It seems like everyone I talked with about the Super Bowl in advance offered the same sentiment——-”I’m for the Saints, but I think the Colts will win.”

That made New Orleans’ 31-17 victory over Indianapolis Sunday in Miami Gardens a popular one. Most people were rooting, not only for the Saints, but for the residents of the city and the state of Louisiana, the memories of Hurricane Katrina not yet forgotten.

Looking back, the coin toss was even a good omen for New Orleans. For the 13th straight Super Bowl, the NFC champion won it. A mathematical genius somewhere had figured that the odds on the same conference winning the toss 12 consecutive times was 1 in 8,192. Who knows about 13 in a row?

It did not start well for the Saints, who were making their first Super Bowl appearance in the 43 seasons they have been in the National Football League, one fewer than the event itself. The Colts kicked a field goal on their first possession, and drove a record-equaling 96 yards for a touchdown the second time they had the ball. New Orleans was behind, 10-0 after one quarter, and only one team had ever overcome that large a deficit to win a Super Bowl.

However, from that point on, the highest-scoring team in the NFL, the Saints, would outscore Indianapolis, 31-7, and it could have been even more one-sided. New Orleans ran two plays from the Colts’ one-yard line—-and did not score.

Garrett Hartley of the Saints, the hero of the NFC title battle with the Vikings, became the first man to ever kick three 40 + yard field goals in a Super Bowl, and two came in the opening half which ended 10-6. Indianapolis, a five-point favorite, had two three-and-out series and only 15 yards in the second quarter.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton surprised the Colts with an onside kick to open the second half, and the Saints recovered the ball. It was the first onside boot not in the fourth period in Super
Bowl history. Quarterback Drew Brees then guided his team 56 yards, and connected with Pierre Thomas on a 16-yard screen pass for the go-ahead touchdown. Peyton Manning came right back to direct Indianapolis on a 79-yard drive and reclaimed the lead, 17-13. Hartley’s 47-yard field goal cut it to one point entering the final quarter, and started an 18-0 run for the Saints.

Brees had one stretch where he completed 21 of his 24 passes. He threw to eight different receivers and finished with 32 completions to tie Tom Brady’s Super Bowl mark. Drew threw only seven incompletions, was not intercepted, and gained 288 yards through the air. His two-yard pass to Jeremy Shockey put the Saints in front for good with 5:42 remaining. Brees won Super Bowl MVP honors.

There was only one turnover in the game, but it ruined the Colts’ chances. Manning was 31 yards away from the tying TD and a possible overtime when Tracy Porter of New Orleans intercepted his pass and raced 74 yards for the clinching score.

SUPER SUNDAY SHOTS:

• It’s the first professional sports championship for the city of New Orleans.
• The Colts gained 100 more yards than the Saints, 432 to 332.
• New Orleans had the ball for 22 seconds more than Indianapolis.
• Brees and Manning combined to complete 75 % of their passes——63 of 84 for 614 yards.
• There were no fumbles in the game.
• Manning was never sacked, Brees once.
• Only eight penalties were called, and for just 64 yards.
• Each team punted twice.
• As for third and fourth down efficiency, the Colts were 7 for 15 and the Saints 4 for 10.
• Colts linebacker Gary Brackett made 12 solo tackles and one assisted tackle. No one else had more than seven solos.
• New Orleans was a 17 to 1 longshot at the start of the season to win the Super Bowl.
• In the 11 playoff games this season, the team with the fewest turnovers won 10, and in the other game, each had one.
• Teams with more turnovers have won only 4 of 44 Super Bowls.

All of the NFL championship apparel clothes made in case the Colts were to win the Super Bowl will go to areas in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Indianapolis wide receiver Pierre Garcon will be pleased since his family has origins in Haiti. For years, World Vision has helped the NFL make certain that no league apparel is thrown out.

Last year, Cardinals gear was donated in El Salvador. In 2008, the Patriots’ apparel from the Super Bowl with “19-0″ emblazoned to mark their would-be perfect season, was donated in Nicaragua. World Vision estimates the donations are worth upwards of $2 million.

The University of Texas has sent nearly $300,000 worth of clothing to Haiti. The 13,000 shirts and 1, 000 caps were produced to celebrate a Longhorns’ victory over Alabama in the national collegiate championship game. The Crimson Tide won, 37 to 21. Those shirts retail for 20 dollars each while the cap price was 22 dollars.

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Is it possible that the North Carolina Tarheels might not qualify for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and be a part of March Madness this season? That seems inconceiveable, but Roy Williams’ squad has lost 10 of 23 games, and is 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 2 and 6 league record. Carolina is half a game out of last place with six losses in the past seven games, and in its worst slump since 2002.