Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
ReutersRhema McKnight caught six passes for 109 yards and one touchdown and Jeff Samardzija had six receptions for 79 yards and one TD.
The three Notre Dame stars — all seniors — leave school having never beaten USC.
“This teams plays off one another. The offense just didn’t do our part tonight,” Quinn said. “We didn’t make big plays when we needed to. It was frustrating at times. I’d try to find someone open, and there wasn’t anyone there.”
The win before a crowd of 91,800 at the Los Angeles Coliseum was the Trojans 55th in their last 58 games. They’re 20-0 in November games under Carroll, and have won 33 straight home games.
The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for Notre Dame, but the Irish still figure to play in a big-money bowl game.
“We didn’t win on special teams. We didn’t win on offense. We didn’t win on defense,” Irish coach Charlie Weis said. “We’re fighting an uphill battle most of the night. It wasn’t very productive.”
The Trojans moved 65 yards with the second half kickoff, scoring on a 2-yard run by Chauncey Washington for a 28-10 lead. Jarrett’s one-handed catch for a 19 yards set up the score.
“I just stuck my hand out there and I just grabbed it,” Jarrett said. “It’s nothing new. It’s just me being me, going out there and making plays.”
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The Trojans extended their lead to 31-17 on Mario Danelo’s 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
USC scored on its first three possessions and led 21-10 at halftime. It might have been closer had the Irish not failed to convert three fourth-down plays in USC territory.
Quinn threw a 38-yard pass to McKnight on the game’s first play, but Quinn’s pass to McKnight on fourth-and-9 from the USC 29 was incomplete. The Trojans then moved 71 yards, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Booty to Jarrett.
USC forced a punt, and Desmond Reed, who tore up his knee in last year’s game at Notre Dame, returned it 43 yards to the Irish
26. Booty threw a 5-yard TD pass to Jarrett three plays later.
Notre Dame’s Carl Gioia kicked a 27-yard field goal, but Booty’s 1-yard run capped a 59-yard drive, putting the Trojans ahead 21-3. That made it an NCAA-record 63 straight games in which USC has scored 20 or more points.
The Trojans’ next three possessions were as negative as the first three were positive — a blocked punt and two interceptions.
Quinn threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Freeman on the first play after Steve Quinn blocked Greg Woidneck’s punt.
Notre Dame leads the series 42-31-5.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
