College Football Weekly

by (@trebailey14)

College Football Weekly

It is now week 6 in college football play and this season so far has been more than exciting. We have so far seen plenty of upsets, exciting down to the wire games, last second Hail Mary’s, and much much more.

Recap

So I didn’t post last week due to a Thursday game here at Texas Tech so we have some catching up to do. Going back to week 4; not much exciting happened in my opinion besides Wisconsin absolutely embarrassing Michigan State on their home turf, and Ole Miss being able to beat Georgia in Convincing fashion. Fast forward to week 5 and now we are in business. Who would have thought Washington was THIS good; I mean I knew they were a tough team but I didn’t see them being Stanford by 38 points. In fact, I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Ohio State continues its dominance with a young team. This makes you think are they the real deal, or have they yet to find someone who is able to push them to the absolute limit. I was rooting for Wisconsin to beat Michigan but with an amazing last second interception. Michigan was able to hang on by the hair on the back of their neck. Miracles still exist as Tennessee wins off a Hail Mary as time expires to beat Georgia, mind you this happened after Georgia had just thrown a hail mary of their own which seemed to be the game winner. North Carolina upsets Florida State in Tallahassee which they haven’t done; ever. Indiana takes Michigan State the distance and holds off with a 3-point win in overtime. In what was possibly the matchup of the year, Clemson was able to fend off a powerful Louisville offense to bring home the win. Now this game had tons of implications, yet Louisville isn’t out of the playoff picture quite yet. There is a possibility that we could see both Clemson and Louisville playing in the college football playoff this season, now tell me that won’t be exciting. 2 non SEC teams in the playoff would be great.

News

As we all may know by now LSU decided to part ways with long time coach Les Miles. While the tigers have been struggling as of late this decision to some may not be a shocker. The tigers have been struggling offensively for some time now, and can’t seem to have consistent play at the quarterback position. They also seem to lose leads late in the game. It won’t be long before Les finds himself at the helms of another program, and you can nothing but respect the way he still supports the tigers and whishes the team the best during the rest of the season.

News coming from the BIG XII; Texas head coach Charlie Strong will be taking over the defensive responsibilities for the Longhorns. While former defensive coordinator Vance Bedford has been demoted to the defensive backs coach. This is a smart move by the longhorns who have been struggling to hang on to game to close out for a win. With Strong calling the defensive shots you can expect to see a better scheme and players fit for the Charlie strong vision. On the other hand, if Charlie doesn’t see success even after taking over as the DC; could we possibly see the longhorns pursue Les Miles? I suppose only time will tell.

Weekend Outlook

Currently the top 10 teams look like this: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Houston, Louisville, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Miami.

OU and Texas face off in the Annual red river shootout. This game means a great deal to both programs. OU is looking to find an answer to the slump they’ve been in. Texas looks to knock OU off for a second consecutive year. Both programs are 2-2 and out of the playoff picture. But with how shaky the conference the winner of this game may be able to sneak into the top of the conference.

College Game day is in College Station this weekend as Tennessee and A&M face off in a top 10 matchup. It seems as if the Aggies have some consistency at the QB position this year, and from what it looks like Tennessee’s leading rusher may be sidelined with an injury.

Florida State is looking to bounce back and end Miami’s undefeated season.

Games to Watch

Alabama (1) VS Arkansas (16)

Florida State (23) VS Miami (10)

Virginia Tech (25) VS North Carolina (17)

Indiana VS Ohio State (2)

Texas VS Oklahoma (20)

Tennessee (9) VS Texas A&M (8)

Highlights

Week 4

Week 5

College Football Weekly

By (@trebailey14) 

College Football Weekly

Boy oh boy do I love me some college football. Last weekend was full of trick plays, games that went down to the wire, an FCS team who beat a ranked FBS team, and so much more.

Recap

Let me hit you all with a short little recap from last weekend and this past Thursday night game. Let me get this out of my system now and say that OU’s backup QB should have kept his mouth shut because those Buckeyes walked into Norman with a purpose and walked out with a convincing victory silencing all of the critics who said they are too young of a team to beat OU on the road.  Moving right along North Dakota State needs to go ahead and join the FBS. They knocked off a 13^th ranked Iowa Hawkeye team who in fact have been good over the past couple of seasons. But the Bison are a special FCS team; not only do they dominate in the FCS playoffs this is their 6^th consecutive win against a FBS opponent, if that’s not impressive I don’t know what is. Everyone in the nation knows Louisville and their QB Lamar Jackson was the truth and would be a tough team to beat, but the way the beat the 2^nd ranked team in the nation by a 43-point margin is absolutely absurd.

Remember when I released my top 5 receivers in the NCAA and I had Jonathan Giles of Texas Tech as one of the players to look out for; well check this out against Louisiana Tech the true sophomore had 6 receptions for 186 yards and 3td’s and on the season so far through 3 games he has tallied 19 receptions for 346 yards and 5td’s. Currently ranked 11^th in the nation for total receiving yards and tied for 1^st in total receiving td’s while there is plenty of time left in the season you all definitely need to keep your eyes out on him.

News

What happened to handing the ball to the ref’s when scoring a touchdown. Is that not a thing anymore? There have been 3 incidents where players have let go of the ball before they even break the plane, some of the calls go unnoticed like Joe Mixon’s return for a touchdown that he fumbled before he broke the plane. Others get blown by the ref saying the ball wasn’t recovered immediately like the call that was made in the Texas v. Cal game. Whatever the case may be players shouldn’t put their team in that situation or subject themselves to whatever potential outcome that could happen because they got a little too excited and opted to celebrate before they even score. I’m curious as to if this will be a reoccurring issue throughout the season, or will coaches implement touchdown rules like Urban Meyer did at Ohio State. I guess only time will tell. Let me know what you guys think down in the comments.

Weekend Outlook

We resume action this weekend with a lot of teams opening up in conference play. Currently the top 10 teams look like this: Alabama, Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan, Clemson, Houston, Stanford, Michigan State, Washington (probably the biggest surprise no one talks about but trust me they are good), and Texas A&M.

While I don’t think Clemson will win the ACC this year if Louisville can keep up this level of play, they seemed to have gotten things together offensively Thursday night against Georgia Tech outgaining them 442yds – 124yds which is pretty impressive. But after such a sluggish start I wonder what they seem to be missing.

Look for USC to put up a fight against Utah tonight as they search for their identity that they have yet to find.

Georgia and Ole Miss square off which should be an interesting game. Can Ole Miss’s defense stop Nick Chubb, and on the other side can Georgia stop the ferocious Ole Miss offense led by Chad Kelley.

Michigan State and Wisconsin meet up in their Big 10 opener which will probably be a low scoring slug fest. MSU coming off a huge win against Notre Dame looks to carry all of the momentum over to this weekend’s match up.

Games to Watch

Georgia (12) @ Ole Miss (23)

Wisconsin (11) @ Michigan State (8)

Penn State @ Michigan (4) – potential upset

Florida (19) @ Tennessee (14)

Oklahoma State @ Baylor (16) – while OSU is unranked due to some unfortunate blown call by an official, they usually match up well against Baylor no matter where they play.

Arkansas (17) @ Texas A&M (10) – Being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Highlights

College Football Weekly

by Tre Bailey (@Trebailey14)

College Football Weekly

First off let me start this blog off by apologizing... I know it’s going into the third week of CFB but understand I am a college student and have so much on my plate right now, while that is no excuse for my lack of content updates I hope anyone who reads this blog on a consistent basis understands what I am going through and supports me no matter what. With that being said let’s start off where we left off last season and keep the train rolling!

I’ll start with the first week of ball, Houston went off on Oklahoma with a small margin win, Greg Ward III is the truth at the QB position and has proven to all fans that he can perform under the lights; while a highly anticipated OU team lost. Deshaun Watson and his Clemson tigers are off to a pretty slow start as well as the Ohio State Buckeyes. While both teams are 2-0 at this point we can note both of the offenses have seen some struggles in the first half. Secondly I have seen a University of Texas team succeed under the pressure that it has needed for years to come. I think that Texas is one of those teams that no one can sleep on this year as the Big XII is wide open for who could be the outright champ.

The SEC has proven that it isn’t the top conference in the nation but still retains the top teams in CFB. With that being said there are teams in the ACC that can give the SEC a run for their money let alone top teams in the other power 5 conferences.

Greg Ward III has stepped on the scene early as a Heisman candidate with his amazing stats down at the University of Houston. While the school is still in the American Conference; Houston has made a statement of why they should be in the Big XII; The conference is currently wide open with the youngest team being the only undefeated.

Now let’s talk some business... Oklahoma lost to Houston Week one, Notre Dame Lost to Texas in an Overtime thriller, Alabama dominated USC with a smooth statement from Lane Kiffin to the Athletic Coordinator. Arizona States RB tied a NCAA record with 8td’s against Texas Tech in week 2 at home with a poor defensive effort from Tech. Florida state came back at half time to beat a talented Ole Miss team week 1. There’s still a ton of great football to be played including this weekend. Let’s not mention that Oklahoma State lost to Central Michigan because the referees made a GIANT mistake, but this wouldn’t be the first time the refs did that to Oklahoma State. There are a lot of FCS teams who should have come out with victories against FBS teams as well, so it makes you think if the NCAA is as tough as possible... Texas and Wisconsin also both jumped into the top 15 after defeating ranked opponents who were in the top 10, so it makes you wonder what the ranking system is like this year? 

This weekend Oklahoma plays Ohio State and OU’s backup QB is the one talking trash (what a game that will be). Texas Tech looks to redeem themselves from an embarrassing defensive performance against a no name running back at Arizona State who in fact only scored 9 career TD’s prior to the game last Saturday…

Major games this weekend.

Ohio State (3) Vs Oklahoma (14)

Michigan State (12) Vs Notre Dame (18)

Texas A&M (17) Vs Auburn; simply because I don’t feel like A&M has found themselves yet and are susceptible to an early loss this year

Texas (11) Vs Cal; Texas lost to Cal last year on a special teams play, it will be interesting to see how they bounce back with a young team and ride the momentum off of the Notre Dame victory.

Aside from Alabama, there are some solid games within the top 25 this week, while it may be too early to predict the Heisman; I expect all contenders to preform above and beyond this weekend before most conferences reach inner conference play

Week 1 Highlights

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Week 2 highlights

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College Football News Update

College Football News Update

Trash talk is common within the football community, let alone any sport out there. It’s almost second nature to athletes to talk a little smack on or off the field whether it be about how you’re better than someone, or how your team is just going to outright dominate. Most players now (especially those in college) tend to leave the talking on the field. But every once in a while you get some nobody on the roster coming out of the woodworks talking trash. Now I believe there should be some base rules to trash talk.

Rule #1) You shouldn’t trash talk if you don’t start, or contribute to the team in some way shape or form outside of playing when your team is up by 30+points.

Rule #2) If you are injured don’t talk trash; anything you say is invalid until you are able to be back on the field regardless of how talented you are.

Rule #3) If you are a backup don’t even open your mouth, you obviously aren’t good enough to be a starter despite what your mom tells you after the starter has a bad game. Keep all comments to yourself

The reason I bring this topic up is because the university of Oklahoma’s backup quarterback had the audacity to say "I think they have a really basic defense," Kendall said during an appearance with SoonerSports. "Baker (Mayfield) — he'll light them up. I'm really looking forward to it, and if my number's called, I think I can do the same." – Austin Kendall. Now while this may not seem like much let’s look at the fact that he is indeed the backup, has only played in 1 career game while OU was absolutely dominating UL Monroe. He is only the backup because Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray has to sit out a year before eligible for play. Now Austin if OU wins it’ll be all fine and dandy and you can have a laugh with your boys. But you messed up, those boys at Ohio State now have another reason to come out and lay the lumber this Saturday. And if you guys take that L, you may as well have those transfer papers ready for a signature because no one and I mean no one is going to want to see you in that locker room. Shoot if I was your teammate and we loss because YOU had to talk some trash as the BACKUP QB we’d box on sight. A small word of advice to all of you up and coming athletes out there. Never talk trash before a highly anticipated hyped up game, it never seems to end well. 

UFC 203: Miocic vs Overeem Fantasy MMA DraftKings Lineup Advice

By: Dylan Smith

Locks

These are the picks in your lineup that have a higher price tag but also have a high chance of winning and producing a finish that makes it worth it. You want to use these picks as the "anchor" of your lineups.

Fabricio Werdum ($10,700)

The former UFC heavyweight champion will take on Travis Browne in the co-main event in a rematch from 2014 where Werdum dominated Browne in a 5 round decision victory. Werdum was originally expected to fight resurgent heavyweight Ben Rothwell who was forced out of the fight due to injury and replaced by Browne. Browne faces a major uphill battle taking the fight on short notice after suffering a brutal loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 200. This fight sets up nicely for Werdum because as he showed in the first fight against Browne, he possesses an advantage anywhere the fight goes. Werdum will look to avoid the power shots of Browne in the early going and try to wear the big man down with his ever improving Muay Thai. I think if he can weather the initial storm of Brown then Werdum will succeed in controlling the fight and will look to make a statement with a finish to cement his status as the top heavyweight contender.

Prediction: Werdum by Submission rd 2 


Yancy Medeiros ($10,500)

Medeiros comes into the fight 1-2 in his last three. Although he has shown to be inconsistent in his UFC career thus far, one thing is for sure, Medeiros comes to put on a show. He is taking on Texas native Sean Spencer who has been quite shaky in his own UFC career but similar to Medeiros has put on some exciting fights along the way. This has fight of the night potential written all over it and whichever way you go I think you will want one of the fighters in your lineup. I think Medeiros will win because he has the more well rounded skill set and isn't afraid to take chances in the octagon and has proven he can finish opponents with his slick BJJ skills. Medeiros will likely get in some wild exchanges with Spencer but I think will eventually turn to his grappling advantage to win him the fight and look to sink in a submission early in the fight.

Prediction: Medeiros by Submission


CB Dollaway ($10,900)

CB Dollaway comes into this fight with his back against the wall after losing his past three in a row. He will be facing Francimar Barroso who is 3-2 in his UFC career. I think Dollaway should be able to dominate this fight as long as he can avoid the big shots from Barroso in the early portion. Dollaway usually only loses to the elite of the divison and shines against unranked opponents. I think he has more tools to win this fight and I expect him to win using his underrated striking and perhaps score his first finish since 2014.

Prediction: Dollaway by TKO

Value Plays

These are picks who have a lower price tag  and could go under owned in games due to unfavorable odds or public perception. These picks can make or break your lineup.

Joanna Calderwood ($9,500)

Calderwood takes on Jessica Andrade in a battle of contenders looking to cement themselves at the top of the division. Calderwood has been on a tear lately and has really shown her improvements in her overall skill set in her past two fights. Although she is an underdog, I think she will present some problems for Andrade with her striking and use her reach advantage to fight from a distance and avoid the takedowns and clinch work of Andrade. I'm looking for JoJo to use her Muay Thai to lead her to victory and extend her winning streak to three fights in a row in what should be a exciting women's strawweight fight.

Prediction: Calderwood by TKO

Urijah Faber ($9,700)

After losing his title bid against arch rival Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber looks to get back in the win column against UFC youngster Jimmie Rivera. Faber always shines his brightest in non title fights and I think he will get back on track with another signature win against Rivera. Rivera is a wildcard in this fight as he has a fast pace unpredictable style, however I think the experience of Faber will prove to be to much for Rivera. I think Faber will look to get settled in the fight and once he finds his opening will attack a choke and add another submission victory to his resume.

Prediction: Faber by submission

Stipe Miocic ($10,000)

The reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will have the entire city of Cleveland cheering him on as he attempts to defend his title for the first time against dangerous Dutch striker Alastair Overeem. Fighting in his own backyard I think Stipe has all the motivation in the world to put on a show for the Cleveland faithful. It won't be easy as Overeem is probably the best striker Miocic has ever faced but I think he has shown he can create a gameplan and execute it during the fight like he did against Mark Hunt. Stipe's biggest weapon in this fight is his cardio, he has shown he can go all day and will look to test the tank of Overeem and use some grappling and takedowns to keep the Dutchmen guessing and not allow him to get comfortable on the feet. This fight could go down as an instant classic in the heart of Cleveland and I think Stipe will put a stamp on his title run and add to his already impressive resume.

Prediction: Miocic by TKO

DraftKings Lineup

Urijah Faber ($9,700)
Jessica Eye ($10,100)
Stipe Miocic ($10,000)
Joanna Calderwood ($9,500)
Fabricio Werdum ($10,700)

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UFC 202: McGregor vs Diaz 

Fantasy MMA DraftKings Lineup Advice

By: Dylan Smith

UFC 202 could go down as the biggest PPV in UFC history once the dust settles Saturday night. Anytime "Notorious" Conor McGregor is on the bill you know it will be a blockbuster and his main event fight against Nate Diaz is lining up to be the biggest one yet. The nights card is highly anticipated with a main card featuring perhaps the most exciting on paper matchup available in the LHW division, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs Glover Teixera. Also, Rick Story takes on Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout that almost guarantees tons of violence. Speaking of violence, Cody Garbrandt also fights as he takes on Takeya Mizugaki in the featured prelim bout on FS1. If your a fan of fighting and you like to watch great fights, UFC 202 is the fight to watch.

There is tons to offer from a fantasy perspective and I will be breaking down the fighters you should or shouldn't have in your lineups and why. So put your money where your mouth is and throw down a few bucks to test your MMA knowledge against me and the thousands of other players who will be trying to cash out this weekend!

Locks

These are the picks in your lineup that have a higher price tag but also have a high chance of winning and producing a finish that makes it worth it. You want to use these picks as the "anchor" of your lineups.



Conor McGregor ($10,400)

We all know how the last fight went when late-replacement opponent Diaz pulled off the unthinkable and finished McGregor with a rear naked choke in the 2nd round of the main event of UFC 196. Things are much different this time around as McGregor has tailor-made his camp around his opponent for the first time, bringing in tall rangy boxers to mimic Diaz' style and BJJ ace Dillion Danis to help with his grappling. McGregor has pulled out all the stops for this training camp and has reportedly spent over six figures in preparation for the fight which makes it the most expensive training camp ever for a MMA bout.
I think Conor learned from his mistakes in the last fight and will not underestimate Diaz this time and will also look to take his time and not go for the knockout early like he did last time which caused him to gas out early and allow Diaz to take over. Also, I think range will play a key factor in this fight and look for Conor to fight much closer than last time while he picks his shots and breaks Diaz down over time. I wouldn't be surprised if he lands a spinning head kick along the way as that is something he has been working on in his sparring leading up. While I'm not sure of McGregor getting a KO finish because of the notoriously iron chin of Diaz I do think he will land tons of significant strikes and get Diaz on his heels by mixing up his strikes. All of this means Conor McGregor will be racking up points for your lineup while fighting a strategic yet frenetic fight that will be sure to live up to the hype.

Prediction: Conor McGregor by decision



Cody Garbrandt ($10,300)

Cody Garbrandt has proven to be a fantasy MMA stud, rattling off three KO wins in his past four fights and carries a huge wave of momentum into this fight after his most recent KO victory over Thomas Almeida. Garbrandt will take on savvy veteran Takeya Mizugaki in the featured prelim bout and look to push his rising star higher with another knockout win. "No Love" has all the tools to win this fight in style, his boxing is crisp and he is probably the hardest hitter in the division, giving him a big advantage on the feet against Mizugaki. As long as he doesn't get carried away and make any silly mistakes, Garbrandt should win this fight emphatically. Mizugaki has lost two out of his last three and hasn't looked the same since being finished by Dominik Cruz back in 2014. I think Garbrandt will look to take out Mizugaki early and set claim as the new number one contender in the bantamweight division.

Prediction: Garbrandt by 1st round KO

Tim Means ($10,900)

One of the most underrated welterweights in the division, Tim "Dirty Bird" Means makes his return after serving a suspension for violating the USADA anti-doping policy back in Febuary. Means will look to make it two in a row as he is a huge favorite over UFC newcomer Sabah Homasi who takes the fight on short notice after Sean Strickland pulled out due to injury. Means will utilize his underrated striking to lead him to victory, using pressure to back Homasi into the cage and unleash his Muay Thai to get a finish. Means is a true veteran with 33 fight on his resume and I don't think Homasi will give him a look he isn't prepared for. Means is a great addition to your lineup as I think his chances for a finish are high and he will go under owned in most games in favor of more popular picks.

Prediction: Means by TKO round 2

Value Plays

These are picks who have a lower price tag and are considered "live dogs" and could go under owned in games due to unfavorable odds or public perception. These picks can make or break your lineup.

Rick Story ($9,400)

Rick Story faces a tough test against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and is a slight betting underdog. He has competed at welterweight his entire career and Cerrone will be competing at 170 for only the second time in his career. Story has a wrestle-box style that he has effectively used against strikers his entire career and I think it is a style that will give Cerrone problems. Cerrone does his best work moving forward and using his kickboxing but I think that will be a tough task against a pressure fighter like Story who continuously moves forward and likes to use the clinch to dirty box. Story will look to wear down Cowboy in what will most certainly be a brawl and a fight of the night contender.

Prediction: Rick Story by decision


Glover Teixeira ($8,700)

The co-main event of the evening is what I would label as a BANGER. As far as match ups in the LHW division Teixeira vs Johnson is the most exciting fight possible in my opinion and one I might be looking forward to the most. I think Teixiera is being severely underrated in this matchup and has a style that could potentially give Johnson some problems. While both men are knockout artist, Glover possesses a more versatile skill set with his grappling and submissions but I think his biggest advantage lies in his cardio which is something Johnson has always struggled with. If both men can survive the first initial exchanges with their heads still intact, I think we will see Glover start to implement a gameplan similar to the one we saw Daniel Cormier use against Johnson. Teixeira is the best value play of the night and I think his well rounded skill set- particularly his submission prowess-  will lead him to victory.

Prediction: Glover Teixiera by Sub



Raquel Pennington ($9,200)

Raquel Pennington takes on Elizabeth Phillips as a sizable favorite (-260) and only carries a price tag of $9,200 which puts her in prime position as a value play. Pennington has faced some of the best the division has to offer and is only getting better with every fight. Phillips is no push over though and is looking to make a statement of her own and while she may have some significant moments in the fight I think the UFC experience and skill set of Pennington will prove to be too much. Look for Pennington to dominate a decision victory lead by her ever improving boxing I think she will rack up significant strikes and could be a lower owned option to add to your lineup.

Avoid

These picks may be odds on favorites or carry a high price tag but ultimately not provide enough upside to make a huge difference in your lineup due to an unfriendly fantasy style.


Neil Magny ($10,500)

Magny faces a tough test in Lorenz Larkin in a fight where the winner could draw a top caliber opponent in the welterweight division. Magny is extremely tall for the weight class, standing at 6'3 with a 81 inch reach but surprisingly isn't known for his striking but rather uses his grappling against opponents to wear them down and ride them out. He has a long night ahead of him against Larkin who has great takedown defense, but I think ultimately Magny will get him down and use dominate position to get a decision win in a non fantasy friendly fight. 

Prediction: Magny by Decision 



Artem Lobov $(10,800)

Lobov is best known for his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber as McGregor's right hand man where he proved he is extremely tough and durable but ultimately may not have the skill set to compete at the highest level. He possesses a 12-12-1 record and with a such a high price tag of $10,800 I think his inconsistency doesn't warrant enough upside to add him to your lineup even though he will be facing newcomer Chris Avila. Avila is a talented young prospect and will be the more well rounded fighter coming into the bout and will look to make a statement in his UFC debut.

Prediction: Avila by Sub

DraftKings Lineup

Conor McGregor ($10,400)
Cody Garbrandt (10,300)

Raquel Pennington ($9,200)
Tim Means ($10,900)
Glover Teixera ($8,700)

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Photo courtesy of UFC.com

Claressa Shields//Female Boxer

By: Marcus Banks


We all know of many young boys growing up to be world boxing champs. But what about the girls? I want everyone to take a look at this particular young lady who is in the 2016 Olympics at the age of 17 competeing for a gold medal in boxing! This is her back story below. And Yes, this year she won Gold.

Video curtesy of: ESPN E60 series