked and dispossessed _ no-one strips Buddy Franklin _ by Morris, and ball tumbles free to Boyd, who tears up the playbook and thumps it forward and perhaps catches a gust of the crowd's urging tumbles and rolls through.

You could make it that just before that, Johannisen had kicked a goal that was overruled by a TV umpire because of a supposed touch on the goal-line, though everyone on both sides had accepted it and were in the centre for the next bounce. You could moralise here, about how a great grand final might have been ruined by a fatuous protocol. But it would be edited out.

You could have it that the Bulldogs beat the Swans at their own game. You could have it that exaltation on the boundary line and in the crowd looked like exactly it was, bursting with deliverance of 62 years. You'd have to leave a bit of space here, for more tears and cheers.

You could have the joy washing from one side of the MCG to the other, and back and forth across the change rooms, too, and not one player removing his guernsey _  because why would you ever take if off? _ and dozens of old players not bothering to hold back their tears and mouthing the theme of the week and the moment: "I never thought I'd see the day."

You could make it the best thing some old lags in the press box have ever seen in footy. You could even make it an AFL/VFL premiership double, like anyone has ever done that?

But who on earth would ever would you believe that any footy team could do all that?

The Bulldogs just did. They bloody well did. It's a fairytale, and even if the whole competition returns to normally programming next year, it will always be a fairytale.

Hibernian: 2015-16 Scottish Cup Champions

Rangers finds it incomprehensible that no one, either from within the Scottish FA or Hibernian Football Club, has condemned Hibernian’s supporters following the violent scenes at the end of yesterday’s Scottish Cup final when Rangers players and members of our backroom staff were physically and verbally assaulted. We have not even had the courtesy of any contact whatsoever from Hibernian to ask after the wellbeing of those who were attacked by their club’s supporters.

There must be a full independent investigation into the shameful scenes at Hampden. Rangers is also at a complete loss to understand why certain individuals have hastily attempted to gloss over the appalling events which unfolded at the end of Saturday’s final.

No matter how many times Hibernian’s chairman and Scottish FA vice-chairman, Rod Petrie, and certain other biased commentators wish to play down Saturday’s mayhem and violence, the truth must not be distorted. What unfolded on Saturday cannot and must not be put down to exuberance. That is a complete insult to Rangers, our supporters, and those individuals who were intimidated and attacked.

It was clear to most of those who watched in horror that the Scottish FA’s security procedures failed when Hibernian’s fans went over the top in their thousands.  It is to be hoped that all of Scottish football will share Rangers’ disgust and any attempts to attach blame to our supporters for the disgraceful and violent behaviour, which led to our players and fans fearing for their safety, will not be accepted or tolerated by this Club.

We acknowledge that a tiny minority of Rangers fans also encroached on the pitch but only after having been faced with prolonged and severe provocation and in order to protect our players and officials who were being visibly attacked in front of them. Any club’s supporters would have done the same. This distressing and deeply disturbing episode would never have happened had Hibs fans behaved properly but as they swarmed across the pitch it became immediately obvious that the security procedures were inadequate and had failed.

These fans were allowed to rush, unchecked, towards Rangers supporters at the opposite end of the stadium – all the while goading and threatening them. This makes it preposterous to suggest Rangers fans were somehow to blame as some commentators appear anxious to do. This thuggish behaviour must be investigated and as many culprits as possible brought to book and formally charged. This is the second time in a year that Rangers fans have had to endure attacks by another club’s supporters.

It must also be said that it was not at all helpful to see leading members of the Scottish Government, including the First Minister whose parish is Govan, passing comment on social media without any attempt to condemn the behaviour of Hibernian’s fans. These failures are unbecoming of our elected representatives.

Certain media outlets have also attempted to distort reality.  In the case of the BBC this is, of course, not news. BBC employees, in particular Stuart Cosgrove, believe Rod Petrie’s comments to be ‘balanced’ and others speak of a ‘minority’ of Hibernian supporters. Another, Tom English, who was not even at the match, would prefer the authorities to focus on Rangers fans’ reaction. We will not endure this insult.

So, let everyone be clear on one thing – Rangers demands that players, staff and fans be protected from the violence and hatred of supporters of other clubs. Rangers fully expects the Scottish FA and Police Scotland to take action to provide our people with a safe environment. When players are unable to accept medals at the end of a final because of fears for their safety and our supporters are alarmed and extremely concerned for the women and children among them, then surely every step must be taken to ensure that this is never repeated.

Rangers Are Back In The Scottish Premiership!

Rangers may have rubber-stamped their rise from the ashes on Tuesday night but Mark Warburton knows only too well the phoenix is yet to take full flight. The champagne, which remained on ice after Raith Rovers’ late equaliser on Saturday, was no doubt swigged once Dumbarton were beaten 1-0 at a packed Ibrox but not savoured for too long and it is unlikely the Scottish Championship trophy will be paraded at the front of a cabinet that contains 54 top-flight titles

The scars of the past four years, the financial meltdown in 2012 which led to a tumble down the divisions, the trips to Alloa, Elgin and Berwick and the indignity of a Ramsden Cup final defeat by Raith Rovers in 2014 are permanent and while a sense of relief among supporters greets Rangers’ return to the Premiership, inevitably thoughts immediately turn to bridging the gap to Celtic, who drew 0-0 at Dundee, and are closing in on a fifth successive title.

That may seem ambitious but after a four-year journey that has included 104 wins, 26 draws and 16 defeats, that accounted for Ally McCoist after nearly three years of laying the foundations for last night’s achievement, Warburton has no interest in smelling the roses.

He knows the importance of thinking ahead and doing so while showing the frugality in the transfer market that has reaped reward this season. And he appreciates there is more at stake than a place in the final when Rangers face Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday week, not least after Neil Lennon recently questioned whether the former Brentford manager is ready for his first taste of the Old Firm derby which provoked a defiant response: “If you can’t deal with that, don’t be in the business.”

Indeed, even before Rangers’ promotion was confirmed Warburton was asked whether his side would provide a credible challenge to Celtic next season and, his response to Lennon aside, he chose his words carefully. “My expectation is that we have to go into that league and be highly competitive. I view highly competitive as that we’ve got to be a very, very tough team to beat and to break down and that we go into games expecting to win them. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re not going to challenge for the league. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to win the league.”

What is clear is that Warburton’s recruitment over the summer will be fundamental to meeting expectations. Relying on his Football League knowledge his signings of Martyn Waghorn, James Tavernier and Wes Foderingham have proved successful, as has Harry Forrester, prolific under Warburton during their time together at Brentford and set to commit his long-term future at Ibrox after arriving in January.

Financially, Rangers may be in far calmer waters compared with 2012 but the cost of returning to the Premiership was apparent, as was the supporters’ boycott of the previous board, when reporting operating losses increased by 11% to £9.04m for the financial year to June 2015 last month.

Warburton is confident, however, that he will received funds to strengthen a squad, adding that “the board haven’t said no. Far from it. They have been really supportive”, but it was perhaps telling that he chose to use his programme notes for Tuesday’s match highlighting the widening gap in spending power between Scottish clubs and those in England, stating before the match: “If we keep ignoring it, we are going to keep on paying the price.”

Rangers may be back among Scotland’s elite but, as a former city trader in London, Warburton knows the real value of a bargain.

3.27.2016

Happy Easter

From the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue.

Edmonton Eskimos: 2015 Grey Cup Champions

WINNIPEG -- It’s hard to find a more aggressive coach than Chris Jones, and on Sunday it paid off for the Eskimos.

Jordan Lynch scored a one-yard touchdown on third down with 3:22 left, sending the Edmonton Eskimos to a 26-20 victory over the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the 103rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw.

Mike Reilly threw touchdown passes to Adarius Bowman and Akeem Shavers while completing 21 of 25 passes for 269 yards, while Edmonton’s defence allowed only four second-half points to guide the Eskimos to their first Grey Cup since 2005.

The REDBLACKS opened with a scoring surge with a pair of touchdowns on their opening two drives, but the Eskimos battled back to take the lead at halftime. After entering the fourth quarter behind, Edmonton scored the go-ahead touchdown on a drive fueled by two pass interference penalties.

Henry Burris threw for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the loss, but was also intercepted by Patrick Watkins and failed to generate a touchdown after the opening two drives.

While the focus was on Ottawa’s big four entering Sunday, it was Maurice Price getting the REDBLACKS’ offence moving out of the gate. Price caught a pass over the middle on second and 10 to give Burris and the REDBLACKS a first down and that got things moving.

On the next play, Burris hit Ellingson on the slant over the middle to move the sticks again. Two runs by first-year CFL running back William Powell kept the drive alive, then inside the 25 Burris hit Chris Williams on the right sideline to put Ottawa inside the four.

On first down Burris went play action, then pulled the ball down and hit Patrick Lavoie to put the REDBLACKS in the end zone.

Burris went 5-for-6 on the game’s opening drive for 60 yards and a touchdown, giving the REDBLACKS the first strike and a 7-0 lead in the 103rd Grey Cup only 3:43 into the game. The score capped off a seven-play, 73-yard drive as Ottawa set exactly the right tone for the game.

The REDBLACKS’ early momentum went from a spark to a surge on the very next play. Esks’ shifty returner Kendial Lawrence fumbled Edmonton’s first kick return of the game as Jake Harty forced a loose ball, and there to recover was Damaso Munoz.

Powell sprinted up the heart of the Esks’ defence for 15 on the first play of the next drive, then Burris made his sixth straight completion on a slant over the middle to Ernest Jackson for 15 more.

With a first-and-goal from the 10, the 40-year-old Burris wasn’t fooling around. After a run was stopped on first down, Burris threaded the needle to Jackson in the end zone for a seven-yard score.
Chris Milo missed the extra point, but Burris’ second touchdown of the game and seventh straight completion put the REDBLACKS ahead 13-0 before Reilly and the Eskimos’ offence could even touch the football.

The Eskimos needed a response from their offence, which scrimmaged from the 32-yard-line on its first possession of the game. A completion to Bowman and a pass interference penalty against Antoine Pruneau set up a three-pointer by Sean Whyte to get the Eskimos on the board.

While the drive didn’t end the way the Green and Gold had hoped, it started turn the momentum a little bit in the Eskimos’ favour. That continued on the defensive side of the ball when Burris looked to go long on second down, only to be intercepted by cornerback Patrick Watkins.

Already Reilly’s favourite target, Stafford moved the sticks with a key second down conversion and held onto the ball in Ottawa territory for a 24-yard pickup. After running for a first down, the Eskimos’ gunslinging quarterback hit Bowman on the corner route for a 23-yard touchdown and just like that it was a new ballgame.

Reilly’s first career Grey Cup touchdown pass made it a 13-10 game with two minutes left in the opening quarter, capping off a five-play, 60-yard scoring drive over 2:30 span.

Now it was the REDBLACKS needing an answer, but they were victimized by the game’s first sack as Marcus Howard got to Burris and took him down. Howard was hit with a 15-yard penalty on the play to give Ottawa a second chance on the drive, but an Odell Willis sack right after forced Ottawa to punt while putting an end to the opening 15 minutes.

The REDBLACKS appeared to have another big defensive play when Brandyn Thompson scooped up a fumble and returned it for seven, but it was negated by an offside penalty by Justin Capicciotti. On the same drive though Jonathan Williams sacked Reilly, forcing the Eskimos to punt as the defences settled in.

A catch-and-run by Powell set up Milo’s first field goal of the night to make it 16-10 Ottawa, while the Eskimos missed a 45-yard field goal try and the REDBLACKS were forced to punt.

Down six with under two minutes left, the Esks’ offence looked to strike and take the lead before halftime. Shamawd Chambers got the drive started with a gain into REDBLACKS’ territory on his second catch of the game, then Reilly kept things moving with some fancy footwork.

A pass to Walker for 17 yards along the right sideline gave the Eskimos another first down, and then with the clock ticking and under half a minute left, Reilly found a wide open Akeem Shavers for a 13-yard pickup inside the two.

Reilly went right back to the rookie running back on the next play, and with 12 seconds left in the half the Eskimos took their first lead of the game – 17-16. That 85-yard drive on which Reilly completed all five passing attempts sent the Eskimos into halftime with the lead.

The REDBLACKS took the lead back on a 33-yard field goal following a seven play, 75-yard drive to make it 19-17. Edmonton cut the lead in half with a single point on a punt, but the defences dominated the third quarter as the contest became about field position.

Late in the third though the Eskimos began to tilt the field in their favour. A third down conversion moved the sticks and then a catch by Cory Watson moved the Eskimos into Ottawa territory. Reilly used his legs to keep the sticks moving again, but a stalled drive proved costly.

Whyte missed his second field goal of the game, putting this try off the uprights from 35 yards out leaving the REDBLACKS up by a point, 19-18 entering the fourth and final quarter.

A close game entering the fourth quarter appeared to be in Edmonton’s favour, as the Esks had outscored opponents 107-22 in fourth quarters during their current nine-game winning streak – an average margin of eight points.

In the fourth quarter the defensive duel continued though. The REDBLACKS added a single point to their lead on a 72-yard punt by Milo, while their defence responded with a two-and-out against Reilly.

The Eskimos’ defence rose to the occasion though and the next time Reilly got the ball back he got aggressive. The veteran pivot fired down the right sideline and while his pass fell to the turf, an interference penalty against Abdul Kanneh gave Edmonton a first down at the 47.

Reilly went long again on the very next play, and this time after a challenge by Chris Jones there was another pass interference. After the penalty moved the Eskimos to the Ottawa 10, a completion to Nate Coehoorn put the Esks at the one.

Down two with under four minutes left facing a third and goal from the one, Jones opted to gamble on scoring the go-ahead touchdown. And after a second effort, short-yardage quarterback Jordan Lynch was able to power his way over the line to give Edmonton a 26-20 lead following the two-point conversion with 3:22 remaining.

Burris moved the sticks with a 14-yard completion to Price on second down as the REDBLACKS moved near midfield, but Ottawa's drive quickly stalled after that. An incompletion by Burris and then a sack forced Rick Campbell's hand in punting the football away with two minutes left, and his offence never got the ball back as the Eskimos moved the chains three times to melt away the clock.
The win marks Edmonton's 10th in a row, all with Reilly under centre since he returned from a knee injury to start the Labour Day rematch against Calgary.

In those 10 games the Eskimos defeated division rival Calgary three times to not only win the West but ultimately represent the West in the Grey Cup.

The loss for Ottawa is a disappointing end to a campaign the city will never forget, as the REDBLACKS mounted one of the greatest turnarounds in CFL history in going from two wins a year ago to 12 wins and a Grey Cup appearance this year.

Burris had a career season for the REDBLACKS and won Most Outstanding Player for his efforts at age 40, while Ottawa boasted four 1,000-yard receivers and the CFL's number one-ranked offence.