The Bucs had to settle for a Matt Bryant field goal after Jermaine Phillips’ interception, taking a 23-20 lead with 1:50 to play.
Jermaine Phillips just intercepted Drew Brees’ pass over the middle, and the Bucs are in business to win in regulation with the clock approaching the two-minute warning.
Phillips stepped in front on a pass over the middle, returning it to the New Orleans 17, game tied at 20.
Again the Saints make plays in the passing game, setting up a Garrett Hartley field goal to tie the game at 20 with five minutes to play in regulation.
Are we looking at overtime? We’ll see what Jeff Garcia and the Bucs offense can do to answer.
Once again, Drew Brees led the Saints down the field, and this time they got something out of it.
Drew Brees found RB Pierre Thomas for an 18-yard TD reception on a third-and-short screen pass, pulling New Orleans to within 20-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Shortly afterwards, Jeff Garcia nearly committed a disastrous turnover for the Bucs with a fumble, but RT Jeremy Trueblood fell on it and the Bucs were able to punt the ball away.
Brees and the Saints offense are back on the field, trailing by three with just under 10 minutes to go.
The Saints were on their way to answering the Bucs’ two touchdowns, driving deep when Bucs LB Cato June intercepted Drew Brees in the end zone to end the threat.
Brees was perhaps a bit impatient that time, looking for TE Jeremy Shockey on a slow-developing play when there were more reasonable options underneath
Meanwhile, New Orleans has largely abandoned the running game, although Deuce McAllister had a pair of quality runs on the drive.
The Bucs took the second-half kickoff and drove the length of the field to reclaim the lead, 13-10, on Cadillac Williams’ first TD of the season, from eight yards.
Shortly thereafter, Jeff Garcia hooked up with Antonio Bryant, who badly beat Saints CB Jason David for a 39-yard score.
Yes, that’s right - TWO Bucs offensive touchdowns in the same quarter, against a decent opponent, good for a 20-10 edge in the third quarter.
Despite shutting down New Orleans on the ground, the Bucs trail the Saints 10-6 at the half in rain-drenched Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs owned a 90-4 advantage in rushing yards, but a 13-yard TD pass from Drew Brees to Lance Moore put the Saints ahead 33 seconds before halftime.
Brees has completed 14 of 24 passes for 155 yards despite the soggy conditions, but Jeff Garcia is struggling. Garcia came into the game completing 70 percent of his pass attempts, but he’s only 5-of-13 for 39 yards and Tampa Bay’s three-game winning streak is in jeopardy.
Matt Bryant has a pair of FGs for the Bucs, who are 5-0 at home. Garrett Hartley opened the scoring for New Orleans with a 47-yard FG, set up when LB Jonathan Vilma pried the ball from Michael Clayton’s grasp after a first-quarter reception.
S Jermaine Phillips, who returned to the field for the Bucs Sunday after missing three games due to a forearm injury, led Tampa Bay with six first-half tackles.
Saints RB Reggie Bush returned after missing four games with a knee injury. Bush carried three times for zero yards in the first half but caught five passes for 32 yards.
Tampa Bay DT Jovan Haye has sustained a knee injury against New Orleans and his return is questionable.
As a result, DT Ryan Sims is playing in place of Haye.
TAMPA - The source of all those Monte Kiffin-to-the-University of Tennessee rumors is apparently none other than Lane Kiffin, Monte’s son.
Word out of Tennessee, where the Vols are prepping to announce Lane as their new head coach on Monday, is that Lane is telling everyone at the school he plans to bring his father with him as defensive coordinator.
Again, it’s all speculation, but the smoke is getting thicker. Unfortunately it will probably remain thick for a while.
The guess here is that Monte Kiffin won’t address the rumors today and will remain elusive on his plans right through the end of the Bucs season.
We did catch up with Bucs GM Bruce Allen and on the Kiffin matter he said, “I address all coaching issues after the season and I address them on a case-by-case basis.’’
The thing you have to keep in mind here is that Kiffin has a contract with the Bucs, who have a history of not letting coaches out of their contracts.
Also, if Monte really wanted to coach with his son, why wouldn’t he have left last year, when his contract with the Bucs was up?
Sooner or later, we should have some answers on all this. Unfortunately, it will probably be later.
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced this trade Sunday at 12:10 p.m. Here is the team’s news release with the details:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired right wing Lauri Tukonen from the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Andrew Hutchinson, it was announced by Executive Vice President & General Manager Brian Lawton.
Tukonen, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound native of Hyvinkaa, Finland, has skated in 22 games with Lukko Rauma of Finland this season, tallying five goals, eight assists and 22 penalty minutes. Originally drafted 11th overall by Los Angeles at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Tukonen, 22, has skated in five career games with the Kings (2006-07 and 2007-08). He appeared in 185 career American Hockey League games with Manchester, tallying 36 goals, 103 points and 74 penalty minutes.
Tukonen skated in three World Junior Championships for Finland from 2004-2006, collecting Bronze Medals in 2004 and 2006. In 2006 he finished third in tournament scoring with three goals and 10 points in seven games. On July 21 he was traded to Dallas by Los Angeles in exchange for Richard Clune.
Hutchinson, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, skated in two games with the Lightning this season, averaging 14:43 of ice time. Signed as a free agent by the Lightning prior to the season, he appeared in 20 games with Norfolk this season, recording a goal, 13 assists and 14 penalty minutes. The 28-year-old native of Evanston, Illinois has appeared in 97 career NHL games with Tampa Bay, Carolina and Nashville. He has accumulated 10 goals, 33 points and six power-play goals.
This week’s AP and USA Today coaches polls.
AP Top 25
1. Alabama (62) 12-0 1,620
2. Florida (3) 11-1 1,516
3. Texas 11-1 1,488
4. Oklahoma 11-1 1,480
5. USC 10-1 1,355
6. Penn State 11-1 1,257
7. Utah 12-0 1,216
8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,197
9. Boise State 12-0 1,103
10. Ohio State 10-2 1,069
11. TCU 10-2 885
12. Ball State 12-0 834
13. Cincinnati 10-2 824
14. Oklahoma State 9-3 798
15. Georgia Tech 8-3 708
16. Oregon 9-3 630
17. Georgia 9-3 495
18. Boston College 9-3 482
19. Missouri 9-3 479
20. Brigham Young 10-2 385
21. Michigan State 9-3 312
22. Mississippi 8-4 280
23. Pittsburgh 8-3 241
24. Northwestern 9-3 190
25. Oregon State 8-4 122
Others Receiving Votes: Iowa 66, Virginia Tech 47, Tulsa 13, Florida State 12, California 7, West Virginia 4, Rice 3, Connecticut 3, Nebraska 3, North Carolina 1.
Dropped From Rankings: Florida State 23.
USA Today Poll
1. Alabama (58) 12-0 1,521
2. Oklahoma (2) 11-1 1,397
3. Texas 11-1 1,396
4. Florida (1) 11-1 1,385
5. USC 10-1 1,298
6. Penn State 11-1 1,176
7. Utah 12-0 1,153
8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,116
9. Boise State 12-0 1,044
10. Ohio State 10-2 999
11. TCU 10-2 836
12. Cincinnati 10-2 770
13. Ball State 12-0 765
14. Oregon 9-3 658
15. Oklahoma State 9-3 613
16. Georgia Tech 8-3 590
17. Missouri 9-3 470
18. Brigham Young 10-2 461
19. Georgia 9-3 440
20. Boston College 9-3 435
21. Michigan State 9-3 414
22. Northwestern 9-3 333
23. Pittsburgh 8-3 154
24. Oregon State 8-4 127
25. Mississippi 8-4 126
Others Receiving Votes: Virginia Tech 41, Iowa 31, Tulsa 21, Florida State 15, Nebraska 11, Kansas 10, Connecticut 5, North Carolina 5, Rice 5, California 4.
Dropped From Rankings: Florida State 24, West Virginia 25.
BCS rankings
1. Alabama (12-0) .9713
2. Oklahoma (11-1) .9351
3. Texas (11-1) .9223
4. Florida (11-1) .8851
5. So. California (10-1) .8076
6. Utah (12-0) .7844
7. Texas Tech (11-1) .7805
8. Penn State (11-1) .7373
9. Boise State (12-0) .7034
10. Ohio State (10-2) .6340
11. Texas Christian (10-2) .5633
12. Ball State (12-0) .5306
13. Cincinnati (10-2) .4831
14. Oklahoma State (9-3) .4276
15. Georgia Tech (9-3) .4046
16. Georgia (9-3) .3311
17. Boston College (9-3) .3202
18. Brigham Young (10-2) .3142
19. Oregon (9-3) .3041
20. Missouri (9-3) .2818
21. Michigan State (9-3) .2550
22. Northwestern (9-3) .1216
23. Pittsburgh (8-3) .1012
24. Florida State (8-4) .0768
25. Virginia Tech (8-4) .0573
Here’s my AP ballot for Sunday
This week Team Last week
1. Alabama 1
2. Texas 2
3. Florida 3
4. Oklahoma 4
5. USC 5
6. Utah 6
7. Texas Tech 7
8. Boise State 8
9. Penn State 9
10. Ohio State 10
11. Ball State 14
12. TCU 15
13. Cincinnati 16
14. Oregon 19
15. Oklahoma State 11
16. Boston College 20
17. Missouri 12
18. Iowa 18
19. Ole Miss 22
20. Georgia Tech NR
21. Georgia 13
22. Michigan State 24
23. Northwestern 21
24. BYU 25
25. Oregon State 18
Tampa Bay just announced that S Jermaine Phillips will start this Sunday against New Orleans.
In addition, here is a list of Tampa Bay’s inactive players:
QB Josh Johnson (third quarterback)
QB Brian Griese
WR Dexter Jackson
RB Noah Herron
S Donte Nicholson
LB Matt McCoy
T James Lee
DT Greg Peterson
TAMPA - The Monte Kiffin to Tennessee rumors are running rampant now. Well of course they are. It’s Sunday, it’s an intriguing topic and makes for good copy.
But are the reports accurate? Hard to say.
Chris Mortensen just reported that “sources have confirmed’’ that Monte Kiffin does plan to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee after the season is over.
There’s only one problem with that. The Bucs have a habit of not letting coaches out of their contracts, and Kiffin just signed a new contract with the Bucs last spring.
Now, the Bucs might make an exception in this case, seeing as it’s Monte and considering all he’s done for them. And maybe Monte has gone to the Bucs and told them he wants to coach with his sone. If so it would be hard to deny him that chance. But it’s not like they haven’t done it before.
A few years ago, the Bucs wouldn’t let Joe Barry go coach with his father in law - Rod Marinelli - after Marinelli first took over the Lions. That’s just the way they do business. And it’s not just NFL jobs that they keep coaches from jumping to.
A few years back, shortly after he took over at Notre Dame, Charlie Weis wanted Bucs special teams coach Richard Bisaccia. The Bucs wouldn’t let him go.
Again, they may make an exception in this case. We’ll see. We’ll be looking for Monte after the game and this thing won’t die down until somebody says definitively one way or another what the plan is.
The Sickles boys basketball team lost to Chicago De La Salle, 67-47, in the Helitech National Classic championship at the third annual Trusted Choice Tournament of Champions on Saturday in Peoria, Ill.
Playing without 6-foot-10 center John Henson, Sickles (3-2) went 1-1 in pool play, defeating Richland High from Texas, 69-66, and losing to Cahokia from Illinois, 69-66.
Junior point guard Jordan Davis averaged 14 points and 8 assists to earn all-tourney honors.
Sickles coach Renaldo Garcia rested Henson, who is recovering from an ankle sprain.
“Playing without John, it made our kids step up to another level,” Garcia said.
Garcia said tournament directors and fans weren’t too pleased with his decision to rest Henson, who has signed with North Carolina.
“When we pulled up in the van, kids were waiting with North Carolina jerseys on,” he said.
Sparked by the best defensive first half in Stan Heath’s coaching career, the University of South Florida defeated Northeastern 55-37 Saturday night at the Sun Dome.
The Huskies’ 37 points were the second-fewest allowed in a game by USF, only three points off the school record allowed to St. Peter’s in a 45-34 win on Dec. 4, 1985.
“I’ve never had a team that held a team that low [in the first half],” Heath said. “It’s hard to say anyone [I’ve coached] was better than tonight, that’s for sure.”
The only thing missing from the first half were peach baskets. The Huskies had only 11 points in an offensive-challenged opening 20 minutes, missed 25 of 29 shots from the field and had more turnovers (five) than field goals (four). The Bulls weren’t much better with eight field goals and seven turnovers, but led 22-11 at intermission.
“We ran into a team that was more physical at each position,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said.
USF sophomore Dominique Jones finished with a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds and four assists. For a second consecutive game, Aris Williams tied his career high with 11 points – the same number of points he scored in 18 games last season – and had seven rebounds. Jesus Verdejo added 10 points.
“I’ve been working hard in practice and it carries over to the game,” said Williams, who is finally healthy after being plagued with knee injuries the past two seasons. “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity and just trying to take full advantage of it.”
Added Jones: “Aris played good, he surprised me. He keeps surprising me as the games go by.”
USF trailed 11-10 with 5:26 remaining in the first half, but closed the first half with 12 consecutive points and then opened the second half with a 4-0 run to take control, 26-11
“I told ‘em [the team] there were three minutes and something left in the half and we had 11 points,” Jones said. “Everybody was like ‘we have to get it going, we have to make a run, finish strong.’ Coach always tells us to finish the half strong.”
The Huskies’ 37 points were their fewest since scoring 39 in 1995 in an 86-39 loss at UConn. The Huskies (3-3), who were picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association, had won at Providence this season, but were no match for the Bulls (3-1).
Northeastern’s Matt Janning, who averaged 24 points in his last three games, was held scoreless until making a free throw with 13:12 remaining and missed his first eight field goals. He finished with only three points, 17 below his average.
“To hold him to 1 of 11 shooting was a great feat for us and the key to the game,” Heath said. “We took one of their best weapons out of sync and it allowed us to get a grab on the game. We got some offense from our defense.”
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