Vanderbilt wins Music City Bowl to cap 9-4 season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? The Southeastern Conference is so strong that even Vanderbilt, yes Vandy, is winning like the Commodores haven't in nearly a century.

And coach James Franklin says everyone better get used to it.

Jordan Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Commodores capped their best season since 1915 by defeating North Carolina State 38-24 in the Music City Bowl on Monday.

"We're not going anywhere," a smiling and teary Franklin said.

The Commodores finished 9-4 for their best record since going 9-1 in 1915, and it's only the third time the smallest and only private university in the SEC has won as many as nine games in a season.

Vandy closed the season with seven straight wins for its longest streak since an eight-game run in 1948, and its 15 wins over the past two seasons is the program's best total since 1926 and 1927.

"When you're throwing out dates like 1915, you know that's a very, very, very long time," Franklin said. "Talk about these guys great-great grandparents. Seven-game win streak is the team's longest win streak since 1948, and we also currently have the longest win streak in the SEC, which we're very, very proud of."

Vanderbilt forced a season-high five turnovers, including four in the first half, and turned those into 17 points.

Interim coach Dana Bible ran N.C. State (7-6) after Tom O'Brien was fired at the end of the regular season. It was the Wolfpack's fifth game of the season with at least four turnovers, and it helped wipe out a 424-225 advantage in total offense.

Bible, who said he was head coach for another minute or two, took the blame for two of the interceptions for being aggressive.

"We took the other approach," Bible said. "Again a Southeast Conference team, Southeast Conference talent, those type things. We weren't going to play it safe. We weren't going to play back on this team. We were going to be attacking on it, and if they made a play on it, more power to them."

This was the 27th bowl for N.C. State, which had won its last two postseason games. But a team that ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in turnovers couldn't overcome its own mistakes, which also included a bad shotgun snap that cost the Wolfpack 21 yards on the opening drive.

Franklin got a contract extension a month ago for guiding the Dores to a second straight bowl game for the first time in school history. Franklin didn't change anything that got his Commodores here as he went for it on fourth down, used the wildcat repeatedly and even had senior running back Zac Stacy attempt a halfback pass to Rodgers.

Vandy wound up running for 117 yards, with Stacy getting 107 on 25 carries, mostly in the wildcat.

"Don't fix nothing if it is not broke," Stacy said.

Teammate Jordan Matthews called the offense the "wildZac."

"We could have let him kick today and he would have done great," Matthews said. "Any way you get the ball in his hands or around him it is going to work."

The Commodores took control from the opening drive, moving 65 yards for a touchdown that put them ahead to stay. Officials initially called Chris Boyd out of bounds, but the video review showed the sophomore got the toes of his right foot down for a 5-yard TD pass from Rodgers.

Commodores safety Kenny Ladler picked off a Glennon pass at the North Carolina State 45 for Vanderbilt's fifth interception in three games.

"It wasn't about going three-and-out," Glennon said of the Wolfpack's struggles. "It was just a matter of turning the ball over."

It was just a sign of what was to come in the first half. Johnell Thomas stripped Wolfpack freshman Shadrach Thornton late in the first quarter, and Derreon Herring stripped N.C. State tight end Asa Watson of the ball after a nice catch. Ladler recovered that ball.

And safety Eric Samuels intercepted Glennon with 54 seconds left in the first half.

Vanderbilt turned the third turnover into a touchdown, making it 14-0 in the second quarter. Stacy, the school's all-time leading rusher, scored on a 6-yard run with 10:08 left.

Tony Creecy responded with a 1-yard TD run for the Wolfpack. But Vanderbilt stuck with the wildcat, and Wesley Tate scored on a 7-yard TD run for a 21-7 lead with 3:47 left in the second.

Tobias Palmer, who struggled catching the ball on his first two kickoff returns, caught the next cleanly and ran untouched 94 yards for a TD that made it 21-14.

Rodgers tossed his second TD pass, a screen that Matthews took 18 yards to the end zone, to restore the 14-point lead and make it 28-14 at the break. That matched the most points the Commodores had scored in any of their five previous bowl games. Rodgers ran for a 15-yard TD with 5:11 left that sealed the victory.

"They were better today," N.C. State safety Earl Wolff said.

Trey Wilson picked off a Glennon pass intended for tight end Charlie Hegedus in the end zone on the opening drive of the third quarter only to be stopped by his own teammate, tackle Jared Morse, at the N.C. State 35. It was the kind of mistake that cost Vandy in years past.

Franklin immediately ran up to Morse yelling at the junior, making it clear that's not allowed at Vandy these days.

"I'm sure there will be some pictures of that over the Internet," Morse said.

___

Follow Teresa M. Walker on Twitter at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vanderbilt-wins-music-city-bowl-cap-9-4-202614839--spt.html

wonderlic test texas tornado fantasy baseball jared sullinger jaleel white levi johnston 2013 srt viper

Stone Canyon offers custom-built homes surrounding golf course ...

New builders and new leadership have brought a new energy to Stone Canyon, a community of custom-built homes surrounding Stone Canyon Golf Course on the border between Blue Springs and Independence.

Stone Canyon, once the victim of an uncertain economy, is now a thriving new-home community.?Fourteen homes have closed since this new team took over last year. We have five custom new construction sales pending and multiple others in the design and negotiation process,? said Sally Moore with Keller Williams Eastland Partners, who exclusively markets the community.Stone Canyon has much to offer new-home buyers, she added. It is built around the Stone Canyon Golf Course, the only Greg Norman Signature Design golf course in Missouri, which is ranked as one of the top three public courses in Missouri. Stone Canyon has a Blue Springs address and children attend Blue Springs schools, including the nearby Sunny Pointe Elementary and Sunny Vale Middle schools. However, since Stone Canyon is officially within the borders of Independence, residents enjoy lower city taxes and lower utility rates.?Stone Canyon is just minutes from the new Centerpoint Medical Center, great shopping and services along with some of the best restaurants in eastern Jackson County,? Moore said. ?Access to Interstate 70 is just down the street. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to downtown Kansas City.?But even with minutes-away access to all the urban conveniences, Stone Canyon is nestled in a quiet area with little traffic or congestion and expansive views of the surrounding area.?We are on a ridge that allows you to see for miles,? Moore said. ?The sunsets are spectacular. At night you can see city lights in all directions.?These factors have contributed to Stone Canyon?s recent success and allowed it to take early advantage of the resurging real estate market.?As others are just now starting to feel the positive effects of our continually improving economy, we here at Stone Canyon have already been experiencing the rebirth of new construction for many months,? Moore said. ?That?s because we understood from the very beginning that the secret to success is delivering a customized home building experience with an unprecedented level of service and quality.?To provide that level of quality, Stone Canyon chose two builders with stellar reputations, Robert Foushee of Foushee Homes Inc. and Kevin Stallings of Dreams & Design Building. Foushee has 17 years of building experience and Stallings has 20.?Building my first spec house to sell in the early years was an eye opener, but I maintained the attitude that if I did it well and offered my customers something better, I would develop a reputation for quality and treating people right,? Foushee said.That attitude has brought Foushee success, rave reviews from his past clients and repeat customers. His promise to his clients is to provide them with quality construction and a friendly experience.The name of Stallings? business, Dreams & Design Building, says it all. ?If a customer dreams it, I can usually design and build it,? he said.Stallings takes pride in listening to customers, then showing them a template design that will meet most of their needs, but taking that template and modifying it so that customers get exactly the home they envisioned.?I never build the same home twice,? Stallings said, adding that he refuses to cut corners to hold down costs. ?I build every home as if it were mine. I won?t accept less than quality construction, I won?t rush the process and I won?t cut corners.?Stallings also knows the importance of building energy-efficient homes and has his homes independently inspected to meet Energy Star standards, providing a finished home that is between 45 and 50 percent more efficient that homes built to current building codes.Foushee and Stallings offer clients a variety of home designs, including ranch, 11/2-story, reverse 11/2-story and two-story plans with prices starting at $275,000. Prospective buyers can see the quality of Stallings? construction by visiting the model home at 4211 S. White Sands Court. They can also visit Foushee?s completed inventory home that is now available. Foushee also has another inventory home under construction that will be move-in ready in about 90 days. Stallings is just starting construction on two inventory homes that should be completed by summer.Prospective buyers also may see a variety of home plans from both builders at the model home that can be used as a basis for a custom designed and built home, Moore said.?It is amazing to see how these builders take a home from concept to design to completion for their clients,? Moore said. ?And they walk their customers through the process every step of the way. Each home is individualized.?One client, whose mother will be living with them, needed a home that was ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliant and that home was designed with an elevator,? she continued. ?Another customer wants to live in his home forever, so he is also having an elevator installed.?Stone Canyon is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For information, call Sally Moore at 816-268-3828 or visit stonecanyonkc.com.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/30/3983296/stone-canyon-offers-custom-built.html

purple squirrel blade runner close encounters of the third kind norovirus beyonce and jay z baby droid 4 tom brady sister

Snow piles up in New England

On Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning parts of southern New England and the Northeast received up to a foot of snow. Some lost power, while others were stranded trying to travel.

By Associated Press / December 30, 2012

Matt Nigro sleds down a hill in Lode Star Park in Fredon, N.J., on Saturday. Snow from a mild but widespread winter storm began falling Saturday over most of the Northeast and the upper Ohio River Valley, the second in less than a week for the regions.

Amy Herzog/The New Jersey Herald/AP

Enlarge

Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of southern New England with the latest winter?storm?to move through the Northeast, national weather forecasters said Sunday.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The?storm?began Saturday afternoon and ended by Sunday morning, with some power outages but no reports of critical injuries or major property damage. Dry weather was expected for days in southern New England, although strong winds may chill the bones.

Meteorologist Frank Nocera of the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said southern New England appeared to be the hardest hit.

Six to 12 inches of snow fell in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts, including Foxborough where the New England Patriots play. The exception was at Boston and the Cape Cod area where rain was mixed with snow. There two to four inches fell. Many residents lost power after wet snow piled up on power lines.

The?storm?spread over the Northeast and parts of Ohio on Saturday, just days after the regions were hit by another?storm?that moved in from the nation's midsection.

New York City and Philadelphia saw a mix of rain and snow, and drivers throughout the regions were warned to be cautious. About 20 vehicles piled up in a storm-related chain-reaction crash on Interstate 93 in New Hampton, N.H., police said, and five people were injured.

Officials lowered the speed limit on much of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, about 300 miles from the Ohio state line to east-central Pennsylvania, from 65 mph to 45 mph. Flights at Philadelphia's airport, mostly arrivals, were delayed about an hour, spokeswoman Stacy Jackson said.

In Albany, N.Y., a regional jet skidded into a snow bank at the airport and became stuck, temporarily stranding passengers en route to Chicago. The 66 passengers and four crew members aboard the GoJet Airlines flight, operating as United Express, were put on a bus and sent back to the airport. There were no injuries, and the incident didn't cause any other flight delays, airport authority spokesman Doug Myers said.

In Ohio, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati saw about 2 to 5 inches of snow by Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/z5sDOspMX0g/Snow-piles-up-in-New-England

Aaron Paul mumford and sons packers Dancing With The Stars All Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt space shuttle Torrey Smith Brother