Weekend Wake Up: Kobe, Tebow, Bruins, Pryor All Win Big

“He Is Hard to Believe!” “No, He’s Not.“ It’s good to see that Kobe Bryant felt the need to remind us all how good he is by hitting a game-winner against the Kings as Friday night bled into early Saturday. After all, with just 36 points up until that point of that game, it was looking like a really rocky decade for the the ol’ Black Mamba.

Tebow’s Final Triumph. Certainly, Cincinnati wasn’t the opponent Florida wanted in its last game this year, and the Sugar Bowl wasn’t the desired locale. But Tim Tebow accounted for 533 yards of total offense and four touchdowns while missing on just four passes in trouncing the Bearcats, 51-24: There was to be no letdown here, not after racing out to a 37-3 lead. Tebow, Brandon Spikes, and the rest of Florida’s seniors leave with the most wins as a class in SEC history, and, better still for Gators fans, future classes may yet have Urban Meyer around to try to beat that feat. Meyer said “I plan on being the coach of the Gators” in a post-game interview.

Bruins Bear Down. Down 1-0 with less than three minutes left in the Winter Classic, things looked bleak for the Boston Bruins. But call it home-ice advantage at Fenway Park: A deflection from Mark Recchi tied the game, and led to Marco Sturm putting one in in overtime to lift the B’s over the Flyers.

Pryor Obligations. You realize, Terrelle Pryor, that if you’re going to be excellent for a full game, we will come to expect that from you? Pryor’s numbers didn’t pop -- 23-of-37 passing for 266 yards, two scores and a pick, and 72 more yards on the ground -- but his command of the Buckeyes offense did in their 26-17 win over Oregon. Jim Tressel’s team had the ball for 41:37 in victory, and converted 11 of 21 third downs while limiting the Ducks to just two such conversions; with Pryor’s mobility keying that offense and the staying young and stingy, this team should, once more, be a national title contender in 2010.

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