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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014
PAGE 11B
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We Anow that Coach (MeAdoo) comes from Green Bay and the Green Bay offense and it is fair to say that Rvan (Nassib) is more Aaron Rodgerish than Ell, but Ell can get it done."
Giants' WR Victor Cruz SBnation.com
FACT OF THE DAY
Eli Manning's 2013 passer rating of 69.4 was his lowest since his rookie season in 2004, when his passer rating was 55.4.
ESPN.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: Where did Eli Manning attend college?
A: Ole Miss (University of Mississippi)
ESPN.com
THE MORNING BREW
New York Giants quarterback situation remains fuzzy
despite winning two Super Bowls, quarterback Eli Manning has already
Manning has always been somewhat overlooked, at least while leading the Giants to multiple winning seasons. However, the spotlight on Manning intensified last year, as he put up some of the worst numbers of his career. In 2013, Manning threw 27 interceptions, which was five more than any other quarterback, and he ranked 32nd in the NFL in completion percentage. It was far and away Manning's worst season in which he started all 16 games.
In January 2014, the New York Giants brought in a new offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, in hopes of reviving Manning's career. McAdoo quickly emphasized the need of the quarterback to get rid of the ball early and to make quick, precise throws, something that had never been a strong suit of Manning.
Somewhat predictably, Manning
struggled to start the 2014 season in the new system, throwing four interceptions in his first two starts. The New York Giants began the year 0-2, prompting some fans to go as far as publicly burning their Manning jerseys. Many questioned whether the 33 year old was nearing the end of his career.
However, things looked dramatically different last Sunday, as Manning took a major step forward. For the first time in seven games, Manning didn't turn the ball over, and as a result, the Giants defeated the Houston Texans by 13
points. Manning managed to complete 75 percent of his passes, which he hadn't done in a regular season game since Dec.1,2013.After the game Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Manning played an "outstanding mental game."
Manning also noted he had made some improvements from the beginning of the year. "I thought last week we made some steps to get better," Manning said in the postgame press conference. "This week was even stronger."
Manning's strong performance against Houston carried far more weight than that of a typical game. Many in New York had been calling for the Giants to start backup quarterback Ryan Nassib in Manning's place.
Nassib secured the backup quarterback job in New York after a tremendous preseason, where he was third in NFL passing yards with 588 and tied
for first in passing touchdowns with five.
"He's a worker, a grinder, and doesn't have a lot of emotion, whether it be good or bad," said Coughlin of Nassib in an interview with the New York Post. Many felt and still feel that
Nassib is a better fit for McAdoo's offensive system, considering he is the more mobile of the two, but for now, the Giants will remain Manning's team to lead.
Eli can [still] get it done,” said Giants' wide receiver Victor Cruz. “It has taken some time for all of us”
Manning will have the chance to prove he can indeed run a successful offense tonight when the Giants take on the Redskins.
This week in athletics
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
Thursday No events
Friday
Women's soccer
Baylor
7 p.m.
Waco, Texas
Saturday
Volleyball
Oklahama
7 p.m.
Norman, Okla.
Football Texas 3 p.m. Lawrence
Sunday
Soccer
TCU
1 p.m.
Ft. Worth, Texas
Men's golf Badger Invitational All day. 9/28-9/30 Madison, Wis.
Monday No events
Tuesday
No events
Wednesday
Volleyball Kansas State 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
Mark Buehrle gets win. Jays defeat Mariners 1-0
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Toronto Blue Jay starts pitcher Mark Buehle works against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a game in Toronto on Wednesday.
TORONTO — Mark Buehrle pitched eight shutout innings to reach 200 innings for the 14th consecutive season, Ryan Goins drove in the only run of the game and the Toronto Blue Jays pushed Seattle closer to playoff elimination, beating the slumping Mariners 1-0 Wednesday night.
Buehrle retired the first six batters in order before Corey Hart led off the third with a ground rule double that bounced on the right field foul line and into the seats. Gibbons came out to challenge but the call stood. Hart went
Hall of Famers Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry each had 14 consecutive seasons of 200 innings or more from 1966 to 1980, but both pitchers saw their streaks snapped by the 1981 player's strike.
Buehrle (13-10) allowed three hits, walked one and struck out 10, one shy of his season high. He left to his second standing ovation of the night after Chris Taylor's leadoff single in the ninth.
"It's very rare," manager John Gibbons said of Buehrle's streak before the game. "It tells you that he stays healthy and keeps you in games. He's a pretty special guy, on and off the field. We could use a few more of him."
Aaron Sanchez came on and picked off pinch runner James Jones, then got the final two outs for his third save in as many chances. The game was played in a brisk 1 hour, 59 minutes.
The Mariners lost their fifth straight and have dropped nine of 12. Seattle had inched closer in the wild card race when Oakland lost to the Angels Wednesday afternoon, but the defeat dropped them three games back with four to play.
Buehrle had 194 innings on the season coming in, and reached 200 by striking out Dustin Ackley looking for the final out of the sixth. Country music played as Buehrle's achievement was noted on the scoreboard, and the crowd of 16,836 rose for a standing ovation. Buehrle accepted congratulations from his teammates before coming out of the dugout for a brief curtain call.
The Blue Jays didn't put a runner in scoring position through the first seven into third on Taylor's one-out fly ball, but Austin Jackson was caught looking to end the inning.
Mariners rookie Taijuan Walker (2-3) pitched his first career complete game, ending Seattle's four-game streak of starting pitchers failing to complete five innings. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out six.
nings, and still hadn't when they broke the deadlock in the eighth. Kawasaki drew a one-out walked and scored from first when Goins dropped a bloop single in front of Mariners center fielder Austin Jackson.
UP NEXT
Mariners RHP Tom Wilhelmsen (3-2) will face Blue Jays LHP Daniel Norris (0-0) in Thursday's series finale.
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