Georgia sports for Monday, October 1st

The Braves on Sunday were 3-0 losers to the Astros in Houston--the final game of the 2007 season for Atlanta. After a surge of 8 wins in 9 games, the Braves within the last week lost 4-of-5 to get knocked out of the playoff race. Atlanta finished with a record of 84-78 for the season. Chipper Jones was hitless at the plate Sunday to finish with a .337 batting average. In his quest for the batting title, he is 2nd to Colorado’s Matt Holiday, who is hitting .340, and has a 1-game playoff game to play today which will count in the statistics. Off-season questions for the Braves to answer include whether to re-sign centerfielder Andruw Jones, who will become a free agent.

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons posted their 1st win of the 2007 season, knocking-off the Houston Texans in the Ga Dome, 26-16. Joey Harrington threw a pair of touchdown passes, and Morten Anderson kicked 4 field goals in the victory. The Falcons beat their former backup quarterback, Matt Schaub. The Falcons improve to 1--3 on the season, and its the first win for new head coach Bobby Petrino.

Wrapping up the college football weekend, victories across the board for Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Valdosta State. In Athens Saturday, the Bulldogs ran all over Ole Miss 45-17. Georgia running back Thomas Brown rushed for a career-high of 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Bulldogs are now 12th in the new Associated Press rankings, a record of 4-1, 2-1 SEC. For Georgia Tech, it was sweet revenge for a blowout loss at Clemson last season. The Yellow Jackets at home Saturday used great defense to turn-back the Tigers 13-3. Tech running back Tashard Choice piled up 145 yards and a touchdown--despite nursing a nagging hamstring injury. The Jackets snapped a 2-game skid, upping their record to 3-2, and 1-2 ACC. In Statesboro Saturday, Georgia Southern scored the 50-21 blowout of Western Carolina. Senior quarterback Jayson Foster threw for 147 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 96 yards and a score. G-Southern is now 3-1, and 1-1 in the Soutnern Conference. For Valdosta State at home, they dismantled Ouachita Baptist 31-3. Running back Michael Terry ran for 181 yards and 2 scores. VSU is now 4-0 for the season.

Georgia sports for Monday, September 24th

The Falcons are off to a winless start through 3 games on their NFL-schedule. Yesterday’s home opener was a 27-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers inside the Georgia Dome. After the Falcons took a 17-10 lead in the 3rd quarter, momentum changed to the visitors, as defensive back DeAngelo Hall was called for 3 straight penalties—the first a hurtful interference call. Falcons' quarterback Joey Harrington had a good day for the offense, throwing for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns, but not enough in the end.

From baseball, the Braves wrapped up their home schedule for 2007 with a 7-4 comeback win over the Brewers, winning 3-of-4 in the series. Down 4-1, the Braves turned the game with 4 runs scored in the 7th inning. In the big picture, the Braves have a very faint heartbeat concerning the chance to reach the postseason, but alive nonetheless. With 6 games remaining, Atlanta is 5-and-a-half games behind the Mets for the top of the NL-East division. They are closer in the wild card race, only 3-and-a-half off the top there. The Braves have won 7 of their last 8 games. They start the final week of the season Tuesday on the road at Philidelphia.

Wrapping up the college football weekend in Georgia: The Georgia Bulldogs posted the exciting 26-23 overtime win at Alabama Saturday night. The winner was QB Matthew Stafford to Mikey Henderson on a 25-yard pass connection. Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets lost their 2nd-straight game, falling at Virginia 28-23. Georgia Southern's Eagles were losers at home in Statesboro in overtime, 45-38 to Chattanooga. For the Valdosta State Blazers, they've improved their record to 3-0, after winning on the road at Arkansas State, 28-27.