Ravens Handle Dolphins, Improve to 6-2

By Jesse Jones

The Miami Dolphins came into Baltimore Sunday with a perfect 4-0 record on the road. The Ravens were a perfect 3-0 at home. So who would give? Miami.

The scoring started early, as Baltimore scored on their opening drive with a 32-yard screen pass to Willis McGahee, who broke some tackles and ran it into the end zone. Miami responded on their next drive with a 12-yard Ronnie Brown run for a touchdown.

The second quarter was rather sloppy for both teams. The Ravens failed to convert great field position into touchdowns three times (including a Lardarius Webb interception), and had to settle for two field goals, the third field goal attempt resulted in a botched snap. The Dolphins looked very sloppy, turning the ball over and playing ineffectively on offense. However, they added a field goal with 15 seconds left to cut the Ravens lead to 13-10 heading into half.

This is when the game became dominated by Baltimore.

After stopping the Dolphins on their first drive of the half, Joe Flacco found Derrick Mason for a 12-yard touchdown pass that increased the Ravens’ lead to 20-10. Baltimore once again stopped Miami and drove the ball down the field, only to miss the field goal which would have increased the lead to 23-10.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens held a 10 point lead on Miami. The past two games the Ravens blew 10 point leads in the fourth and ended up in overtime. Would this happen for a third straight game? No.

In the beginning of the fourth, Miami missed a field goal that would have cut the lead to seven and possibly given them momentum. Baltimore drove the ball once again and added a field goal that gave them a 23-10 lead. On Miami’s next drive, Chad Henne was intercepted once again by Ed Reed, who got his third interception in only two games this season. Baltimore added a field goal which put them up 26-10, and intercepted Henne again, this time by Josh Wilson, to end the game.

Baltimore’s offense looked sharp again, and it seems to be clicking on all cylinders. Joe Flacco played nearly perfect once again, as he went 20-27 for 266 yards and three touchdowns with a QB rating of 129.6. He holds the best quarterback rating in the NFL since week 2. Ray Rice had a solid game, carrying the ball 22 times for 83 yards and catching 7 balls for 97 yards.

The Ravens defense also played very well, forcing three turnovers, holding Ronnie Brown to 59 yards (albeit on 9 carries), and limiting Miami to 289 yards of offense. Ed Reed showed once again why he is so important to this Baltimore Ravens’ defense, as he grabbed another interception.

The win improves the Ravens to 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, even if the Steelers win thanks to the win in week 4. And because the Cleveland Browns whooped the New England Patriots (crazy, right?), and the Eagles beat the Colts, the Ravens sit atop the AFC standings.

Baltimore has a short week to prepare for their next game, as they travel to Atlanta Thursday to play the Falcons who are also 6-2.

Terps lose to Miami, but doesn’t lose ground in ACC Atlantic

By Ben Linton

The Maryland Terrapins football team missed a golden opportunity to make a move in the ACC Atlantic Division on Saturday. The Miami Hurricanes were down their starting quarterback and running back, leaving it to a true freshman to get the job done. Using a strong ground game that averaged 4.4 yards per carry, Miami was able provide the support for their young quarterback, who overcame two interceptions to throw the game winning touchdown pass with 37 seconds left as the Hurricanes handed the Terps a 26-20 loss.

The Terps were dominated on the stat sheet by the Canes, who totaled 504 yards of offense to Maryland’s 254. Miami’s top pass defense in the ACC shut down Danny O’Brien and company, limiting him to 9 of 28 passing for 134 yards. Maryland was able to stay in the game by forcing turnovers, Alex Wujciak had two interceptions, one going 60 yards for a touchdown. Miami also helped out the Terps by committing 10 penalties for 100 yards.

The loss leaves the Terps with a 6-3 record and a 3-2 mark in the ACC. Maryland was helped out this weekend by North Carolina and Clemson, who defeated Florida State (6-3, 4-2) and NC State (6-3, 3-2) respectively. With three games left, the Terps are tied with NC State for second, and a half game behind Florida State. The Terps will face rival Virginia in Charlottesville next weekend, and then will play two critical home games against FSU and NC State to close out the season.

Although the loss to Miami hurts, Maryland still controls its own destiny in the Atlantic, and will be playing key games at home, where they are undefeated this season.

Wizards Start Season 1-2

By Jesse Jones

The Washington Wizards began the 2010-2011 season under new leadership.  No, not a coach, but a rookie point guard by the name of John Wall.  The future of the basketball team is to be built around him, and he has many expectations to live up to.

Wall and the Wizards tipped-off the season last Thursday in Orlando against the Magic, a favorite in the Eastern conference.  The game was not a good one for the Wiz.  The team lost 112-83 thanks to a big night from Dwight Howard (23 pts, 10 rebounds) and a vintage night from Vince Carter, who went 8-12 for 18 points.  John Wall did not shoot the ball well, as he went 6-19 for only 14 points.  He did have nine assists however.  The only bright spot for the Wizards was the play of Cartier Martin, who put up 17 points in 24 minutes.

Two days later the Wizards traveled to Atlanta to face the Hawks.  The team played a much better game, but still lost 99-95.  John Wall had 28 points and 9 assists and had help from Al Thornton and Andray Blatche, who had 28 and 24 points.  However, the Wizards only had 10 bench points, all from Yi Jianlian, and allowed Joe Johnson to take over the gamein the fourth, scoring 14 of his 25 points in the quarter, and grabbing the win against the Wizards, dropping them to 0-2 on the season.

Tuesday night, the Wizards had their home opener against the 0-3 Philadelphia 76ers and the second overall pick Evan Turner.  It was a back-and-forth game that saw greatness from John Wall and Lou Williams.  Wall had his first double-double of the season, and was one steal away from a triple-double, with 29 points, 13 assists, and 9 steals.  Williams came off the bench to score 30 points.  Down by 3 with 3.1 seconds left, Wall inbounded the ball to Cartier Martin who hit a game-tying three as time expired, sending the game into overtime.  Just the like regulation, overtime was back-and-forth.  But a key play by John Wall was eventually the deciding factor in the game.  On a Andre Iguodala fastbreak which appeared would result in an easy slam to put the Sixers up by 2, John Wall came from behind and fouled/blocked Iguodala, sending him to the line.  Iguodala only hit one free throw, and thank to two free throws by Andray Blatche, the Wizards took a one point lead.  The Sixers wouldn’t be able to make get another basket, and Washington won 116-115.

The Wizards are now 1-2 on the season.  Their next game is at New York Friday night against the Knicks, followed by a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night.  John Wall has played very well, the rest of the team just needs to come together.  Washington is also waiting for the return of Gilbert Arenas and Josh Howard, who have both been out with injuries.

Oh yeah, if you didn’t already know, you ain’t messin’ with John Wall’s dougie:

Where They Stand: Baltimore Ravens

By Jesse Jones

After eight weeks of the 2010 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens stand atop the AFC North with a record of 5-2. They have huge wins at New York (Jets), and at Pittsburgh, but have two close, tough losses at Cincinnati and at New England.

The Ravens are coming off their bye week this weekend, and the second half of the season is underway. So where does Baltimore stand in the NFL? Let’s take a look.

Schedule

Baltimore played four of their first seven games of the season at home, which means they play 5 games at home compared to four on the road to end the season.  They have three primetime games left, two of which are on the road (Thurs, Nov. 11 at Atlanta, Monday, Dec 13 at Houston), and a Sunday night game at home against Pittsburgh.  They also host the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints December 19.

This weekend, Baltimore faces the Miami Dolphins, who are 4-0 on the road.  They just won in Cincy this past weekend, and look to stay unbeated on the road and in contention in the AFC East.  Four days later, the team must travel to Atlanta to face the NFC South leading Falcons.  This is going to be one of the toughest stretches of the season, as Baltimore will face two good teams with very short rest.

The other tough stretch left for the Ravens will be a three-game stretch where they host the Steelers, then have to travel to play Houston on a Monday night, and then come home for a game against the Saints.  The Steelers are Baltimore’s biggest rival, and the game is always very emotional.  Houston is a very explosive team and is very competitive at home.  And do I have to talk about the Saints?  An offensive juggernaut who won the last Super Bowl.

The other games should be favorable for the Ravens.  They play at the currently 1-6 Panthers, host the Buccaneers (yes, I know they are 5-2, but they are not one of the best teams in the league), play in Cleveland and host the Bengals to wrap up the season.  Baltimore has owned Cleveland much of this decade, and the Bengals are looking pretty bad right now.

Players

Joe Flacco is having a pretty solid year so far.  His first two games were sloppy, throwing for only one touchdown compared to five interceptions.  But since then, Flacco has thrown nine touchdowns compared to only one interception.  He has showed great maturity, completely dominating New England in a game that some claim the defense lost, and leading the team to a last-second win in Pittsburgh, a place Flacco had not won before, throwing the game winning touchdown.

Ray Rice is having a quiet season, only rushing the ball 131 times for 523 yards and 2 touchdowns.  However, he is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and Baltimore has seen Flacco throwing more and more.  Ray Rice is still a great running back, and when his number is called, he will show up.

Anquan Boldin has been a very solid addition to this Baltimore Ravens offense.  He has 38 receptions for 518 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Todd Heap has been healthy again, and is showing that he is still the player he used to be.

Ed Reed is back ladies and gentlemen.  In his first game back, and only game of the season so far, his impact was unquestionable.  He had two interceptions, has fresh legs and brought security to the secondary.  Look for this impact to continue.

Ray Lewis.  Enough said.  He has come up huge when Baltimore has needed him to.  He put a huge hit on Dustin Keller at the end of the game in New York, had the game-clinching interception in Pittsburgh, and had a strip in overtime against the Bills that gave the ball back to Baltimore which set up the game-winning field goal.

The Baltimore Ravens stand second in the AFC.  They control their own destiny.  The division is theirs to lose, and they are only one game out of first place in the conference.  Yes, the Ravens have tough games to play, but no game is certainly out of reach for this team.  The goal at the beginning of the season was the Super Bowl, and they are on track for a long run in the playoffs.

Maryland Destroys Wake, Becomes Bowl Eligable

Maryland Quarterback Danny O'Brien threw for 168 yards and 4 touchdowns against Wake Forest Saturday.

 

By Ben Linton

The Maryland Terrapins have continued to play well in what continues to be a turnaround season from last year. Maryland improved to 6-2 and became bowl eligable after a 62-14 smashing of Wake Forest last Saturday. The Terps, who only one two games last year, will now be attending their fourth bowl in the past five years and can now start focusing on the ACC Atlantic Division Race.

Maryland was led once again by outstanding freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien, who threw for four touchdowns (a career high) on way to earning ACC rookie of the week honors. The Terps outscored the Demon Deacons 45-0 in the second and third quarter combined, highlighted by two interception returns for touchdowns by Kenny Tate and Ryan Donohue. Maryland racked up 446 total yards, 261 coming on the ground, while limiting to Wake to a measly 155. The Demon Decons amassed 516 yards in a 42-32 win last year.

Maryland fans and players can now focus on going after their first ACC Atlantic Title since the league split up into divisions. The Terps are 6-2 (3-1 ACC) and tied with North Carolina State for second place behind Florida State, who is also 6-2 but 4-1 in the ACC. Here’s how each team’s schedule plays out for the remainder of the season:

Maryland                                NC State                                 Florida State

@Miami                                  @ Clemson                             vs. North Carolina

@Virginia                                vs. Wake                                 vs. Clemson

vs. Florida State                     @ North Carolina                 @ Maryland

vs. NC State                            @ Maryland                           vs. Florida

As you can see, Maryland has the most favorable schedule of the three teams. Maryland will face Florida State and NC State both at home, one game being a blackout and the other being the senior game. This means that the ACC Atlantic Title will be won in College Park, which is exactly what Maryland wants. The Terps will hit the road next week to face a Miami team that will be without Jacory Harris, who was injured in a 24-19 loss to Virginia last weekend. The last time Maryland played Miami was 2006, when the Terps won 14-13 in College Park. The game will be at 12:00 broadcasted on ESPNU.