Hot 5: Buckeyes Fall to Michigan, Dayton Upsets #4 Kansas; Springfield to State; Rams Stop Eagles; Bengals Squash Steelers

 Here's the Hottest Headlines during the Thanksgiving Weekend.

SELIVE HOT 5 (THANKSGIVING WEEKEND)

(1) Michigan Defeats OSU 

The Wolverines was able to stop Ohio State for the first time in 10 years 42-27 in Ann Arbor. 

The Buckeyes were not able to stop the run, as Haskins ran for 5 TD's, a record. With the win Michigan will play Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State falls to 10-2 and will play in a New Years bowl game that will be determined at a later date. offensively it was a good performance, but defensive and coaching wasn't on their "A Game" which sealed the deal. 

(2) Bearcats Now Sit at 12-0; Will face Houston in AAC Championship

The Cincinnati Bearcats went on the road and handled business by defeating East Carolina 35-13 to stay undefeated. With the solid win it keeps the Bearcats in the thick of the College Football playoff standings (which drops today). 

After a slow 1st quarter Desmond Ridder and the running game got going, as he hit Springfield grad Leonard Taylor on a 44-yard TD strike. Taylor made a nice play to get in the end zone and launch a 21- point outburst in the 2nd quarter.  Jerome Ford and Alex Pearce would find the end zone to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 21-3 lead at half.

(3) Dayton Upsets Kansas, Then Wins Tournament 

The UD Flyers went to the ESPN Invitational in Orlando with concerns of inconsistency; By the time they came back, they were ESPN Invitational Champions as Coach Anthony Grant took his young squad and won 3 games to hoist the championship. 

In the semifinal, the Flyers pulled off a comeback against one of the elite programs  and coaches in the country in Bill Self  and the Kansas Jayhawks to get the game to 73-72, then watched Mustapha Amzil drop a 15-ft fadeaway floater that will go down in the books as one of the great shots in Flyer history. 

Dayton would then defeat Belmont 63-61 in the Final to win the ESPN Invitational. Freshman PG and younger brother of "Scoochie Smith" Malachi Smith won the MVP Award.  Dayton now sits at 5-3 and should have some confidence to take their season to a Top 25 level, even with a young core of players. 

(4) Springfield, Winton Woods, Badin, Clinton Massie to State Final

The Springfield Cats rode their senior  quarterback to a comeback win over the Moeller Crusaders in OHSAA State semifinal football action. Moeller held a 14-10 lead but Springfield went on a game clinching 12-7 run to grab a spot in the OHSAA State Finals in Canton, Ohio this weekend.

Ta'Sean Smoot, the odds on favorite to win Ohio Mr Football, led the Cats to 2 TD drives late in the 2nd half to help seal the deal. The defense closed the door, catapulting the Cats to the D-1 Championship on Friday night. 

Winton Woods also secured a OHSAA State Final Berth after a big semifinal win. Woods would force 4 turnovers in knocking off Green and was led by dynamic RB TyRek Spikes ran for 129 yards in the win. 

Badin showed why their defense could be second to none after shutting out Granville 14-0. Badin will now play for a D-3 Title after running through the GCL and now smacking opponent after opponent. 

 

(5) Trotwood Stops Chaminade-Julienne as Basketball Season Jumps off

The Trotwood Rams got off to a great start of the basketball season by knocking off the State Semifinalst in C-J in a close game. Last season wasnt good for either team, until C-J got to the tournament and went on a huge run to the State. 

This game shows that the Rams could be back to its winning ways. Tim Carpenter and Delamarr Blanton led the charge for Trotwood. Evan Dickey and Johnathan Powell led the Eagles in the loss. 

(6) NFL Ohio: Bengals Crush Steelers; Browns Fall To Ravens Despite 4 Ints by Defense

The Cincinnati Bengals pulled out a can of smackdown on the Pittsburgh at home by the score of 41-10. The Steelers was no match for the riled up Bengals who now have won 2 in a row after a 2-game skid. The Steelers couldn't get anything going and the murmurs of Big Ben riding into the sunset have started to gain more steam. The Bengals now sit at 7-4 while the Steelers sit at 5-5-1. Joe Mixon went crazy on the Steelers, rushing for over 160 and using his physicality to the max. 

The Browns fell to the Baltimore Ravens after a very ineffective performance from the offense. The defense gave the Browns every chance to win, intercepting Lamar Jackson 4 times and holding the Ravens to 16 points. However, the Browns offense was inept, and now Cleveland sits at 6-6 with some questions headed into the final portion of the regular season. Baltimore is now 8-3. 

Follow Us on the Journey!

@SELive365 

Dunbar Grad Tavion Thomas Making NFL, College Football Nation Take Notice

 Dunbar Grad Tavion Thomas Making NFL, College Football Nation Take Notice at Utah 

By Deon Cash

Tavion Thomas, one of the top running backs in college football, has risen from the depths of obscurity to reach a improbable point in his life:

Am I ready for the NFL?

Thomas, literally about a year ago, was homeless, and trying to find a way. 

But before we get to that part, lets rewind back to high school.

Thomas, a Dayton product, was a "Can't Miss" prospect in high school, as his Dunbar Wolverine team was a powerhouse and he was in full steam. 

Thomas would run over, around and through defenders to grab a opportunity at Cincinnati.  Thomas would start his freshman season as a backup for the Bearcats.  But the way he was playing after his freshman season, it looked to be Thomas job in his last 2 or 3 years. 

But Thomas was still a little immature and couldn't seem to handle college life, all the while being a backup his first season there. He also had a kid, which seemed to add pressure to Thomas to do  something, and quickly.

Thomas wasn't able to keep it together at UC, and left after a year and change.

 He seemed to be slipping out of his chance right before our own eyes. He was having issues, and he mentally had checked out. He was lost, and seemed ready to give it up to live that street life. 

But with a solid core, including his family, peers,  former coach (Darran Powell) and  staff, Thomas found his purpose, and possibly saved his - and his family's life - for the better. 

Thomas would still have 3 years left, and got a chance with a JUCO in Kansas.

It was there Thomas would get his focus back and would end up showing why Utah and coach Whittingham took a chance on him. He would dominate in 5 games at JUCO, which would get him to Utes country.  

Thomas would get a chance to shine early in the season, but he still had to shake off some rust and lock in, which we are seeing now.

Thomas has scored 10 TDs in the last 3 games, with 8 coming in the last 2 weeks.

4 TDs against UCLA and Stanford are national eye openers, and have Thomas on the NFL radar, no doubt. 

And did we mention what he did against USC? Which started his incredible run. With a new QB at the helm, Utahs dynamic duo has been deadly, and it has the Utes in line to take on Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game. 

Thomas leads the Pac-12 with 14 TDs and is 5th in rushing yards, despite being the 3rd stringer until mid-season. He started ok this season, but was benched for fumbling.  

The old Tavion Thomas would have left.

The grown man Tavion Thomas? Sat on the bench, waited patiently for his second chance, and hasn't looked back. 

While Thomas a not a "High Profile NFL prospect" like some guys, he is definitely a NFL running back in the making. He has changed his work ethic and and now is a legitimate NFL prospect and is on fire in the Scouting departments. Take a look and you see all the makings of a NFL running back. 

6'2 with size (230), agility, speed, and a stiff arm and truck stick that reminds us of a young Eddie George, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Henry. Hell, even Earl Campbell. 

One thing is for sure; Thomas has fully embraced his change of life, and seems ready to enjoy the fruits of every opportunity. 

"I'm blessed for this opportunity, and I plan to take advantage of it." Thomas said.

Congrats to Thomas and his amazing journey. 

Follow Us on the Journey!

@DaytonWeekly

@DaytonHSSports 

@SELive365