Saturday Six Pack

ENGLAND STUNS SPAIN 1-0 IN FRIENDLY

Photo Credit: zimbio.com

It might have been just an exhibition match that in the grand scheme of things means very little, but England should still feel very good about themselves and the result they had against top-ranked Spain today. Using a lineup that didn't feature prominent names Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Steven Gerrard or Jack Wilshere, England's defense withstood the Spanish attack and pulled out an improbable 1-0 win thanks to a rebound goal by captain Frank Lampard. England was outshot 21-3 and saw very little of the ball, still for all of the possession Spain had (71%) the world's top ranked team struggled to put together GOOD chances forcing Joe Hart into making just two saves. 31 year old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker was named the man of the match appearing in just his 11th game for England's Senior National Team. For Spain it marked their second lost in the last 3 months having also dropped a friendly in Italy back in August.

JONATHAN PAPELBON HEADED TO PHILLY

Photo Credit: detnews.com

The exodus from Boston continues as Jonathan Papelbon joins former General Manager Theo Epstein and Manager Terry Francona on the road out of town after the Red Sox historic September collapse. Papelbon and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a 4 year deal worth $50M pending a physical which means among other things, the Red Sox will have a new closer in 2012. Replacing the 4-time All Star and Boston's all time saves leader is no small feat, but Boston doesn't necessarily have to go out on the free agent market to find a solution. With former all star Bobby Jenks under contract for another year, and Papelbon's heir apparent, the flame-throwing Daniel Bard, arguably ready despite an abysmal September, I don't see a need for the Sox to go out and throw money at one of the top available closers. That said, guys like Brad Lidge and Joe Nathan could certainly be in the mix as well if they're willing to take one-year incentive-laden deals. New GM Ben Cherington certainly has a lot of decisions to make over the winter months. We'll see what happens.

COACH K TIES BOBBY KNIGHT AT 902 WINS

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski won his 902nd career game as an NCAA Division I head coach today tying his former coach and mentor Bobby Knight for first place all time among D-I coaches. Needing just 3 wins to pass Knight at the start of the season, Duke has reeled off back to back wins this week narrowly defeating Belmont 77-76 in the season opener and then blowing out Presbyterian tonight 96-55. Coach K can now pass Knight with a win over Michigan State on Tuesday night in the State Farm Champions Classic in New York. Junior Forward Ryan Kelly came off the bench to lead Duke with 17 points in tonight's win while freshman guard Austin Rivers had 15 points and 6 assists. Coach K is now 902-284 in his 37th season as a head coach.

NORTH CAROLINA WINS CARRIER CLASSIC

Photo Credit: feedeep.com

In case you missed it last night, the inaugural Carrier Classic was played on board the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson between North Carolina and Michigan State. Both teams played in camouflage jerseys with no names on the back - just 'USA' - in front of the President and First Lady and numerous military members. The score seemed almost secondary in a memorable Veterans Day Event as the top-ranked Tar Heels won 67-55.

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

BOISE STATE GETS A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE, FALLS 36-35

Photo Credit: star-telegram.com

Taking a page out of the Boise State playbook, TCU went for 2 against the Broncos late in the 4th quarter down by 1 and it worked giving the Horned Frogs a 36-35 win. Unlike the memorable play that won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma, the game didn't end with TCU's 2 point conversion. Kellen Moore actually drove Boise State into field goal range late, but for the second year in a row, Boise State saw their title hopes end on a missed kick. Last year it was Senior Kyle Brotzman who missed late in regulation and again in overtime against Nevada, and this year it was freshman Dan Goodale who pushed a 39 yarder wide right as time expired. It's another loss that's tough to swallow for the Broncos. Dating back to the 2007 season Holiday Bowl, they've only lost 4 times - twice to TCU - by a total of 8 points.

STANFORD RUNS OUT OF LUCK, FALLS TO DUCKS

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

The Quack Attack lives on as the Oregon Ducks rolled to a 53-30 win over 4th ranked Stanford dropping the Cardinal from the ranks of the unbeaten. Darron Thomas threw 3 touchdown passes, LaMichael James ran for 3 touchdowns, and the Duck defense forced 5 turnovers as Oregon won their 9th in a row and are now in the driver's seat for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. For Stanford, any chance of playing in the National Championship game goes out of the window as we are now dangerously close to potentially seeing a rematch of Alabama and LSU for the National Championship; the thought of which just makes me cringe. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck finished 26 of 40 for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns, but was picked off twice in the loss.