Russ’s Sports Review
It was indeed “statement weekend” for college and professional football. In a game that was hyped as “the game of a generation” in Kentucky, the Dogs blew out the Cats 34-17. Couple that with Alabama’s 29-0 domination of Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship is now a re-match from last year’s National Championship game. The Dogs are figuring things out with the running game. Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift combined for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Jake Fromm wasn’t asked to be a hero and he ran the offense well as he completed 70 percent of his passes and touchdowns.
The question now is, are the Dogs any match for “Tua and the Tide”? Alabama looked strong as they rolled to an easy win against LSU. This is the best and most wide-open Alabama offense I have ever seen. Georgia will have to be near perfect to beat Bama. They had to settle for two more short field goals and they had a pair of turnovers inside the Cat’s 30. Those will have to be cleaned up to compete. The Dogs must stay focused on the task at hand as they host Auburn this Saturday. The Dogs are an early 14 and a half point favorite. They will now play their next four games in the state of Georgia.
Can the Falcons dig themselves out of their 1-4 early season struggles? They played their most complete game of the year by far as they whipped Washington 38-14 on the road. The win was the third in a row by the Birds and it gets them to 4-4 on the season. Matt Ryan was once again very smoothly leading the way as he threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns. He did throw his first interception in a while. I guess the highlight of the game was Julio Jones’ first touchdown of the year that came in the fourth quarter. Jones has 60 catches for better than 900 yards in the season. The running game was again strong as Tevin Coleman accounted for 156 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. The offense is just fine without Devonta Freeman, thank you very much. The defense was pretty good as they had three sacks and an interception. Unfortunately, they got nothing out of Vic Beasley once again. He didn’t record a tackle or assist in the win. It is time to let him go. The Falcons stay on the road this week in another must win against Cleveland. Atlanta is an early four-point favorite. The second half of the season will be tough as they have road games against New Orleans, Green Bay and Carolina. You would think it would take a 6-2 second half to put the Falcons in a wild card spot.
On the local front, former Dodge High star, Leonard Floyd had an interception return for 19 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 41-9 win over the Bills on Sunday.
The first post-season baseball awards have been given out and honestly, I am surprised. The Gold Glove Awards have been given and the Braves got three of them for the National League. In the “no surprise” category, center fielder Ender Inciarte won the award for the third straight year. In the “I am surprised” category, Nick Markakis won for right field. Anyway, good for him even though the odds are long that he’ll be a Brave in 2019. In the “long overdue” category, Freddie Freeman won his first Gold Glove award, even though it was in a rare tie with the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo. There is a chance that trades and free agents could happen this week as the general manager meetings are now underway.
To wrap up this week, basketball registration is underway at the Dodge County Recreation Department. It will go on until November 30. The fee is $50.00 and it is open for ages five to 14 for both boys and girls. All five year olds must turn five by January 1. Opening day will be January 18, 2019. For more information, call the department at 478-374-4696. You can also sign up at www.dodge-recreation.com.
The question now is, are the Dogs any match for “Tua and the Tide”? Alabama looked strong as they rolled to an easy win against LSU. This is the best and most wide-open Alabama offense I have ever seen. Georgia will have to be near perfect to beat Bama. They had to settle for two more short field goals and they had a pair of turnovers inside the Cat’s 30. Those will have to be cleaned up to compete. The Dogs must stay focused on the task at hand as they host Auburn this Saturday. The Dogs are an early 14 and a half point favorite. They will now play their next four games in the state of Georgia.
Can the Falcons dig themselves out of their 1-4 early season struggles? They played their most complete game of the year by far as they whipped Washington 38-14 on the road. The win was the third in a row by the Birds and it gets them to 4-4 on the season. Matt Ryan was once again very smoothly leading the way as he threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns. He did throw his first interception in a while. I guess the highlight of the game was Julio Jones’ first touchdown of the year that came in the fourth quarter. Jones has 60 catches for better than 900 yards in the season. The running game was again strong as Tevin Coleman accounted for 156 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. The offense is just fine without Devonta Freeman, thank you very much. The defense was pretty good as they had three sacks and an interception. Unfortunately, they got nothing out of Vic Beasley once again. He didn’t record a tackle or assist in the win. It is time to let him go. The Falcons stay on the road this week in another must win against Cleveland. Atlanta is an early four-point favorite. The second half of the season will be tough as they have road games against New Orleans, Green Bay and Carolina. You would think it would take a 6-2 second half to put the Falcons in a wild card spot.
On the local front, former Dodge High star, Leonard Floyd had an interception return for 19 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 41-9 win over the Bills on Sunday.
The first post-season baseball awards have been given out and honestly, I am surprised. The Gold Glove Awards have been given and the Braves got three of them for the National League. In the “no surprise” category, center fielder Ender Inciarte won the award for the third straight year. In the “I am surprised” category, Nick Markakis won for right field. Anyway, good for him even though the odds are long that he’ll be a Brave in 2019. In the “long overdue” category, Freddie Freeman won his first Gold Glove award, even though it was in a rare tie with the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo. There is a chance that trades and free agents could happen this week as the general manager meetings are now underway.
To wrap up this week, basketball registration is underway at the Dodge County Recreation Department. It will go on until November 30. The fee is $50.00 and it is open for ages five to 14 for both boys and girls. All five year olds must turn five by January 1. Opening day will be January 18, 2019. For more information, call the department at 478-374-4696. You can also sign up at www.dodge-recreation.com.
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