Lipscomb students share opinions on Super Bowl XLIX

With Super Bowl XLIX quickly approaching, many Lipscomb students jumped at the opportunity to share their opinions on the game. On the other hand, some did not. This year’s matchup will feature the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, who won Super Bowl XLVIII. The recent controversy on whether the Patriots deliberately used under-inflated footballs against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game has sparked much attention from fans. SAB will host a Super Bowl party at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Bison Cafe with tailgate food and door prizes. Reporter Brianne Welch interviewed students about who they think will win and why. Story by Brianne Welch and Erin...

The Film Session (a weekly NFL recap), Week 3: Surprise, or No Surprise?

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...

The Film Session (a weekly NFL recap), Week Two: The Dust Settles

Week two in the NFL is one of the more perplexing times of the season. It’s the big week when those ominous playoff statistics start to float around. If your team is sitting pretty at 2-0, the odds are in your favor. If your team is lacking two wins to start the season, things aren’t exactly floating down your team’s stream. However, when teams like the Bills and Texans are perfect and teams like the Saints and Colts are without wins, it’s hard to believe that these teams’ fates are set in stone. But, this is the NFL, and anything can happen on any given game day. Are the perfect teams for real? Are the winless teams on the downward path? What about the plethora of 1-1 teams? One thing that week two does effectively is end week one honeymoons. If your favorite team won big in the first game and got squashed in the second game, those feel-good jitters were probably replaced with worrisome questions and bummed-out frowns. But, you know what, that’s okay. Early season NFL is all about working out the kinks and getting your team clicking. We’ve still got a long, long stretch to go, and who knows where your selected franchise will be once the final whistle blows. Here are the 10 thoughts I had during the week. 1. The San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints are highly-respectable franchises with wonderful rosters, but those two teams have one bad thing in common: they both let RB Darren Sproles get out of their hands. After Monday night’s big comeback win for the Eagles, both...

The Film Session (a weekly NFL recap): Fingers Off the Panic Button

Hello, NFL fans! Football nerd Cory Woodroof here. I’d like to welcome you into The Film Session, a new recap of the week in the NFL that will be published every Tuesday here on the site. I’ll always offer you 10 of my takeaways from the week, go over the power rankings and give my player of the week. Also, I’ll highlight five games that have me excited for the week ahead. Shall we begin? Week one in the NFL is always one of the sports’ best times, but it’s also one of the worst times to be gauging a team’s future success (or lack-thereof). Think back to last year. Could any of us predict that, after week one, the Chiefs were back in business? How about that the Texans were on track to pick number one in the 2014 draft? We may get small hints of this and that, but there’s still a long season ahead. So, if your team won a big one, congrats, but don’t get too comfortable. And, if your team is struggling, don’t lose hope. The best coaches can always make adjustments and get their teams back to business. This week, a few teams got back to playing like they’re known for playing, a few surprise teams handed defeats to some of the league’s best and Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning. Here are my top 10 takeaways from the first week of the season. If there’s such a thing as the “Super Bowl Slump,” don’t tell the Seattle Seahawks. In a complete home field pummeling of the Green Bay Packers, the reigning champions proved...

Lumination’s Super Bowl XLVIII prediction

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas, but the Super Bowl.  This year’s 48th matchup is a rarity, pitting the two number-one-seeded teams in either conference against each other. The Denver Broncos (15-3) and the Seattle Seahawks (15-3), will square off at Metlife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2. This is the first time the New York metropolitan area has hosted a Super Bowl, and the first time the big game has been held in an outdoor, cold weather venue. The first question raised might be whether or not Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning can play in cold weather, much less win. Manning is 3-7 in outdoor games in which the temperature is, or is less than, 32 degrees. Actually, the weather does not seem to be an issue. The Weather Channel predicts that the forecast for Sunday’s game will consist of a low chance of precipitation, low wind speeds and relatively warm weather for winter in New York, so low 40’s to 30’s. The weather is most likely the least of any teams’ worries, though the cold most definitely will affect the passing game. Because of this, both teams may look to establish the running game early. The Seahawks defense is ranked first in total defense during the regular season, as well as first in passing defense and receiving defense. Seattle allows almost 102 yards per game, which is ranked eighth in rush defense. Denver’s running game is ranked fifteenth in the league with 117 yard per game. As cliché as it is to say it, the rushing game opens up opportunities for the passing game....