Falcons Defeat Bucs 24-23, Improve to 10-1

It was a competitive game for the Atlanta Falcons from the opening kickoff to the final play of the game. Their division rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaners came into the game at 6-4. The Bucs were looking to upset the Falcons but fell short in their push for the playoffs.

Falcons' QB Matt Ryan

Falcons QB Matt Ryan went 26/32 for 353 yards with one touchdown and one interception. WR Julio Jones had a career day as he caught six passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. He was questionable with an injury heading into this game. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez each added five receptions. RB Michael Turner had another off game with 10 rushes for a dismal 17 yards. RB JaQuizz Rodgers got into the game often as he had 10 carries for 49 yards and one touchdown. He knows how to be a playmaker and gain the right amount of yardage during crucial points of games.

Like Julio Jones, Sean Weatherspoon and Asante Samuel were both questionable heading into this game with injuries. Nonetheless, they played and gave everything they had. Samuel left the game at times with a hand injury but his toughness brought him back in the game. Weatherspoon had six tackles, one of which was for a loss. CB Daunta Robinson had six tackles and one sack.

Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman went 19/30 for 256 yards and no touchdown passes. WR Vincent Jackson caught five passes for 96 yards. Rookie sensation RB Doug Martin had 21 rushing attempts for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Bucs' RB Doug Martin

Atlanta finishes another game with a hard fought victory. They look to seal the NFC South when they face the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night football. The Saints handed the Falcons their only loss of the season two weeks ago. Atlanta looks to impress the nation under the spotlight and continue to prove why they're a Super Bowl contender. Thank you for tuning in once again and continue to look for more blogs analyzing the Falcons. So until then, RISE UP ATLANTA!!!-Yuriy A.

Georgia Shuts Out Auburn 38-0, Clinches SEC East

The Georgia Bulldogs came into Auburn looking to clinch the SEC East and a trip to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. They had no problem accomplishing this mission. The Bulldogs came out fired up from the start of the game and didn't let the Tigers go anywhere.

QB Aaron Murray & RB Todd Gurley celebrating

UGA QB Aaron Murray had another great game. He went 18/24 for 204 yards and three touchdown passes. Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell, and Chris Conley made up those three scores. The freshman RB duo of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall both had fantastic games. Gurley had 11 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. Marshall had eight carries for 105 yards and one touchdown also. The Bulldogs had 497 yards in total offense.

The Bulldogs' defense took care of business yet again, All-American and NFL-projected first round pick Jarvis Jones got into the backfield at will and always got to the ball. Safety Baccari Rambo had an interception. The defense also recovered a fumble.

Auburn QB Jonathan Wallace went 15/22 for 181 yards and one interception. Georgia completely shut Auburn's run game down as RB Tre Mason had 11 attempts for only 33 yards. The offense had a dismal 3-11 third down efficiency. They had two turnovers and only had 238 yards in total offense.

RB Keith Marshall running downfield on the Auburn defense

Georgia now awaits the winner of the SEC West. It will be either LSU or Alabama. It will be interesting now after Texas A&M's upset of Alabama on Saturday. Last year Georgia was in the SEC Championship game but got blown out by LSU after a fantastic first half. The Dawgs look to learn from those past mistakes and apply those to do anything necessary to win the SEC Championship and keep their national championship hopes alive. Georgia improves to 9-1 and will face Georgia Southern next week. This is a time where the Bulldogs cannot afford to make any mistakes in these last regular season games. They control their own destiny. Hopefully Georgia can raise the SEC Championship trophy high in Atlanta and do the same thing in Miami in the national championship game. Tune into my blog next week. So until next week, GO DAWGS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Upset Thunder In Oklahoma City, 104-95

The Atlanta Hawks came into Oklahoma City looking to bounce back after losing their season opener at home to the Houston Rockets. They did just that. The Hawks didn't have Josh Smith playing because of an injured ankle. This did not stop Atlanta from playing with heart and showing everybody that they can compete with anybody in the NBA. This is the second time the Hawks beat Oklahoma City in the year of 2012. They pulled out a win against the Thunder in March at Philips Arena.

Al Horford helped propel the Hawks to an upset win over OKC

Al Horford had the big game for Atlanta as he had 23 points and 12 rebounds. He also added three assists, one steal and one blocked shot. PG Jeff Teague had 16 points and Lou Williams scored 19 points off the bench. Atlanta has a wide variety of go-to shooters and anybody can be the hero for the Hawks on any given night.

For the Thunder, Kevin Martin was the leading scorer with 28 points off the bench. Three time NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant had 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. PG Russell Westbrook had an off-night with 14 points on 5-18 shooting.

I think that Oklahoma City is vulnerable as the result of them trading reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets. Kevin Martin could be a good asset to the team but may not bring the same game that Harden did to the Thunder. I think Harden should of been a starter in OKC. He is now demonstrating that in Houston.

PG Jeff Teague drives aggressively to the basket

As far as the Hawks go, this team looks promising. They bring energy every night and have the attitude of a contender. Josh Smith will continue to display his leadership when he returns from his injury and the clutch sharpshooting from players like Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, and Lou Williams will help Atlanta win in late game situations.

The Hawks play the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, another contender in the Eastern Conference. They will face all-stars David Granger and David West. Indiana gave the Hawks some problems last season. We will see how the new-look Hawks stack up against them. Keep on tuning in to my Hawks blogs as I cover them all season. Get excited Atlanta, it's going to be a great year.-Yuriy A.