Weekend Hot Clicks
Cast in Iron Bowl History
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One of college football's greatest rivalries got an astounding ending yesterday when No. 4 Auburn scored two touchdowns in the final minute of play, including a game-winning 108-yard Chris Davis return of a missed 57-yard Alabama field goal with no time left on the clock. No one has seen anything like it, and that's not hyperbole.
Alabama's loss ends its bid to win a third consecutive National Championship, while Nick Saban's controversial decision to attempt the long-range field goal (with the one second that officials put back on the clock after it initially expired!) will likely cost him and Alabama fans some sleep.
Check out these fan reaction videos (my favorite is the father/son second from the bottom) ... The Auburn and Alabama radio calls ... Wideout Frank Epitropoulos of No. 3 ranked Ohio State recorded the team's reaction to the final Iron Bowl play on their bus ride home from Ann Arbor ... Alabama's sideline after the play ... Watch Chris Davis get mobbed after the game and hug his proud mother at 3:20 of this video ... Davis's prescient Tweet last December ... The NFL's Play 60 kid (a parody account) offers his take on the crazy ending ... Young Alabama fan learns that life isn't fair ... Alabama fans who already know expressing their disbelief ... Katherine Webb consoles A.J. McCarron, who left this kid hanging ... The official hashtag for wishing Bama farewell, #ByeByeBama.
The Rest of Rivalry Week
Unbelievable over-the-defender catch by LSU's Jarvis Landry ... TCU recreates the Buttfumble, and then Baylor proves that big fellas should just fall on loose balls ... Michigan's failed 2-point conversion, giving the Buckeyes a 42-41 victory ... OSU lineman Marcus Hall flips off the Michigan faithful with both birdsafter his ejection for fighting ... FSU wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin broke about seven tackles on this 45-yard touchdown ... Florida's Loucheiz Purifoy literally walked into an interception ... Auburn's most valuable seamster ... SEC Championship-bound Missouri's L'Damian Washington's full-extension touchdown grab.
Coach's Interference
Quite a week for meddling coaches: First Jason Kidd spilled a drink, for which he was fined $50,000 and brilliantly ripped by this fan. Then Mike Tomlin waltzed onto the field of play on Thanksgiving, forcing Jacoby Jones to change course—and potentially costing the Steelers (watch Tomlin jumping out of the way of various things). Now Rockets coach Kevin McHale wandered near Tim Duncan's inbounds pass, leading to a Gregg Popovich tirade that got him T'd up.
Cheerleader of the Week
Weekend Hot Clicks
This week we present Chantel Jones, a Mavericks Dancer who hails from Seattle, and majored in Advertising/Marketing at Washington State University.
My friends would be surprised to know that: "I didn’t start dancing until I was in seventh grade. I think most people assume professional dancers start at a very young age. I actually grew up as a tomboy playing the same sports as my brothers and going camping, hunting, and fishing with family."
Worst date: "I once had a guy ask to take me to his 'favorite lunchtime spot'. Little did I know, it was a tiny sandwich deli located inside a gas station. Not exactly the worst date, but definitely one of the weirdest."
My celebrity crush is: "Drake – because there’s just something about a good looking man who can sing!"
I'd want my last meal to be: "Salmon, mashed potatoes, and Greek salad followed by a piece of chocolate peanut butter cheesecake."
To see more of Chantel, check out the full gallery.
Solemn Quote of the Day
“Him and his buddy, his brother in arms at heart, just decided to joyride, take a spin," said Antonio Holmes, a friend of Fast & Furious star Paul Walker. The actor died this weekend in a single car accident in a Porsche Carrera GT reportedly driven by Roger Rodas, who has driven in the Pirelli World Challenge. "We're all car enthusiasts," added Holmes. "We’re all here driving, enjoying each other, and God must’ve needed help."
Man Down! We've Got a Man Down!
L.A. Kings goaltender Ben Scrivens skated out of net to handle an errant Calgary puck but ended up falling like a sack of potatoes when the Ice Monster got him, leading to a Flames goal. Meanwhile the Kings joked about the frequency of their appearances on ESPN's front page.
Ill-Advised Teaser
Last week the Lions deraileddestroyed mercilessly set aflame my teaser with impunity thanks to a five turnover performance and general Lions-y ineptitude. I swore to never go with them again, picked the Packers to cover, and then the Lions thrashed them. This is why I started doing yoga recently. As for this week's ill-advised teaser:
Houston, which actually has a good defense, is still an absolute train wreck, 1-5 at home, the last home loss thanks to the lowly Jaguars. Kubiak has one foot out the door, Arian Foster backup Ben Tate has broken ribs, and today's opponent New England (favored by 7) is very, very good and getting healthier. I’m also taking Carolina at home against Tampa Bay, with a chance to tie New Orleans atop the NFC South if Seattle takes care of its business against the Saints Monday. Clearly I did not pay my cable bill betting against Tampa Bay last week, but they needed a ton of help; Carolina (-7) is a better team than the Lions with a solid defense, and I feel confident they will win, which is a dangerous thing to say. So it looks like: New England -1 and Carolina -1.
Update: Winner winner chicken dinner! (2-3 record.)
Odds and Ends
David Ortiz's beard trimmings sold on eBay for a whopping $10,877 ... A Minnesota cheerleader got wrecked when a MSU ballcarrier was driven out of bounds ... Dwight Howardattempts to Bosh, Chandler Parsons knows it isn't cool ... Steve Nash's wife hired Ed Hochuli's law firm to represent her in a nasty custody case with Nash ... Trent Richardson will be riding Indianapolis's finest pine today.
Ridiculous Derrick Williams one-handed alley-oop slam
Meanwhile in the Background
Some Aztec fans videobombed an ESPN broadcast with human whack-a-mole.
