The local hospitality, the facility and the weather combined to make the SEC Tournament a success for visitors to the Tampa Bay area. ...more

March 16, 2009

PLAYER OF THE GAME Every player Coach Bruce Pearl called upon performed well for the Vols, but it was Tyler Smith who predictably set the tone in Friday night's rout of Alabama. ...more

March 14, 2009

PLAYER OF THE GAME Every time the Commodores sliced into Alabama's lead, Alonzo Gee responded. ...more

March 13, 2009

PLAYERS OF THE GAME Kentucky needed a win in its tournament opener to keep hope alive for reaching the NCAA Tournament, and the Wildcats' All-SEC performers - junior guard Jodie Meeks and sophomore forward Patrick Patterson - turned in big games. ...more

March 13, 2009

the starting defensive unit for the Florida Gators. Oklahoma's offense came in having scored at least 60 points in five consecutive games. All Florida's defense did was hold OU scoreless in the first quarter and limited the Sooners to 14 points, their fewest since scoring 17 against Iowa State in 2007. The bend-but-don't-break defense did just that - stopping Oklahoma on a fourth-and-goal run at the 1 and intercepting Sam Bradford on the 3 in the second quarter. The cliche is defense wins championships and that was the case Thursday night. ...more

January 9, 2009

PLAYER OF THE GAME It's not easy being a backup in this league. You seldom play and when you do, you're expected to play as well as or better than the starter. Few players ever meet the standard, but Raiders RB Michael Bush did. Bush, who had run the ball just 68 times prior to Sunday, stepped in for an injured Justin Fargas late in the first quarter and turned in the best game by a Raiders back all season. ...more

December 29, 2008

PLAYER OF THE GAME Philip Rivers is in rare company. But not just because he leads all NFL quarterbacks in passer rating. Rivers, who completed 21 of 31 throws for 287 yards and a career-best four touchdowns Sunday, is one of only two quarterbacks to leave a game against the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium this year with a better passer rating than he had going in. Rivers came into the game with a 101.4 mark. In beating the Bucs he posted a mark of 136.7 and he did so rather effortlessly. Aided by a rushing attack that kept the Bucs off-balance and perhaps by a defense that played a little soft in coverage, Rivers moved the ball around to a variety of receivers and quickly drove the Chargers downfield in drive after drive. Scouts will tell you Rivers has a tendency to run hot and cold and that he sometimes tightens up in big games. Maybe they're right. But Rivers was as hot as could be and there was nothing tight about him. ...more

December 22, 2008

PLAYER OF THE GAME Falcons RB Michael Turner on Sunday did to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers what Panthers RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart did to them the previous game. Like a bull charging a red cape, he ran right through the middle of Tampa Bay's defense, gaining 152 yards on 32 carries, including one that went for a touchdown. ...more

December 15, 2008

PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME This was a tale of two backs - DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Both are bruising runners and they bruised the Bucs badly in this one, combining for 301 yards and four touchdowns. They were fairly effective in the first half, running 14 times for a combined 84 yards and one TD. They turned it on in the second half, though, at one point running 15 times for 170 yards and three touchdowns in an 18-minute span that decided the outcome. Perhaps the most amazing thing about their performance is that they made most of their yards after contact, breaking tackle after tackle against one of the best tackling units in the league. ...more

December 9, 2008

Former Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp took a shot at long-time defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin on the show "Inside The NFL" this week on the cable network Showtime. ...more

December 6, 2008