It was a Division I regional quarterfinal disguised as a state championship.It was a first-round playoff game between two teams that shouldn’t have had to face one another until the first weekend in December in Canton.That was the tremendous high school football game St. Edward and Mentor put out there for everyone to see Saturday at Lakewood Stadium.A slugfest...

St. Edward's Terrell Bates breaks away from the Mentor defense for a touchdown in the second quarter of Division I playoffs Saturday, November 6, 2010 at Lakewood Stadium in Lakewood. - (Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer)

It was a Division I regional quarterfinal disguised as a state championship.
It was a first-round playoff game between two teams that shouldn’t have had to face one another until the first weekend in December in Canton.
That was the tremendous high school football game St. Edward and Mentor put out there for everyone to see Saturday at Lakewood Stadium.
A slugfest is what it was. It was a slugfest that St. Edward won, 35-21, in front of an estimated crowd of 8,500 chilled fans. It was closer than the final score indicates.
And is St. Edward vs. Glenville really six days away?
St. Edward’s heralded ground game and its even more heralded defense paved the way for it to remain undefeated and to take another step in the school’s fervent desire to win a state football title.
The Eagles (11-0) beat the Cardinals with a decisive second half, icing the game on an 8-yard touchdown run by senior Reggie Terrell with 3:58 remaining. Terrell’s run, which capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive, gave St. Edward a 35-14 lead. The Eagles’ defense came up with the big stops when needed.
“I’d like to credit Mentor on a great game — two games, really,” St. Edward coach Rick Finotti said, referring to his team’s 35-28 victory in the first game of the season. “They had a great plan. They are the toughest team we’ve played, and I know they were facing some adversity over there.”
The Cardinals played with heavy hearts following the unexpected death of junior defensive back Brandon Shima on Thursday.
A prayer and moment of silence were held before the game.
The St. Edward trio of Terrell and fellow seniors Terrell Bates and Kevin Burke combined to rush for 305 yards, with Bates gaining 122 yards on 19 carries, Terrell getting 98 on 12 attempts and Burke picking up 85 on 18 rushes. Bates and Terrell each had two touchdowns, and Burke completed 13-of-17 for 151 yards, including s 16-yard touchdown pass to Colin McManamon to open the scoring in the first quarter. Terrell gained 50 of his yards on five carries in the fourth quarter.
“We had to get back to running the ball, getting what we call those 8- and 9-yard chunks,” said Finotti. “The X-factor in that is Kevin. He can run and throw the ball equally.”
It’s not as if Mentor didn’t have its share of stars. Senior Colton Wallace scored two of Mentor’s touchdowns on short runs and caught five passes for 60 yards. Sophomore quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed 14 of 21 passes for 147 yards and gained 23 yards on the ground. Senior Mike Korecz ran for 95 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.
“It was a great effort by our kids,” said Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno, whose team fell to 7-4. “They gave it everything they had for as long as they could.”
St. Edward ran 22 plays in Mentor territory in the first half en route to a 14-7 lead. The Eagles struck first after junior Tom Lally recovered a fumble at the Cardinals’ 41-yard line, and Burke connected with McManamon with 1:57 to go in the first quarter.
“There wasn’t a time in that game when we could relax,” said Burke. “When I don’t have to run, it takes pressure off me. I can give it to Reggie or Terrell, and our offensive line opens up the holes.”
Mentor retaliated when it put together a 13-play, 79-yard drive that started with 1:50 to go in the first quarter and culminated when Wallace went up the middle for the final 5 yards. Trubisky completed passes of 18 yards to Warren Ashton and 14 to Wallace to highlight the drive.

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Despite hopeful comments all week, Wallace is not good to go -- even as a backup.

View full sizeAPQuarterback Brett Ratliff has seen some action in preseason, but not in a regular-season game.

CLEVELAND — Browns rookie QB Colt McCoy will be working without a net again today against the New England Patriots.

With Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme still inactive with high ankle sprains, McCoy's backup will be Brett Ratliff, who's never taken a snap in an NFL regular-season game.

The other Browns' inactives are running back Thomas Clayton, center Steve Vallos, offensive tackle John St. Clair, tight end Alex Smith, receiver Demetrius Williams and defensive end Jayme Mitchell.

The Browns announced that Billy Yates would start at right guard and Floyd Womack at right tackle.

It's difficult to pick against the Patriots' future Hall of Fame quarterback.

View full sizeWinslow Townson / Associated PressNew England coach Bill Belichick has become a great NFL coach, but having future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady on the roster certainly makes his job a little easier.

1. The endless talk about lame handshakes and feuds within the Bill Parcells family -- remember, Parcells is the football godfather of Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini, Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel, etc. -- mean very little in today's game. It comes down to the players. The only way the coaches could radically change the game is if he they step way out of character, trying to outsmart the other guy.

2. Which is why I picked quarterback Tom Brady (I mean, the Patriots) to win. Belichick has become a great coach, and he does more with role players than anyone in the NFL. But Brady (a Hall of Fame quarterback) has made Belichick a Hall of Fame coach. The Browns are using quarterback Colt McCoy in his third pro start. So far, McCoy has done a very nice job. But it would be a monstrous upset if McCoy and the Browns dump the Pats.

3. The Providence, R.I., Journal wrote that Belichick (in New England) is 7-2 vs. rookie quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger beat him in 2004, Mark Sanchez in 2009. How about this? In the previous three games, the Browns have faced quarterbacks (Drew Brees, Roethlisberger and Brady) who have won six Super Bowls. Mangini is 3-1 after the bye week. The Browns coach is 16-26 before the bye week, 20-16 after in his 4 1/2 seasons. What do all those numbers mean? I don't know, I just threw them out.

4. I loved Browns President Mike Holmgren as a coach, but he was blessed to be hooked up with a young Brett Favre in Green Bay. But to his credit, he developed Favre ... just as Belichick did with Brady. But you need the talent upon which to build.

View full sizePDColt McCoy.

5. Which brings us to McCoy. Which brings me to hoping that he plays well today so the Browns will want to continue to look at him. Which brings me to my point earlier in the week that Holmgren and Mangini need to develop an organizational plan for the quarterbacks for the rest of 2010.

6. Some fans took issue with my column earlier in the week about wanting Holmgren to set the direction for the use of the quarterbacks. My critics said it should be "the coach's decision," as Holmgren sort of said. But Holmgren has been setting the direction for the QBs ever since dumping Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, then importing Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and McCoy -- then setting up Delhomme as the starter, Wallace the backup, McCoy the third-string watcher.

7. But injuries have changed all that. Mangini is very open to Holmgren's input on the quarterbacks, just as he was in the off-season when Holmgren set the quarterback table.

8. One e-mailer wrote, "I don't think Bill Belichick asks the team president who to play at quarterback." Of course not. He has Brady. He doesn't have Holmgren as a boss. The good news for Browns fans is Mangini has a real football front office behind him in Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert -- so it's silly not to ask their advice.

9. Which is why I'm hoping the Holmgren/Heckert/Mangini trinity can stay together. These guys have a lot of experience and bring more to the Browns than any front office/coaching combination since the team returned in 1999.

10. Not sure why, but I think Joshua Cribbs could have a big day today for the Browns, perhaps out of the wildcat formation or as a receiver rather than a return man.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Can Colt McCoy win his first home game? Can the Browns defense pull a number on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady like it did against Saints quarterback Drew Brees? Will Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini finally hug after the game?  Get answers to these questions and more during cleveland.com's live chat during the Browns vs. Patriots game...

cleveland.comJoin cleveland.com's live chat from Browns Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Can Colt McCoy win his first home game? Can the Browns defense pull a number on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady like it did against Saints quarterback Drew Brees? Will Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini finally hug after the game? 

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Surprise play-calls, Peyton Hillis and solid defense have the mighty Patriots on their heels.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerTight end Evan Moore out-jumps Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty to make the catch and set up the Browns' first touchdown in the first quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND — Observations, opinions and some facts about the first quarter ...

• Good opening return by Josh Cribbs for 36 yards to the 37-yard line. Two good head-fake moves.

• Surprise first play: Colt McCoy deft play-fake and bullet to Mohamed Massaquoi for 21 yards. Followed by a Peyton Hillis blast for 18 yards out of the three-WR formation. Nice.

• McCoy's pass for Chansi Stuckey on third down should have been intercepted by Jonathan Wilhite, but Stuckey did well to break it up. Ball needed to be on Stuckey's outside shoulder. Phil Dawson's 38-yard FG makes it 3-0.

• First big special teams play goes to Browns. On short pop-up kickoff after the field goal, the Patriots' Sammy Morris lets the ball drop. The Browns' Ray Ventrone recovers at Patriots 19.

• McCoy's fade for tight end Evan Moore is short, but Moore towers over CB Devin McCourty and makes the catch on the right sideline at the Pats' 2. That's an 8-inch height advantage. Hillis rams it on the very next play for 10-0 Browns' lead.

• Let's see how patient Pats offense is down by 10 points before getting the ball.

• On Pats' first third down, Browns line up with no linemen, five linebackers and six defensive backs. Tom Brady's pass for Aaron Gronkowski is broken up by Mike Adams. Three-and-out.

• Browns go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 36. They show tight jumbo formation and then motion into a spread, empty formation. McCoy then sneaks for 3 yards and the first down. Good grief, is Bill Belichick getting schooled?

• Hillis has another blast and while he's churning for 16 yards, McCourty rips the ball out and Brandon Meriweather recovers at the Pats' 36.

• Browns defense holds. Third-down blitz out of two-down linemen formation forces Brady incompletion.

• McCoy to Massaquoi again, for 22 yards. Massaquoi is lining up all over -- left side, right side, in the slot. Now that's a change.

• Browns call time to avoid delay as play-clock almost runs out. That's the first time that's happened in three games with McCoy. Now a false start by Floyd Womack. Oops.

• McCoy throws the ball away when he can't find anyone open. Punt.

Was that the fumblerooski that Chansi Stuckey scored on from 11 yards? Not exactly, but it had that look as Eric Mangini's tricks continue. A big Abe Elam strip and recovery at the Browns' 3 keeps margin intact.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerRunning back Peyton Hillis scores on a 2-yard run in the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

• Browns squander prime field position with three-and-out and punt from Patriots' 43-yard line.

• On first down, Ahtyba Rubin unloads on Tom Brady for his first NFL sack. Rubin and Shaun Rogers were the only linemen on the unusual first-down formation.

• Brady comes right back with completions of 22 yards to Rob Gronkowski, 26 yards on a screen to Danny Woodhead and then 22 yards to Sammy Morris after a play-fake on fourth down. From the 2, Brady's pass deflects off Gronkowski and is caught by a leaping Aaron Hernandez just in front of the back line in end zone. That's a big-time Brady TD drive after that Rubin sack.

• Josh Cribbs runs for 1 yard out of the wildcat.

• Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi picks another Colt McCoy pass off his shoetops for a first down. Massaquoi is coming up big.

• McCoy nice play-fake pass on the money to tight end Benjamin Watson for 24 yards to Pats' 23. McCoy had time to read the Sunday Plain Dealer sports section.

• McCoy eludes trouble, and fires sidearm to Josh Cribbs on the run to the 11 for a first down.

• Here's another surprise play: Out of the wildcat, Cribbs takes the direct snap and hands off discreetly to Chansi Stuckey, who runs around left end and reaches out for the pylon and touchdown. Unbelievable plays. 17-7, Browns.

• Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski is questionable with thigh injury after last kickoff. Punter Zoltan Mesko and receiver Wes Welker are practicing kickoffs on the sideline.

• There goes Brady, operating on Browns' defense like a Cleveland Clinic surgeon again. He's got the Pats at the Browns' 9 with 30 seconds left.

• Abe Elam strips Gronkowski after a catch at the Browns' 3 and recovers. Huge, huge play keeps Browns in command.

The Browns again are creative with their play-calling on both offense and defense.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerBrowns running back Peyton Hillis fumbles during a 16-yard run in the first quarter. The Patriots recovered.

Halftime observations on the Browns-Patriots game:

• With two weeks to prepare, Eric Mangini can cook up some kind of nasty stuff. The Browns' opening field goal was cobbled together by special teams (Josh Cribbs' 35-yard kickoff return), power ball (Peyton Hillis' Renaldo Nehemiah routine -- he was a famous hurdler, for the non-track fans -- as he leaped a tackler for an 18-yard gain) and, as a statement of future intent, Colt McCoy's 21-yard strike over the middle on the first snap from scrimmage to Mohamed Massaquoi.

• Then the special teams bit again -- Phil Dawson's pooched kickoff landed amid a cluster of uncertain Patriots and the Browns recovered at the Pats' 19. You have to cash that chip, and McCoy did, smartly lofting a pass to 6-6 tight end Evan Moore, who outstretched 5-10 defender Devin McCourty at the 2-yard line. Then Hillis smashed into the end zone.

• But the real deep-cleansing facial came when the Browns went for it on fourth-and-inches at their own 36 while leading, 10-0. At first, it appeared the Browns would try to draw New England offsides as McCoy barked signals. Then they shifted from a power formation with one tight end to a five-receiver empty set with Hillis in the slot. McCoy sneaked up the middle for 3 yards against the dispersed defense.

• Momentum City crumbled when Hillis was stripped of the ball at the Pats' 36 after a 16-yard gain and the Browns driving for a third unanswered score. There is a price to be paid for such second effort, and it is turnovers at the end of battering-ram rushes into clusters of tacklers.

• Two nice shoetop catches by Massaquoi. In the second quarter on third-and-5 from the Browns' 45, the ball was thrown before the receiver came out of his break at the sideline. I'm counting up how many times Tim Couch made that throw, and I'm stuck at 0.

• Another Noxema face cream moment came on Chansi Stuckey's 11-yard TD run late in the second quarter. Cribbs lined up in the wildcat, took the snap, and executed a handoff to Stuckey, who was offset just behind the line to Cribbs' right. Cribbs went right after the handoff, Stuckey went left, and the crowd went over the cuckoo's nest on the score.

Colt McCoy scores first NFL TD on 16-yard run, surviving a Bill Belichick challenge.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerThe arms of Browns defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin are wrapping up Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for a sack in the second quarter.

CLEVELAND — Observations, opinions and some facts about the third quarter ...

• Let the halftime adjustments begin. Patriots come out in no-huddle mode.

•Tom Brady shucks Rob Gronkowksi, who killed Pats, for Aaron Hernandez. Throws three times to him on opening drive. Third one is off his hands against tight coverage by Mike Adams. Punt.

• Pats special teams are out of kilter. Bad snap almost eludes punter Zoltan Mesko.

• Peyton Hillis is nearing 100 yards already. Looks like Browns will ride on his shoulders to run the clock some.

• Five Hillis carries, two first downs. This is smart.

• Another nice catch by Mohamed Massaquoi for a first down. Browns are emulating Patriots on offense, being patient.

• Colt McCoy escapes pressure again. This time he's sprinting to the right and he fires to Brian Robiskie, right on the mark, for 20 yards to Patriots' 11.

• McCoy drops back from the 16, can't find anybody open, and tucks it in to run. Pokes his way through traffic, bursts around the left edge and dives for the goal line. Officials signal TD. Bill Belichick challenges, and loses. 24-7, Browns, and New England loses a timeout.

• Seven-minute TD drive for Browns will force Patriots into hurry-up mode rest of game.

• Brady moving again. But on third-and-12, his arrow in the gut of Brandon Tate is dropped. Paging Randy Moss?

• McCoy and Hillis keep moving the chains. This has got to be eating up Belichick.

Shalane Flanagan, making a marathon debut of her own, becomes the first American woman in two decades to finish second.

View full sizeStephen Chernin / Associated PressGebre Gebrmariam, of Ethiopia, leads Emmanuel Mutai, of Kenya, as they run in Central Park during the New York City Marathon. Gebrmariam won the men's division.

NEW YORK -- Gebre Gebremariam won the New York City Marathon in his debut at the distance, an unexpected Ethiopian champion on a day when his favored countryman, world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie, dropped out because of injury.

Kenya's Edna Kiplagat was another surprise winner, while Shalane Flanagan, making a marathon debut of her own, became the first American woman in two decades to finish second.

Gebrselassie later stunned the running world by announcing his retirement.

The 37-year-old Ethiopian great, widely considered the greatest distance runner ever, pulled out at the 16-mile mark with a right knee injury.

"I never think about to retire. But for the first time, this is the day," Gebrselassie said at a brief news conference afterward. "Let me stop and do other work after this."

Gebrselassie set the marathon world record of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 59 seconds in Berlin in 2008. He won two Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters.

The world was still closely watching the race after the elite runners finished: rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena was trying to complete the 26.2 miles after jogging the tunnels while trapped underground.

The 26-year-old Gebremariam became the first man to win New York in his marathon debut since Rod Dixon in 1983. The 2009 cross country world champion pulled away from Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai in the 24th mile to win in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 14 seconds.

"New York is New York -- it's so special for me just to finish," Gebremariam said.

Another Kenyan, Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, was third. Defending champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States finished sixth.

The 31-year-old Kiplagat won her first major marathon title in 2:28:20.

Flanagan, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters, was 20 seconds back. Kim Jones in 1990 was the last American woman to finish in the top two.

Kenya's Mary Keitany, also making her marathon debut, was third.

More than 45,000 runners started the 41st edition of the race through the city's five boroughs.

And while it's fun to see Peyton Hillis leap over defenders, it does make one worry about him getting injured.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerBrowns receiver Chansi Stuckey reaches the ball across the goal line on an 11-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation as New England's Kyle Arrington tries to stop him in the second quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The score gave the Browns a 17-7 lead.

2. When Peyton Hillis leaps over a defender, it's so much fun to watch. But I also worry about the guy getting hurt because he can land at a strange angle -- or have a defender cut the legs out from under him. That leap led to 18 yards on the ground. Hillis limped off the field, but later returned and scored on a 2-yard run.

3. That was the sixth rushing TD of the season for Hillis. He already has more rushing TDs than any Browns player since Jamal Lewis had nine in 2007. Lewis had four in 2008, Jerome Harrison had five last season.

4. Hillis did lose a fumble. It was his fourth fumble (third lost) this season. He did have two (one lost) in the opener at Tampa Bay. The other fumble was lost against Atlanta. I would not be extremely worried about him being fumble-prone, but Hillis needs to do a better job protecting the ball when he's spinning to get away from tacklers.

5. Profootballfocus.com writes that Hillis has averaged 3.1 yards per carry after contact, No. 7 in the NFL.

6. Massaquoi caught a 41-yard pass from Jake Delhomme in the opener. After that, his longest reception was for 14 yards -- until Sunday, when he caught passes for 22 and 21 yards. Both of those were in the middle of the field, where the Browns had not been sending the receiver in some earlier games.

7. Evan Moore made a great catch on a nice, high pass from McCoy near the sidelines. It was a throw that either would be grabbed by the 6-6 Moore or be incomplete. It went for 17 yards.

8. McCoy was fortunate not to throw an interception in the end zone on the first drive. Chansi Stuckey did a great job to battle the defender, going over his back to break up the pass. It was the only bad throw in an otherwise solid first half for McCoy, who continues to show excellent poise.

9. The Browns keep digging deep into the offensive playbook. Going for it on fourth-and-1 with McCoy in an empty backfield on a quarterback sneak for a first down ... then faking confusion on a wildcat with Cribbs, leading to Stuckey getting the ball for an 11-yard run. Cribbs running to the right, Stuckey getting the hand off, then running left. He was lined up in the backfield as if he were a fullback. Yes, the Pats and Belichick looked very surprised both times.

10. Who'd dream they'd give the ball to a possession receiver (a nice way of saying "not quick") such as Stuckey on the 11-yard line of New England? It shows real discipline to run these type of plays.

11. The Browns opened the third quarter with a seven-minute drive, ending with McCoy's terrific 16-yard TD run to take a 24-7 lead. McCoy has been outstanding. The Pats also have been unable to deal with Hillis -- which is helping the passing game. Long drives are a key for the Browns to winning this game because they keep Brady off the field.

Break down the game by watching or listening to Browns Aftermath post-game show from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Join Mike Cairns, Chuck Booms and Ray Yannucci as they talk about the Browns-Patriots live from the Digital Sports Network Tower City Center studios.

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They'll talk about about the big plays, highlight the top performances, update all the scores from around the NFL and, as always, take your calls, chat room comments and emails.

Hillis ices another win with a 35-yard TD run to total 181 yards.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerBrowns quarterback Colt McCoy celebrates a touchdown by teamate Chansi Stuckey in the second quarter.

• Colt McCoy's pump fake freezes linebacker Jerod May and McCoy drops it into Peyton Hillis for 29 yards on third down. The kid is not backing down, folks.

• Peyton Hillis in this situation is unstoppable. But he needs a breather now and then and Mike Bell is stopped for a 3-yard loss. And he stays down hurt.

• Browns kick 37-yard field goal for 27-7 lead. I was looking for a fake FG there because the three points weren't important. Key thing was the 7:48 time of possession.

• How flummoxed are the Patriots? Tom Brady is forced to slide down when nobody is there to take his handoff. Three plays later, Deion Branch false starts. Thought they didn't beat themselves?

• Third-and-15 from Browns' 38, 8:29 left: Brady to Aaron Hernandez for 13 yards.

• Fourth-and-2 from the 25, game on the line: Brady to Wes Welker to the 14.

• There's another dropped pass, this time courtesy of Hernandez. And another by Rob Gronkowksi.

• On fourth down, Ray Ventrone is called for interference in the end zone on a high pass for Gronkowski. He was looking at the ball. Ventrone and Blake Costanzo have played a lot on defense.

• Hernandez catches a 1-yard TD pass. Welker has to kick the extra point. It's good, cutting lead to 27-14. But it took Brady 14 plays and 4:08 to score. They wanted about half that time.

• Can Pats try an onside kick with Welker subbing for injured kicker Stephen Gostkowski? They need it with 6:37 left. Browns have their onside recovery team on field, but he bloops one to Josh Cribbs. Browns start at their 40-yard line.

• Hillis busts through tackle attempt of Rob Ninkovich and scampers 15 yards for first down at the 50. That, folks, should do it with less than five minutes left.

• Hillis completes the huge win with a 35-yard TD run. After the PAT, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is chest-thumping everybody. Joe Thomas pancakes Daboll to the ground.

The Browns push Bill Belichick's Patriots all over the field en route to a 34-14 victory Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerAhtyba Rubin sacks New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the second quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

If he did, he won't admit it. Ever.

Belichick and his hoodie were powerless to stop the Browns, who ripped and snorted their way to a 34-14 victory.

The Browns (3-5) dominated time of possession en route to a second straight victory. They had overwhelmed the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in New Orleans two weeks ago.

The Patriots (6-2) lost for the first time in six games.

Given a bye week to prepare for future Hall of Famer Belichick, Browns coach Eric Mangini cooked up a beat-down that was not as close as the final score indicated. The Mangeniuses played like a team on a mission from the opening kickoff; the Patriots often appeared dazed and confused.

Among Cleveland's many individual standouts were rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, running back Peyton Hillis and the versatile Josh Cribbs.

McCoy was mistake-free in improving to 2-1 in his three NFL starts. Hillis (184 rushing yards) physically overmatched New England's defense. Cribbs did a little bit of everything. 

The Browns' led, 10-0, after one quarter and 17-7 at halftime. The spread was 24-7 through three.

After the Browns forced New England to punt on the first possession of the second half, McCoy went to work. He performed like an All-Pro in orchestrating an 11-play, 72-yard drive that consumed seven minutes. McCoy's 16-yard scramble to the left pylon pushed Cleveland's advantage to 24-7 with 5:53 left in the third quarter.

New England punted again. This time, the Browns used 13 plays to move 61 yards in 7:48. Phil Dawson's 37-yard field goal with 10:45 left in the fourth made it 27-7.

The Patriots scored in garbage time. Hillis answered with a 35-yard run for the final margin.

The Browns' 10-point advantage at halftime came while holding the ball for 17 minutes, 21 seconds.

Cribbs returned the opening kickoff to the Cleveland 37. The Browns turned the relatively short field into a 38-yard field goal by Dawson.

New England's Sammy Morris muffed the ensuing kickoff, Ray Ventrone recovering at the Patriots 19. McCoy completed a 17-yard pass to Evan Moore, then Hillis scored on a run.

The Browns forced a punt and were driving for a potential 17-point lead, only to have Hillis fumble during a 16-yard burst. The Patriots recovered at their 36.

New England quarterback Tom Brady and his linemen seemed to be unnerved early by Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's amoeba defense. But Brady and his offense got it together in the second quarter.

Brady's 2-yard pass to Aaron Hernandez capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive that pulled the Patriots within 10-7 midway through the second. Hernandez caught a deflection off Rob Gronkowski's hands.

The Browns responded with a nine-play, 60-yard possession that lasted 5:20. Chansi Stuckey scored on an 11-yard run to the left. Stuckey took an inside handoff from Cribbs in what had the feel of a fumblerooskie because Stuckey stood still for a moment as Cribbs rolled right.

In the final minutes of the half, Brady engineered a drive deep into Cleveland territory. Gronkowski was stripped by Abe Elam at the 3 with less than 30 seconds left. Elam recovered.

Auburn and TCU are Nos. 2 and 3. Boise State routed Hawaii (7-3), outgaining the Warriors, 737 yards to 196, yet loses ground. Ohio State No. 8.

Associated PressBoise State quarterback Kellen Moore calling signals during the Broncos' 42-7 win over Hawaii.

New York, N.Y. -- TCU's impressive victory over the weekend not only lifted the Horned Frogs to No. 3 in The Associated Press poll, it caused Auburn to move up behind top-ranked Oregon and Boise State to fall two spots to No. 4.

The Horned Frogs won 47-7 at Utah on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten Mountain West Conference teams. With that thoroughly dominant performance, TCU drew so much support away from Boise State, it caused movement in the top four for the first time in three weeks.

Oregon received 49 first-place votes and 1,484 points, only three points less than last week. Auburn received the exact amount of first-place votes (two) and points as last week.

TCU received two first-place votes, same as last week, but jumped 41 points to 1,391. Boise State kept its seven first-place votes, but dropped 37 points to 1,366.

LSU is No. 5, up seven spots, and the highest ranked team with one loss after the Tigers beat Alabama 24-21 on Saturday. The Crimson Tide fell six spots to No. 11.

The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with seven teams in the Top 25.

No. 6 Wisconsin, Stanford, Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan State rounded out the top 10.

No. 25 Central Florida (7-2) is ranked for the first time in school history. The Golden Knights have been playing I-A football since 1996.

UCF is a spot behind Florida, which re-entered the rankings this week after falling out three weeks ago for the first time since the final poll of the 2004 season.

The Sunshine State's other two traditional powers, Florida State and Miami, are unranked. Florida State was one of three teams to drop out after a loss this week, joining ACC rival North Carolina State and Baylor.

No. 23 Texas A&M (6-3) moved into the rankings for the first time since early in the 2007 season by beating Oklahoma 33-19.

Alabama is followed in the second 10 by Oklahoma State, Iowa, Arkansas and Utah at No. 15. The Utes dropped nine spots after being routed by TCU, a loss that snapped their 21-game home winning streak.

No. 16 Virginia Tech is the only Atlantic Coast Conference team in the poll. No. 17 Mississippi State, Arizona, Oklahoma and Missouri finish off the top 20.

Nevada is No. 21 and No. 22 is South Carolina, which plays at Florida on Saturday for the SEC East championship.

Austin Collie suffered a brutal hit, but were the officials premature in throwing a flag?

We're all for safety, and we're all for the NFL's policy on protecting the players on the field, but did the officials go too far when Kurt Coleman of the Philadelphia Eagles was flagged for his hit on (see video below) Indianapolis Colts receiver Austin Collie?

There's a rule against helmet-to-helmet hits, but this appeared within the rules. Collie caught the ball, put his head down to protect himself and was hit by Quintin Mikell's shoulder pads, which then propelled Collie into Coleman. Coleman made contact with Collie's helmet, but that was due to the speed of the collision.

How can a defensive player avoid that? Coleman was penalized for the hit.

Hear former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano talk about the win at 2 p.m. what it means for Colt McCoy, Eric Mangini and the team's prospects for the rest of the season on The Gloves Are Off on DSN from 2-6 p.m.

PD File PhotoSam Rutigliano

Coach Byron Scott says he expects Jamison will play after missing three games with a sore knee.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz | The Plain DealerAntawn Jamison.

INDEPENDENCE -- Forward Antawn Jamison practiced with the Cavaliers on Monday, and coach Byron Scott said, unless something unexpected happens, he expects Jamison to play Tuesday night in New Jersey.

Jamison has been bothered by a sore left knee and missed the last three games.

Daniel Gibson missed practice to attend to a personal issue, but he also is expected in New Jersey on Tuesday, Scott said.

See what some cleveland.com commenters had to say following the Browns' 34-14 win over the New England Patriots.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz | The Plain DealerSome Browns fans have taken notice of Rob Ryan and his defense following another win.

"Imagine if the Browns would have won half the games they led in the 4th quarter? This team is playing hard, the coaches are putting together great game plans, and the Browns are giving the fans a reason to believe." - ipounddawgs

"I'm as excited as anyone about McCoy, Hillis, the O-line, etc. But let's not forget that this defense just held New Orleans and New England to 17 and 14 points respectively. I don't know how this seems to go largely unnoticed. Way to go, Rob Ryan and crew!" - BrownsBro

"From Beginning to End, the Browns played the most complete game I have seen in years. Great Win! Mangini is the man for our team. Colt is a real quarterback and will have a future here in Cleveland!" - 311roxcleveland

"Well, I guess the Browns players just told Holmgren who they want to see on the sidelines from here on out. Stay upstairs, Mike. Face it, you have a good coach on the field." - Zongo

"I've never been a Mangini lover, but it's obvious the team responds to our coaches. They play hard and physical and smart as a team. Love the aggressiveness on both sides of the ball. They all play on their toes, not on their heels like the teams of recent history. The Browns are fun to watch again." - preventd

University School alum Jason Garrett will take over as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for the rest of the year. Owner Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips Monday, a day after the Cowboys lost 45-7 to the Packers to fall to 1-7.

View full sizeFort Worth Star-TelegramWade Phillips has been fired as head coach of the 1-7 Dallas Cowboys. Taking over will be offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Jason Garrett, a University School alum.

This move was expected by many as multiple reports surfaced following the game that Phillips was unlikely to make it through the week. Phillips' certainly deserved this fate after the Cowboys started the season 1-7.

Last week Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Phililps would remain on as head coach for the rest of the season but I'm not sure if others, Jones included, actually believed that at the time. Jones said after the Packers game that there would be people in the organization who suffered the consequences of failing so badly on expectations this year.

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will take his spot, according to the CBS-11 report. Garrett has been a head coaching candidate at multiple points in his career including interviews with the Broncos and Rams over the last two years. Garrett though is one of the NFL's highest paid assistants and plenty of people expected him to be the next Cowboys head coach.