What you may have missed in sports 11/17 – 11/18

“Alex Smith Injury” by Keith Allison is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

In the unfortunate case you didn’t get to watch sports this past weekend, Fourth Quarter Sports has a recap of the events you may have missed. Let’s get you all caught up!

 

NFL

Lamar Jackson’s first NFL start

Rookie QB Lamar Jackson made his first NFL start yesterday against the Cincinnati Bengals. In his first start, Jackson led the Ravens to a 24-21 victory against their division rivals. Jackson showed his potential to be an NFL starter, but he also showed he needs to improve as a passer. Jackson completed 13 of his 19 passes for 150 yards, no TDs and one INT. Not a great passing display, but it wasn’t bad.

The highlight of this game was Jackson showcasing his running ability. Jackson ran for 117 yards on 27 carries. Jackson’s 117 rushing yards were the most ever by a QB in their first career start. It was also the most rushing yards by a QB in Ravens history. Jackson may not be the best passer, but he sure does bring a threat opposing defense’s have to account for. Has Joe Flacco officially lost his starting job?

Alex Smith breaks his leg

In a 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans, Redskins’ QB Alex Smith broke his leg on a play in which he was sacked. It was already a rough game for Smith before being hurt, completing just 12 of his 27 passes for 135 yards and two INTs. This injury comes at a bad time for the Redskins. The Dallas Cowboys are 5-5, one game behind the now 6-4 Redskins. On Thanksgiving, the two teams will play for the division lead.

Steelers rally from 16 down

The Steelers got their revenge on the Jaguars for beating them twice last season, but it didn’t come easy. Ben Roethlisberger had a terrible first half, which eventually led to the Steelers going down 16-0. Instead of refusing to quit, Roethlisberger and the Steelers rallied back, cutting the lead to 16-6 by the end of the third quarter. They then scored two fourth quarter TDs in the last three minutes of the game. They were helped out by a couple of penalties, but all that matters is getting the win.

Panthers go for two

Cam Newton and the Panthers were down 20-13 with about five minutes left in the game against the Lions. With about a minute left, Carolina scored a TD and could have tied the game. Instead of going for the tie, the Panthers went for two and the win. That didn’t work out in their favor. Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass, resulting in a 20-19 win for the Lions. Carolina is now 6-4, giving the Saints even more breathing room in the NFC South.

Giants win consecutive games for first time since……

A 38-35 win for the New York Giants marked the first time since December of 2016 the Giants won consecutive games. In their victory over the Buccaneers, rookie RB Saquon Barkley ran for a career-high 142 yards while scoring three TDs.

Game winning FGs

Three games ended with FGs as time expired yesterday. The Oakland Raiders beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-21. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the trashy tie Mickayeen was hoping for. The Denver Broncos knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers 23-22 as time expired, while the Dallas Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons 22-19 on a FG as time expired.

 

College Football

Colorado letting go of Mike MacIntyre

After starting the season 5-0, Colorado has now dropped six games in a row. Being 5-6 on the season and 2-6 in conference games, Colorado has informed Mike MacIntyre he won’t be returning for a seventh season with the team.

Les Miles to coach Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks have a new coach! Former LSU coach, Les Miles, will be the new coach of Kansas. It will be interesting to see how well Miles can do with a team who has a record of 3-8 so far this season.

Nick Fitzgerald makes SEC history

Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald made SEC history, having his third season with 10+ passing TDs and 10+ rushing TDs. Fitzgerald joined Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott as the only SEC QBs to do so.

Ohio State escapes in OT

Ohio State almost suffered an embarrassing upset to Maryland, but barely escaped in OT. After scoring a TD and getting the score to 52-51, Maryland went for two, but failed to convert. Ohio State kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive, but even though they won, this win doesn’t look great for the Buckeyes.

Weekly Upsets

Florida State upset No. 20 Boston College 22-21

Oklahoma State upset No. 9 West Virginia 45-41

The two games above were the only two top 25 upsets this past weekend. The bigger loss was for West Virginia, who at least had a decent chance at making the College Football Playoff. Any hope they had is now gone after taking a loss.

 

College Basketball

Furman beats No. 8 Villanova

In what may have been the surprise of the weekend, Furman upset No. 8 Villanova 76-68 in a OT victory. The high point man for Furman and in the game was Phil Booth, who scored 20 points. Furman is now 5-0, while Villanova dropped to 2-2.

 

NBA

Kemba Walker’s 60 points

Kemba Walker went off on Friday against the 76ers, scoring a career-high and franchise record, 60 points. Unfortunately for Walker and the Hornets, the 76ers new addition, Jimmy Butler, knocked down a three in the last-seconds of OT to give the 76ers a 122-119 win.

Warriors have issues

The Golden State Warriors have now lost three games in a row. They lost to the Rockets 107-86 on Thursday, to the Mavericks 112-109 on Saturday and to the Spurs 104-92 last night. If you haven’t already heard about the drama between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, go check it out. That likely has something to do with their issues right now. The number one spot in the Western Conference has now been taken over by the Portland Trail Blazers, who are 11-5.

LeBron goes off against Miami

LeBron James went off against one of his former teams last night, scoring 51 points against the Miami Heat. LeBron’s 51 led the Lakers to a 113-97 win. LeBron went 19-of-31 and 6-of-8 from three on his way to a dominating night. He also added eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and 1 block. The Lakers are now 9-7 on the young NBA season.