Vick-tory and Other Stuff
Posted December 4, 2005, 8:24 PM ET

Finally!

The Carolina Panthers defeated Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons. And they did it in an impressive fashion. The Falcons, and Vick in particular, have owned the Panthers this century. The "rivalry" had been so dominant in Atlanta's favor that the Charlotte Observer had numerous erroneous mentions of the streak...one writer had the Panthers losing 7 of the last 8. Another writer mentioned that the Falcons had won 12 of the last 13..(For the record it was 9 ATL wins in the last 10 games)...that is, until Sunday's dominating Panthers performance.

The Panthers were stoked and so were the fans. It was a playoff atmosphere and the Panthers played their most complete game of the season. It was the kind of performance that gets the hometown fans thinking about a serious and legitimate run to the Super Bowl. "Punch the Ticket" indeed.

DeShaun Foster was outstanding with 131 yards rushing. He became the first back over 100 yards for the year, and it also placed Stephen Davis in a backup role for the remainder of the season. The Panthers' defense harrassed Vick all day long...with 5 quarterback sacks and two interceptions that sealed the beatdown.

The Panthers were well-prepared to eliminate the 800 pound gorilla that was hanging around when the Dirty Birds entered the stadium. Even though players and coaches downplayed the Falcons hex all week, it was obvious that the team was ready to put that discussion to rest.

Up next is another big NFC South showdown...this time with Tampa Bay. It is also another reason that Carolina Panther fans and players can punch the ticket and get closer to a playoff spot and an opportunity to make a road trip to Detroit in Frebruary of '06.

There was other stuff going on this past weekend, too....

The UNC Tar Heels had a pretty good week. Despite the 1-1 record, the UNC freshmen are playing well and Roy Williams seems to be making his mark on the young team already. The win on Saturday at always tough Rupp Arena was impressive. And if you missed David Noel's dunk, you missed one of the highlight's of the 2005-06 basketball season....it was simply awesome.

Has a school ever had a more deflating sports weekend than Va. Tech? The Hokies were on the verge of an amazing one-point win over #1 ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium until Sean Dockery's half-court heave at the buzzer beat the Hokies. This comes one day after the # 5 ranked Hokie football team blew a chance to make it to the Orange Bowl by showing up flat in an upset loss to the FSU Seminoles. Beamer's bunch lost out on a $15 million dollar payday and even worse, has to go back to dreadful Jacksonville to play in the Gator Bowl.

One more note about college hoops....the Big Ten sucks. How can the Big Ten lose to the ACC in the "challenge"? If they can't beat the ACC this season, then it is time for a change. The Big East-ACC Showdown already has a better ring to it!

The college bowl bids were announced on Sunday, and the BCS worked to perfection.....and I hate reporting that on my weblog. The BCS system still stinks, but it has produced the game that everybody wants to see....Texas and Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.

The Longhorns and Trojans did nothing but impress over the weekend.....the Horns won by 67 points and the Trojans squeaked by rival UCLA by 47 points. I think it is the most anticipated bowl game in the 30 years...maybe the most anticipated bowl game ever.....How about that for being over-hyped?

Speaking of bowl bids, NC State landed in the "Muffler Bowl" in Charlotte. I suspect that there will be plenty of tickets available for the 6-5 Wolfpack against South Florida....Can you name one player from South Florida?

I didn't think so.

Clemson is headed down to Orlando and will play the white-hot Colorado Buffaloes...the Buffs are fresh off a 67-point setback in the Big XII title game. Charlotte would have loved to see the Tiger fans flock to the Queen City, but for Clemson, a trip to Orlando is a good deal. Tommy Bowden and his staff will enjoy the trip, the weather and the chance to impress Sunshine state recruits.....of course, that is only true if you play well and win.

The South Carolina Gamecocks have the chance to hang out with Tim Brando in Shreveport, Louisiana at the Independence Bowl. Wow, what a great reward for Steve Spurrier and a team that beat Tennessee and Florida. If the Cocks would have beaten arch-rival Clemson and finished the season ranked 8-3, a trip to Florida would have been in the offering. I'm sure the Brando household will make USC fans feel right at home...Shreveport is beautiful during the holidays.

I'll discuss the bowl games in a journal entry later this month. By the way, the folks at the Muffler Bowl want me to remind you that good seats are still available....they should have a contest in which if you can name a single player from South Florida, you get a pair of tickets...if you can't name one, then you still get a pair of tickets.