Personally, I think Aaron Rodgers has already established himself as an elite NFL QB and stepped out of the shadow left by the Packers Legendary Quarterback, Brett Favre. His record and statistics speak for themselves. In only his 3rd season as the starter, Rodgers is leading his team to the Super Bowl. In the same amount of time, Favre has played with 2 different clubs, came up short in the 2010 NFC Championship Game, and this year he failed to lead his Vikings, the pre-season favorites, to the playoffs. 

Natasha Fame Leslie

Aaron Rodgers is having an absolute stellar season after leading the Green Bay Packers to win last years Super Bowl. He is currently ranked the league's top passer with a 127.7 passer rating. He and the Packers have been unstoppable and are currently undefeated with only five regular season games left on their schedule. Check out the highlights provided and his season statistics below.

Joe Lee

All true football fans know the game is decided in the trenches. The Steelers Defensive Line dominated in their game holding the Jets to only 70 yards rushing, creating an opportunity for a defensive touchdown after sacking Mark Sanchez and causing a fumble, and a goal line stand creating a turn over on downs. The Packers Offensive Line looked sharp against the Bears. It is going to be key to the outcome of this game for them to give Quarterback Aaron Rodgers time to throw the football.

Natasha Fame Leslie

All true football fans know the game is decided in the trenches. The Steelers Defensive Line dominated in their game against holding the Jets to only 70 yards rushing, creating an opportunity for a defensive touchdown after sacking Mark Sanchez and causing a fumble, and a goal line stand creating a turn over on downs. The Packers Offensive Line looked sharp against the Bears. It is going to be key to the outcome of this game for them to give Quarterback Aaron Rodgers time to throw the football.

Natasha Fame Leslie

We've seen some of the best talent this season over any other.  Millions across the country hope to hit the big time!  In Los Angeles thousands turned up to try out in true star fashion, but in the end there were golden tickets to spare in L.A.  Typically, after each audition, I have to eliminate some very talented people just to end up with my favorite four.  Tonight I made no eliminations.  I ended up with only four favorites and two had the same DNA.

American Idol

By EDDIE PELLS and PAT GRAHAM

Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. —Anyone who saw the way he slowly uncoiled from his crouch and lumbered down the track during his first race at nationals could tell — something was wrong with Tyson Gay.

It turned out to be something big — a hip injury that forced one of the world's top sprinters and one of the top challengers to Usain Bolt out of the meet, off the U.S. team for worlds and into rehab mode with the London Olympics only 13 months away.

Gay said he made the decision Friday as he was talking to his agent's assistant while trying, without much success, to warm up before the 100-meter semifinals.

"He pulled me to the side and said, 'I can't take it, seeing your face keep grimacing,'" Gay said. "He said, 'I know you do it because you love it and it's all you know.' I decided to try to get ready and take care of it."

The hip has been bothering Gay for most of the year, and after a lackluster run in Thursday's prelims — a major effort in a race he can usually coast through — he said it was, in fact, bothering him.

Instead of fighting through it Friday, where he needed a top-three finish to secure a spot in worlds, he chose to shut it down. He won't run in the 200, either. Afterward, as he hobbled around the perimeter of Hayward Field, he was downcast, and not only because this all but denies him a chance to challenge Bolt this year.

"I'm real bummed about not running, period," Gay said. "It's all I know, it's all I love. It's what I study every day."

Gay said he couldn't look too far into the future. Because he competed in nationals, he is technically eligible for the U.S. relay pool at worlds, though if the injury turns out to be significant, it's unlikely he'd receive one of the two spots that don't go to the 100 qualifiers and the alternate.

It means the U.S. team will probably have to do without its top sprinter of the last several years — the 2007 world champion in the 100 and 200 and the American record holder with a time of 9.69 seconds. And it would be a significant setback in Gay's quest to catch Bolt, who holds the Olympic title and world records in the 100 and 200.

The men's 100 prelims at the London Olympics are Aug. 4, 2012, a date very much on Gay's mind when he made the decision to end his stay this week in Eugene.

"I've been bandaging it up, couldn't really take any more," Gay said. "I decided to stay healthy. It's pretty painful running in pain."

Gay's absence put a different twist on the final, where Walter Dix, Justin Gatlin and Michael Rodgers finished 1-2-3 to earn the three spots at worlds. Rodgers, the 2009 national champ, sneaked into a spot that probably would've gone to Gay had he been healthy. Gatlin, however, was the bigger news. Back at nationals after serving a four-year doping ban, the 29-year-old showed he's still one of the best in the world. The 2004 Olympic champion was crying when he crossed the finish line.

"I think that before the finish line I just let it all out with a roar," Gatlin said.

* Carmelita Jeter won the women's 100 in 10.74 seconds. Marshevet Myers and Miki Barber earned the second and third spots at worlds.

* University of Iowa javelin thrower Matt Byers, a Wichita East product, finished 11th with a throw of 231 feet, 1 inch. Mike Hazle won the event with a best throw of 256-7. Former Wichita State thrower Trant Mazanec was 19th and WSU assistant coach John Hetzendorf was 20th.

Jeff Evans

QB Jake Locker of the Washington Huskies was voted by whosright users as the best player in the PAC 10 before the season started. After the first week of football, who's the best player in the PAC 10?

Locker was 20-37 for 266 yards and a touchdown. His QB Rating was 123.36. Locker also carried the ball 11 times for 29 yards and a touchdown in a loss against BYU.

QB Andrew Luck from Stanford completed 17 out of 23 pass attempts for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns. His QB rating was 246.71 in a win over Sacramento State.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers from Oregon St carried the ball 18 times for 75 yards and one touchdown in a loss against TCU in the stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. He averaged 4.2 yards and had a long of 16 yards.

RB LaMichael James from Oregon did not play.

After a 5 touchdown performance in a win against Hawaii, QB Matt Barkley from USC was able to fight his way onto the whosright short list of best players from the PAC 10. He completed 18 of 23 pass attempts for 257 yards. Barkley finished the game with a QB rating of 243.86.

See last week's poll: College Football, Week 1: Who's the best player in the PAC 10?

Brian Johnson

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Jeff Evans

We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments, spam, and other remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of CentreDaily.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

Jeff Evans

When Brian Kelly and his staff first arrived in South Bend, their ability to recruit big-time athletes was questioned.

Those critics were silenced at the conclusion of last February's national signing day.

The Irish staff headed into the last recruiting cycle knowing it needed to bring in speed along the defensive front seven.

Mission accomplished.

Five-star defensive ends Stephon Tuitt, Ishaq Williams and Aaron Lynch all committed to the Irish.

The goal of the current recruiting cycle is to secure a commitment from an elite running back or two. Next on the list is to bring in speed and talent in the secondary, and following that is a few athletes at wide receiver.

Follow along as we analyze the current state of Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Begin Slideshow

Jeff Evans

June 22, 2011

• Camp Information

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's track and field head coach James Henry will host a one-day speed and agility camp for all sports on July 31 at Ferry Field.

The Michigan Speed and Agility Clinic is for athletes of all ages, levels and sports who are interested in preparing for their upcoming sports seasons by improving their speed, flexibility, agility and quickness. The clinic will also teach the "Aaron Mattes" active isolated stretching method, which increases flexibility and range of motion, improves circulation, and helps prevent and reduce injury.

The early bird registration fee is $99 and is offered to those who register before July 8. Registration after July 8 is $129 and any registration on site the day of the camp is $139. Registration fee includes clinic t-shirt, lunch, stretch rope and notebook.

Camp Contact: James Henry (734) 647-1266

Jeff Evans

In week 2 of the college football season, the Georgia Bulldogs host the South Carolina Gamecocks "between the hedges" in Athens, GA for the first SEC showdown for either team. The Bulldogs looked and played horribly in week 1, and were dominated in the national spotlight in the Atlanta Superdome by the Boise State Broncos 35-21. The loss has led Georgia fans to call for Head Coach Mark Richt's job. 

Brian Johnson

OMAHA, Neb. --

North Carolina was left to ponder missed chances after its 7-3 loss to Vanderbilt at the College World Series. The Tar Heels left 16 runners on base Saturday — the CWS record is 17 — and that included leaving men at third in the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth innings.

"That's pretty much the tale of the game for us, offensively," coach Mike Fox said. "Out here, it's how well you play from the first pitch to the last and getting big two-out hits.

"And they got them, and we didn't."

Connor Harrell hit the first CWS home run in the new TD Ameritrade Park to break a sixth-inning tie, and three relievers held North Carolina scoreless on three hits the last five innings.

"I think they buckled down, especially when (we) had runners on base, when they had two outs, and I think their crowd got them into it," Chaz Frank said. "They just made good pitches and we weren't able to get timely hitting like we've been doing all year.

"We've been riding our pitching and defense all year. And we've been able to get timely hitting, and we weren't able to get it today."

Vanderbilt didn't act like the CWS newcomer that it is.

After first baseman Aaron Westlake made a diving stop of Frank's hard grounder and touched the bag for the final out, there were just the normal handshakes and backslaps behind the pitcher's mound.

"That was a big victory for us," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "You never know how you're going to react the first time."

Vanderbilt played as it has for most of the season — including its knack for scoring big runs with two outs. North Carolina, in addition to its problem stranding runners, got a so-so start from Patrick Johnson.

Conrad Gregor tied it at 3 with two outs in the sixth with his double off the top of the wall, and Harrell followed with his two-run homer. Two-out singles by Tony Kemp and Anthony Gomez produced two insurance runs in the eighth.

Vanderbilt (53-10), the No. 6 national seed, advanced to a Bracket 1 game Monday night against Florida. No. 3-seeded North Carolina (50-15) will play Texas on Monday afternoon.

The 24,500-seat TD Ameritrade Park opened to much fanfare, but the crowd of 22,745 was well short of a sellout. The $131 million ballpark replaced Rosenblatt Stadium, site of the CWS from 1950 to 2010.

Former President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch after his father, former President George H.W. Bush, delivered a video message declaring a new era for college baseball at the new stadium.

Corey Williams (2-0) worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Vanderbilt starter Sonny Gray. UNC's Johnson, who had allowed three earned runs in his previous 45 innings, was tagged for four earned runs — and five total — in six innings.

"I definitely didn't have my best stuff," Johnson said. "They're such a good hitting team. You can't leave balls over the middle of the plate. I did that a couple times today, and they made me pay. But I wasn't as sharp as I've been."

Williams came on in the fifth to strike out Frank after Gray, the Oakland Athletics' first-round draft pick, walked the bases loaded.

"The fifth inning was the decider," Corbin said. "They had 20 guys reach base today. The fact they scored three runs, we're fortunate. Corey's strikeout with the bases loaded was big."

Gray lasted 4 2/3 innings, the shortest of his 18 starts since going 4 1/3 in the season opener. He allowed three runs on eight hits, walked a season-high five and hit Colin Moran with a pitch that forced in a run in the fourth.

After Vandy tied it at 3 in the sixth, Harrell hit Johnson's 3-1 slider for his eighth homer of the season and a two-run lead.

"We knew Johnson has a pretty good arm," Harrell said. "He was living off the outside part of the plate and was throwing breaking balls. He left it up per se, and I got it in that jetstream."

Harrell said he didn't find a lot of significance in hitting the first College World Series home run at the new stadium.

"I guess it's a pretty good trivia fact," he said.

Jeff Evans

Michigan senior Matthew Thompson was the medalist at the Michigan Amateur and appears on his way to the third round of match play.

Photo courtesy Golf Association of Michigan

Michigan senior golfer Matthew Thompson continues to roll at the Michigan Amateur at Boyne Highlands Resort.

Thompson entered the match-play portion of the Michigan Amateur on The Heather course as the No. 1 seed after shooting a two-day total of 140 to earn medalist honors. He dispatched the No. 64 seed, Brian Donohoe, 5 and 3, Thursday morning and earned a 5-and-4 victory against Ben Peacock in the second round.

Thompson has an 8 a.m. tee time Friday with Payne Gniewek in the third round. Other county golfers advancing included defending champion and fellow Michigan golfer Joey Garber, who advanced with a 5-and-3 victory over Bill Zylstra. He then advanced to the third round with a 5-and-4 victory against Ypsilanti's Marty Jeppesen.

Phil Gieseker of Saline won his morning match, 4 and 2, over Nate Golomb, and rallied for a 2-and-1 victory against Patrick Colburn in the second round. Adam White of Ann Arbor beat Russ Cunningham in 21 holes in the morning and lost, 5 and 3, to Erik Schlicher in the afternoon.

Aaron Peterson of Ann Arbor and Mike Ignasiak of Saline both reached match play but lost their morning matches.

Jeff Evans