HICKS HEADED TO NFL

No word yet on what the Hacks are thinking….

Ahhh, haaaaaa, haaaaa, ha, ha…ha…ha.

Sorry – inside joke.

For real, North Carolina receiver Hakeem Nicks plans to skip his final season and enter the NFL draft.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior owns the school’s career records for catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He also set single-season records this year with 1,222 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.

Nicks had eight catches for a school bowl-record 217 yards and three touchdowns in the Meineke Bowl loss to West Virginia.

(Getty Images)

MONDAY HOOPS

MIAMI 85, Florida Atlantic (Owls, 25,525 students, Boca Raton, FL) 65 – Dwayne “Bootsy” Collins scored 24 points as Miami closed its non-conference schedule with a victory over Florida Atlantic on Monday night.

Collins scored 18 points in the second half, including 12 straight during a stretch that ended with a short jumper, to give Miami (11-3) a 75-60 lead with 4:37 left.

Jack “Everybody Loved Harold” McClinton finished with 20 points and moved past Mike Wittman for 14th place on Miami's career scoring list with 1,327 points.

Carderro “Angel” Nwoji led Florida Atlantic (4-11) with 20 points but fouled out with 8:10 remaining in the game.

CHARLESTON ASKS FOR CLEMENCY

Bobby Cremins, the former Georgia Tech coach and now head man at the College of Charleston, has asked the University of North Carolina and the ACC to be relieved from his commitment to play the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night.

“I don’t want to play ‘em,” said Cremins who led the Yellow Jackets to the Final Four in 1990 while earning the Naismith College Coach of the Year Award, “I didn’t want to play them to start with, and after Sunday night, I damn sure don’t want to play ‘em now. No freakin’ way.”

Coach Roy Williams said in his Monday ACC teleconference that he agreed to a home and home with Charleston out of respect for Cremins and his love for the low country of South Carolina. “We own a home down there at Wild Dunes. There's no question that it's one of my favorites places to play golf, sit on the beach, and eat seafood, but I don't think I'll be doing any of those three when we come back next year to play,” Ol’ Roy said.

Charleston is a member of the Southern Conference and their hoops squad is off to a solid start posting a 10-2 record. The Cougars also lost their last game – to ranked conference foe Davidson 79-75. That experience will not help them when they face a Tar Heel team which no doubt suffered through tough practices after losing to B.C. in the conference opener.

The Cougars do not have a football program and are best-known for thier men's basketball team. In hoops the Cougars won the NAIA national title in 1983 and have made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999). Charleston also boasts the 2004, 2005, 2006, & 2007 SoCon Champion baseball team, 2004 SoCon Championship men's soccer team and the 2003 & 2005 SoCon Championship softball teams. From 2001 to 2007 the Cougars have won SoCon titles in women's volleyball, men's and women's swimming, diving, men's and women's cross country, women's track and field and women’s basketball. Just the same, on Wednesday night, they won’t be playing softball or soccer or baseball.

In addition they have excellent equestrian and sailing teams, not to mention student rugby clubs for both the men and the women. None of this means diddly squat when they face a very cranky Tar Heel squad tomorrow night.

Cremins became the basketball coach in 2006. The ACC coaching legend had coached Georgia Tech from 1981 to 2000. In addition to reaching the Final Four in 1990, Cremins’ Jackets won three ACC tournaments. Unfortunately, none of that means jack crap when Charleston plays a fired-up UNC team Wednesday.

Cremins is, in fact, so good that prior to his run in Atlanta he made Appalachian State, a football school, a Southern Conference basketball power. The Cremins led Mountaineers won the SoCon regular season or tournament championship in 1979, 1978 and 1981. However, none of that will translate into baskets or rebounds when the Cougars tangle with a recently jilted formerly number 1 ACC powerhouse on their home court.

“Look, I won 100 games at Appalachian State and everybody knows that’s a football school, and I took Georgia Tech, another football school, to the Final Four,” said Cremins, “but, this? This is ridiculous.”

ACC Commissioner John Swofford said, “Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat. Nothin’ personal, it’s jut bidness. Play ball.”

LEGEND: Italics: Not neccesarily true: Regular type: Pretty much true.

PILE UP ON AISLE ACC

North Carolina losing to Boston College opened the door for Pittsburgh to move into the top spot in the AP poll. The loss, combined with big wins for Duke against conference foe Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, who snapped BYU's 53 home game winning streak, caused a pile up of ACC teams in the 2-4 spots.

Clemson continues to climb up the poll, and B.C. debuted this week at 17 after upsetting the Tar Heels.

When Duke's Jon Scheyer heard the news, he made crazy faces.

AP Top 25
1. Pittsburgh (70) 14-0 1,798
2. Duke 12-1 1,660
3. North Carolina (2) 13-1 1,651
4. Wake Forest 13-0 1,553
5. Connecticut 12-1 1,474
6. Oklahoma 13-1 1,358
7. Texas 11-2 1,348
8. Michigan State 11-2 1,269
9. Georgetown 10-2 1,208
10. UCLA 12-2 1,162
11. Syracuse 14-1 1,113
12. Clemson 14-0 968
13. Notre Dame 10-3 802
14. Purdue 11-3 774
15. Tennessee 9-3 533
16. Xavier 11-2 483
17. Boston College 13-2 453
18. Marquette 13-2 436
18. Villanova 12-2 436
20. Arizona State 12-2 374
21. Butler 12-1 341
22. Minnesota 13-1 290
23. Baylor 12-2 289
23. Louisville 9-3 289
25. West Virginia 11-2 230

TWO MORE REASONS FOR AN NCAA D1 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

How about Texas and Ohio State?

The Longhorns were just two missed tackles (on the same play) from being undefeated, and surely any sentence that includes the words "among the best teams in the country" should also include the words Texas Longhorns. Need we remind you that they defeated Big 12 BCS Championship Game rep Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains) on a neutral field?

Then there's Ohio State. Why should the SEC, the PAC 10 or the Big 12 corner the market on beating now consistently overrated Ohio State in a important post season game? Why not give Utah or some team from the likes of the Big East or the ACC a chance to whoop up on a media darling from the now consistently overrated Big 10 (which should be the Big 11 and include another former team of consequence which has fallen on to harder times lately: Notre Dame)?

Why not share the wealth and have a - dare we say it - playoff?

While the bowl games continue to be entertaining, the simple fact that USC, Utah and Texas are outside looking in speaks volumes for an eight or sixteen team playoff and a complete bowl schedule for the remaining teams.

Jeez.

Above left: Wide receiver Quan Cosby #6 of the Texas Longhorns dives into the endzone after a 26 yard touchdown reception against the Ohio State during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images). Above right: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State makes a leaping 5 yard touchdown reception over Blake Gideon #21 of the Texas. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)


"Bevo" is walked onto the field before the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Quarterback Colt McCoy #12 of the Texas scores on a 14 yard touchdown rush against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the third quarter. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State with the ball under pressure from Ryan Palmer #13 of Texas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

NICE CATCH. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a leaping 42 yard touchdown reception over Lawyer Milloy #36 and Chris Houston #23 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card Game on January 3, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

THE TRUTH HURTS. Fans of the Arizona Cardinals hold up a sign during the NFC Wild Card Game against the Atlanta Falcons on January 3, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Cardinals defeated the Falcons 30-24. They had previously hosted an NFL playoff game...er...um...never?

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

ISN'T DAKAR IN SENEGAL? And isn't Senegal in Africa? Oh, well...

Guerlain Chicherit of France steers his BMW during the fourth stage of the 2009 Dakar between Jacobacci and Neuquen, Argentina on January 6, 2009.

Marc Coma of Spain won the stage and keeps the lead of the race.

(Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)

HEY KIDS, PLAY TIME IS OVER…

BOSTON COLLEGE 85, No. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 78

UNC’s Danny Green said he thought the Heels could use a close game, but Tyrese Rice and Boston College’s idea of “close” turned out to be something all together different.

No doubt, various coaches have analyzed the current Carolina squad (13-1, 0-1) and come up with a plan to beat the number one team in the country. Non-conference opponents have a few days or maybe a week to try and figure it out while conference foes have months and years to develop a plan. Clearly, Boston College is figuring it out.

Rice (#4) and the Eagles (13-2, 1-0), have been giving the Heels trouble recently with the wiry B.C. point guard putting up 46 points in last year’s late season meeting. This time it took both Rice and his backcourt mate, Rakim Sanders (#15), to post 47 points, but it was more than enough to knock out the previously undefeated Tar Heels.

Not only did the Eagles design the plan to defeat North Carolina at home, but they also executed it to near perfection. Minimize turnovers? Check. Strong on the glass? Check. Hard nosed defense? Check. Make your free throws? Check. Shoot extremely well, both twos and threes? Check. Boston College did it all, and then got some help from UNC who shot poorly both from the floor (credit B.C.’s defense) and from the charity stripe (credit the basketball gremlins).

With just five minutes remaining in the game, Boston College had committed just seven turnovers. They had held their own on the offensive boards as well. Both items dramatically reduced Carolina’s ability to run and produce transition baskets. On the other end, the Eagles hard-nosed defense held UNC to 38.4% shooting.

Tyler Hansbrough scored more than twenty points per game yet again, notching 21 points and nine rebounds. But the normally reliable Hansbrough missed three of six in the final minutes as the Heels were making a last ditch comeback attempt. His mates were no better as Carolina missed twelve free throws and several of those were at the front end of one-and-ones. North Carolina shot 29 percent in the second half and 15-for-27 from the foul line for the game. That included a 5-for-12 effort in the last 8 minutes as they desperately tried to rally from a double-digit deficit, getting as close as four points in the final minute.

Ty Lawson scored 10 points, making him the 62nd Tar Heels player to score more than 1,000 points in his UNC career. Three others -- Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Hansbrough -- also currently play for the Heels.

B.C. Freshman Reggie Jackson had 17 points -- including seven in the decisive second-half run -- for the Eagles who led by six points at halftime and pushed the lead to as many as 15 before holding off UNC’s frantic rally.

Boston College was picked in the preseason to finish 11th in the 12-team ACC.

The Tar Heels sounded eager to see how they would handle a tougher game. Most expected that would come with a trip to unbeaten and sixth-ranked Wake Forest next weekend. Instead, North Carolina finds itself at the bottom of the conference standings to start its run for a third straight league title.

"We never sat in the locker room and said, 'Let's go straight undefeated,'" said Tyler Hansbrough, who had 21 points to lead North Carolina. "That was more people outside the locker room talking about that. Now you can put that to rest and bring us back down to reality, and we can all focus on what we need to do better instead of all this hype."

(Photos by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

IT'S NOT FOOTBALL

No. 5 DUKE 69, VIRGINIA TECH 44

Hey, Hokies it’s not football. Thirteen points in the second half is not good offensive production. Yes, that’s not a misprint – thirteen.

Kyle Singler scored 19 points and Gerald Henderson added 15 points, Nolan Smith had 13 and Jon Scheyer finished with 11 for the Blue Devils (12-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
The Blue Devils held Virginia Tech to for-18 shooting and outrebounded them 22-10. Duke also outscored Virginia Tech 30-9 over the final 17 minutes of the game.

Hokie Coach Seth Greenberg had made comments earlier about how much he enjoyed his trips to Cameron Indoor Stadium having upset Duke there last visit. He might be rethinking that after last night’s game. "Going into the 16-minute (media) timeout, we had a chance to win," Greenberg said. "And then we stunk it up."

Malcolm Delaney scored 12 points to lead the Hokies (9-5, 0-1). Leading scorer A.D. Vassallo was held to seven points -- 12 below his average -- and didn't score on 0-of-2 shooting in the second half. Those two and Jeff Allen were a combined 2-for-8 in the final 20 minutes.

The Hokies shot 36.7 percent and committed 18 turnovers in losing its eighth straight game against AP Top 25 teams dating back to an overtime victory two years ago at then-No. 4 North Carolina.

(AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)

YOU GO, NO TROUBLE?

Can the folks at Boston College be this dumb?

According to ESPN, Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski has been told he will be fired if he interviews for the head coaching vacancy with the New York Jets, which is scheduled for today, according to sources.

Fire a guy who has led you to two straight Dr. Pepper bowls for interviewing for a job he probably won’t get…Huh? Hey, B.C. you're not USC or Texas or Oklahoma or Alabama or Florida or Ohio State. For crying out loud, you aren't even Virginia Tech...What are you thinking?

Despite the threat from athletic director Gene DeFilippo, Jagodzinski plans to do the interview with the Jets, the sources said. Those sources said that in the event Jagodzinski is fired, BC would promote offensive coordinator Steve Logan to head coach.

According to the sources, DeFilippo first told Jagodzinski on Saturday that he would fired if he interviewed and then reinforced the school's position Sunday. Jagodzinski declined to comment when reached by ESPN.

BC spokesman Chris Cameron told ESPN's Joe Schad the school would have no comment. But another BC source said Jagodzinski informed his coaching staff of the development this weekend after at least two discussions with DeFilippo.

The Jets did not have a reaction or confirm they are interested in Jagodzinski, but ESPN and other news outlets have reported his candidacy.

Jagodzinski, 45, has been head coach at Boston College the past two seasons, with the team finishing first in the ACC's Atlantic Division each year. In 2007 the Eagles went 11-3, including a victory over Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl. This past season, BC finished 9-5 after losing to Vanderbilt in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl.

Prior to coming to BC, Jagodzinski had worked as an NFL assistant since 1999.

(Photo by Icon/SMI via ESPN.com)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

WHAT THE DUCK? There at it again with the wacky unis at Oregon. First it was printing Oregon in the same color as the jersey which it made it virtually invisible. So this time, they removed it all together. No, they didn’t – it’s right there on the left shoulder under the little green patch. Oregon guard Tajuan Porter models the new look in a loss to UCLA.

(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

SMILE, AND CUT THE DAMN CAKE. They're paying you tons of money and putting you up in one of the coolest resorts on earth all to play a couple games. Act like you might enjoy some of it.

AC Milan's player Gianluca Zambrota, coach Carlo Ancelotti, Emirates Vice President, Commercial Operation for Europe, Nabil Sultan, SV Hamburg player Nigel de Jong and Hamburg's coach cut Martin Jol pose after a press conference on January 5, 2009 in Dubai, on the eve of their Dubai Football Challenge match.

(Photo by Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

LOOK WHO'S BACK? The Eagles were presumed dead some time ago, but now they are back in the hunt.

Here Donovan McNabb passes the ball under pressure from Brian Robison #96 of the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Wild Card playoff game on January 4, 2009 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Eagles defeated the Vikings 26-14.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

SATURDAY HOOPS

No. 6 WAKE FOREST 94, Brigham Young (Cougars, 26,928 students, Provo, UT) 87 – Evidently the key to the country’s longest home winning streak was to never play a ranked opponent – or at least to play as few as possible. Brigham Young had run the nation’s longest successful home stand to 53 while playing just one ranked opponent. The second one they played, No. 6 Wake Forest, put a stop to the fun.

The sixth ranked Deacons won where no opponent had for more than three years while stretching their record to 13-0 just two wins short of their best start ever (15-0).

Wake had to rally from an eight-point deficit in the second half and an entire game of deafening taunts and chants from the home fans, who were loud and rowdy throughout the night.

"In the ACC, there's some great crowds but this one was amazing," said Jeff Teague who has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games and led the Deacs with 30 points.

James Johnson had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for Wake Forest, who pulled away with an 8-0 run near the end and improved to 13-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season. The Deacons have a week off before top-ranked North Carolina visits Winston-Salem on Jan. 11.

Wake Forest won despite “pulling a Clemson” going 16-for-25 from the foul line in the second half. That allowed the Cougars (11-2) to stay within range until the final minute. The crowd of 26,096 was the second-largest in Marriott Center history and the fans, thousands in matching white BYU T-shirts, were boisterous from the time the Deacons started warming up until the game ended. At one point, BYU coach Dave Rose had to tell the crowd to chill after a water bottle was tossed on the court.

BYU had not lost at the Marriott Center since Nov. 18 2005, against Loyola-Marymount in Dave Rose's coaching debut for the Cougars (11-2).

Notre Dame now has the nation's longest home win streak at 43.

No. 16 CLEMSON 79, East Carolina (Pirates, 25,590 students, Greenville, NC) 66 – Jerai Grant had a career-high 14 points and gave the Tigers a boost in the middle as the Tigers improved to 14-0 for the second time in three seasons. K.C. Rivers led the Tigers with 18 points. Booker had 13 points and nine rebounds. East Carolina slipped to 8-5 while losing their fifteenth straight to a ranked opponent.

No. 2 Xavier (Musketeers, 4,000 students, Cincinnati, OH) 84, VIRGINIA 70 – B.J. Raymond scored 24 points and hit four of No. 22 Xavier's nine 3-pointers Saturday, and the Musketeers (11-2) took a big early lead and never let up.

MIAMI 76, NC. Central (Eagles, 8,383 students, Durham, NC) 42 -- James Dews scored 16 points as Miami (10-3) shook off an early challenge from winless North Carolina Central on Saturday.

Alabama (Crimson Tide, 27,052 students, Tuscaloosa, AL) 88, GEORGIA TECH 77 – Playing like he did during his all-conference season three years ago, Ronald Steele scored 23 points and had 10 assists to lead Alabama (10-3) to victory over Georgia Tech (8-5) on Saturday.

The Tide used fast break points to jump out to a 19-point halftime lead and led by as many as 30, before the Yellow Jackets used a full-court press to close the gap in the final 10 minutes.

FLORIDA STATE 69, Texas A&M-CC (Islanders, 8,345 students, Corpus Christi, TX) 48 – Toney Douglas scored 17 points and Derwin Kitchen added 13 as Florida State beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-8) on Saturday.
The Seminoles (13-2) closed the game by outscoring the Islanders 29-14 over the final 11 minutes.

Florida (Gators, 35,528 students, Gainesville, FL) 68, N.C. STATE 66 – Nick Calathes (#33) scored 32 points and Dan Werner added 10 as Florida rallied to beat North Carolina State 68-66 on Saturday.

Calathes scored 24 points in the second half as the Gators overcame a 10-point halftime deficit.
The win was the sixth in a row for Florida (12-2), while the Wolfpack dropped to 9-3 heading into ACC play next week.

MARYLAND 85, Charlotte (Forty-niners, 13,654 students, Charlotte, NC) 75 – Greivis Greivis Vasquez scored 27 points and fueled a second-half surge that carried Maryland to its seventh straight victory over the team formerly known as UNCC on Saturday.

The Terps (11-2) trailed by 11 points in the first half, were down 3 at halftime and tied the game with 14:51 remaining before Vasquez drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 16-point run. The run gave Maryland a 65-49 advantage with 11:27 to go.

Vasquez went 8-for-19 from the floor, made four 3-pointers and sank all seven of his free throws. He fell one point short of matching his career high.

Landon Milbourne scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and Maryland improved to 9-0 at home.

RaShad Coleman led Charlotte (5-7) with 21 points, but he made only two baskets after halftime .

Photos: Wake’s Chas McFarland dunks. (AP Photo.) Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21) and Dino Gregory (33) battle for the ball against Charlotte's Phil Jones (30) during the second half. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) Florida's Nick Calathes (33) pushes his way for a shot against North Carolina's Ben McCauley (34) in the second half. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin) Virginia guard Calvin Baker (4) is fouled by Xavier forward Derrick Brown. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. Matt Ryan former ACC Player of the Year via Boston College was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Ryan’s Falcons made the playoffs, but were eliminated yesterday by the Cardinals.

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

TWO MORE REASONS for an NCAA D1 football playoff – Utah and Alabama. : Wide receiver Brent Casteel #5 of the Utah Utes attempts to avoid a tackle by Javier Arenas #28 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 75th Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 2, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Utes defeated the Tide 31-17.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

ACC FOOTBALL: OTHER THAN VIRGINIA TECH - NOT VERY GOOD

The ACC was fast –tracking its way to another bowl season debacle after Clemson did what they do so well against Nebraska…that would be “find a way to lose.” That loss put the home league’s bowl record at a rousing 3-6, with a two year combined bowl record of 5-12.

Worse still, the ACC had not won a BCS game since Florida State defeated the Big East version of the Michael Vick Hokies for the National Championship in January of 2000. Since then, ACC teams had played in eight BCS games and lost every single one.

With that small burden to bear, the underdog Hokies helped save a little league face by stifling Cincinnati’s high-octane offense and winning last night’s Orange Bowl. In a better world, Bud Foster's lunch pail would have been the game's MVP.

At game’s end, Tyrod Taylor threw off his helmet and struck a Sports Center pose in celebration. Before the cameras could catch the sophomore’s attempt at the money shot, one of his offense linemen knocked him to the Orange Bowl’s turf. In retrospect, that seemed like the perfect ending to Virginia Tech’s up-and-down season that began with a loss as a result of a blocked punt and ended with a BCS win.

Cullen Harper and his Clemson mates controlled the first half against the Huskers, but failed to put up points. That shortcoming would haunt them when the second half started and it was clear Nebraska had made some key adjustments. The “Good” Harper enjoyed by Bowden at times early in the season and by new coach Dabo Sweeney in the latter half of the campaign, was usurped by the “Bad” Harper in the second half. His sack on third and goal for a 15 yard loss on the next-to-last play of the game was as bad a mistake as a senior quarterback can make. Ever. You know what’s coming next: Game over.

Harper ended up 17 for 37 for 206 yards two touchdowns and the classic bowl killing two interceptions. The tough Nebraska defense held the Clemson’s Thunder and Lightning to a whopping total of four yards rushing while the Tigers were converting three of sixteen third down attempts in the process squandering a 21-10 lead.

No. 21 VIRGINIA TECH 20, No. 12 Cincinnati (Bearcats, 26,824 students, Cincinnati, OH) 7

Darren Evans had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for another score as Virginia Tech defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Orange Bowl. The Hokies now join USC and Texas as the only D1 schools to win 10 games in each of the past five seasons.

The Hokies (10-4) forced Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike into a season-high four interceptions. Pike - who wasn't even on Cincinnati's depth chart at the start of the season before blossoming into an all-Big East quarterback - threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, but had his night marred by the picks. In addition, Pike was also stifled on a fourth quarter fourth down goal line run.

Mardy Gilyard had 255 all-purpose yards (158 receiving , 97 returning) and a touchdown catch for Cincinnati (11-3).

Nebraska (Cornhuskers, 22,963 students, Lincoln, NB) 26, CLEMSON 21

Joe Ganz threw for two touchdowns, Alex Henery kicked four field goals as the Huskers beat Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Nebraska (9-4) ended the season with a four-game winning streak, and won a January bowl game for the first time in nine years.

Coming in Clemson (7-6) had won four of their last five games after a 3-3 start.

Tigers’ coach Dabo Swinney looked like he would get a win in his first bowl game when Clemson took a 21-10 lead in the second half. But…no.

(Photos by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images, Doug Benc/Getty Images and Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

HOCKEY IS WEIRD. Yesterday the good folks in Chicago paid good money to sit in the freezing cold and “look at” hockey. We say “look at,” because you can’t actually watch the game in a stadium that far from the rink. You think basketball in a stadium is hard to watch, try spotting that little bitty 100 mph hockey puck from the right field bleachers.

Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images, and David Stluka/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

TWO MORE REASONS FOR A PLAYOFF: USC AND PENN STATE. C.J. Gable #2 of the USC Trojans runs in for the touchdown past Drew Astorino #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 95th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi on January 1, 2009 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Surely both belong in a playoff and the Trojans maybe as good, or better, than either Florida or Oklahoma. Sadly, we will never know.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? Quarterback Matthew Stafford #7 of the University of Georgia is sacked by Brandon Long #47 of the Michigan State Spartans during the 2009 Capital One Bowl at the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.

Georgia won.


(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 4

SEEING GREEN. Iowa running back Shonn Green back turned Thursday’s Outback Bowl into a farewell party, leading the Hawkeyes past South Carolina 31-10 and then announcing he intends to skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Greene who ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns is the only player in the D1 Football Bowl Subdivision to rush for at least 100 yards in every game this season.

Really?


(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

ACC BOWL FUTILITY CONTINUES

You had to see this coming, yes?

Just one year after winning the National Championship the LSU Tigers were kicked around the S.E.C. like the leagues version of the proverbial red-headed step child. One had to figure they would show up in Atlanta just a bit ornery and put a whoopin’ on a good, but ultimately one dimensional, Georgia Tech squad. And that is exactly what they did. Freshman Jordan Jefferson didn’t play like a freshman (see BC vs. Vandy), and the Tigers defense did the rest.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Duke beat Vandy. While that’s not the condemnation it once was, it still led ACC aficionados to believe a Boston College victory over the Commodores was a no brainer. As the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn once said – blame it on the weather. BC’s offense was horrible and the gusting winds didn’t help freshman QB Dominique Davis who is no Chris Crane, who is no Matt Ryan. You see the point. The turnover bug continues to plague ACC shools. The Eagles had three – two interceptions and a critical late fumbled punt.

All in all, the bowl season is shaping up a lot like the ACC regular season. There was plenty of parody during the league play and no shortage of mediocrity this bowl season. While only Georgia Tech has been clobbered and a number of games have been close and ultimately determined by turnovers, the ACC is, as Denny Green once so eloquently put it “what we thought they were.”

Simply put, not very good.

Maybe the Hokies and Clemson can even things up for the league now burdened with at 3-5 record for this bowl season.

Last year, the ACC won all of two bowl games.

GAYLORDS HOTELS MUSIC CITY BOWL

Vanderbilt 16, No. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE 14 - (Edited from AP report) – Vanderbilt won a bowl game for the first time in exactly 53 years when Bryant Hahnfeldt kicked a 45-yard field goal with 3:26 left to beat Boston College.

Vanderbilt hadn't played in a bowl since 1982 and the win gave the Commodores (7-6) their first winning season since then.

Boston College (9-5) snapped the nation's longest bowl winning streak after eight straight games in its 10th consecutive bowl appearance. The Eagles also missed a chance at finishing with at least 10 wins for a third straight season.

The Eagles got the ball twice after Hahnfeldt's third field goal, but had to punt the first time, then Myron Lewis picked off Dominique Davis with 1:36 left.

B.C. squandered another good effort by their defense which entered the game ranked sixth in the nation. The Eagles held Vandy to 200 yards including one of fourteen on third down attempts.

CHICK-fil-A BOWL
LSU 35, No. 14 GEORGIA TECH 3 - (Edited from AP report) – Charles Scott ran for three touchdowns, freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson (making just his second start) completed his first nine passes and LSU made big plays on special teams in a surprisingly easy 38-3 victory win over Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Wednesday night.

LSU outscored the No. 14 Yellow Jackets 28-0 in the second quarter and led 35-3 at halftime. Scott, who had 65 yards rushing, had two touchdowns in the decisive quarter.
LSU (8-5) lost three of its last four regular-season games but regrouped for the dominant bowl victory.

ESPN Fast Facts:
• LSU won its fourth straight bowl game and has scored 38-plus points in each game.
• Dating back to 1995, LSU has won 10 of its last 12 bowls. LSU has also won five straight games vs. Georgia Tech and 18 straight against the ACC (six straight in bowls), a streak which dates back to a 1958 victory over Duke.
• The SEC has won four straight Chick-fil-A Bowls when matched up with the ACC.
• LSU improved to 5-0 in Chick-fil-A Bowls (formerly known as the Peach Bowl). Georgia Tech falls to 0-4 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images and Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

UNC-NEVADA, SO MUCH FOR CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

No. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 84, Nevada (Wolfpack, 11,962 students, Reno, NV) 61
You’d think that if you held Ty Lawson to two points and Tyler Hansbrough to six points and one of the highest scoring teams in the nation to 34 points with just two minutes remaining in the first half, you might have the No.1 Tar Heels right where you want them. You would, if where you want them is up by nine and about to go on a 7-2 run in the final two minutes to lead by 14 at the half. As we like to say here at T.A.H. – game over.

Hansbrough scored a very quiet 22 points and had just three rebounds. Lawson added 11 and Wayne Ellington 15. Freshman Ed Davis continues to excel off the bench with 8 points and 8 rebounds in just 18 minutes. UNC’s defense held the Wolpack to just under 35 per cent shooting for the game.

N.C. STATE 88, Towson (Tigers, 15,374 students, Towson, MD) 68

BOSTON COLLEGE 89, Sacred Heart (Pioneers, 4,226 students, Fairfield, CN) 76

MIAMI 94, North Florida (Ospreys, 13,934 students, Jacksonville, FL) 41

No. 5 DUKE 92, Loyola MD (Greyhounds, 3,501 students, Baltimore, MD) 51

(AP Photo/Kevin Clifford)

ACC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Florida State’s Toney Douglas has been named ACC Player of the Week, while Virginia’s Sylven Landesberg earned ACC Rookie honors.

Douglas scored a game-high 27 points, pulled down five rebounds, handed out five assists without a turnover, blocked two shots and came up with two steals in leading the Seminoles to an 82-69 win over Western Kentucky Sunday and earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Orange Bowl Classic. The Jonesboro, Ga., senior was eight-of-16 from the floor and eight-of-11 from the free throw line as Florida State won for the 12th time in 14 games.

In earning the Rookie award for the fourth time this season, Landesberg had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes as the Cavaliers opened their conference schedule with an 88-84 overtime win at Georgia Tech Sunday. The Flushing, N.Y., product made nine-of-18 from the floor and eight-of-nine from the free throw line against the Yellow Jackets. On the week, Landesberg averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a pair of Virginia victories.

(Getty Images)

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO MICHAEL VICK’S DOGS?

Happy New Year!

Michael Vick’s dogs were adopted by a variety of nice folks. Sports Illustrated did a photo essay showing some of the dogs with their new owners.

It’s a handsome bunch, and well worth a look.

(Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice/SI)

T.A.H. PICTURES OF THE YEAR

Sans one greyhound photo we simply can't find...

Credits: First Round NCAA Tournament: Western Kentucky, Doug Benc/Getty Images; Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps: Heinz Kluetmeier/SI; Super Bowl, David Tyree: Damian Strohmeyer/SI; World Series: Gary Bogdon/SI; Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt: John Biever/SI; U.S. Open: Tiger Woods, Robert Beck/SI; World Series: Phillies Win, Chuck Solomon/SI; Texas v. Texas Tech: Michael Crabtree, Darren Carroll/SI; Final Four: Mario Chalmers, John Biever/SI; Belmont Stakes: Big Brown’s loose shoe, Heinz Kluetmeier/SI; Little League World Series: Christain Donohue, Chuck Solomon/SI; NCAA Basketball: Kevin Love, John W. McDonough/SI; NBA Finals: Kevin Garnett, John W. McDonough/SI; NHL: Detroit wins Stanley Cup, David E. Klutho/SI; SEC Championship Game: Florida wins, Bill Frakes/SI; Indy 500: Danica Patrick, Simon Bruty/SI; NCAA Tournament: Stephen Curry, John Biever/SI; NCAA Finals: Kansas wins, b Rosato/SI; Beijing Olympics: U.S.A. Men’s Volleyball wins gold, Al Tielemans/SI; Sumo Open: Trent Sabo of the U.S. (175 pounds) prepares to tangle with Bulgaria's Petar Stoyanov (354 pounds) in the open weight competition, Dustin Snipes/Icon SMI; NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest: Dwight Howard, Greg Nelson/SI; Rose Bowl: USC, Robert Beck/SI; Beijing Olympics: Chinese Gymnasts, Bob Rosato/SI; World Cup: Hannes Reichelt, Shaun Botterill/Getty Images; The Economy Explained: Sam Bradford, AP; BCS Championship Game: Matt Flynn, LSU Tigers, Nelson Chenault / US Presswire; Spanish Vuelta ’08: The pack. Manuel Bruque/EPA; Monster Wave: Kirby Brown, Andrew Buckley/Reuters; Turkish F1 Gran Prix: Giancarlo Fisichella, Shukor Janis/FP-Getty Images; NFL Playoffs: Green Bay vs. New York, Jonathan Daniels/Getty Images; Future Star: Andrew Whyte, Jr., Jessica Hill/Journal Inquirer-AP, Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: Wild Oats XI, Carlo Borlenghi-AFP/Getty Images; Beijing Olympics: Shawn Johnson, Desomond Boylan-Reuters; Boxing: Nikolai Valuev and Evander Holyfield,Walter Bieri-AP, Rodeo: Jessy Davis, Jae C. Hong-AP; 27th World Elephant; Polo Championships: Finals in Megahauly, Nepal, Gopal Chitrakar-Reuters; FIS World Cup Ski Jump: Markus Eggenhoffer, Nicholas Ratzenboeck-AFP/Getty Images; Beijing Olympics Women’s Soccer: Carli Lloyd, Marcos Brindicci/Reuters/China; Beijing Olympics: Closing Ceremony, Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post; World Cup Biathlon: Hochfilzen, Austria, Heinz-Peter Bader-Reuters; Beijing Olympics: Men’s 440, Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post and Stanford 20/20 : Denesh Ramdin (l), and Ian Bell, Jewel Samad-AFP/Getty Images.