by Tyler Harvey | Jan 15, 2020 | News Slider, Sports
The Tennessee Titans are one win away from advancing to the Super Bowl. The Titans defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore Saturday night 28-12. Turnovers, unsuccessful fourth-down conversions, and Derrick Henry proved to be too much for the No. 1 seed Ravens to overcome. The Ravens led the NFL this season in scoring by averaging 33.2 PPG, but the Titans defense stopped Baltimore from even scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter. On the Raven’s first offensive drive Baltimore drove down the field 44-yards before quarterback Lamar Jackson threw an interception that was tipped into the hands of Titans safety Kevin Byard. Once the Titans had the momentum from the turnover, they marched down the field and scored a touchdown thanks to a one-handed catch by tight-end, Jonnu Smith. On the Ravens second drive, Baltimore lost even more momentum when they were unsuccessful in converting a fourth-and-one after Jackson was tackled before he could even gain a yard, giving the ball back to the Titans. The Titans answered immediately when QB Ryan Tannehill threw a 45-yard touchdown pass on the very first play of the drive. The Ravens first two offensive drives proved to be how most of the rest of the game would go for Baltimore’s offense. Baltimore ended the night committing three total turnovers and unable to convert any fourth-down conversions going 0-4. Titans running back Derrick Henry dominated the second half; On the Titans very first drive of the second half, Henry ran for 66-yards on one play before he ended the drive by lining up at the QB position and throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass. It...
by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 18, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer will soon be on Lipscomb Academy’s payroll. Dilfer was named the Mustangs’ next head football coach at a press conference Friday afternoon. “This is a calling,” Dilfer said. “When God does something this weird in your life, you never doubt it. This isn’t a career move.” Dilfer said he was attracted to the “sense of community” at Lipscomb, and the timing just happened to be right. Former Lipscomb coach Scott Tillman resigned in November after finishing with a 2-9 record in 2018. “There’s a lot that we loved about [coming to Lipscomb],” Dilfer said. A former first-round pick out of Fresno State in 1994, Dilfer spent time as a starter and backup for five NFL teams — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. The highlight of Dilfer’s NFL career came when he helped the Baltimore Ravens defeat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. The 6-foot-4 California native appeared in 130 career games and threw for 20,518 yards and 113 touchdowns over his 14-season career. “The people that have had a football journey like mine understand that the game part of it is awesome,” Dilfer said. “But it’s what it does to your soul, your core, and the people you play with that is so much bigger than what happens between the lines.” After his retirement in 2007, Dilfer joined the NFL Network as an analyst. He eventually signed a contract with ESPN in 2010 and served as a backup announcer for Monday Night Football. However, Dilfer was a victim of ESPN’s mass layoff...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 23, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
This week in the NFL, an age-old truth was once again proved: the better team always wins. We saw it when Baltimore got a last-minute win against Cleveland. We saw it when the Bears held off the Jets. We saw it when Philadelphia fended off Washington. We saw it when the Patriots got the best of the Raiders by game’s end. The NFL regular season isn’t always the kindest to the underdog, which can make things fairly predictable. But, what happens when Goliath stumbles? So far this season, three NFL powerhouses, the Packers, the Saints and the 49ers, are all staring a 1-3 record in the face if they all lose in week four. With the Pack traveling to Chicago, the Saints heading to Dallas and the Niners hosting the Eagles, there’s a distinct possibility these three teams could quickly be headed in this direction. The NFL can be predictable, but it can also be full of surprises. Rookies can emerge to have huge games. Veterans can struggle at all the wrong moments. The Browns can prove to be competitive without their top offensive weapon. Sometimes, you just don’t know what professional football will have in store. Here are the 10 things I’m thinking after week three. 1. The Broncos and Seahawks’ Super Bowl rematch was the game we needed back in February. Despite being bullied by Seattle for three quarters, the Broncos put up 17 points on Seattle’s defense, including a late-game drive by QB Peyton Manning that looked like the kind of football that usually closes out a movie. Ultimately, the Seahawks were able to pull out...
by Sydney Poe | Jan 31, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
The 47th Super Bowl will kick off on February 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. This year’s game features the SanFransico 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The San Francisco 49ers have gained the reputation of being ‘the comeback kid’ after defeating the Atlanta Falcons despite at one time being down 17 points. San Fransico started off the season with quarterback Alex Smith, but made a switch during the season to a name that not many had heard of. Colin Kaepernick played for Nevada in college, and many thought he would become a professional baseball player as opposed to joining the NFL. After he filled in for Alex Smith when he was injured, Kaepernick led the 49ers all the way to the Super Bowl. The Ravens on the other hand have been relying on their defense and steady play of quarterback Joe Flacco to make the playoffs. With this being Ray Lewis’ last season, the team has used the emotion to win games many thought they couldn’t. They beat both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on the road to reach this year’s Super Bowl. Some think that the Ravens’ defense will be too much for the 49ers, while others are putting all their faith in Kaepernick to win the game. When we asked Lipscomb students who they thought would win the Super Bowl, the vote was unanimous....
by Aaron Schmelzer | Jan 16, 2013 | Opinion, Sports
Four teams have earned their right to compete in the conference championships this weekend. On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers visit the Atlanta Falcons, and the New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens. On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers are making their second straight conference championship game appearance. The bigger story this year, however, is the change in quarterback for the 49ers. Colin Kaepernick took over for the previously injured Alex Smith in Week 10 and quarterbacked the 49ers to a tie versus the St. Louis Rams. It was assumed that head coach Jim Harbaugh would keep Smith as the starter after he was healthy, but Harbaugh stood beside Kaepernick. With a 5-2 record under Kaepernick as QB, Harbaugh did not become a Monday morning quarterback. Kaepernick led San Francisco to the second overall seed in its conference and a first-round bye. Questions loomed over the young quarterback as to how he would play in his playoff debut. Kaepernick did not disappoint, as he rushed for 181 yards – an all-time record for a quarterback in a single game. The 49ers toppled the Packers to cement their spot in the conference championship game. A winless record in the playoffs for the Atlanta Falcons since 2004 followed the team last Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks came to town, riding a 6-game winning streak. The Falcons comfortably led 20-0 walking into the locker room at halftime but watched their lead crumble as Seattle scored 28 unanswered points, eventually leading 28-27 with less than a minute in the game. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan drove the offense into field goal...
