Your Five Things For December 15th: Lions Tied For First In NFC North

1. Lions Squeak Past Minnesota:

Yesterday, in Detroit, the Detroit Lions hosted the Minnesota Vikings with the Vikings trying to play spoiler to the Lions season.  The Lions offense struggled and they fell behind 14-0 early in the first half.  But, the Lions fought back and topped the Vikings 16-14.  Matthew Stafford played well enough going 17/28 for 158 yards and 1 touchdown.  Golden Tate had the most catches with 7 receptions and 1 touchdown but Calvin Johnson lead the team in receiving yards with 53 on 4 receptions.  Joique Bell lead the team in rushing with 15 rushing attempts and 62 yards.  but the white knight for the Lions was Matt Prater who went 3/3 on field goals hitting from 29, 30 and 33. The Lions defense played well and was opportunistic forcing 2 interceptions, forced one fumble and 1 blocked field goal.  The Lions next game will be Sunday at the Chicago Bears.

2. Spartans Top Oakland After Week Off:

Last night, Michigan State hosted Oakland University and topped the Golden Grizzlies 87-61.  Michigan State shot 55% from the field and shot over 63% from behind the arc.  Denzel Valentine scored 19 points shooting 5-6 from behind the arc in 28 minutes.  Dante Williams scored 15 points off the bench leading the way for Oakland.  The Golden Grizzlies shot 39% and only 25% from behind the arc.  Michigan State will be on the court on Wednesday as they host Eastern Michigan at the Breslin Center.

3. Michigan Basketball Woes Continue:

On Saturday, Michigan traveled to Arizona to take on the Arizona Wildcats.  Michigan was looking to change their recent misfortune after losing to NJIT and Eastern Michigan.  Arizona got off to a quick start and never looked back beating Michigan 80-53. 4 of the 5 starters were in double figures for Arizona with Stanley Johnson leading the way with 17 points and shooting 8-10 from the field.  Zak Irving lead the way for Michigan with 14 points and was the only Michigan starter in double figures.  Michigan will host Larry Brown and SMU on Saturday for the next game.

4. Kobe Bryant Passes MJ:

Last night Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan on the all time scoring list and now sits in third behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Kobe Bryant passed Jordan's 32,292 on a free throw in the second quarter.  The happened the Minnesota as the Lakers were facing the Timberwolves.  The Lakers won the game 100-94 while Kobe scored 26 points.

5. Marcus Mariota Wins Heisman:

On Saturday, Marcus Mariota was awarded the Heisman Trophy the first in University of Oregon football history.  Mariota received the second highest possible percentage points with 90.22% of points.  Mariota, who is a Junior, can declare for the NFL Draft and many believe he would be the first player picked.