Second-half shutout: Saints Coach Sean Payton says his slumping offense has to shoulder some blame for New Orleans’ two-game skid. Payton, who calls offensive plays, says 17 points is an underachievement for the Saints, who are averaging about 33 points per game. The Saints have matched a season low with 17 points in both losses. In a 20-17 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Saints were shut out in the second half. Payton says three narrowly missed third-down conversions, Marques Colston’s fumble and Garrett Hartley’s missed field goal all combined to place unnecessary pressure on New Orleans’ defense. Payton praised the Saints’ defense for producing two Buccaneers turnovers and allowing only one touchdown.
A battery of tests: Those chest pains that frightened Florida Coach Urban Meyer into taking a leave of absence could be the result of heart disease or stress or both, but with proper treatment he should be able to return, medical professionals have told the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. Meyer, 45, would not say Sunday what medical tests had revealed. On Saturday, he told The New York Times that he awoke with crushing chest pain the night the Gators lost to Alabama earlier this month, passed out and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he underwent a battery of tests. His heart, he said, was undamaged. With symptoms such as those and others Meyer has talked about, including fatigue, weight loss and nausea, it’s hard to tell what the problem is, said Alan Keck, an Altamonte Springs, Fla., psychologist. Doctors should check for blockages to the vessels that supply his heart, use ultrasound to check the structure and function of his heart and perhaps run a tiny camera up a vessel to look for possible problems.
Big-game hunting: You don’t usually say that a football team with a 10-2 record still has something to prove once the bowl season arrives, but that’s exactly where Penn State finds itself heading into Friday’s Capital One Bowl, says Walt Moody, a sports columnist with the Centre Daily Times (Pa.). The Nittany Lions’ season has been characterized by blowout wins over weak competition and home losses against Iowa and Ohio State, the only two teams on their schedule that finished ranked in the Top 25. Throw in the Big Ten’s 1-6 bowl record from a year ago, including Penn State’s 38-24 thumping by Southern California in the Rose Bowl, and Joe Paterno’s program is in dire need of a big win on a national stage. The good news for Paterno and the Nittany Lion faithful is that they get an absolutely perfect bowl foe in LSU. To read Moody’s column, click here.
