Bengals
Bengals and the Freestore Foodbank Team Up Once Again to Feed the Hungry
Cincinnati, Ohio– The Cincinnati Bengals and the Freestore Foodbank are teaming up again for the Annual Meijer Canned Food Drive. Canned foods and monetary donations will be collected at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday, November 25, prior to the Bengals home game against the Oakland Raiders.
Gates open at 11:30 AM. Non-perishable foods and cash donations will be accepted at each entrance to Paul Brown Stadium by Freestore Foodbank volunteers. Food products will be collected in Mobile Storage Depot Pods.
The Bengals have hosted the Freestore Foodbank Canned Food Drive for over 25 years. The Food Drive in 2011 brought in 8,120 pounds of food and $14,021 in cash. The Bengals are challenging fans to break that record this year.
The need is greater than ever. The Freestore Foodbank will distribute more than 790,000 pounds of food during the three days prior to Thanksgiving and again three days prior to Christmas. The food will provide holidays meals for more than 23,000 families in our community.
Bengals fans are reminded that every contribution makes a difference for the Tri-State families in need. Please show your support this holiday season and bring canned food or a donation to the Bengals/Raiders game on Sunday, November 25.
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College basketball
Skyline Chili Crosstown Classic Public On-sale Announced
Cincinnati, OH. – For the first time in over 25 years, U.S. Bank Arena will play host to the Xavier University and University of Cincinnati NCAA Men’s Basketball matchup. The Skyline Chili Crosstown Classic will be played on Wednesday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m. This year’s game marks the 80th time the schools have met. Tickets, $125, $75, $50, and $35, go on-sale Wednesday, November 21 at 10 a.m. at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Kroger Stores, call 1-800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com. Ticket buyers can indicate in advance their desire to sit in UC or Xavier sections. All tickets and seat locations are subject to availability. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
For more information on this and other U.S. Bank Arena events, check www.usbankarena.com.
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NFL
How about this obituary?
From Kansas City Star
Loren G. "Sam" Lickteig passed away on Nov. 14, 2012 of complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team. A celebration of life is set for Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. at Coronation of Our Lady Catholic Church, 13000 Bennington Avenue, Grandview, MO, with a luncheon following in the church hall.
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UC football
Latest realignment loser---the Big East (Again!)
CBS Sports
Put more simply, the Big East is about to also lose UConn or Louisville -- and some reports have suggested that Georgetown and St. John's might be on the ACC's radar, too. So whatever happens next is gonna hurt the Big East from a sports perspective in a noticeable way. And if the SEC ever decides to add Florida State and/or Clemson from the ACC -- or the Big Ten ever decides to add Georgia Tech from the ACC -- guess where Swofford will look to fill those holes? The Big East, naturally. And there really isn't a scenario that doesn't have the Big East -- as USA Today's Dan Wolken put it -- eventually looking more like the original version of C-USA than the Big East I grew up with.
Despite false alarms, don't count out Butch Jones at UK
John Clay, Lexington Herald Leader
The guess here is that Jones is very much on the list. If not, he should be. Despite some negative fan reaction to Sunday’s report, he’s a good coach. So is Mike MacIntyre at San Jose and Gary Andersen at Utah State. Phil Fulmer is being considered, as well as unknown others. The vibe over the weekend concerning Louisiana Tech’s Sonny Dykes was not good. There are whispers that Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart told UK no a long time ago.
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Bengals
Playoff picture
Don't look now, but the Bengals have moved within one game of the AFC playoff picture. The Colts, Steelers, Dolphins, and Chargers all lost Sunday. The Bengals are one game back of the Steelers for the final playoff spot. The Steelers currently own the tiebreaker, based on their head to head loss.
AFC
1. Texans (9-1)
2. Ravens (8-2)
3. Patriots (7-3)
4. Broncos (7-3)
5. Colts (6-4)
6. Steelers (6-4)
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7. Bengals (5-5)
8. Chargers (4-6)
9. Titans (4-6)
10. Jets (4-6)
Next up Raiders:
Raiders crushed by Saints, 38-17
SF Gate
"I'm not happy," Raiders owner Mark Davis said.
Oakland's defense couldn't cover anybody again, and its offense didn't put up much of a fight against the league's worst defense in an ugly, methodical beatdown at the Coliseum. The Raiders have given up 135 points in the past three games - all losses - in falling to 3-7.
Raiders routed 38-17 by Saints
The Oakland Tribune
OAKLAND -- The Raiders are truly sorry.
Sorry they lost their third consecutive game by giving up an avalanche of points, this time by the score of 38-17 to the New Orleans Saints at O.co Coliseum on Sunday.
Sorry they allowed the game to turn for good on big plays at the tail end of the first half and the first play of the second half.
Sorry they let down a rabid fan base, with a crowd of 56,880 forgiven for venting its frustration during the second half.
Quick hits
Raiders.com
Palmer eclipsed 3,000 passing yards for the season, surpassing the mark for the sixth time in his career and becoming the first Raider since Kerry Collins in 2005 (3,759) to reach the milestone.
Palmer and Moore having trouble getting on same page
CBS: 3. Carson Palmer's accuracy. The Raiders wanted touchdowns when they made the deal for Palmer, and the Raiders are getting them ... from opponents. In 19 games with the Raiders, Palmer has thrown five pick-sixes. The Raiders threw none from 2006-10.
7. When they talk about the Black Hole in Oakland, I think they're referring to the middle of the Raiders' defense. It's gawd awful, with the Raiders hemorrhaging 135 points the past three games, an average of 45 per.
Special guests:
Opening observations before watching it again
*So much for the "trap" game or laying of the egg.
*They did what they should have done to an awful team.
*Loved the play calling and balance on offense: 29 passes/38 rushes.
*11 of 14 on 4th down for season? Wow.
*What a miserable scene/atmosphere at Arrow Head.
*Bengals won 3 straight, lost 4 straight, now have won 2 straight. 5-5 w/ 6 to go.
*Back to back wins by 18 and 22 points?
*Outscored opposition last 2 weeks: 59-19.
*Bengals win upfront, OL/DL, for 2nd week row.
*Issues: 9 penalties, 4 of 13 on 3rd down Sunday.
Offense
*3 TD drives of at least 11 plays (11-78, 11-79, 12-72)
*4 trips to redzone=4 TD
*Back to back games w/o pick by Dalton or turnovers by team.
*Dalton last 2 weeks: 39 of 59 (66%), 429 yards, 6 TD/ 0 INT
*Loved the shots taken down the field. Connected on one. But I like it.
*Love the number of contributors: 4 ran it, 7 caught it.
*Big day for Sanu. Great hands and versatility.
*AJ a TD, what a catch!, for 9th straight game, longest streak since Jerry Rice (12) in '87 (ESPN). Elias says only 5 players have longer streak in NFL history.
*Got to love 189 yards on the ground.
*BJGE big day, 1st 100+ yd game as Bengal, TD, season high 21 yard run.
*By my count, BJGE becomes 23rd player in franchise history to rush for 100 yards in a game: Paul Robinson, Jess Phillips, Virgil Carter, Essex Johnson, Doug Dressler, Boobie Clark, Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson, Deacon Turner, Larry Kinnebrew, James Brooks, Stanley Wilson, Marc Logan, Ickey Woods, Harold Green, Ki-Jana Carter, Corey Dillon, Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Bernard Scott, Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson, BJGE.
*Peerman 8 carries/75 yards.....season: 21 for 179 (helped by 80yds on 2 fake punts)...but still 19 for 99 without fake punt runs.
*Beautiful naked bootleg for TD by Andy + 4th and 7 run for 11 yards.
*Strong effort by Gresham..tied season high with 6 catches. Dragged 3 guys for near TD. Big catch for 3rd down conversion.
*Tate with a heck of snatch.
*Nice job by Trevor Robinson. I did not notice him. Good thing.
Defense
*Total of 19 points allowed last 2 games
*Atkins a beast again...1st qt: 3 tkl, 1 pd, 1 sk, 2 ff. He lost a sack on a penalty.
*Unofficially 12 guys with at least 2 tackles.
*Adam Jones with a sack, 6 tackles, 2 tkl for loss
*Burfict fumble recovery.
*Held KC to 1 of 10 on 3rd down.
*Michael Johnson feasted with Barton went down.
*No big plays: Longest run was 17, longest pass 26.
Special Teams
*Momentum changer: Peerman with 2nd fake punt of year...32 yards, 48 yds earlier in year
*Really strong effort by Dre K, great downing of punt
*Jeromy Miles nice tackle
What they are saying
(KC Star photo)
Peter King: Things I liked about Week 11. A.J. Green on end-zone fades. He can catch 'em one-handed, in a physical mismatch, whatever.
ESPN: Shut-down defense: The Bengals held a team out of the end zone for the first time since December 2008, when they didn't allow a touchdown to the Browns. Cincinnati limited the Chiefs to 284 total yards and stopped them on 10 of 11 third downs.
Paul Dehner, CBS Sports: The last time the Bengals won back-to-back games by at least 18 points was 1985. For Marvin Lewis, the recipe is simple. "The key thing is we continue to put up touchdowns in the red zone," he said. "We continue to avoid turnovers."
Joe Reedy: Over the past 12 quarters, the Bengals have scored 12 touchdowns. In the past two games, they are 7 of 8 on TDs in the red zone. They were an anemic 4 of 14 in converting third downs but did make all three fourth-down opportunities.
Geoff Hobson: It was the first time the Bengals defense kept a team out of the end zone in nearly four years since a 14-0 win over Cleveland on Dec. 21, 2008.
"The Giants game gave us life," Maualuga said, referring to last week's 31-13 victory over the defending champs. "Today was a statement, too. We were coming off a good game. Would we slump and not play as well as we did? I think we answered the call."
CBS Grades: Bengals, B: Is A.J. Green the best wide receiver in the NFL? Because he really might be. This was a business-like beatdown by the Bengals, who got up 21-6 and before the half and never looked back. Mohamed Sanu is quietly coming on strong for Cincinnati. Kansas City couldn't do anything on offense all day.
AP: The Cincinnati Bengals are back to eyeing the playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking forward to the end of the season.
KC Star: Football is not always a game of third downs. Fourth-down plays devastated the Chiefs on Sunday.
Hoard: A dangerous combination
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College football
UK quickly dismisses Butch Jones rumors
Louisville Courier Journal
“I can tell you Kentucky has not offered the job to anybody,” said DeWayne Peevy, a UK associate athletic director.The Cincinnati affiliate of the 247 Sports network had the information posted on its message board by a member Sunday but did not feature the news — which would be big if true for the Bearcats — as a story on its front page. Also, the website later clarified that its staff played no role in producing the report.
Report: Butch Jones high on UK list
Projected BCS Point Spread:
from RJ Bell of Pregame.com
Alabama favored by 10-points over Notre Dame
Projected SEC Title Game Point Spread:
Alabama favored by 7-points over Georgia
Projected Hypothetical Undefeated Match-Up:
Alabama favored by 14-points over Ohio State
UC: Disappointing and damaging
What a frustrating afternoon at Nippert. 34,000+ fans showed up, UC's offense did not. Goodbye Big East title, goodbye BCS bowl game. That's not what Butch Jones had in mind when he was "pitching" UC football last week. That's not the impression UC hoped to leave on bowl representatives and new/curious fans looking in: Non existent offense, missed FG, broken coverage=Rutgers TD, two interceptions and a failed 4th and 1. Ouch.
UC falls to #22 Rutgers
GoBearcats.com
The 10 points allowed by UC were the fewest in a loss since the Bearcats played Rutgers on Sept. 5, 1987.
Maryland and Rutgers to Big 10?
CBS Sports
What Saturday's news told me is that the Big East is done, kaput. If Rutgers leaves, then UConn will head to the ACC. That's right in the middle of Big East TV negotiations that will decide how close the league to Conference USA in terms of TV worth. The football? It better hope Boise keeps winning because the Broncos are the lynchpin of the reconstituted league.
Kentucky downs Samford in home finale, Senior Night
Classic
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College basketball
Bearcats roll over North Carolina A&T 93-39
USA Today: Patience pays off for Kilpatrick
Cincinnati: Contender or pretender?
ESPN
1. Cincinnati has received almost zero preseason buzz and yet Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said he may have his quickest, deepest and one of his most athletic teams since he arrived. The Bearcats will find out if they are a contender or a pretender with this weekend's tournament in Las Vegas with UNLV, Oregon and Iowa State. This is a golden opportunity for Cincinnati to prove itself. Cronin said the Bearcats still need to get more production out of his five spot but he's optimistic that Cincinnati is going to be a player in the national scene here soon.
Lance Stephenson returns to MSG
AP: Xavier tops Robert Morris 61-59
NKU stunned by Siena
Video of Chad Jackson's disallowed 3-pointer that would have won the game for NKU Saturday night. Siena trailed 52-50 with less than a minute remaining, only to beat NKU 56-52.
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Stuff
Cool list: Major college football programs whose former QB's have started most NFL games
Rose lifetime ban document fails to sell at auction
Electrifying Broner takes WBC lightheavyweight title
NY Daily News
ATLANTIC CITY — Adrien Broner had promised to make his fight against Antonio DeMarco a showcase of his talents for the fans at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night. It was that and more as Broner pounded DeMarco for seven rounds before stopping him on a TKO at 1:49 of the eighth round to take the WBC lightweight title.
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Hamilton injured, but ok, team wins Arizona Fall League championship
MLB.com
For Hamilton, Saturday was game No. 150 in a season that really started in January when he started strength and conditioning work. It included 581 at-bats and 204 stolen-base attempts. Always high energy -- it's pretty evident that he wouldn't have pulled up short of the center-field wall even if he could have -- the future leadoff hitter had to finally admit that it was a good time for a break. "I'm tired," Hamilton said with a smile. "I need to get home and rest up. I've got a long year ahead of me and I want to be ready."
Fall league stats: .234 BA, .304 OBP, 17 games, 64 AB, 10 SB, 2 CS, 7 BB, 12 K
Billy injured
Billy with the bunt hit
Check out Di Di Gregorius
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Dinner
Kelly and I went out to dinner Saturday night. Plan A was to try Crave at The Banks.
We tried to get reservations earlier in the week and could only get 5:15 or 8:45. So we arrived at 5:45 to try our luck. We were told the wait would be 1-hour 45-minutes. So we walked down to Mahogany's for some Southern Style Cuisine.
We waited about 20-minutes. They took my number and called when our table was ready. We sat and watched Ohio State-Wisconsin in the bar area. The place is pretty small. Watching the staff, things seemed a little chaotic. The side of the bar was like watching a five car pileup as the staff got drink orders. No room to move. We were seated at what seemed like a makeshift wicker table, on the edge of the dining area. I like a one page menu with focus. There are 11 entrees. I got Pa-Pa Jim' Shrimp and Grits ($19). It was served in a large bowl of creamy, buttery style southern grits with apple wood bacon, scallions, portabella mushrooms and five large shrimp on top. Excellent. The side of cornbread was really good. Kelly got the Mahogany's Signature Ribs ($18). The ribs are marinated, then dry rubbed with spices, slow smoked and served with their signature sauce. Excellent. No hands needed, the meat fell off the bones. She tried mac and cheese and potato salad for her two sides. I had a Yuengling ($4) and Kelly had a martini ($9). Total: $58. Well worth it. We'd go back. I'd like to try the Chicken and Waffles or Catfish and Grits. We left around 7:15 and the place was jammed.
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Listener photos
From listener Matt Sharp:
From Brandon Prewitt:
Brandon from KC here again. My dad (Ken) made the drive from Cincy to join me at the Bengals/Chiefs game. What a great game. I send this because I know you like posting pics of fans at away games. It would mean a lot to me and my father if you posted this on your blog. Wow! Ten years since Casey's bone marrow surgery! That is an awesome milestone, I am glad he is doing so well!
Even though I'm in KC, I follow your blog and appreciate your post and insight on my beloved Cincy teams. Thank you!
Rob and Kate Varney: We noticed T. Robinson's play and just happened to meet his brother (Tyler) during the game. He got Trevor to come over after the game, sign autographs and take a pic with my boys (Justin and Garret-the two redhead Dalton Jr's in the pic). In fact a bunch of the Bengal players (AJ Green, A. Dalton, L. Hall, C. Dunlap, BJGE, and more) came over and signed autographs, gave gloves and wristbands to our boys. Thanks to them for building a memory. Awesome day with the victory.
