Jeff Hart

Tom Brady was as giddy as the quarterback of an unbeaten and perhaps unbeatable team should be. The New England Patriots finished off a perfect regular season Saturday night with a thrilling 38-35 victory over the New York Giants.

Will Daniels scored a season-high 28 points and No. 25 Rhode Island beat Georgia Southern 85-80 Saturday night for the Islander Invitational championship.

Flowery Branch's Jaybo Shaw connected with Gerald Ford of Gainesville for an 11-yard touchdown but it was the only score in the game for the North in a 28-6 loss to the South Saturday in the GACA All-Star Classic.

Former Gainesville High standout Jamarco Warren poured in 21 points to lead Charleston Southern but it wasn't enough as the Bucs were routed by Gardner-Webb 105-77 Saturday night.

Kevin Smith couldn't catch Barry Sanders. There were too many Mississippi State Bulldogs in the way. Central Florida's All-American was limited to 119 yards on 35 carries, leaving him 61 yards shy of Sanders' single-season rushing record Saturday in a bruising 10-3 loss to Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl.

Former Gwinnett Gladiator Colin Stuart became the fourth player to advance to the National Hockey League after playing for the Gladiators after appearing in the Atlanta Thrashers 5-0 win against the Boston Bruins Saturday night at Phillips Arena.

The Dawson County boys basketball team is on a roll. The Tigers won their fifth straight Saturday night beating Banks County 74-57 in the championship game of the Commerce Christmas Tournament.

The Buford girls basketball team won won the Jackson County Christmas Tournament routing Hebron Christian 62-25 Saturday night in the championship game.

Patrick Kerney has a chance to finish as the NFL's leader in sacks - and to do it against his former team. Kerney is on the cusp of doing that for the first time entering next week's game between NFC West champion Seattle and the struggling Falcons.

Willie Parker, the NFL's leading rusher when he broke his right leg Thursday night in St. Louis, was officially lost for the season when the Pittsburgh Steelers placed him on the injured reserve list Monday. To replace Parker on their roster, the Steelers re-signed former Georgia Bulldog Verron Haynes, primarily a third down back for the Steelers from 2002-06.