A AI Behrend Beacon 111 September 11, 2009 i I www.thebehrendbeacon.com PRO rOOTBALL Steelers win epic battle SHAWN ANNARELLI sport* vditor A clash of wills pitted the Steelers and Titans past regula tion and into overtime for the NFL season opener. The Steelers rode the arm of Ben Roethlisberger and the leg of kicker Jeff Reed on a 65-yard overtime drive. Reed split the uprights on a 33-yard field goal to win the game for the Steel ers. Roethlisberger finished the game completing 33 of 43 passes for 363 yards, a touch down and two interceptions. “Ben provided quality plays for us time and time again," said coach Mike Tomlin. Winning doesn’t always come without a loss, though. All-Pro Steelers safety Troy Polamalu sprained his MCL in the first half of the game and is ex pected to miss three to six weeks of play, according to Tomlin. In the first quarter the Titans’ defense dominated the Steel ers’ offense and allowed just one first down, one total yard and recorded two sacks in the first quarter. For the rest of the game the Steelers out gained the Titans 356 to 214 yards, though the W~ Last week In u Friday, September 4 The women’s tennis team lost to Westminster 6-3. The women’s volleyball team lost to Gettysburg and Geneva in the Gettysburg Invitational. Saturday, September 5 The men’s cross country team won the Westminster Invitational while the women came in fourth place. The golf team won the Pitt-Bradford Invitational. The men’s waterpolo team lost to Navy 18-2. The women’s tennis team lost 9-0 against Mercyhurst The women’s volleyball team defeated Neumann at the Gettysburg Tournament. Sunday, September 6 The men’s soccer team won the Herb Laufer Memorial Tournament. The men’s waterpolo team lost to Queens The women’s soccer team won the Herb Laufer Memorial Tournament. Tuesday, September 8 The women’s tennis team defeated La Roche 9-0. Wednesday, September 9 The women’s tennis team defeated Fredonia 9-0. Wins are in bold. j. Sports in bold are at home k JIL 1 " ■■lff I ) !—»■-■ * ■iiL l !ip. j gig 13-10^ Steelers only gained 36 of those yards on the ground. The Steelers defense strug gled early on and allowed three drives into Pittsburgh territory. In the first half the Titans suf fered a missed 37-yard field goal. James Farrior blocked an other field goal and Troy Pola malu made an acrobatic one-handed interception at the five-yard line. Each team was held scoreless until Roethlisberger connected with a wide open Santonio Holmes on a streak with 1:22 left in the first half. The Titans struck back be fore the half ended with a three-play, 71-yard drive and a touchdown pass from Kerry Collins to Justin Gage to tie the game at 7-7. The half ended with Titans’ cornerback Cortland Finnegan returning a tipped Roethlis berger Hail Mary 80 yards back to the Steelers 20-yard line as time expired. After a defensive struggle in the third quarter, the Titans took their first lead of the game in the opening drive of the fourth quarter off of a Rob Bironas’ 45-yard field goal to go ahead 10-7. The Steelers responded on the next drive with a field goal SPORTS and Concordia. to tie the game at 10 apiece. With just under a minute to go in regulation, the Steelers nearly ended the game when Roethlisberger found wide re ceiver Hines Ward open over the middle of the field. Ward caught the ball and turned for what seemed to be a clear path to the end zone. Titans’ safety Michael Griffin caught him from behind and stripped the football at the five yard line to turn the ball over to Tennessee. Tennessee chose to bleed out the clock to take the game to overtime. In the final drive of the game Ben Roethlisberger completed four of six passes for 63 yards, to set up Reed’s game-winning field goal. “[We] were not perfect by any stretch, “ said Tomlin. “We had trouble in the running game. It was good to get some lessons with a win.” Quick HHf Pit Ten First Downs 19 18 Total Yards 357 320 Turnovers 3 2 Penalties 6-60 5-28 Possession 36:11 28:21 W~ This Week's “ SPORTS SCHEDULE Friday, September 11 Men’s soccer will battle Buffalo State at the Fredonia Tournament at 2:30 p.m. Women’s soccer will play Rochester at the Fredonia Tournament at 3 p.m. Women’s tennis hosts Frostburg State at 4 p.m. Women’s volleyball hosts and plays Bethany at 3:30 p.m. and Lycoming at 7:30 p.m. at the Behrend Invitational Saturday, September 12 Men’s soccer plays Fredonia at the Fredonia Tournament at 5 p.m. Women’s soccer plays Fredonia at the Fredonia Tournament at 7 p.m. Women’s tennis hosts and plays Geneva at 10 a.m. and Bethany at 1 p.m. at the Behrend Invitational. Women’s volleyball hosts and plays Roberts Wesleyan at 10:30 a.m. and Grove City at 2:30 p.m. at the Behrend Invite. Sunday, September 13 Men’s water polo hosts Queens at 10 a.m., and then Salem International at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 15 Women’s volleyball battles away at John Carroll at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 16 Women’s tennis plays away at Pitt-Bradford at 4 p.m. Men’s soccer hosts Grove City at 4 p.m. PRO FOOTBALL Rod Woodson poses as he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hall of Famer Rod Woodson Being a huge Steelers fan, you can imagine my excitement as I covered my first Steelers training camp and approached the sideline where the players and coaches were standing. Over the summer, I interned with a local newspaper north of Pittsburgh called the Pine Creek Journal, and part of this article is from that publication. My assignment at Steelers training camp was to get an in terview with left tackle Jason Capizzi, a former graduate of a local high school, Pine-Rich land. However, after not being able to find him on the field and head coach Mike Tomlin telling me that he was not out practic ing, I had to come up with an other game plan. As I looked around the play ing field, I desperately tried to think of a plan B. Defensive co ordinator, Dick Leßeau, who has 50 years of NFL experi ence, (14 as a player and 36 as a coach), was my an swer. After watching the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 being inducted into Can ton on Aug. 8 and reading an article from ESPN about Rod Woodson’s ca reer, I wanted to get Leßeau’s thoughts on Wood son being the best defensive eqkr in. jfte Wbodson versus. Sanders. “Rod is one of the very best ever,” Leßeau said. “I think they (Woodson and Sanders) are both wonderful players, but I just think Rod had more versa tility, and the fact that he could play safety. They were both great return men and both great corners. I’m not sure that Deion could have played safety the way that Rod played. I don’t know that Deion could blitz the way Rod blitzed. Rod was a big part of our blitzing package when he played here, and he was very effective.” Rod Woodson is the best de fensive back in NFL history when considering his statistics, his versatility, and the way he represented himself. Woodson’s statistics speak for themselves. He ranks first with total interception return yards (1,483), first in intercep tions returned for a touchdown (12), and third in NFL history with career interceptions (71). Woodson also became the first player in the NFL to play in the same season after having reconstructive knee surgery. This was accomplished when he played in Super Bowl XXX (Steelers lost to the Cowboys 27-17). Career by the numbers Only player from draft class of 1987 to make Hall of Fame. Positions at which he was named All-Pro (comerback, returner, and safety). Trips to the Pro-Bowl 6 Times selected All-Pro. 1,050 Tackles Additional jaw-dropping sta tistics include the fact that out of his 17 year career, Woodson made the Pro Bowl 11 times. Even more impressive is that he is the only player to ever make it as a cornerback, safety, and return man. “Rod is one of the best foot ball players that I’ve ever seen in any era,” Leßeau said. “His longevity, to play 17 years in the de fensive backfield is hard to do because you’ve got to keep your movement skills. What he has accomplished cer tainly makes him to be one of the best football play- CHRISTINE NEWBY managing editor For an athlete to be the absolute best at their position, they must top the chart of statistics. Woodson did that. However, it is not always about the numbers a player puts up. There is much more than the raw numerical data. It is about something deeper and something that is not always right in front of you like statis tics. Athletes are also judged by the way they represent themselves and the attitude they carry. Woodson surpasses this test as well. He was a team player. Ravens former head coach Brian Billick said in an article from the Pitts burgh Post-Gazette that when Woodson played for the Balti more Ravens, he let linebacker Ray Lewis have the spotlight “because Rod saw it was good for the team. That says a lot about Rod Woodson. Some times guys demand that role but he saw a purpose in Ray Lewis having it.” What a great experience at Steelers training camp. When I was finished asking Leßeau questions, he thanked me for waiting around for him. If only Leßeau knew how long I would have been willing to wait to talk to one of the best, if not the best, defensive coor dinator in NFL history. 75 Member of NFLs 75th Anniversary Team Interceptions returned for touchdowns. 4 Kick-offs returned for touchdowns. 17 Total Touchdowns. Career interceptions. 1,483 Interception return yards. orts Photo contributed
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