Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed a 7 yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt as time expired, allowing the Hawkeyes to take a 15-13 road win over Michigan State University and preserve their undefeated season. Trailing 6-3 at halftime, Iowa mounted a furious drive after Michigan State had scored to take a 13-9 lead with 1:37 remaining in the game. Iowa moved to 8-0 for the first time in school history for the win, and has won twelve straight games overall. Michigan State evened their record at 4-4 with the loss.

When you bet on college football you learn that you can’t count your money until the game was over and such was the case here as Iowa even managed to cover the pointspread as they won outright as +2 road underdogs. Iowa improved to 5-2 against the spread while Michigan State dropped to 3-4 against the number.

Stanzi threw three incomplete passes into the end zone before he hit McNutt with the game winner. There were 2 seconds left on the clock when the play began, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz commended McNutt on his effort to get open on the play:

“He made a nice break inside, made a great grab.”

Ferentz was also proud of the way his team responded after falling behind late on the road:

“It speaks to our players, the character that they have. They realized they still had time.”

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio also praised his players for their tough defensive stand at the end of the game:

“When we scored at the end, I thought that we had it. I’m proud — not happy. Proud of the way our football team responded.”

The Hawkeyes became only the second team in Big Ten history to win at Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin in the same season. Michigan was the first to accomplish the trifecta when they did it in 1997.

Michigan State will take to the road next weekend for a game at Minnesota. They’ll host Western Michigan the following Saturday before playing away at Purdue on November 14. Iowa will play their next two games at home, starting with Indiana next Saturday. They’ll host Northwestern a week later.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer specializing in mixed martial arts, NHL hockey and NHL hockey and NBA basketball betting. He serves as a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is a noted authority on Internet sports betting of all forms. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and several pet geckos.

Tags: college football by Ross Everett
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Oklahoma’s junior quarterback Sam Bradford will likely opt for season ending shoulder surgery. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was to announce his plans at a Wednesday night press conference, but that has been cancelled with no official word from Bradford expected before Saturday. Despite the delay, unnamed sources close to the situation indicate that there is “a very good chance” that Bradford will go under the knife in hopes of insuring a better opportunity with a NFL team next season.

Despite every indication that the decision to undergo surgery to repair an injured AC joint in his throwing shoulder is to eliminate the potential perception that he is ‘damaged goods’ in advance of the NFL draft, University officials stressed that there has been no official decision in this regard. He passed on the NFL draft last year in hopes to win a national championship at Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops addressed the media about Bradford and the cancelled press conference:

“He just wasn’t ready to fully answer everything that’ll want to be asked and for sure what he wants to do just yet, until he has a few more people to visit with. That’s it. I won’t say another word about it.”

“Sam’s whole situation, he’ll have something to say when he knows what his path will be, and that isn’t right now. I’m not the one to answer it. He will. And I will once he feels he’s ready to and knows for sure what he wants to do.”

Bradford had hoped to contend for a national title this season, but that is no longer a realistic scenario with Oklahoma’s record. OU quarterbacks’ coach Josh Heupel talked about the conflicting issues that Bradford is currently dealing with as he tries to decide what the best course of action to take is:

“I think it’s extremely difficult for him, coming back for all the right reasons, wanting to have an opportunity to go compete on the football field, compete for championships and then having all those things taken away from you. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it and when you invest that much, it’s going to be extremely disappointing. It’s not an easy situation for him, certainly.”

Despite their 3-3 record, Oklahoma has played well this year. The losses came to top level opponents BYU, Miami and Texas by a total of five points. Still, there’s no real hope for a return to national championship contention.

Had Bradford opted to go to the NFL last season, he could have been one of the highest players selected in the draft. He had a monumental season last year, throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns. With his struggles this season and his injury, his future at the next level has grown somewhat more problematic. He could elect for surgery and opt for the draft this season, realizing that he’d be viewed as something of a ‘risky choice’. Otherwise he could return for his senior season in hopes of improving his stock though that is always a dicey proposition due to the risk of additional injury.

Ross Everett is a staff oddsmaker for Sports-1 Sportsbook as well as a freelance writer specializing in MMA, boxing and how to bet on NFL football. He is a respected authority on Internet sports betting, cigars and fencing. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet wallaby.

Tags: college football by Ross Everett
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The 2009 fantasy football season has been a very interesting one through the first six weeks of the year. We’ve seen many breakout players that no one really expected, and we’ve definitely seen our share of busts as well. Today we’re going to focus on the overachievers of the fantasy football world.

Let’s give some respect to the guys who have gone above and beyond the call of duty so far. Having impressed just about everyone out there, here are three players we all wish we drafted when we had the opportunity to get them.

Pierre Garcon has done some great things with the Colts in 2009. Had you asked me who Pierre Garcon was before the season started, I would’ve told you I had no idea. Now, he’s a household name in the fantasy football world.

Garcon has been magnificent in filling the void left by Anthony Gonzalez, and Peyton Manning seems to be building the chemistry between the two by the week. You wonder why the Colts are so good this year, and you have to acknowledge the fact that Garcon partly responsible.

Next on the list is Cedric Benson, amazingly one of the top running backs in football through the first six weeks of the season. Benson had never done anything meaningful before 2009, but now he looks great.

With a reinvigorated offense in Cincinnati, Benson has been the perfect complement to Carson Palmer’s passing game and the Bengals have a winning record as a result.

Matt Schaub. Who would have thought that Matt Schaub would be the second highest fantasy points scorer through the first 5 games of the season, only behind Peyton Manning?

Not I, said the fantasy football GM. Schaub has been brilliant and was a steal in all drafts.

Melissa Donnelly also writes about drop earrings and reviews of crystal drop earrings.

Tags: football games by Melissa Donnelly
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The 2008 football season was a disheartening one for the Cincinnati Bengals. A 4-11-1 finish was very disappointing to say the least, and largely resulted from the absence of star quarterback Carson Palmer, who missed virtually the entire year due to injury.

Once Carson Palmer went down, we all knew it would be a rough year. Without Palmer, the team was anything but dangerous, and its offense virtually non-existent.

Ryan Fitzpatrick did his best, but his skills were nowhere near that of Palmer’s, and the offense struggled greatly for it. This wasn’t much of a surprise considering his lack of NFL experience.

Chris Henry is making a name for himself in a Bengals jersey, so the loss of T.J. may not seem as bad as Bengals fans would think.

The Bengals play in a very tough, grind it out type division, AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers (defending champs) and Baltimore Ravens. Playing these two teams twice a year is no easy task.

Entering the 2009 season, the Bengals were more hopeful than they had been the year before. While the team had lost TJ Houshmandzadeh in the off season, the acquisition of veteran receiver LaVaerneus Coles, combined with the emergence of Chris Henry as a newly reliable option, made it seem as if the Bengals might be a halfway decent team again this season.

The loss of their #2 wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh would be a blow to their offense, but a young and improving Chris Henry would fill his shoes, as would Lavaerneus Coles, acquired during the off season from the Jets.

The Bengals lost their first game of the season to the Broncos, but came back with a vengeance during week two, as they visited the Packers at Lambeau field and came away with a win. The passing game was on point, as was their running game, and a new sense of hope was born in Bengals nation.

Check out the free Bengals chat s at RootZoo Sports. With the NBA season tipping off, make sure to play their NBA pick em.

Tags: football games by Aaron Scott
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The New York Football Giants look to win their second Super Bowl in 3 years in 09′. While the previous Super Bowl win was considered an upset but many - this years Giants will not sneak up on anyone.

The Giants have a core of players who can lead them to a Super Bowl appearance again for sure. Eli Manning has experience and the quarterback patience like no other in the league.

The Giants have all the necessary components for a winning football team, good defense, good running game and a Pro Bowl quarterback.

In Week 2, the Giants gave it everything they had at Dallas. This was a game where one team would score, and the other would answer back with a touchdown or field goal of its own.

This year could provide the Giants with the same opportunity - many favor the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the Giants at this time.

After losing both Plaxico Burress (to his gun incident) and Amani Toomer (to retirement), the team saw a gaping hole at the wide receiver position. This is why Mario Manningham was on their radar for the 2009 NFL draft.

Eli Manning has grown up over the last couple of seasons and has become a leader on the field like his old brother - maybe not to the same extent but he is well respectable now. Eli Manning seems to play better on the road then at home, which can be a blessing or a curse, not quite sure.

The Giants have the potential, like a few other teams, to make it far into the playoffs if they gain some momentum.

Get over to the New York Giants forum and play football trivia at RootZoo.

Tags: football games by Brent Salmons
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Here we are with the football season upon us and, of course, with the iPhone and iPod touch at a popularity high, we want this week’s roundup to revolve around NFL video games. Three games stood out as we gathered together the best apps for this story. Today, we’re going to highlight EA’s Madden 10, Gameloft’s NFL2010, and Chillingo’s Super Shock Football.

Madden 10, the 20-year-old king of football games, has finally been released by EA and is now available in the app store. As you might expect, though Gameloft’s NFL2010 was the first on the iPhone and iPod touch, Madden 10 is a solid addition that leaves gamers with a dilemma.

Graphics are good, but not as good as we would have expected. They look like console graphics from some time ago, but do not compare to what we see today. They are adequate for the platform, though. Sounds are decent, with the obligatory John Madden comments and helmet-to-helmet sound effects. Madden 10 allows you to play music from your own library, so you can skip the included tracks if you wish. Controls work well and offer a lot of options with just a simple tap or two.

Multiplayer should be included in a future update, as well as roster updates, which will add a lot to the game. Replay value is huge. After all, it’s a Madden football game. You know you’ll be playing it until the next one comes out. It is comparable to Gameloft’s NFL2010, though each offers a great gaming experience and some attributes that the other lacks. If you can afford it, you might want to go ahead and get both. Madden 10 rolls into the app store at the expected $9.99 and will likely remain that way for most of the season. Madden hauls in a solid 4-Star touchdown pass, taking this grudge match against rival NFL2010 into OT.

The first full-featured football game in the App Store was NFL2010 by Gameloft. In relation to Madden 10, NFL2010 looks on-par and, of course, we need to do a comparison. Happily, NFL2010 holds up quite well against its 20-year-old competition and mobile gamers will love it through and through.

Graphically, the game looks gorgeous. This is the closest thing to Madden that we’ve seen. Sounds are good, with all of the expected football sound effects. Controls work well and are responsive. It just seems that it is lacking some of the functionality necessary to make us feel as if we have control over the plays. Often, it feels like we are simply watching them unfold as we’ve set them up. In fact, the plays where we felt like we had the most control were kicking plays, which utilize two gauges, one for aiming and one for power. This scheme works especially well.

Gameloft really impresses with NFL2010, their first effort at iPhone football gaming. This will be on our most-played list for some time to come. The $7.99 price is a bit steep, but it is lower than Madden 10 and it’s a huge savings when compared to console games. We have to give NFL2010 a 4-Star rating as well.

With Super Shock Football, iPhone app publisher Chillingo brings a different style to the football genre. Based on the electric football games of the past, Super Shock Football will grant a satisfying experience to iPhone gamers, even if it doesn’t replace Madden 10 or NFL2010.

Graphically, the game looks terrific, with 2D men darting around in a 3D world. The view shifts back and forth between top down for setup and on field for close ups of the action during plays. Sounds are great, with the soft hum of vibrating players in the background and football sound effects (like crowd noise, whistles, etc.) in the foreground. Controls are simple touches and can be accomplished with a single finger. Game information (scores, time remaining, etc.) are in tiny print along the screen bottom. While these are a bit difficult to read, they won’t detract from the overall gameplay. Several options exist, including quarter length (up to 15 minutes each) and number of men per side (as many as 11, but you can play with far fewer).

Nostalgia and humorous gameplay put Super Shock Football in a league of it’s own against more traditional football games in the App Store. You’ll have a blast if you don’t take the game too seriously. No two games will ever turn out the same as the outcomes are so random. This leads to high replay ability. At a price of $1.99 Chillingo gives Super Shock Football a huge advantage over its competition. In fact, we give it a 5-Star rating that will make its more mature rivals jealous.

In just over a year, iPhone and iPod touch gaming has soared to new levels. As we planned these NFL video games for review, we had no idea they would all perform so well. Madden 10, NFL2010, and Super Shock Football all bring exceptional aspects to the table with the result being a major winner for mobile gamers the world over. These truly are some of the best apps we’ve come across.

Looking to find the best deal on an iphonebrowser, then visit www.AppSmile.com to find iTouch apps for you.

Tags: football games by Eric Meister
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The Arizona Cardinals are not starting off the 09′ season as they ended the 08′ season. QB Kurt Warner doesn’t seem to be the same man who led the Cardinals to one of the greatest playoff pushes in recent memory. While the wide receivers for the Cardinals are still being productive - they are not close to where they were in 08′.

Once the playoffs started the Cardinals were an entirely different team - they certainly proved that an NFL team does not have to play well at the end of the regular season to do well in the playoffs.

The Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII in a very dramatic game. The Cardinals lead after 2:47 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t stop the Steelers from driving down the field and scoring to seal the win.

The 09′ Cardinals haven’t looked like the team that made the miraculous run at the end of the 08′ season thus far. Is there such thing as the “Super Bowl Hangover”? Many people believe so. The Cardinals have a very talented offense with WR Larry Fitzgerald, WR Anquan Boldin, WR Steve Breaston, and RB Tim Hightower - therefore, one would assume their potent offense will explode and score in bunches quickly.

Entering week 2, the Cardinals knew they’d have to make an impact if they wanted to set themselves down the right path. And that they did in Jacksonville against the Jaguars.

Kurt Warner was nearly as effective as he’s ever been, chewing up the Jacksonville secondary as he completed an amazing 24 of 26 passes. Tim Hightower looked great at running back, and the Cardinals receivers were equally effective. There was even time for Matt Leinart to enter the game, as this was an easy victory.

The NFC West isn’t the strongest division in the NFL and with the weapons the Cardinals have - look for them to put on better performances game by game. The Cardinals must contend with the revamped San Francisco 49ers - they look like major players in the NFC this season.

Discuss the latest Cardinals news on the Arizona Cardinals forum at RootZoo Sports and play fantasy football games.

Tags: football games by Thomas Feldbaum
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Football Cleat Buyer's Guide

When buying football cleats there are quite a few things to consider.

First, why do you want a cleat, well cleats are a necessary area of your playing equipment - even if you are simply a weekend warrior. Football cleats give you superior traction when making cuts and jumping, but not every football cleats are made equal. Because cleats are made differently for different sports, but also position by position.

Next, let’s stress football cleats and what you must keep in mind when buying.

Shoe Style

Football cleats come in 3 different shoe types: high-tops, mid-cut and low-cut. High-tops are just that… High. The shoe extends all the way above the ankle and provide extra support for side-to-side movement. Of course what you gain in support you may in fact deliver in maneuverability, so keep that in mind. Mid-cut football cleats don’t completely cover the ankle but they do give additional support. This style is usually used by the skill players: running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs. Low-cut are cut below the ankle and are chosen due to their extreme light weight. They give great maneuverability, but no longer any real support. If you select a low-cut cleat you need around ankle braces as well.

Cleat Type

There are two type of cleats: molded and detachable. The molded cleat is permanently connected to the shoe. This type might be worn on most any type of surface, and can double as a multi-purpose cleat. Detachable cleats are studs that are screwed into the cleat and could be removed if the cleat is worn down or to insert an unusual size or shape of cleat. Typically detachable cleats are only worn on grass. Remember, if you select a detachable cleat you need to purchase the proper cleat accessory to remove the cleat studs.

Finally, irrespective what the situation or skill level, you should take some time when select your football cleat. The cleat doesn’t make the player… But it is close.

Read more of my buyer’s guides at http://wredansudtin.blogspot.com/ or find cheap football cleats at http://cheap-football-cleats.info/

Tags: Uncategorized by timtim
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Could things be much worse for the Detroit Lions? After a win less 2008 season that saw the team finish 0-16 (for the first time ever), the Lions came into the 2009 season with high hopes, ready to put that disaster of a year behind them.

The Detroit Lions have an uphill climb in every sense of the word. The Lions are basically starting from scratch and at 0-16; the entire roster besides Calvin Johnson needed an overhaul.

It has been one bad draft pick after another for the Detroit Lions, nothing has worked. When will they get it right?

Entering week 2, the Lions found themselves at home in Detroit, against division favorites (and last year’s NFC North winners), the Minnesota Vikings. This, too, was a game they were expected to lose, but a team that goes 0-16 the prior year should be expected to lose just about every game it plays.

The Lions jumped out to a nice start, and even led the game 10-7 at halftime. It really looked like the team had a shot to win this game, and this may have very well been the end of a dreadful losing streak! Could it really be?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question was no. The Vikings went on to score 20 the next 23 points, defeating the Lions by a 27-13 margin. It gave fans some sort of hope as they made it exciting.

With Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, the Lions have a nucleus in place to start a respectable franchise instead the butt of jokes for once. The Lions finally won a game after a 19-game losing streak defeating the Washington Redskins in week 3. The previous win came in 07′ in week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Redskins haven’t looked to strong in their first two games, so I’m not counting them out.

Chat with other Lions fans on RootZoo’s detroit lions fan zone. Make sure to check out their football trivia with over 60,000 questions!

Tags: football games by Joseph Archibald
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Could things be much worse for the Detroit Lions? After a win less 2008 season that saw the team finish 0-16 (for the first time ever), the Lions came into the 2009 season with high hopes, ready to put that disaster of a year behind them.

Armed with some new players, a standout rookie quarterback, and a boosted morale, this team was ready to win some games in 2009.

The most important position in football is the quarterback, the Lions are hoping QB Matthew Stafford will help the Lions reach a 8-8 or 7-9 record — which by Lions standards that would be a great season.

Entering week 2, the Lions found themselves at home in Detroit, against division favorites (and last year’s NFC North winners), the Minnesota Vikings. This, too, was a game they were expected to lose, but a team that goes 0-16 the prior year should be expected to lose just about every game it plays.

The Lions have had high draft picks for a decade and it got them an 0-16 season, Stafford will have to be the second coming of Joe Montana if the Lions hope to turn things around.

It really is unfair to throw a QB into such a disaster of a team, but it happens — QB Troy Aikman started for the 1-15 Dallas Cowboys in 1989, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl 3 seasons later.

With Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, the Lions have a nucleus in place to start a respectable franchise instead the butt of jokes for once. The Lions finally won a game after a 19-game losing streak defeating the Washington Redskins in week 3. The previous win came in 07′ in week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Redskins haven’t looked to strong in their first two games, so I’m not counting them out.

Chat with other Lions fans on RootZoo’s Detroit Lions discussion boards. Make sure to check out their nfl trivia with over 60,000 questions!

Tags: football games by Kyle Eckel
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