MIAMI BOUND: Irish off to the National Championship; Knights Upset Again; Giants Beat Up Green Bay

       On Saturday night, Notre Dame came into L.A. to play USC at 11-0 and win away from an undefeated season and a likely spot in the Title Game. The Fighting Irish got it started in the 1st quarter, as a Kyle Brindza kick and a Theo Riddick 9-yard run game them an early 10-0 lead. The 2nd quarter was a different story. The Trojans scored 10 points of their own with a Robert Woods 11-yarder and a field goal. However, Notre Dame answered back with 2 more Brindza FG's, including a 52-yarder to end the 1st half and it was 16-10 at the half. In the third, the only scoring was another Irish field goal as they had reached the 19-point mark. Both teams scored 1 FG each in the 4th quarter, and wi thin the final 5 minutes, the Irish stopped about 10 points on the goal line. The final score was 22-13, and the Fighting Irish had a perfect season. Now, they're still at the #1 slot, and they will likely play the winner of the SEC Championship Game (Alabama and Georgia) in Miami on January 7, 2013.
       Rutgers was out for the Big East crown on Saturday with a win in Pittsburgh or a Louisville loss as they faced UConn. However, it was not a very good game played by the Scarlet Knights. With the game scoreless in the 2nd quarter, the Panthers scored 3 TD's in a 13-yarder to Mike Shanahan, a 1-yard run by Ray Graham, and a 13-yard pass to Ed Tinker (one of the coolest names in College Football). Rutgers' only score was a Nova 11-yard pass to Brandon Coleman, and the Knights as well missed the 2-point attempt. Other than that, Pittsburgh scored 2 field goals, and that was the game. 27-6 your final. However, there is still hope for the Scarlet Knights, as Louisville suffered a home loss to UConn. The two squads will fittingly meet on Thursday in a game viewable on ESPN for the Big East tughest title and a spot in the Orange Bowl.
       Last night, the New York Football Giants came off a much-needed bye week after a 2-game losing streak and took on their toughest test of the season: the Green Bay Packers, a re-match of last year's NFC Divisional Game. The Jints got it started on their first possession with a quick run by Andre Brown to give New York an early 7-0 lead (Brown would later learn he had a broken fibula and is now out for the season). The Packers responded on their next possession with a Jordy Nelson TD to tie the game. New York would take the ball right after that, and would never look back with a Ruben Randle 16-yarder, a Victor Cruz 9-yard pass (his first TD in a while), an Ahmad Bradshaw 13-yard run, and a Hakeem Kicks 13-yarder. The final score was 38-10, as the Giants got a much-deserved win. Also worth noting is that Eli Manning surpassed Phil Simms on the Giants' all-time TD pass list with 200 to Simms's 199.