In the Oakland Raiders case, they decided to form a marriage with kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Instead of an extravagant ring Janikowski received a hefty four-year, $16 million contract with $9 million guaranteed making him the richest kicker in NFL history.

Janikowski was the best available placekicker on the free-agent market. Other top free-agent kickers without a home are Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham, New York Jets’ Jay Feely, Arizona’s Neil Rackers, and Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed.

Since he was drafted number one out of Florida State in 2000, he hasn’t disappointed during his 10 years in the Bay Area. He was the first special teams specialist in 21 years to be drafted in the first round.

The Polish left footed kicker has scored 1,000 points in his NFL Career. He has nailed 78.4 percent of his field goal attempts (229 of 292) and made 99% percent of his extra-points (313 of 316).

Sebastian’s had his best campaign in 2009. He racked up 95 points, made 26 of 29 field goals, only misfiring 3 times from 45, 57 and 66 yards. His leg has shown the durability to handle the gridiron mileage with 6 kicks converted from at least 50 yards out. His 61-yarder was the fourth longest in NFL history.

His 17 touchbacks on 58 kickoffs was the sixth-best in the NFL last season.

At first Al Davis didn’t see Janikowski as a game-changing kicker. As a rookie he misfired on 10 field goals and hit on 76 percent of his tries the first three seasons. But He has shown better consistency the past two seasons with 41 of 44 kicks inside 50 yards. He became the all-time leading scorer in team history in 2008.

The Raiders have taken care of their most coveted free agents of late. They rewarded Pro Bowl Punter Shane Lechler, star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugba, and defensive tackle Tommy Kelly with record contracts. The book is still open on defensive lineman Richard Seymour who Oakland acquired from New England for a 2011 first-round draft pick.

It’s closed in the kicking department. If they are ever to become competitive again they don’t have a lucrative leg  to blame their misfortunes on.

Some quick stats; Iowa averages 23 PPG and allows 15 PPG, as Georgia Tech averages 35 PPG and allows 24 PPG. For a prediction, I say Georgia Tech pulls out a exhilarating 27-24 win in OT.

How could they not, after finally ending a four-game losing streak with an overtime win over Atlanta last week and licking their chops, thinking of feasting on a Denver Broncos team that was on a bad four-game slide of its own?

After an embarrassing 26-6 loss in Denver however, the Giants (6-5) will be most grateful if they can simply remain a legitimate contender in the NFC playoff race by the time the December holidays arrive.

If that happens, Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin might be thanking any player on his team who could help prevent another performance as dreadful as the one he witnessed at Invesco Field at Mile High on Thursday night.

“We didn’t have any tempo and we didn’t make any plays,” Coughlin said. “We keep talking about winning the physical battle and controlling the line of scrimmage. We thought this would be the night and it wasn’t.

That was the understatement of the evening for Giants fans who probably wished Big Blue could have at least swapped places with one of the NFL teams which played its game earlier in the day. Seeing their team get physically dominated in the trenches the way it did in a Thanksgiving nightcap must have made it tough for Giants supporters to keep down their turkey and all of the trimmings.

The Giants managed just a pair of Lawrence Tynes field goals against a Broncos squad that allowed between 27 and 32 points in each of its previous four games.

New York tight end Kevin Boss (two receptions for 22 yards), who caught two key touchdown passes last week, said “We really wanted this one. We needed this one. We felt like we were starting to play our type of ball again [after last week] and for whatever reason we just came out here and laid an egg. We never got into a rhythm and we were just flat.”

Offensively, that was true right from the start, as the Giants stumbled out of the gate, with their six first-half possessions resulting in five punts and a fumble, going an anemic three-and-out on four occasions.

Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning (24-40, 230 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), who threw for a career-high 384 yards and three touchdowns only four days prior, was routinely pressured as the Giants’ ineffective offensive line let the floodgates open on its often unprotected quarterback.

Although New York made the final statistics respectable — the Broncos outgained the Giants 373-267 and finished with just six more first downs (21-15) — the first half numbers, which set the tone for the rest of the game, told the real story, as the Giants could get very little going offensively and didn’t make enough defensive stops early on, to stay in the game.

Denver (7-4) held a huge advantage (213-38) in total yards (including 149-9 net yards through the air), had twelve first downs to New York’s three, and limited Manning to just six completions in thirteen attempts, for 28 yards in the opening two quarters.

A frustrated Osi Umenyiora was seen scolding his teammates on the sideline during the first as the defensive end seemed to be, like many Giants this season, left without answers as to why his team can often look so good at some points, and during others, as bad as it showed against the Broncos, this season.

After punting on its first possession of the game, Denver drove deep into New York territory on its next two trips, but settled for field goals each time. The first, a 26-yarder from Matt Prater, gave the Broncos a 3-0 lead with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Prater then made it 6-0, Denver, from 32 yards out, with 10:46 remaining in the opening half.

The Broncos would score on their next two possessions though, to take control of the game. A fumble by Giants’ running back Danny Ware was recovered at the New York 38-yard line by safety Brian Dawkins (who used to plague the Giants for years as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles before coming to Denver this season).

The Broncos took advantage quickly, needing just four plays to find the end zone, as Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall (team-high 6 catches for a game-high 86 yards) made a nice leaping, one-hand grab on a pass from quarterback Kyle Orton (18-28, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) for a 28-yard gain. Three plays later, rookie running back Knowshon Moreno (Ware‘s fellow Georgia alum, who racked up a game-high 88 yards on 19 carries), scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge to put the Broncos comfortably ahead, 13-0, with 7:17 left in the half.

A 15-yard facemask penalty on Giants’ cornerback Corey Webster put Denver in field goal range on the Broncos next possession, allowing Prater to connect again, on a 47-yard field goal, 3:28 before halftime, to give Denver 16-0 lead, a margin the Broncos would take into the locker room.

The Giants showed signs of getting back in the game on both sides of the ball in the third quarter. They held Denver scoreless in the period and mounted scoring drives the first two times they touched the ball in the quarter.

But, each of those possessions ended in field goals (third-quarter kicks of 39 and 52 yards from Tynes) rather than touchdowns, something that Coughlin pointed to as the last blown chances for the Giants to come away victorious. “We came away with field goals rather than touchdowns.” he said, “Which could have given us some gas un our tank… and a chance to win.”

The Giants went quietly in the final quarter after Tynes’ second field goal trimmed the Broncos’ lead to 16-6 with 31 second remaining in the third period.

Denver took the ensuing possession 64 yards, finishing a nine-play drive in 5:16 on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Orton to wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who caught a pass wide open over the middle and scored untouched, to put the Broncos up 23-6, with 10:15 left in the game.

Prater closed the scoring, finishing his perfect night with his fourth field goal, a 24-yarder, with 5:02 remaining.

History has been traditionally unkind to NFL road teams traveling on a short week, distances of at least as long as the Giants’ trip to Denver. However, Coughlin didn’t blame the schedule makers. He said his team’s meetings, preparation, and organization during the week were all fine. He simply concluded, “We played very poorly tonight, there was no excuse for it… no short week, none of that stuff… We just did not play well.”

Coughlin came back to losing the battle at the line of scrimmage, particularly losing the battle with the running game on each side of the ball. “That’s where football starts,’ he said. “Stopping the run and running the ball.”

That issue for the Giants was evident by the play calling. Although New York had a slightly higher yards per carry average (3.6 to 3.5), the Broncos, who were in control, were able to rush the ball 40 times (for 138 yards) out of 68 offensive plays. In sharp contrast, the Giants, playing catchup, were forced to abandon their running game earlier than they had originally planned, rushing just 16 times in 56 offensive plays.

The loss was a big missed opportunity for New York, which could have been playing Dallas (8-3, Thanksgiving Day winners over Oakland) for first place in the NFC East at home next week.

Giants’ running back Brandon Jacobs said of his team’s overall effort, “We didn’t want it bad enough.” He remains optimistic though, despite the Giants’ fifth loss in six games, saying, “We’ve got a lot of talent and we know at some point it’s going to pick up. We’ve got to really get our engine going for the next couple of weeks.”

They still may, but as Coughlin alluded to, the Giants must now hope there’s enough gas in the tank for that engine to get them where they’d still like to go.

Killing drives and calling back touchdowns, penalties and turnovers killed the Pirates in this one. Due to a solid performance by the East Carolina defense, the game was never out of reach. Yet, a touchdown called back because of holding and a fumbled ball going out the back of the end zone for a touchdown were a few of things that held East Carolina short. Despite their narrow escape, Virginia Tech running back ran for a career-high 179 yards, as quarterback Tyrod Taylor had 198 all-purpose yards on the night. Perhaps the most valuable player of the game was Virginia Tech’s kicker Matt Waldron. Waldron split three field goals through the uprights, tripling the points of the East Carolina offense. Offensively, the Pirates were just full of bad breaks; their only trip to the red-zone was called back because of a penalty. Quarterback Patrick Pinkney had a mere 169 yards passing with no scores and the whole team managed only 110 yards on the ground. But hey, with eight punts on the day, the punter got a good workout. From the Hokies stand point, by winning this game, they keep their top-25 stature in tact. With a relatively easy schedule left, all the Hokies can do is win-out and see what happens.

GEORGIA TECH – 30 WAKE FOREST – 27

This game was fluke-upset, if you will, by Wake Forest. Perhaps the third time that Wake Forest blew an upset this season, they’ve got to get better at closing games out if they want to make a bowl game. The Yellow Jackets got off lucky. Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner went 26 for 40, 263 yards, and two touchdowns, keeping it a close game throughout. However, the Deacons offense was one-dimensional and I’m not quite sure how Georgia Tech didn’t manage to stop them through the air. But either way, Georgia Tech matched it offensively, rushing for a grand total of 412 yards or four scores. The thing with Georgia Tech is that they’re perhaps the only team in the entire nation that can be one-dimensional offensively and still beat you. Now when you do run a one-dimensional offense and still manage to be the #7 team in the nation, then you pretty much know that you can move the ball. Back to the game and it was a fairly inconsistent one. Coming into the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets looked to have had a firm 10-0 lead. Yet, storming their way through, Wake Forest put up 17 answered points, leading by seven at the half. Georgia Tech ended up forcing the game into overtime; where the good teams are separated from the great teams. There, Josh Nesbitt ran for a 1-yard fourth down conversion and eventually ran it in for the game-winner. Closing in on the ACC title, all Georgia Tech has to do is win out and they’re in.

CLEMSON – 40 FLORIDA STATE – 24

Say all you want about this game, but when it was all said and done, CJ Spiller won it for the Tigers. With 312 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on the night, Spiller was a man among boys Saturday night in Clemson. And the amazing thing about his performance is that, more than half the time, he looked like he was just jogging around the field. On a different note, Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker has really stepped up his game lately having yet another good showing with 242 yards and four scores through the air. Yet, the whole offensive explosion out of Clemson could have just been the outcome of five Florida State turnovers. Either way, Clemson simply outplayed Florida State when it really mattered. Outscoring the Seminoles 19-0 in the 4^th quarter, the Tigers merely wanted it more. Going 21-33, 262 yards, and one touchdown; outside his, drum roll please, four interceptions, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder had a pretty good game. Seminoles running back Jermaine Thomas had 119 yards rushing, along with one score and a solid 4.6 YPC. In terms of the ACC title race, this game may have just pushed Florida State out of the picture. If they had one, then they’d win the tiebreaker over Clemson with a 3-3-conference record and currently be holding 1^st place in the Atlantic division of the ACC. However, with Clemson’s win, the Tigers are sitting at 1^st in the Atlantic division and Florida State is holding up the 3^rd spot behind Boston College.

NORTH CAROLINA – 19 DUKE – 6

Scoring only six points, Duke’s offense came to a sudden halt this Saturday vs. UNC. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis had thrown for 300+ yards in each of his last 4 games up until now. UNC running back Ryan Houston ran for 169 yards and caught for another 15, spurring the Tar heels offense past Duke.

MIAMI – 52 VIRGINIA – 17

At the end of the first half, Miami held a mere 7-point lead and this game looked to be a close one. However, with the help of stellar performances by both quarterback Jacory Harris and running back Graig Cooper, Miami out-scored Virginia 28-0 in the second half; ultimately leading them to a 52-17 beating.

NC STATE – 38 MARYLAND – 31

Though they turned the ball over 4 times, in the end, NC State somehow managed a victory. Wolf pack quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a score on the ground, surging State past Maryland for their first in-conference win of the season.

Virginia Tech came into this game as heavy favorites, but left as just another inconsistent team in the ACC. Big names such as Tyrod Taylor fooled fans into believing it would be a high scoring affair. However, early on, it proved otherwise. Holding Taylor to only 161 yards and no touchdowns through the air, UNC’s defense proved to be very strong against the pass. They also prevented the big play from happening; both of the Hokies touchdowns came off 1-yard runs. On the other side of the ball, UNC quarterback TJ Yates threw for a mere 131 yards, but managed a crucial two touchdowns through the air. Two turnovers also spurred UNC to victory, including a recovered fumble at the Hokies 24-yard line with only 50 seconds left. Off the turnover, sophomore kicker Casey Barth chipped one through the uprights for the win. Not only did Virginia Tech practically lose their chances at the ACC title, but they also ruined a potential 10-2 season. These games show just how unpredictable the ACC can be. One week, North Carolina has their heads down due to a blown lead and the next thing you know, they’re upsetting the #13 team in the country.

MIAMI – 28 WAKE FOREST – 27

In my mind, the Hurricanes established themselves as another one of those feast-or-famine teams. When they show up to play, they’re one of the best teams in the country. But on other days, such as this one, they don’t quite get their message across. Now I know they won, and boy were there some stats. Miami quarterback Jacory Harris threw for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns, as his opposition Riley Skinner threw for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, Miami didn’t win this game, Wake Forest lost it. Winning 17-0 midway through the second quarter, the Deacons looked to pull off a tremendous upset. Though, once again, turnovers plagued the hopes of Wake Forest ever winning this game. Two missed field goals and an interception in the fourth quarter alone; they practically gave the game to Miami. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how badly Miami played. There’s really no specific area. They couldn’t take advantage of turnovers like I’m used to seeing them do, their defense was running in circles and they nearly lost to a .500 team. Unfortunately, Miami is currently third in the costal division of the ACC and looks to be on the outside looking in at the ACC championship game.

DUKE – 28 VIRGINIA – 7

I never thought I would get to say this, but Duke’s on a run! This win makes it their third straight ACC victory this season, something that the Blue Devils haven’t done in 10 years. Now as for the game, there was the 343 yards through the air by Duke Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis He has gone for 300+ yards in five games this season, leading the Blue Devils to an impressive 5-3 record. Posting a 9-3 score at the half implied a low-scoring affair, however it proved wrong, as Duke exploded for 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seize the victory. Usually, it’s Duke’s offense that does the work, but what really surprised me was how well Duke played on defense. Allowing a meager 196 yards of total offense, the Blue Devil’s defense played one of their best games all year. Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell threw for only 86 yards and back Rashawn Jackson rushed for only 83 yards. Virginia was embarrassed on third downs. But in the end, all this mess equals the Duke Blue Devils being at the number two spot in the Costal division of the ACC. One more win and they’re bowl eligible, two wins and they’ve secured a bowl trip and if they win out then they’re ACC champions. Duke controls their destiny.

FLORIDA STATE – 45 NC STATE – 42

Can we get some defense? NC State quarterback threw for 349 yards and 5 touchdowns and Seminoles quarterback threw for 277 yards and one score, both offenses drove all over the field the whole game. The game-winning score came from Bert Reed on a 3-yard reverse, giving Florida State their second in-conference victory.

GEORGIA TECH – 56 VANDERBILT – 31

An impressive win over an SEC team, Georgia Tech improved to 8-1 on the season.  They scored 56 points, along with 597 yards of total offense, the Yellow Jackets offense didn’t disappoint. Georgia Tech’s defense locked up the second half, holding Vandy to just 3 points.

BOSTON COLLEGE – 31 CENTRAL MICHIGAN – 10

Going up against perhaps the best the MAC has to offer, Boston College didn’t let anyone down. Eagles running back Montel Harris helped the offense with his 136 yards rushing, as the defense did its part with two forced turnovers.

CLEMSON – 49 COSTAL CAROLINA – 3

Possibly the easiest game of the year so far for Clemson, the Tigers scored 49 unanswered points over a three quarter span. No real impressive stats, as playing time was distributed between players evenly, giving them a chance to look ahead to next week’s ACC showdown vs. the Seminoles.

New York (0-3) rallied from a 23-point early second-half deficit to take a three-point lead in overtime, only to see Philadelphia (2-1) close on a 17-0 run and beat the Knicks 141-127, before a raucous sellout crowd of 19,763 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

For the second time in as many nights, the Knicks dug a huge first quarter hole due to a lack of defensive intensity, stormed back with a big fourth quarter, and eventually lost a heartbreaker after grabbing a lead in an extra session. On Friday night, the Knicks trailed 32-13 after the first quarter in Charlotte, before rallying to lead briefly in overtime, only to lose 102-100.

One night later, New York again allowed an opponent to light up the scoreboard early and often. Philadelphia shot 72.7 percent (16 of 22) from the field, led by four field goals apiece from guard Louis Williams, forward Andre Igoudala, and center Elton Brand, as the 76ers, without attempting a three-point shot, torched the Knicks’ for a 40-25 lead after one quarter. During the period, Philadelphia made all eight of its free throw attempts (five by forward Thaddeus Young) and broke open a 10-10 tie, scoring 12 straight points en route to a larger 22-6 run, to take its biggest lead of the quarter, 32-16, on an Igoudala left wing jumper with 3:20 remaining. The 76ers would match that margin twice more before the first quarter ended.

New York cut Philadelphia’s lead to nine points on three different occasions in the second quarter, the last of which brought the Knicks to within 48-39, with 7:00 left in the half, on a jumper by former 1998 76er first-round pick, forward Larry Hughes (18 points, 7-11 fg, 5 rebounds, 6 assists in 39 minutes off the bench).

The 76ers though, pulled away again, outscoring the Knicks 22-12 over the final seven minutes of the first half, to lead 70-51 at halftime.

At that point, the Knicks were lucky that the hometown fans didn’t egg or toilet paper the court. They headed for the locker room under a chorus boos that weren’t exactly of the variety of Knick fans imitating Halloween ghosts.

Jeers turned to cheers in the second half when the Knicks stormed back and nearly turned the night into a happy “Harroween” or “Galloween” for the Garden faithful, as in Knick forwards Al Harrington and Danilo Gallinari, who each scored career highs to lead New York back. However, that only served to little more than cancel out what the 76ers’ scored in first half.

Harrington finished with a game-high 42 points (30 after halftime) in 36:28 off the bench, making 16 of 23 shots from the floor and 9 of 11 free throws. Replacing Harrington in the opening lineup, Gallinari made his first NBA start with an impressive display from beyond the arc. The second-year, 21-year-old Italian import delighted the crowd, scoring 21 of his 30 points in the second half, finishing 9 of 22 from the field, including 8 of 16 from three-point range, falling just one three-pointer short of the Knicks’ all-time single-game record.

Behind their two leading scorers, the Knicks reversed everything in the second half. They outscored the 76ers by the same 30-26 margin in the third quarter that Philadelphia won the second quarter by, and the Knicks forced the overtime by winning the fourth period, 41-26. Still, just as in Charlotte the night before, they had a big hill to climb, trailing 96-81, entering the fourth quarter.

It seemed as if the game was out of reach when the lead swelled back to 105-87 with 8:59 left in the fourth quarter, and the 76ers still led 110-93 on a pair of free throws by guard Andre Igoudala (team-high 32 pts, 12-21 fg, 11 reb, 8 ast) with 6:52 left in the period.

However, the Knicks, also like the night before, charged back late, as they finally started clamping down defensively and made some stops, while at the other end, Harrington and point guard Chris Duhon (7 pts, 6 ast), who was publicly outspoken about the Knicks not going into Charlotte seriously, both started driving aggressively to the basket.

Harrington scored seven points to during a 15-3 surge which brought New York to within 113-108 with 2:12 left. The last two point of the run came on a pair of Harrington free throws. In between making each one, the draftee out of St. Patrick’s high school in nearby Elizabeth, New Jersey, who always wanted to be a Knick while playing for three other teams over twelve years before arriving in New York last year, stood at the foul line, waving his arms and pulling out the “NEW YORK” on the front of his jersey, exhorting the Garden crowd to roar louder than it already was.

“I was just wanna get ‘em involved,” Harrington said afterwards. “These people pay top dollar to come watch us play. For us to be down 20 and get back in the game, the reason we did that is… we fed off their energy.”

That of course, doesn’t explain the “Defense!” chants from the opening tip during the first quarter, leading to the 76ers’ offensive explosion in that period.

A couple of free throws by forward Thaddeus Young (25 pts, 9-14 fg, 7-8 ft) pushed the 76ers’ lead to 119-112 with just 1:12 left in regulation.

But again, Gallinari and Harrington wouldn’t let the Knicks go quietly.

Two Gallinari free throws made it 119-114, before a jumper by Brand (16 pts, 7-13 fg) increased the lead to 121-114.

Harrington then scored off glass while being bumped in the lane. He made another free throw to complete a three-point play, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 121-117 with 47.9 seconds left in the quarter. He then rebounded a missed shot by Igoudala which resulted in a Gallinari three-pointer, which sent the crowd into a frenzy and cut the 76ers’ lead to 121-120 with 11.4 seconds left in the period.

A free throw by 76ers’ forward Jason Kapono (6 pts) made it 122-120 with 10.7 seconds to go, before Duhon tied the score, 122-122, on a running, contested layup off glass with 5.9 seconds remaining.

Igoudala raced down the left side, but missed a jumper as time expired in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Harrington starting the scoring with a three-point play, again taking the ball strong to the hoop, scoring, and making a free throw.

Williams (27 pts, 10-12 fg, 7-8 ft, 10 reb, 7 ast), who played an outstanding game for the 76ers,  answered with a jumper before Harrington made another driving layup to put the Knicks ahead 127-124 with 3:41 left in the game.

But, Harrington fouled forward Marreese Speights (20 pts, 7-10 fg, 6-7 ft, 10 reb), who made two free throws to cut the Knicks’ lead to 127-126, with 3:30 remaining.

More importantly, the Knicks best offensive option of the night fouled out on the play, and Philadelphia completely took over after that. New York wouldn’t score again while Igoudala, Williams, Young, and Speights all scored, usually off of fast breaks, to seal the win over the final three minutes for the 76ers.

“Tough, very tough,” Harrington said on watching from the bench the rest of the way.

On Halloween night, coming back to win from such a big deficit would have been great trick by the Knicks and a real treat for the Garden fans, but without Harrington in overtime, New York simply ran out of gas after a valiant effort.

Although Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni was again displeased with his team’s intensity to start the game, he noted the scrappiness of his tired squad which played three overtimes in two nights. “They could have quit, but they didn’t,” he said. “I just thought in the overtime, we had a complete physical breakdown.”

“We have to find a way to play with a sense of urgency,” Harrington said. “We can’t keep giving teams 20-point leads and then fighting back and then coming in here and feeling good about ourselves… Last year we struggled with our third quarter, this year we struggle with our first quarter. We just gotta find a way to fight through this. There’s no moral victories around here… we’ve got goals we’re trying to accomplish.”

When discussing the slow starts defensively, Gallinari pointed to the need to maintain a consistent effort throughout the entire game. “We have to play our best defense for 48 minutes,” he said. “We cannot allow ourselves to have ups and downs [with that] during the game. Once we keep our energy up, everything goes fine, so we just have to keep our energy at the highest level.”

On the plus side, Gallinari feels no ill effects of the back surgery which kept him from missing most of his rookie season last year. “I feel good, my back is fine,” he said. And, he’s adjusting well to playing in New York. The only time he smiled after the game it seemed, was giving a simple answer on his new home. “Nice city,” he said.

But, Gallinari didn’t feel good about losing. Shrugging aside his own big scoring night, the disappointed and humble forward said, “I don’t feel good. We lost and that’s what matters.”

Two key areas in which the 76ers, who won their second straight, held big advantages were at the free throw line, where they shot 36 of 42 (85.7 percent) compared to the Knicks’ 19 of 24 (79.2 percent), and on the boards where Philadelphia limited New York’s second-chance attempts by outrebounding the Knicks 49-31. Three 76ers were in double figures in rebounds while Harrington and guard Wilson Chandler tied for the Knicks’ lead with just 6 rebounds apiece.

After the game, Knicks’ guard Nate Robinson (8 pts), who sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter, told Harrington, “We should be 2-1, Bro.”

Harrington nodded in agreement.

Yet instead, the Knicks open a season with three straight losses for the first time since an 0-5 start four years ago, in 2005.

The game kicked off the start of a four-game home stand which will continue with Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night and culminate with MSG likely buzzing when next year’s free agent Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers visit on Friday night.

It was supposed to be easy when you looked at this game at the beginning of the season, but the Hogs had other plans. They were the first team to score first on the Gators this year. They sacked AT&Tebow six times and forced four Florida turnovers. For the first time in awhile a team made the Gators look normal. As a matter of fact they led 10-3 at the half on the strength of their defense and some good early running by Broderick Green. He had a 19-yard touchdown run called back for holding but later atoned for it by punching it in from the one to make it 7-0. The score was made possible when Tebow was sacked and fumbled the ball back to the Hogs. In the second half the Gators took the lead when Tebow hit Deonte Thompson on a 77-yard strike to make it 13-10. It was the longest scoring pass of his career. This came after Arkansas kicker Alex Tejada missed his first of two field goals that would prove to be the difference. So after three hard fought quarters the game turned in to an offensive one. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet came out in the fourth and started the scoring tossing a 75-yarder to Greg Childs. The score did was not official until a review of the play showed that Childs recovered a loose ball in the end zone. It put the Hogs back up 20-13 and it looked like Florida may go down on this day. On the next possession they went right down the field with the help of some penalties and tied it at 20. Arkansas got another shot to take the lead when Mallett moved them far enough to set up a Tejada 38-yard attempt. The kick sailed wide left and the Gators took over at the 31. The winning drive was typical Tebow as he drove his team down the field. He hit Riley Cooper a couple of times and ran the ball five times to set up the game winning 27-yard filed goal from Caleb Sturgis. The game told a story for both teams. For Florida it showed that they could have an off day. That you can prepare for them and possibly beat them in this derby for the national championship. It showed that maybe the Gators depend too much on Tebow as he accounted for 324 of his teams 391 yards of offense. They will have to take a closer look at who else can help in the stretch run. To win the BCS title you will need more than one player on your team to do it all. Arkansas will not find comfort in losing the game but found out a few things. Mallett looks everything like they guy they envisioned to lead their team back in the SEC. He has poise and the arm and is only getting better. The young defense showed what it could do against top-tier teams, as they held their own. So if you thought that maybe the SEC might slip up some time soon you were wrong. This conference is stronger than ever and with the new recruits waiting in the wing it will just get stronger.

Kentucky 21 Auburn 14

It had been forever since the Wildcats beat the Tigers. It was way back in 1966 to be precise and they did it in comeback fashion. Auburn had come in with this offense that was producing so well, it was assumed that Kentucky would have problems with it. What they did was make it look like another ordinary offense as quarterback Chris Todd had trouble connecting with his receivers all game long. It all started out fine for the Tigers when they blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt and ran it back 69 yards for a 7-0 lead. Kentucky countered with a four-yard run by quarterback Morgan Newton to tie it. Newton had a miserable day, in place of the injured Mark Hartline, going 5-13 for 39 yards but was able to count on his running game to carry the team to victory. Auburn took the lead back on a Ben Tate one-yard run to close the first half. Tate had a great day running for 132 yards on 31 carries. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Yet the Tigers would not score in a second half that belonged to Kentucky. The third quarter was scoreless setting up an exciting fourth. Will Fidler got some time at quarterback for Kentucky and had a 4-yard score late in the fourth to tie the score at 14 with just over six minutes left. He was also 4-9 for 36 yards and will compete for the starting job this week. So the stage was set when the Tigers got the ball again and Randall Cobb (19-126) had a sweet run for 61 yards and then two plays later scored to winning touchdown. Auburn started this season with so much hope only to lose key games that will hurt them at years end. Kentucky got a big win but must deal with the reality that they need to choose a QB and hope to make the right choice.

Alabama 20 South Carolina 6

It was the eve of the BCS polls and the Tide wanted to make a statement to the rest of the football world. It could be a number one team if the pollsters just gave them a chance. Well it worked and it didn’t work you could say. By Sunday night they would be No. 2 in the BCS and No. 1 in the AP. It was not one of their best outings of the year because they were up against the best defense they had faced all year long. Quarterback Greg McElroy was not on so he handed the ball off the Mark Ingram 24 times and all Ingram did was rush for a career best 246 yards and a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game for the win. McElroy finished 10-20 for a mere 92 yards and two picks. The Tide had three chances in the red-zone but could only score once. They had as many turnovers in this game as they had all year with four. They got help from a strong defensive showing as the Tide had five sacks and nine tackles for loss. They have not given up a touchdown in two games now. South Carolina had a few chances to put the ball in the end zone but came up short. McElroy’s receivers missed several passes in the end zone that could have turned the game the other way. So now the Tide host Tennessee next week and look to get a hold onto the top ranking in the BCS if possible.

Ole Miss 48 UAB 13

It wasn’t even this close as Jevon Snead threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. They also added 163 rushing yards to finish with just over 500 yards of offense as Ole Miss takes advantage of a lesser opponent to get back into the win column.

Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 10

The Bulldogs ended a two game skid while extending Vanderbilt’s losing streak to three. The story of the game was field position as Vandy found itself with horrible position while giving the Dawgz good field position all day. Head coach Bobby Johnson expressed his disappointment with special teams play and the offensive line’s inability to give QB Larry Smith time to throw. The Dawgz needed this one after the whipping they took last week against Tennessee.

Coming within 10 points, the Blue Devils nearly pulled off the upset vs. #5 Virginia Tech this weekend. However, Duke couldn’t convert red-zone possessions into touchdowns and had to settle for field goals more often than not. I think this game showed the Hokies true colors and despite the win, may push them down a few spot in the rankings. Duke scored 26 on their defense and really just came to play. But what surprised me the most is that every time that Virginia Tech got a big play, it was a lucky catch on solid man-to-man coverage. I think that the Hokies let their guard down, thinking Duke would be a push over. If the Hokies were playing a slightly more talented team on defense, they would have had no shot.

MIAMI – 21 OKLAHOMA – 20

Perhaps the heart and soul of the team, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris got off to a slow start Saturday, throwing 2 interceptions in the opening 6 minutes. Harris eventually settled down and the Hurricanes defense went to work, ultimately pulling out yet another huge win. The Canes had more turnovers and penalties than Oklahoma, yet the Sooners couldn’t take advantage of early mistakes by Miami and in the end that proved to be the difference maker as the Canes stole a one-point victory. I’ve heard every last Sooner fan complain that the reason that they’re losing is because of Sam Bradford’s injury. But a football team takes a TEAM to win games. Despite one player being out, the next one has to step up and make a play. Landry Jones did just that, going 18-30, 188 yards, and 1 touchdown. You can’t ask much more out of a true freshman.

GEORGIA TECH – 42 MISSISSIPPI STATE – 31

The ball must’ve been awfully slippery Saturday night, as the Bulldogs turned the ball over five times, four of which were fumbles, and one of which were returned for a touchdown. You can’t stress enough how important turnovers are to a ballgame and I guarantee that’s exactly head coach Dan Mullen is telling his team right now. If just a few of those fumbles had been recovered in the arms of the Bulldogs, the score could have very easily been reversed. On a different note, with 226 yards and one touchdown, Georgia Tech surprised many with their passing success. Primarily a run n’ gun football team, the Yellow Jackets haven’t been known for throwing the rock and they certainly proved themselves vs. a tough SEC defense. This game couldn’t have gone better for Georgia Tech, as they have a couple of tough games ahead of them; Florida State, followed by Virginia Tech.

MARYLAND – 24 CLEMSON – 21

The Terps were in need of an ACC win and they got it vs. Clemson on Saturday. Special teams were the story; as both teams returned punts/kicks for touchdowns and 2 missed field goals ultimately spurred Maryland’s dramatic ACC win. Once again, one is never sure which Clemson team is going to show up.

VIRGINIA – 16 NORTH CAROLINA – 3

Inconsistency is the word of the day. The Tar heels started off 3-0 and ever since have lost two very meaningful games. And what’s up with Virginia? After losing to William & Mary, TCU, and Southern Miss, the Cavaliers come back and win over UNC? As I said, inconsistent.

BOSTON COLLEGE – 28 FLORIDA STATE – 21

Eagles running back Montel Harris made the difference in this one, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns, one of which proved to be the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Boston College has a better record than Florida State, who would have thought?

WAKE FOREST – 30 NC STATE – 24

Both teams turned the ball over three times in this one and it proved to be a game with plenty of ups and downs. Finding the end zone 3 times was Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, as the Wolfpack seemed to have trouble putting points on the score board all night.

LSU 30 Mississippi 26

This game had a little bit of everything with special teams play as well as mistakes. The Tigers of LSU were looking for a pretty easy game against a team that should not have given them much of a test. Chad Jones returned a punt 93 yards and wide receiver Brandon LaFell caught two touchdown passes from QB Jordan Jefferson. The game came down to the last minutes, as the Tigers needed a goal line stand to preserve the win. It would have been easier for them had they not missed an extra point and a chip shot 19-yard field goal. They could not run on the Bulldogs defense all day as holes were plugged up and back could not break tackles. Senior Bulldog running back Anthony Dixon had a great day as he ran for 106 yards 27 carries with two touchdowns. But when his team needed him the most he could not score given two chances from inside the three. Quarterback Tyson Lee went 15-38 for 172 yards one touchdown and three interceptions. He made the first mistake of the game when Patrick Peterson picked off his pass and ran it back 37 yards on the Bulldogs first offensive play. Another mistake he will have a hard time getting over will be the one he made late. There was 1:12 left in the game and it was fourth and goal with the score 31-24 LSU. Lined up in the wishbone Lee ran the sneak and failed to get the touchdown that could have tied the game late. On the ensuing Tiger possession LSU punter Derek Helton killed a few seconds running around in the end zone and then ran out of it for the safety. With the score now 31-26 State got the ball back but Lee threw four incomplete passes ending any hope of a wild finish. LSU made this game harder for them than it should have been. Mistakes in the kicking game and shabby play all day leaves the Tiger head coach Les Miles wondering if his team is ready to take that leap in the polls they are about to take. The schedule will not get any easier and if LSU hopes to play in Atlanta they cannot afford to continue this type of play on the field.

Tennessee 34 Ohio 24

Just when they thought it was safe to get back on the field the Vols nearly laid an egg. It was raining all day and it stopped just in time for kickoff. This was supposed to be an easy win after playing Florida so close to the vest. The defense that showed up in the swamp was mired with injuries to three starters. By games end they lost two more and were unable to stuff the Bobcats. Ohio managed to get 340 total yards mostly on the arm of quarterback Theo Scott who threw for 319 of those yards. The Vols were tough against the run holding Ohio to 21 yards on 17 carries. Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw two touchdown passes but also threw pick number eight on the young season. The running game was a little better with Montario Hardesty rushing for 140 yards on 20 carries including an 11-yard touchdown. Freshman Bryce Brown added 56 yards and 60 receiving to help out. It was still a rather disappointing performance for a team that needs to play with much more consistency to win ballgames. Next week they have Auburn and the defense will be shorthanded. Special teams will have to improve as well. After Hardesty’s touchdown the Vols could be seen celebrating and just like that the ensuing kickoff was run back 95 yards by Ohio’s Chris Garrett for the tying touchdown. Mistakes have been killing the Vols and continued in this game. The defense came in ranked fifth in the nation in total defense but gave up all those passing yards. They must find a way to get better coverage as opposing receivers are still catching the ball a little too wide open. Crompton still has much work to do as he has proven that he cannot be counted on when the passing game is needed. It’s back to the drawing board for the Vols and there is much work to do.

Elsewhere:

Alabama 35 Arkansas 7

Razorback quarterback Greg McElroy has career high of 291 yards and three touchdowns to nine different receivers. The tide is now 4-0 and poised for some votes for the top ranking in the nation. Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett went 12-35 for 160 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Arkansas defense folds once again.

Georgia 20 Arizona State 17

A.J. Green had the game of his young career catching eight passes for 153 yards including a beauty of a 56 yarder for his touchdown but it was his blocked field goal that helped the Dawgz win. The game was not decided until kicker Blair Walsh hit the game winner as time ran out.

Auburn 54 Ball St. 30

Well this was one of those easy ones folks. QB Chris Todd passed for 287 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes. The Tigers got nearly 500 yards of offense and are now 4-0. WR Terrell Zachery showed out with five catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came in the second quarter from 46 and 65 yards.

Vanderbilt 36 Rice 17

This was one the Commodores needed badly so they ran for 216 yards and four touchdowns for the win. Warren Norman had 11 carries for 119 yards and a 58-yard score. Quarterback Larry Smith bounced back going 23-41 for 268 yards and a rushing touchdown. The Dores got almost 500 yards of offense and moved the ball virtually at will. The win snapped a two game losing streak to put them at 2-2.

Florida 41 Kentucky 7

The one thing the Gators worry about is losing AT&Tebow to some sort of injury. It would appear it’s the only thing that could stop them. Well it finally happened when he took a hard hit to the chest and then his head hit the turf. He was taken to the hospital and stayed overnight for observation. The game itself was no contest as Florida jumped out to a 31-0 lead and never looked back. Tebow ran 16 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns. That gives him 48 rushing touchdowns for his career. That is just one short of the SEC record held by Hershel Walker. He also passed for 103 yards and one touchdown before being injured.

A tough day for Eli Manning (Gordon Forsyth/NYSD)

The New England Patriots don’t have to worry about the Giants this time going after one of their accomplishments. The last team to repeat as Super Bowl champions will have their consecutive titles from 2005 and 2006 stand at least for one more season following an upset 23-11 win by the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Divisional game.

Having home field throughout the playoffs by being the number one seed in the conference, the Giants were unable to take advantage of that and had a lackluster performance in the most important game of the season. The Eagles, who needed everything to break right for them to even qualify for the postseason in Week 17, came into Giants Stadium and let the Giants stop their running game. They just took it to the air and were able to beat the defending champions with the right arm and feet of quarterback Donovan McNabb.

A staunch Eagles defense were able to hold the Giants by stopping them twice on fourth down and holding them to only three of 13 conversions on third down. That, coupled with two missed field goals (46 and 47 yards) by John Carney, opened the door for McNabb, who was for all intents and purposes run out of town in Week 12, being benched at halftime in a blowout loss in Baltimore that dropped the team’s record to 5-5-1.

It has all been uphill for the Syracuse product since then, including a win in Minnesota in the wild card round. As many times that McNabb took advantage of opportunities in this game, the Giants did the exact opposite.

Even a 65-yard return by Ahmad Bradshaw on the opening kickoff only resulted in three points for the Giants. That was followed by the first of two Eli Manning interceptions, which set up the Eagles first touchdown on a one-yard sneak by McNabb for a 7-3 lead.

The Giants cut into that when Justin Tuck rushed McNabb and he committed an intentional grounding penalty while in his own end zone. The safety made the score 7-5, and Carney hit another field goal to give Big Blue a slim one-point lead with 1:38 left in the first half.

Perhaps the Eagles’ next drive set the tone for the rest of the game. McNabb drove them down the field to the Giants’ 7-yard line before having to settle for a 25-yard David Akers field goal. Heading into the locker room with a 10-8 lead meant a lot for a team that had only 34 yards of total offense before the two-minute drive.

“I think it played a big role as far as knowing what we needed to do to change,” McNabb said.

The teams traded field goals in the third quarter before Philadelphia went on a 10-play, 63-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 20-11 lead.

A questionable decision by Giant head coach Tom Coughlin came when running back Derrick Ward was stopped short in third down and three. Coughlin challenged the spot even though it was clear from replays that the spot was indeed accurate. The Giants lost the challenge and a time out, and compounded the problem when Manning was stuffed on fourth and one. The Eagles – who will face the Cardinals in Arizona next week in the NFC Championship Game – had the play read and Manning barely bent down low enough to even have a chance.

“We did tell Eli he might have to go out in the B gap rather than the A gap because you know they would be in the A gap.”

The Giants defense stopped the Eagles and gave the offense the ball back with just over 10 minutes remaining. Once again, running up the middle did not work and the Giants turned the ball over on downs following running back Brandon Jacobs attempt on fourth down and two.

Another interception by Manning and a fumble by wideout Steve Smith took away any hope for the Giants, who lost four of five after starting the season 11-1. “I think we are very disappointed,” Coughlin said. “Very, very sorry to see the season come to an end. Lots of remorse for opportunities lost.”

Too many to overcome on a day that the opponent didn’t have the same problem.