Frust » Hey, you were throwing them away out there. What abo

FULLERTON, Calif. -- DJ Hogg scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to lead Texas A&M to a 68-65 win over Virginia Tech in a Wooden Legacy semifinal on Friday.Texas A&M (4-1) will play in the tournament championship while Virginia Tech (4-1) plays in the third-place game. Both games are Sunday in Anaheim.Hogg also grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double, and scored the final five points for the Aggies.Texas A&M coach Bill Kennedy was impressed with his teams defensive performance as it held Virginia Tech to 65 points, 27 points less than it scored a day earlier against New Mexico.I thought the first half was a track meet. The second half was more of a halfcourt game, Kennedy said. That was the biggest key for us. One of our goals was to keep them to 65 points or less.Ahmed Hill had 18 points for Virginia Tech. Justin Robinson missed his first four shots but made his final two attempts of the first half and finished with 14 points.Seven players scored for Virginia Tech in the first half as it ran out to a 38-25 halftime lead. The Aggies made eight consecutive shots to pull to 57-54, and later cut the lead to 63-61 on a layup by Admon Gilder.We just didnt close it out, Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said. Their offensive execution and offensive rebounding really hurt us. They missed 35 shots and got 15 of them back. We werent able to finish possessions.BIG PICTUREVirginia Tech will need to work on its defense down the stretch and playing well with a lead. The Hokies led by as many as 17 points in the second half but couldnt hang on to the lead.Texas A&M should feel good about rallying from a 13-point halftime deficit. It will have another stiff test with either UCLA or Nebraska in the final, which should help its cause before Southeastern Conference play.HE SAID ITThe Aggies lost to Southern California in College Station on Nov. 18, and Ahmed Gilder said the team learned from it. That was probably the best thing for us, Ahmed Gilder said, We had a great practice after that loss.TURNING POINTAfter making just 1 of 10 shots from 3-point range in the first half, the Aggies found their groove and made 4 of 9 3-pointers in the second half. Texas A&M scored on eight consecutive possessions to pull within three points at 57-54. That stretch got the Aggies back in it, and it was a close game the rest of the way.UP NEXTVirginia Tech will play in the third-place game on Sunday, but that figures to be a difficult test, too, with either Nebraska or UCLA. A lot will be learned about the Hokies in how they move on after their first loss of the season.Texas A&M is a surprise contender for the Wooden Legacy tournament title, but it can go a long way in establishing confidence with another victory on Sunday. The Aggies have played well since losing to Southern California 65-63. Wholesale Adidas Nmd .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Cheap Adidas Nmd Wholesale . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/ . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Adidas Nmd Cheap Uk Sale . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Latest Nmd Trainers . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. The rivalry spans 123 years and 96 meetings, 21 U.S. presidents and 46 College Football Hall of Famers.One Pitt-Penn State game stands above all the rest.Thirty-five years ago -- on Nov. 28, 1981 -- the Penn State Nittany Lions completed one of the biggest upsets in school history, not necessarily by whom they beat but by how they won. They entered a hostile environment to take on the No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers, a touchdown favorite, and found themselves trailing 14-0 after the first quarter.They ended up winning 48-14.Some fans might have turned off the national ABC broadcast 15 minutes into the game. Penn State wasnt supposed to rally, after all, not over Dan Marinos team. Not over the squad riding a 17-game win streak and poised for a national championship.Then something happened. Even 35 years later, some players remain dumbfounded.Youre never going to see that again, said former Penn State linebacker Chet Parlavecchio.Penn State and Pitt will resume their rivalry on Saturday (Noon ET, ESPN). It almost certainly wont live up to the 1981 contest. No Penn State game may ever again approach that turnaround.Heres the story ...Leading up to the gameNo. 11 Penn State is 8-2 entering the last game of the regular season, while No. 1 Pitt is an undefeated 10-0 and on the cusp of its second national championship since 1938. Parlavecchio, a senior, draws the ire of Pitt fans after going on a radio show and slamming the Panthers easy schedule. Junior Pitt quarterback Marino says on the taped TV pregame that, Its a big rivalry game; its the most important game of most of the players lives.Rich DAmico, Penn State defensive lineman, 1978-1981: Back then, Dan could move around and he was very accurate. It was tough to get heat on Danny. He had quick feet in the pocket, and he had maybe the quickest release in the game. But I felt like we had a lot of confidence in our ability as a defense to play with anybody.Greg Gattuso, Penn State defensive lineman, 1980-83: There was no real way to defend him. Between his quick release and his feet, it was just so hard to sack him. We were dropping eight or nine into coverage because he was just such a hard quarterback to guard.Chet Parlavecchio, Penn State linebacker, 1979-81: It started to get annoying with them being No. 1 in the country and us sort of being talked about like were second fiddle. They were being talked about like the second coming of the Green Bay Packers, and we were just supposed to go there and lay down.Gregg Garrity, Penn State wide receiver, 1980-82: We were pretty angry because we knew we had one of the better teams in the country, but we had a couple bad losses.Wayne DiBartola, Pitt running back, 1979-81: It was a huge game and a huge opportunity. Our team the year previous was ranked No. 1 in the preseason and it didnt really pan out, and we lost all those great players. But here we roll into the 81 season and we end up undefeated essentially playing for the national championship against Penn State. It was huge.Curt Warner, Penn State running back, 1979-82: We were as geared up as much as you can get. They had beaten us the last couple years -- and had beaten us fairly convincingly in my freshman and sophomore years. So we were just trying to get our footing with regards to those guys.Jackie Sherrill, Pitt head coach, 1977-81: We had won 17 games in a row and we had Dan Marino so, if youre asking me if I felt comfortable, yes I did. It was a very big game. ... A Pitt-Penn State game was bragging rights for 365 days in the state of Pennsylvania. Its kind of like the Alabama-Auburn, Mississippi-Mississippi State, Texas-Texas A&M, Michigan-Michigan State, and you can go on and on.Pitt takes the leadThe Panthers absolutely dominate in the first quarter. Marino is nearly perfect, as his team outgains Penn State 143 yards to minus-1 yard. Pitt leads 14-0, and all the momentum is on its side. Its on pace to be a blowout.Leo Wisniewski, Penn State defensive lineman, 1978-81: Youre feeling like youre on the ropes. Theres no question about that. Youre like a fighter whos gotten a standing eight count with those two quick TDs, so youre just trying to focus one snap at a time.DAmico: I remember thinking to myself at the point they had gone up 14-0 that we had been talking some serious trash and, if this thing didnt turn around, it was going to be pretty embarrassing to face the hometown crew after taking a good old-fashioned ass-whipping.Todd Blackledge, Penn State quarterback, 1979-1982: It was unnerving because everything was going Pitts way. Not only were we struggling to move the ball and get on the positive side of putting some plays together, but we showed no signs of slowing them down. Dan was just moving right up and down the field early on. It was a little hairy.Tom Bradley, Penn State assistant coach, 1979-2011: We were just trying to hang in there because things werent going our way early. We were struggling.DiBartola: We were on cloud nine. After some of the Penn State players remarks that we didnt play anyone, we ran out to a 14-0 lead and we actually were close to a 21-0 lead. There was no stopping us at that point. We were in control of that game.Mike Munchak, Penn State offensive lineman, 1978-1981: We felt like Pitt couldve blown us out right there if we didnt make some plays.Turning pointsIt seems like the game is about to fly out of control. Marino is driving on second-and-7 from the Penn State 32, but Nittany Lions DB Roger Jackson makes an over-the-shoulder interception in the end zone when the wind grabs Marinos pass as he tries to toss it out of bounds.Warner: I dont know when the game completely shifted, but I know when it started: It started when Roger Jackson made that interception in the end zone. They were going to go up on us 21-0 -- and 21-0, I think, there wouldve been a sense of panic. We needed a play right then.DiBartola: If we score that touchdown, I think we wouldve beaten them 50-0. It wouldve been the opposite effect of what really happened. They wouldve been down 21-0 at halftime, and we wouldve come out and tried to control the tempo of the game. I dont think they wouldve ever stood a chance.Munchak: Those are the plays that change a game dramatically and, when youre down 14-0 and not playing well, you need someone to change the momentum. And that was the first one that got it going, 21-0 wouldve been a lot more difficult to come back from. No doubt that started the turn in momentum.Penn States offense shows its first signs of life after the pick, on an 80-yard drrive that culminates with a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Mike Meade.dddddddddddd That cuts Pitts lead to 14-7. DRAT! flashes on the scoreboard. Pitt starts driving again when it gets the ball back -- and Parlavecchio is nailed with a 15-yard personal foul for a hit out of bounds.Parlavecchio: I knew we had to do something to get the game turned and, sometimes, doing the wrong thing is the right thing. We were dead; we had that deer-in-the-headlights look and I was the captain. I said, We need to get this going. I dragged their receiver about 5 yards out of bounds and he went flying. And when I got up, there were about 20 Pitt guys and Jackie Sherrill were around. I remember Jackie came up, pulled me by the arm and says, Cmon, Chet, get out of here! To a layman in the stands, it just looked like a late hit. But I always said this: I knew what I was doing.Gattuso: It was an amazing bit of -- well, I dont even know what youd call it. But thats when the hitting picked up and the game started to swing. I have no doubt he did it on purpose. He was not going to let us go quietly. We changed after that. I could feel it in the huddle.Blackledge: Our team kind of stiffened and made a few plays and, Chets hit on the sideline, once we had something like that happen, the offense kind of kicked in.Several plays after Parlavecchios hit, Pitt is again poised to score a touchdown and finds itself on the Penn State 30. PSUs Jackson then deflects a pass -- one just inches from completion on the 4-yard line -- and defensive back Mark Robinson intercepts the ball. Pitt never finds its way back to the end zone.Penn State WR Gregg Garrity: I would say that was the big turning point. Because, if they wouldve scored any points there, then the panic wouldve set in. There wasnt any panic at that point. But it was getting close.Rally and reversalPenn State enters halftime in a 14-14 tie, but the momentum has shifted dramatically. The Nittany Lions score the next TD to go up 21-14, and it snowballs. Everything seems to bounce Penn States way; Pitt turns the ball over seven times.Garrity: At halftime, we knew. We knew we had them because we didnt think we were playing our best on offense. So we said if we pick up our game, theres no way they can stay with us. I know our defense was thinking we can handle Marino and the receivers. To be honest with you, I watched their receivers and they were totally different in the second half. They didnt seem to want to go for the balls. They kind of had alligator arms because our defense just kept hitting them.Gattuso: I remember at halftime Coach (Joe) Paterno saying, OK, boys we got them right where we want them. I remember that vividly because I was like, Holy smokes. We got them right where we want them? I remember him coming in clapping and saying that. It just felt like that at halftime. We felt like we were going to win. Its such a long time ago, but that one really stands out in a lot of ways.Parlavecchio: The minute we made it 21-14, we knew it. Body language is a funny thing. No one had ever done that to them and again, if no one had ever done that to you, you dont know how to handle it.DiBartola: When they scored first, we were like, Whoa -- now were down by 7. And thats when it was like, we might be in trouble here. There was no way to get back to that feeling in the first quarter.Warner: We were just probably as surprised as everyone else at how we were able to put points on the board. Our mindset has always been that way -- lets put points on the board -- but it just kept racking up. We just kept making plays and, at some point, the momentum shifted where we were making every play.Blackledge: The second half was just a completely different game. We were playing with great confidence and when we got the lead, the avalanche kind of switched and went the other way. They couldnt hang on to the ball; we were rolling. And a 14-0 game went on to a 14-14 game and went on to a 48-14 game that was just kind of a crazy win.Sherrill: The head coach lost that game because we kept throwing the football instead of running the football, and Penn State was dropping nine people every play. They were only rushing two. So our confidence level with Danny was that we could beat anybody, but that didnt come to fruition because we didnt run the ball. And we had a great running game. Point blank: The head coach didnt do a great job.Parlavecchio: We literally just rushed two guys. We had nine guys in coverage. Nine. And he kept throwing. OK, go ahead. Go ahead. And I think the score started to get out of whack and then you really think you have to throw -- like, Hey, I gotta get back in it -- maybe thats what their mindset was.DiBartola: We scored so fast, so easy. We were so dominant in the first quarter that we tried to go back and hit the home run and blitz their quarterback and make big plays. If we just got into our regular game plan, we mightve been able to overcome those unfortunate circumstances. ... We threw two long touchdown passes and it was so easy, so why grind it out? I guess we just got caught up in the speed of the game.Sherrill: If we had done a better job, we wouldve had a national championship. And thats not the players fault, thats my fault.DAmico: I think I grabbed (Marinos) arm after the game and said, Hey, you were throwing them away out there. What about me? Why cant you take care of me? I thought he might get a chuckle out of it. I was wrong. He lashed out at me, and I kind of felt bad.Warner: If you told us before the game it would be 48-14, I dont think anyone wouldve believed you, to be honest. We believed we could win and we knew it would be a tough football game, but to beat them the way we did was surprising.Wisniewski: It was deeply satisfying, especially being a senior and finishing up our regular season and senior year at Pitt Stadium with a huge win like that. I dont think for the Pittsburgh guys, I dont think we couldve scripted it any better than that. It was very, very special.Blackledge: To come back and win and play on the road against the No. 1 team, our arch rival, it doesnt get much better than that in college football. And to add insult to injury, I guess the day of the game was Jackie Sherrills birthday -- and I can still remember our Blue Band playing Happy Birthday to him. ... It was just a great, great night, just one of those really enjoyable and memorable games. ' ' '