Football (with baseball later)

Northeastern 21, Syracuse 30

Northeastern lost 30-21 to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. The offense, in particular, looked good, with quarterback Anthony Orio throwing for a career-high 293 yards. He had a particularly nice rainbow to Chris Plum, a 54-yard touchdown pass that completely befuddled the Syracuse defense. Orio didn't do co-op, so he actually graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry in May. He put med school on hold to play what would be his senior year.

While the offense looked good, the defense, again, was abysmal. Syracuse ran for 271 yards, the Huskies choosing to neglect rush defense, presumably to stay rested for the next series. Who knows. Either way, this was a winnable game for the dogs, and at this point in the season, you've gotta stop being happy with moral victories and start expecting, well, actual victories.

Keith brings up a good point in the Huntington (Formerly Northeastern) News, mentioning that the departure of Maurice "The Machine" Murray has turned the Huskies into a more dynamic and balanced offensive squad. We'll see how they do with their first home game against the UC Davis Aggies on the 27th.


Patriots 13, Miami 38

Questions will be raised after this game over Matt Cassel's ability to run the New England offense. These are valid questions, but not questions that today's game should bring up. Instead, I ask:

1.) Where was the Patriots rush defense?
2.) How did Bill Belichick allow the Dolphins to score three touchdowns on trick plays, two of which were identical?
3.) Why wasn't Matt Cassel told to start throwing deep at the start of the second half?
4.) Why must we listen to countless comparisons between Cassel and Brady, as pertinent as they may seem to be?
5.) Why can't CBS leave the camera on the field just once during a game? Instead they cut to commercials whenever possible. Why?

Even with Tom Brady at quarterback, the Pats lose this game. With a bye week coming up, improvement needs to be made on defensive adjustments and overall rush defense. Also expect the offensive line to take a beating in practice for their inability to protect Cassel, particularly from trash-talking Joey Porter.

Miami fans probably see this game as a turning point for their franchise. It isn't.


Angels 2, Rangers 0 {in progress}

John Lackey's pitching very well, and the Rangers pitching staff is a conglomeration of criminals determined to injure our players. Expect a recap after the game and once I finish some homework.