2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Premier Wen Jiabao delivered the working Government Report for the year 2006, and gave a policy outlook for 2007 during the opening session of the NPC on the morning of March 5, 2007. The speech lasted nearly two hours and fifteen minutes, and focused largely on populist issues such as health care and education, with an unprecedented tone addressing corruption, waste, and environmental concerns. As in previous years, urban-rural and regional disparities were a common theme. Wen opened saying that this is the last year of the 10th National People's Congress, and thus the government's term will legally expire by March 2008. In his 2007 outlook he stressed various issues of general concern of late.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
On domestic policy, Wen focused on problematic issues such as real estate, which in recent years has emerged as an infamous sector for illegal dealings and lack of fairness. Wen guaranteed an increase in low-income housing benefits in the coming year, and vowed a serious crackdown on real estate crime.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Premier Wen went on to focus heavily on the Three Rural Issues of agriculture, the countryside, and farmers. This particular topic was echoed throughout the speech. He pledged government finances towards building rural infrastructure and funding towards the development of new technologies. Wen pledged a change in policy towards agricultural insurance, which is almost nonexistent in the current framework. On the topic of rural health care, Wen promised a twofold increase in funding, and vowed that over 80% of the Chinese rural population will receive guaranteed basic health care in the year ahead.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
More prominently addressed than in any previous government report  were environmental concerns. Wen said that the government will enforce strict environmental standards dictating new construction projects in the coming year. He reinforced the government's position on the protection of land, specifically pointing out that "mansions, golf courses, and lavish government buildings" are not appropriate uses for agricultural land, and cautioned local government and contractors that such things should be avoided.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Wen briefly mentioned the balance being sought by the government between the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. He stressed the importance of the continued development of the services sector, and the transformation in industry from being simply "large", to becoming "strong".


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Another prominent topic of the speech focused on balancing regional disparities. In this area Wen mentioned education as a primary concern. He pledged that in 2007 the central government will completely abolish tuition for rural children (including fees for books and for extracurricular activities) from Kindergarten to Grade 9. Wen also mentioned a fivefold increase in the amount of funding being put towards vocational and post-secondary scholarships, focusing on rural areas. He cited the government's continued focus on training more teachers and educational professionals and increasing the quality of post-secondary education in China, and offered a vision stating "One day, let teachers become the most respected professionals in society".


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Wen also pointed out the government's readied stance towards public epidemics and a continued focus towards AIDS prevention. Wen briefly mentioned the government's continued support towards the development of traditional Chinese medicine and its important role in health care. He stressed upgraded and more effective urban health care, especially in central and western regions.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
As in previous years, Wen mentioned the government's continued support of the One-child Policy and government benefits for rural families who have difficulties because of the policy. He pledged that local governments and institutions should continue to focus on the teaching of the socialist disgrace and honours system coined by President Hu Jintao. He stressed the importance of so-called "cultural reforms", and said the government would continue building literacy and cultural institutions in rural areas. Wen talked about the government's plans to continue building basic sports facilities, and continue preparation work for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Shanghai's Expo 2010.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
In the area of social welfare, Wen pledged a continued evolution towards an effective social insurance system. To tackle urban unemployment, Wen mentioned the "lowest barrier" where the government will step in and cover basic living costs of victims of job loss. Wen vowed continued vigilance in the matter of safety standards, especially in coal mines, and pledged a tough stance towards commercial scams and fake medicines. Wen also said the local and central governments will continue to be united against organized crime.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Wen talked extensively about the solid government stance on continued economic reform. State-owned enterprises will continue their reforms and non-profitable and outdated SOE's will continue to be shut down or replaced by "non-public" institutions. Wen noted the danger of monopolies, and put forth a proposal for a new set of corporate taxation laws aimed at curbing widespread tax evasion and commercial irregularities. Public banking will continue its extension into rural areas. The Agricultural Bank of China will continue its reforms as a listed company. Wen noted that reforms in the insurance sector are to take place before it earns an appropriate place in the services sector.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Concerning international trade, Premier Wen focused on attracting  foreign investment, specifically to western and northeastern areas who have "just as much developmental potential" as the affluent coast.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
In contrast to previous years, Wen extensively outlined governmental flaws, and the urgent need to reform certain governing institutions. The ideas revolved around the premise of "governing for the people, with transparency from government and participation from the people". Wen acknowledged the serious nature and extent of corruption. The Commissions for Discipline Inspection as well as the masses, Wen said, should rally together in combating official corruption. Wen's vision was to make the governmental system "clean, effective, satisfactory, and transparent" in the coming years. He briefly touched on reforming governmental structure, but did not go into specifics. A clear emphasis was drawn from Wen's comments about governmental waste, which "as noted by our people has become a very severe problem". Wen vowed decreases in governmental spending, and warned staunchly against the lavish lifestyles of public officials.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
Military affairs were summed up by the slogan "strategic thinking". Wen pledged to continue building the military to modern standards and stated that China will continue to adhere to the One Country, Two Systems policy and will not violate the high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong and Macau. Reminiscent of previous years, the longest period of applause came when he declared that China will remain resolutely opposed to any form of Taiwan's declaration of de jure "independence." Wen said that the Three Links and economic integration must continue, and welcomes dialogue from any Taiwanese political party.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
On foreign policy, Wen stated that China will continue in its role in the development of a peaceful and harmonious world.


2007 National People's Congress, Government report
The conclusion of the speech made mention of President Hu Jintao's new Scientific Development Perspectives and the goal of a Socialist Harmonious Society.


2007 National People's Congress, Property Law
On March 8, the Property Law of the People's Republic of China was formally introduced at the NPC. Vice-Chairman Wang Zhaoguo told the Congress that the law will "safeguard the fundamental interests of the people", and the law is an attempt at adapting to new "economic and social realities" in China. The bill was first published in 2002. It was subsequently deferred, failed again in its reading at the 2006 National People's Congress because of a dispute over its contents, and then went through its eighth reading in 2007.


2007 National People's Congress, Property Law
Some press reports have characterized this law as the first piece of legislation in the People's Republic of China to cover an individual's right to own private assets, although this is incorrect, as the right to private property was written into the PRC Constitution in 2003, and the law itself is directed at defining all forms of property in the PRC.


2007 National People's Congress, Property Law
The law was adopted on March 16, the final day of the two-week session of parliament, with the backing of 96.9% of the 2,889 legislators attending, with 2799 for, 53 against, and 37 abstentions. With his final address to the 2007 Session, NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo declared "the Private Property Law and the Corporate Taxation Law are two of the most important laws in the new economic system of Socialism with Chinese characteristics; we must attempt to learn these laws fully through various methods."


2007 National People's Congress, Corporate Tax Law
The other major economic law that was passed unified the tax rates of foreign and domestic corporations at 25%.


2007 National People's Congress, Other significant events
A letter was sent from people who were victims of Mao's Anti-Rightist Movement to the Congress, asking for compensation.


2007 National People's Congress, Other significant events
Lawmakers also banned Internet cafe usage by minors, a large number of whom are allegedly addicted.


2007 National People's Congress, Other significant events
Delegate Jian Deming put forth a proposal for a "dog tax", a deterrent for pet owners, in an apparent attempt to curb the ongoing spread of rabies.


2007 National People's Congress, Premier's press conference
Chinese leaders rarely give interviews or hold open press conferences, and their appearances, regardless of circumstance, are usually heavily scripted. One of the few times open press conferences are held is immediately following the National People's Congress session every year.


2007 National People's Congress, Premier's press conference
In 2007, Premier Wen Jiabao had to answer a series of sensitive questions involving China's increased military spending, the road to democracy, the Dalai Lama, and even a question about disgraced former Premier Zhao Ziyang. When answering a question from a reporter from The Wall Street Journal, Wen said China would like to reduce its trade surplus, but reassured the United States that the current trade imbalance will not destabilize U.S. currency values. Wen recognized the systematic problems facing the Chinese economic system.


2007 National People's Congress, Premier's press conference
Wen reiterated the official stance that China is opposed to the weaponization of space, and that the Chinese military build-up is purely for domestic rather than for offensive purposes. On the issue of the Dalai Lama, Wen said China's government is open to dialogue with the 14th Dalai Lama as long as he gives up efforts for Tibetan independence. In reply to a question about democracy from a French reporter, Wen reiterated the age-old CCP maxim that "different states have different backgrounds, therefore democracy must be achieved based on different timelines". Wen did concede, however, that more democracy is required in the current system to combat rising corruption.


2007 National People's Congress, Premier's press conference
On the subject of Taiwan independence, the tone maintained the harsh rhetoric against the current administration on the island led by Chen Shui-bian while attempting not to alienate the Taiwanese electorate in general. During the two-week session, Wen was careful to add the words "de jure independence" (法理独立) as opposed to simply "independence" when referring to Taiwan. During the Press Conference, Wen also reiterated that the PRC government was in favour of perfecting the Three Links, amongst other economic and cultural ties.


2007 National People's Congress, Premier's press conference
In an unprecedented move, Wen began the press conference with a direct appeal to the people by reading a letter from a primary school student, subsequently voicing his concern about China's current social imbalance.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season
The 2007 National Pro Fastpitch season was the fourth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for  the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
A number of changes to the NPF roster of teams happened in the offseason:


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
The Texas Thunder were sold to new ownership based in Rockford, Illinois. They relocated there for the 2007 season and renamed themselves the Rockford Thunder.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
In January 2007, the Connecticut Brakettes announced they would no longer participate in NPF.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
In February, an expansion team named the Washington Glory was added to NPF, and the Glory inherited the contracts of players from the Brakettes.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
Arizona Heat suspended play for the 2007 season. Despite rumors to the contrary, the Heat never rejoined NPF.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
NPF hired Cheri Kempf to be commissioner. Kempf's background includes pitching on the 1992 gold medal-winning United States national team in the World Cup in Beijing, China, producing instructional books and videos on softball, and announcing professional and college softball telecasts.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Milestones and events
In March, the Akron Racers hired Shonda Stanton, the head softball coach at Marshall University to be field manager.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Player acquisition, College draft
The 2007 NPF Senior Draft was held February 14, 2007. Lindsay Schutzler of Tennessee was selected first by the Chicago Bandits.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, Player acquisition, Notable transactions
Cat Osterman was drafted first in the 2006 NPF Draft by the Connecticut Brakettes. She did not sign with them, becoming a free agent on September 30, 2006. In December 2006, she signed a deal to join the Rockford Thunder.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, League standings
The Michigan Ice played a partial schedule in 2007, with hopes of receiving investor support in 2008 to become a full-time NPF member. The Ice never became a full-time member. League games against Team China, Denso Japan professional softball team, the Venezuela national team and the Stratford Brakettes were also scheduled. The results counted in the NPF's team records.


2007 National Pro Fastpitch season, NPF Championship
The 2007 NPF Championship Series was held at Sunset Point Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin August 24-6. The top four teams qualified and were seeded based on the final standings. The series matched the teams up in a double-elimination bracket.


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 42nd National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 5 January 2008, honored the best in film for 2007.


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Picture
1. There Will Be Blood2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)3. No Country for Old Men


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood2. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men2. Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood2. Frank Langella – Starting Out in the Evening3. Philip Seymour Hoffman – Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and The Savages


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Julie Christie – Away from Her2. Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose (La Môme)3. Anamaria Marinca – 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile)


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford2. Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men3. Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There2. Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead3. Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
1. Tamara Jenkins – The Savages2. Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood3. Ronald Harwood – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
1. Robert Elswit – There Will Be Blood2. Janusz Kamiński – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)3. Roger Deakins – No Country for Old Men


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Foreign Language Film
1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile)2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)3. Persepolis


2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Non-Fiction Film
1. No End in Sight2. Sicko3. Terror's Advocate (L'avocat de la terreur)


2007 Nationwide Tour
The 2007 Nationwide Tour season ran from January 25 to November 4. The season consisted of 32 official money golf tournaments; three of which were played outside the United States. The top 25 players on the year-end money list earned their PGA Tour card for 2008. Nick Flanagan earned his PGA Tour card by winning three tournaments on the season. He earned an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour after his third win at the Xerox Classic.


2007 Nationwide Tour, Schedule
The table below shows the Nationwide Tour's 2007 schedule. The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Nationwide Tour including that event. No one accumulates many wins on the Nationwide Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the PGA Tour.


2007 Nationwide Tour graduates
This is a list of players who graduated from the Nationwide Tour in 2007. The top 25 players on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2007 earned their PGA Tour card for 2008.


2007 Nationwide Tour graduates
*PGA Tour rookie for 2008. #Flanagan received a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour in 2007 by winning three tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2007. On the PGA Tour in 2007, he played in 4 tournaments and made 2 cuts. In the two tournaments that he made the cut in, he finished in a tie for 17th and in a tie for 18th. T = TiedGreen background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 2009 (won or finished inside the top 125). Yellow background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2009, but retained conditional status (finished between 126–150). Red background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2009 (finished outside the top 150).


2007 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 25 August 2007. There were more than 80 candidates for the 18 seats available. Fifteen MPs were reelected, among them fourteen supporters of Ludwig Scotty's government; the only opposition politician to be reelected was René Harris. Of the three seats which changed hands, two were losses for the opposition and one was a gain; all in all, fifteen members are pro-government and only three are opposition members.


2007 Nauruan presidential election
Indirect presidential elections were held in Nauru on 28 August 2007. They were originally scheduled for June, but a debate on changing the constitution and allowing direct presidential elections delayed the election for a few months.


2007 Nauruan presidential election
The incumbent Ludwig Scotty was re-elected with fourteen of the eighteen votes in parliament. The candidate of the opposition, Commonwealth Games gold-winning weightlifter Marcus Stephen, earned three votes.


2007 Nauruan presidential election
However, after a vote of no confidence in December, 2007, the Administration of President of Nauru Ludwig Scotty was overturned in favour of a new Administration led by Marcus Stephen, who became President of Nauru in place of Mr. Scotty.


2007 Navarrese regional election
The 2007 Navarrese regional election was held on Sunday, 27 May 2007, to elect the 8th Parliament of the Chartered Community of Navarre. All 50 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2007 Navarrese regional election
The ruling Navarrese People's Union — Convergence of Democrats of Navarre coalition lost the absolute majority it had enjoyed in the previous legislature, but Miguel Sanz was able to be re-elected President of Navarre for a fourth term thanks to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party backing down on the possibility of forming an alternative government with Nafarroa Bai and United Left.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of Navarre was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Chartered Community of Navarre, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Reintegration and Enhancement of the Foral Regime of Navarre Law, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Foral Deputation. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Navarre and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 50 members of the Parliament of Navarre were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in Navarre. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of Navarre expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Parliament were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 25 May 2003, setting the election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 27 May 2007.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Foral Deputation has the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Navarre and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a thirty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Parliamentary composition
The Parliament of Navarre was officially dissolved on 3 April 2007, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Gazette of Navarre. The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the Parliament at the time of dissolution.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 26 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Navarre.


2007 Navarrese regional election, Aftermath
Investiture processes to elect the President of Navarre required for an absolute majority—more than half the votes cast—to be obtained in the first ballot. If unsuccessful, a new ballot would be held 24 hours later requiring only of a simple majority—more affirmative than negative votes—to succeed. If such majorities were not achieved, successive candidate proposals would be processed under the same procedure. In the event of the investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a thirty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament would be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.


2007 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 2007 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Paul Johnson until he accepted the head coaching position at Georgia Tech prior to the team's final game of the season. Offensive line coach Ken Niumatalolo was first promoted to interim head coach and then named as the team's permanent head coach.


2007 Navy Midshipmen football team
After beginning the season with a 4–4 record through the first eight games, including a loss to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) foe Delaware, the Midshipmen broke a 43-year losing streak in the Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry in the 2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game by winning in triple overtime. The next week, the team became bowl eligible by winning its sixth game of the season in the 2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, which set a record for the most points scored in a regulation-length FBS college football game.


2007 Navy Midshipmen football team
The Midshipmen finished the regular season with an 8–4 record and secured a berth in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, which had a single-year tie-in with the USNA. The other tie-in was with the Mountain West Conference (MWC). In a close game that came down to the final seconds, Navy lost the game to the Utah Utes with a score of 35–32.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game
The 2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game was a regular-season college football game between the Navy Midshipmen and the North Texas Mean Green, played on November 10, 2007 at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas. The game held the record for the most combined points scored in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regulation game with 136 total points, until 137 combined points were scored by Syracuse and Pittsburgh during their November 26, 2016 matchup.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game
The mid-season, non-conference game was the first meeting between the two teams; both came into the game with highly rated offenses and poorly rated defenses. Before the game the Midshipmen had a 5–4 record, most recently defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to break a streak of 43 consecutive losses to that team. Another win would qualify them for a bowl game. The Mean Green held a 1–7 record, and could not become bowl eligible by winning its remaining games, but the team's offense had improved over the course of the season.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game
During the first quarter of the game, the Mean Green led the Midshipmen by as much as 18 points. In the second quarter the teams combined to score 63 points, setting records for most points scored in a quarter and a half. The Midshipmen rallied around a strong rushing offense to take the lead at the beginning of the third quarter, and the Mean Green's offensive momentum sputtered during the second half. Navy held the lead for the remainder of the game.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game
With the win the Midshipmen improved to 6–4, making the team bowl-eligible for the fifth straight year. After finishing the regular season with a record of 8–4 they played in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, losing to the Utah Utes. The loss against Navy gave the Mean Green a 1–8 record, and the team eventually finished with a 2–10 record for the season.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Pre-game buildup, Navy
The Midshipmen, using a triple option offensive scheme under head coach Paul Johnson, had gained the most rushing yards of any team in the nation and had a record of 4–4 through the first eight games of the season. In their ninth game the team defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in triple overtime, ending a 43-year losing streak in the Notre Dame–Navy rivalry and improving the team's record to 5–4. With three games remaining in the season, Navy needed to win at least one more to become bowl eligible. Sponsors had arranged for Navy (which was unaffiliated with any college football conference) to play in the Poinsettia Bowl if they won six games. The Midshipmen defense allowed an average of 38.8 points per game.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Pre-game buildup, North Texas
Using a spread offense scheme implemented by first-year head coach Todd Dodge, the Mean Green experienced some offensive success; however, defensive woes led to a 1–7 record through the first eight games of the season. In a rivalry game against SMU on September 8 Mean Green quarterback Daniel Meager threw for over 600 yards (one of the top 20 single-game performances in FBS history), but defensive errors and an interception returned for a touchdown during the fourth quarter led to another loss. After losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks 66–7, Dodge replaced Meager with redshirt freshman Giovanni Vizza.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Pre-game buildup, North Texas
After four games as a starter, Vizza had set a new passing record for freshmen at North Texas. Coming into the game, the Mean Green ranked 12th nationally in passing offense. Dodge's defensive squad, however, continued to struggle; the team had allowed an average of 209 yards of rushing per game, ranking 107th in the nation in rushing defense. It also ranked 119th in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of 46.5 points per game. Coming off a bye week, the team entered the game with a 1–7 record.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary
The game was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Central Time at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas. Before the opening kickoff, the Green Brigade Marching Band performed "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" and "The Star-Spangled Banner". At the conclusion of the national anthem, four United States Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft performed a flyover past the stadium.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary, First quarter
Although the Mean Green had not scored on its first possession in its previous eight games, the team scored on its opening drive against the Midshipmen when wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Giovanni Vizza. The Mean Green recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff and scored another touchdown on the following drive. After the Midshipmen kicked a field goal on their first possession, North Texas added another touchdown, giving them a 21–3 lead. Navy scored a touchdown with seven seconds remaining in the quarter. The period ended with the Mean Green ahead, 21–10.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary, Second quarter
After Navy forced North Texas to begin the second quarter with a punt, Midshipmen running back Eric Kettani fumbled the ball on the second play of the next drive and the Mean Green recovered. The next eight possessions – four from each team – resulted in touchdowns. Four of the drives took less than a minute of game time to reach the end zone, and a fifth took barely over a minute.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary, Second quarter
In the final two minutes of the half the Midshipmen forced the Mean Green to punt after three plays, and Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada threw a 47-yard pass to running back Reggie Campbell. The Midshipmen ran for another touchdown on the next play. North Texas got the ball back with seven seconds left in the half, but chose not to attempt to score again. At the end of the first half, the Mean Green led the Midshipmen 49–45.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary, Third quarter
Navy began the third quarter with a 9-play, 60-yard touchdown drive composed completely of runs. This gave them their first lead of the game at 51–49 (the extra point attempt was blocked). On the next North Texas drive, Midshipmen outside linebacker Ram Vela intercepted Giovanni Vizza's pass at the Midshipmen 20-yard line. Three plays later, Navy running back Zerbin Singleton ran 65 yards for another touchdown, making the score 58–49. The Mean Green responded with a 7-play, 59-yard drive, which ended with another Vizza touchdown pass to Casey Fitzgerald. On the next play from scrimmage, Kettani ran 49 yards. Two plays later he ran for another touchdown, bringing the score to 65–56 at the end of the third quarter.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The next Mean Green drive ended in another interception, this time by Midshipmen linebacker Matt Wimsatt. After the ensuing drive stalled at midfield, the Midshipmen downed a punt at the North Texas two-yard line. Two plays later the Mean Green were called for holding in the end zone, giving Navy a safety. Campbell returned the ensuing free kick for a touchdown, giving the Midshipmen a 74–56 lead. Running back Micah Mosley scored another touchdown for the Mean Green, but their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving them down 74–62. The Mean Green attempted another onside kick, but Navy recovered. One first down was enough to enable the Midshipmen to run out the clock for the win.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Final statistics
With a combined 136 total points scored between both teams, the game set an NCAA Division I FBS record for most points scored in a regulation-length game (breaking the previous record of 133 points set when the San Jose State Spartans defeated the Rice Owls 70–63 in 2004). The 63 combined points in the second quarter and 94 points scored in the first half set NCAA records. The game capped off a monthlong period during which four of the five highest-scoring college football games were played.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Final statistics
Giovanni Vizza's eight touchdown passes – equaling the total from his previous four games – set an NCAA record for most touchdown passes by a freshman in a single game. The Midshipmen set a school record by running for 572 yards (with 8 rushing touchdowns) in the game, and tied another school record by scoring at least 30 points for an eighth consecutive game.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Post-game effects
During a post-game press conference Midshipmen head coach Paul Johnson described the game as "bizarre", while defensive coordinator Buddy Green criticized his team's defensive performance: "...it was awful. Awful. Just awful. I can't be any clearer than that." The win guaranteed the Midshipmen a spot in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, held in San Diego, California on December 20, 2007; Navy lost the game to the Utah Utes, 35–32. It was the fifth straight bowl game for Navy.


2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, Post-game effects
The loss dropped the Mean Green to 1–8, and the team finished the season with a 2–10 record. Mean Green coach Todd Dodge expressed astonishment at a post-game press conference, saying "I have never been a part of a game quite like this." The team finished the season averaging an FBS-worst 45.1 points allowed per game. After the final game of the season, Dodge fired defensive coordinator Ron Mendoza, who was replaced by Gary DeLoach. In the 2008 season the Mean Green would again finish at the bottom of the defensive rankings, allowing an average of 47.6 points per game.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game
The 2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game ended the longest all-time college football consecutive wins streak by one team over another. On November 3, 2007, the Navy Midshipmen defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 46–44 in triple-overtime at Notre Dame's home field, Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame came into this annual game with 43 straight wins against Navy since the last loss against Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in 1963. With the win, Navy improved to 5–4 and Notre Dame fell to 1–8 on the season.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Leading into the game
The Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry is the longest running college football series between two teams not in the same conference. The 2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team began the season with a 33–3 loss to Georgia Tech. It was the most lopsided loss Notre Dame had ever suffered in a season-opening game. Notre Dame then lost to Penn State, Michigan (tying Notre Dame's worst-ever loss at 38–0), Michigan State, and Purdue It was the first time in school history for Notre Dame to open the season with five losses. Notre Dame's worst opening before 2007 was 0–3.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Leading into the game
The Fighting Irish snapped their losing streak with a win at UCLA but then lost to Boston College and USC to fall to 1–7. With only four regular season games remaining, Notre Dame was assured of a losing season and they were out of contention for a bowl game.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Leading into the game
The 2007 Navy Midshipmen football team was off to a better start. They had achieved victories against Temple, Duke, Air Force, and Pittsburgh. Losses against Rutgers, Ball State, Wake Forest, and Delaware put them 4–4 on the season. With four games remaining in the season, Navy needed to win at least two in order to be invited to a bowl game. The Poinsettia Bowl had arranged for the Midshipmen to play in that bowl if they reached six wins.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Leading into the game
At the time, both teams played NCAA Division I FBS football as independent teams, unaffiliated with any conference. The game was televised nationally by NBC, which has the exclusive TV broadcast rights to Notre Dame home games.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Game summary
Notre Dame made the first score of the game, a 3-yard touchdown run by Robert Hughes. It was the only score of the first quarter. Each team scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, to give the Irish a 21–14 lead at halftime.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Game summary
Navy scored a touchdown in the third quarter but they missed the potential game-tying extra point. It was the only score of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Navy's Chris Kuhar-Pitters collected a fumble at the Notre Dame 16 yard line and ran it in for a touchdown. Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada rushed for the two-point conversion to take a 28–21 lead – their first of the game. Notre Dame tied the score with a touchdown.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Game summary
The game eventually went to overtime, with the aid of a questionable decision from Irish head coach Charlie Weis: With 45 seconds left in regulation, Notre Dame faced a fourth-and-8 on the Navy 24; instead of attempting a 41-yard field goal that could have won the game, Weis opted to go for the first down. The gamble backfired in spectacular fashion when Navy sacked quarterback Evan Sharpley, with Midshipmen linebacker Ram Vela literally leaping over a blocker to assist in the sack.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Game summary
In the first overtime, Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to go on defense. Navy scored a touchdown and their extra point was good. The Irish replied with a touchdown and extra point to bring up the second overtime. This time, each team scored a field goal, necessitating a third overtime.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Game summary
NCAA rules stipulate that, beginning with the third overtime, teams may not kick an extra point after making a touchdown; instead, they must go for a two-point conversion. Navy went to the air; Reggie Campbell caught a 25-yard pass from Kaheaku-Enhada on their first play from scrimmage. Kaheaku-Enhada threw again to Campbell for the successful two-point conversion. Notre Dame also scored a touchdown on their possession. Their first attempt at the conversion ended in an incomplete pass, but Navy was called for pass interference on the play. The Irish got a second chance at the conversion, this time from the 1 1⁄2-yard line instead of the 3. They opted for a running play, but Navy stuffed the attempt at the line of scrimmage. That gave Navy the 46–44 win.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Analysis
The game ended the longest streak for most consecutive wins by one team over another in college football. Prior to the game, Notre Dame had achieved 43 straight wins against Navy since the last loss in 1963, when Roger Staubach was quarterback for Navy. The game was the fifth straight home loss for the Irish, establishing a new school record.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Analysis
After the game, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked whether the game, following Notre Dame's 38–0 loss to USC, was a low point for the Fighting Irish. He said, "A low point is when you get beat 38–0. That's a low point. A low point is when the game is going OK and one team is pulling away from you and making plays when you're not making plays. The low point for me is we didn't win the game."


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Analysis
Navy coach Paul Johnson said, "It's a big win for our program. It's a big win for the academy. I'm happy I don't have to answer anything else about the streak every time we play." Weis, on the other-hand, was not bothered by being the coach of the team that allowed Navy to end the streak. He said the 43-year winning streak had no meaning to him or his team.


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Analysis
ESPN reported, "For Notre Dame, it was its school-record fifth straight home loss, another low point in a season of lows."


2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game, Analysis
With this streak broken, the Kentucky Wildcats held the two longest active losing streaks to an annual opponent in Division I FBS. Their streak of 22 losses to Tennessee at that time reached 26 before the Wildcats ended that streak on November 26, 2011. The Wildcats' losing streak against Florida, which was 20 at the end of the 2006 season and 21 by the time of this Navy–Notre Dame game, ended in 2018 at 31 games. Temple had a 31-game losing streak to Penn State in a series played discontinuously since 1941, though it ended in 2015.


2007 Nebelhorn Trophy
The 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy is took place between September 27 and 30, 2007 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. The competition is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. It is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.


2007 Nebelhorn Trophy
It is one of the first international senior competition of the season. Skaters are entered by their respective national federations and compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The Fritz-Geiger-Memorial Trophy is presented to the team with the highest placements across all disciplines. In 2007, the US won, Germany was second, and Czech Republic was third.


2007 Nebelhorn Trophy
The Nebelhorn Trophy is often used as a testing ground for new changes in skating regulation. In 2007, a compulsory dance test occurred. Three compulsories were performed and each team was drawn to perform a specific dance. The dances were the Austrian Waltz, Yankee Polka, and the Argentine Tango.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bill Callahan and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
The Nebraska football team's schedule was rated the toughest in the Big 12 Conference, and the 12th toughest in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team had predictions to win the Big 12 North division.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
After a tight competition with two-year backup Joe Ganz, former-Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Keller won the starting position; Keller had spent the previous season on the scout team as per NCAA transfer rules.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Nevada
Marlon Lucky was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week for his career-best 233 yards rushing against Nevada.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Wake Forest
As ESPN described the game, "Sam Keller nearly gave away the game during his first road start at Nebraska. Zack Bowman jumped up to take it back for the Cornhuskers. Three plays after Keller threw an interception deep in Nebraska territory, Bowman picked off a Wake Forest pass in the end zone and the 16th-ranked Cornhuskers held on to win 20–17 on Saturday."


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
After a bye week, the Trojans visited the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska. In the pre-season, the game was named as one of the candidates for the 10 most important games of 2007. For the Huskers, the game was especially critical to their hopes of showing progress under 4th year head coach Bill Callahan. The game marks the first time a No. 1-ranked team has visited Lincoln since 1978. Because of the game's significance, ESPN College GameDay chose it as the site of its weekly broadcast.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
Callahan had been criticized for his conservative play-calling during the 2006 game in Los Angeles; instead of playing to win, it appeared the Huskers were playing to not get blown out by the then-favored Trojans. In that game the normally prolific West Coast offense of Nebraska, which had produced 541 yards a game, was corralled on the ground and attempted only 17 passes in a 28–10 Husker loss. For 2007, Callahan pledged to play more aggressively, using running back Marlon Lucky and quarterback Sam Keller.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
Keller, the Huskers redshirt senior starting quarterback, was a 2006 transfer from Arizona State; as a Sun Devil Keller started the first seven games of his 2005 junior season, throwing for 2,165 yards, before a disastrous game against USC where, after leading ASU to a 21–3 halftime lead, he and the offense fell apart on the way to a 38–28 loss where he was sacked five times and threw five interceptions. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Keller spent the 2006 season on the Huskers' scout team.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
The Trojans stayed in nearby Omaha and practiced at a local high school; Carroll took the rare step of closing practice to outsiders after a local radio station announced the location. The game marked the return of primary receiver Patrick Turner and running back Chauncey Washington from injury; linebacker Brian Cushing, who injured his ankle early against Idaho, had not fully recovered but was allowed to suit-up as a reserve. Senior center Matt Spanos remained injured, and true freshman Kris O'Dowd was called to start again. Veteran secondary member Josh Pinkard was lost for the season after his sore knee gave out during a bye week practice, resulting in a torn ACL requiring surgery.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
Anticipation for the game was high in Lincoln, fueling strong demand for tickets and accommodations; the game brought celebrities including USC fans Will Ferrell (also an alumnus) and Keanu Reeves, Nebraska fans Larry the Cable Guy, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Rush Limbaugh, and Ward Connerly; past Husker Heisman-winner Mike Rozier, Trojans Heisman-winner Marcus Allen and star Trojans safety Ronnie Lott were also on hand for the game. The game fell on Pete Carroll's 56th birthday; as a surprise, Carroll was treated to a recorded message by actor Kiefer Sutherland, star of his favorite television show, 24. The morning recording of College GameDay attracted 13,293 fans, second to the all-time record of 15,808 set by Nebraska in 2001. With 84,959 in attendance, Nebraska recorded its NCAA-record 284th consecutive home sellout dating back to 1962.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
USC dominated the game 49–31, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated: the Trojans led 42–10 going into the fourth quarter; Nebraska scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes during garbage time. The Trojans dominated on the ground, as they out-gained Nebraska 313–31 in rushing yards and averaged 8.2 yards per carry, the most ever against a Nebraska team.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
Stafon Johnson led USC running backs with a career-best 144 yards in 11 carries with one touchdown; other major contributors were C. J. Gable (69 yards in four carries, including a 40-yard run), Washington (43 yards in 12 carries with two touchdowns), and another versatile performance by fullback Stanley Havili (52 rushing yards in two rushes with one touchdown, and three pass receptions for 22 yards with one touchdown). The Trojans passing game again did not find a rhythm, with several dropped passes, but the defense was able to frustrate the Husker offense for most of the game and cause two pivotal 3rd quarter interceptions.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
The Trojans did not escape injuries, as linebacker Clay Matthews, substituting for the recovering Brian Cushing, broke his thumb, causing Cushing to enter the game as his replacement. The Trojans also suffered two injuries on kick returns: fullback Alfred Rowe suffered a mild concussion, and there was a moment of worry when returner Vincent Joseph, after being tackled and fumbling the ball, lay on the turf for over 10 minutes before being removed by stretcher with a bruised larynx and a neck sprain, but no serious injuries. Linebacker Rey Maualuga was flagged during a field goal attempt for the rarely called penalty of "disconcerting", which is given for "words or signals that disconcert opponents when they are preparing to put the ball in play".


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
After losing first place votes in the polls during the bye week, USC's performance regained six after their performance against the Huskers in a hostile environment. Receiving specific praise was the Trojans offensive line, as well as the continued poise and ability of freshman center O'Dowd.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
Athletic Director Steve Pederson was fired after this game. Former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne was named as interim Athletic Director. He indicated that there would be no coaching changes during the season."


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
Nebraska first played the Texas Longhorns in 1933 and the Longhorns hold a 7–4–0 record. Nebraska won the first meeting by the lopsided score of 26–0. As with Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, Nebraska plays the Longhorns two out of every four years as part of the Big 12 Conference schedule. Since their first meeting, the series has included a number of upsets and close calls. In 1960 a #4 ranked Longhorn squad was upset by an unranked Nebraska team, 14–13. In 1996 an unranked Texas team defeated #3 ranked Nebraska (who were also the defending national champions) 37–27 to win the inaugural Big 12 Conference football championship and deprive the Cornhuskers a shot at repeating as national champions. In 1998 an unranked Texas team beat #7 Nebraska 20–16.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
In 1999 the two teams met twice. In the regular season, #18 Texas beat #3 Nebraska by 24–20. However, #3 Nebraska beat #12 Texas in the Big 12 Championship game, 6–22. In 2002 the Longhorns were ranked No. 7 and they went to Lincoln, Nebraska to play an unranked Nebraska team. In front of the largest crowd in Nebraska history (78,268) the 'Horns snapped the Huskers' national-best 26-game winning streak at Memorial Stadium by a score of 27–24. Most recently, in the 2006 game, #5 Texas faced #17 Nebraska on a snowy day in Lincoln. The Longhorns were trailing and needed a field goal by walk-on kicker Ryan Bailey (with just 23 seconds remaining in the game) to win 22–20.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
On the morning of the game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 21 points. The weather forecast called for a high of 76 degrees and plentiful sunshine with winds NNE at 10 to 15 miles per hour. Texas stuck with their passing game for three quarters and was trailed Nebraska most of the way; the Cornhuskers led 17–9 to start the fourth. ESPN reported, "Once Texas figured out it should be running against one of the nation's worst run defenses, things turned out all right for the Longhorns."


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
The Longhorns may have switched to running game almost by chance. McCoy took a hard hit as he scrambled outside the pocket and was shaken up badly enough to leave the game for a play. John Chiles came in at quarterback; his one play, a zone-read handoff to Jamaal Charles, produced 24 yards. According to ESPN, "suddenly Texas had figured out how to beat a Cornhuskers' team that had been steamrolled on the ground in recent weeks. Texas only threw three passes in the fourth quarter."


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
Once Texas switched to the zone read offense, they quickly started gaining yards and points. Charles ran for a career-high 290 yards, including 216 yards and three long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. His tally also set a new record for rushing against the Cornhuskers, surpassing the old record of 247 yards by Oklahoma's Billy Simms. Charles explained "It was my time to show everyone what I can do. When I saw a hole, I blasted through it." Texas finished with 181 yards passing and 364 yards rushing; Nebraska had 315 yards passing and 132 yards rushing. The running back was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
The game was a milestone for one coach and a millstone for another; it was the 100th win for Mack Brown at Texas; and it put more pressure on beleaguered Nebraska coach Bill Callahan. Brown remarked on his victory, "A hundred is nice. I knew the game was going to come down like it did. It didn't surprise me. They made sure that I'll remember it the rest of my life." Callahan was fired five weeks later.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
The Nebraska-Kansas series is the longest uninterrupted series in college football at 102 years. In the 2007 meeting, Kansas beat Nebraska 76–39. The Jayhawks set an all-time record for most touchdowns and most points scored by a Nebraska opponent. Their 48 points in the first half was the most ever scored against Nebraska in the first half. With the win, Kansas took their record to 9–0 for the first time since 1908.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Fox Sports reported, "It was only the second victory for Kansas in the last 39 games against Nebraska, which appears to be coming to pieces in the fourth season of embattled coach Bill Callahan."


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
Getting just his second career start after taking over for the injured Sam Keller in the fourth quarter of the Texas game, Joe Ganz broke the school single-game records for passing yards and touchdowns.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
It was a must-win situation for both teams, as they had identical 5–6 records and each needed a win to get to a bowl. Although they trailed by 11 points at the half, Colorado went on to win 65–51, as the Husker defense simply could not find an answer for Colorado's offense. Husker Coach Bill Callahan, having had his second losing season in four years, both being decided by a loss to Colorado, was fired the day after the game. Athletic Director Tom Osborne went on to hire Mark "Bo" Pelini as head coach.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
The team was coached by Bill Callahan, who returned for his fourth year with the Huskers, and expectations for the season were high, considering NU had reached the Big 12 title game the previous year. But the Huskers recorded only their second losing season since 1961, and the second in four years (the last one coming in 2004 on Callahan's watch). Following the conclusion of the season, Callahan was fired by interim athletic director Tom Osborne.


2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
On December 2, 2007, Bo Pelini was named as head coach for Nebraska by interim athletic director Tom Osborne.


2007 Nehru Cup
The 2007 Nehru Cup International Football Tournament also known as the ONGC Nehru Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by ONGC, was the 13th edition of the Nehru Cup a tournament organized by the All India Football Federation since 1982. It was the first Nehru Cup after a ten-year break from 1997 to 2007.


2007 Nehru Cup
The tournament was played in the round-robin league format and the final was slated for 29 August in which India defeated Syria to claim its first title. Along with the host nation India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Syria and Kyrgyzstan also competed in the 13-day tournament at the refurbished Ambedkar Stadium, where new floodlights had been put up specially for this tournament.


2007 Nehru Cup
The total prize money of the tournament was $100,000. The champion team takes away a prize of $40,000, the runners-up receive $20,000 while the third place team will get $10,000. The winning team of every match received $2,500.


2007 Nehru Cup, Discussion
The Nehru Cup campaign started with an Indian 6–0 victory over the less experienced Cambodian side. India's Sunil Chhetri and Steven Dias had a great game, each of them netting twice. Baichung Bhutia had produced a wonderful performance in the match. Most of the game was played on the Cambodian side of the pitch. It was expected that India was going to take this one and they did with their second biggest recorded victory. Steven Dias was "Man of the match".


2007 Nehru Cup, Discussion
Syria started this tournament with a 2–0 victory over Bangladesh, followed by three consecutive wins over Kyrgyzstan, hosts India and Cambodia. The four wins saw Syria topping the round-roubin standings with a perfect record of 12 out of 12 points. They experienced Syrian side was led by their best goalscorers Zyad Chaabo, who scored 5 out of 14 goals for his team and Maher Al Sayed with four goals.


2007 Nehru Cup, Discussion
Hosts India, after beating Cambodia, enjoyed another win over neighbouring Bangladesh. After losing to Syria, the decisive game for the second final spot was held between the Indian team and Kyrgyzstan. India won that game 3–0 and advanced. The goals were scored by the Indian forwards Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Abhishek Yadav. This defeat saw the Central Asian side finishing third, while Bangladesh and Cambodia finished fourth and fifth place respectively having played a 1 all draw in their game.


2007 Nehru Cup, Discussion
The Nehru Cup final between India and Syria was held on 29 August 2007 in New Delhi. India defeated their opponents 1–0 thanks to a goal from N. P. Pradeep and won their first ever Nehru Cup trophy. The Indian team received 40,000 US-Dollar for winning this tournament.


2007 Nehru Cup, Discussion
All games of the tournament were broadcast live by Zee Sports.


2007 Nehru Cup, Goalscorers
The captain of Indian Football team, Bhaichung Bhutia celebrating along with other players after winning the final


2007 Nehru Cup, Goalscorers
Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and the footballer, Sunil Chetri along with other players celebrating after winning the final


2007 Nestea European Championship Final
The 2007 NESTEA European Championship Final (or the 2007 European Beach Volleyball Championships,) was held from June 24 to June 26, 2007 in Valencia, Spain. It was the fifteenth official edition of the men's event, which started in 1993, while the women competed for the fourteenth time.


2007 Nestea European Championship Final
The Championships were part of the 2007 Nestea European Championship Tour.


2007 Nestea European Championship Final
The teams could earn qualifying points for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, from one of their two finishes at the 2007 or 2008 Championships.


2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final
The 2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final featured Team Bath and Galleria Mavericks. Team Bath would eventually retain the title but in the grand final it was Mavericks who started the stronger and were leading 10–12 after the first quarter and 21–22 at half time. Both Rachel Dunn and Pamela Cookey initially underperformed for Team Bath. However in the third quarter, Cookey scored 7/8 while  Player of the Match, Geva Mentor, made a number of key turnovers to deny Mavericks shooting opportunities. Their combined efforts saw Team Bath take the lead for the first time.


2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final
However a return of 9/9 from Mavericks' Louisa Brownfield saw Team Bath lead by just 36–35 after three quarters. With just four minutes remaining the score was still 45–45. However after an injury time out, Team Bath returned the stronger with both Dunn and Cookey converting the goals that eventually saw them finish as winners by 53–45.


2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final, Teams
Starting 7:GS Rachel DunnGA Pamela CookeyWA Tamsin GreenwayC Sara BaymanWD Natalie SeatonGD Ursula Bowers (c)GK Geva Mentor


2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final, Teams
Squad: GS/GD/GK Eboni Beckford-ChambersC/WA Sasha CorbinGD/GK Gemma FletcherGD/GK/WD Stacey FrancisC/WA Serena GuthrieGD/GK Samantha PerryGA/GS Monique Wood


2007 Netball Superleague Grand Final, Teams
Starting 7:GS Joanne HartenGA Louisa BrownfieldWA Karen AtkinsonC Deb JonesWD Naomi SiddallGD Amanda NewtonGK Janet Coulburne


2007 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 20 April 2007 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. They were the last regular island council elections before the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.


2007 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
The election was won by the Bonaire Patriotic Union (5 seats) in Bonaire, the Party for the Restructured Antilles (7 seats) in Curaçao, the Windward Islands People's Movement (4 seats) in Saba, the Democratic Party Statia (4 seats) in Sint Eustatius, and the Democratic Party (6 seats) in Sint Maarten.


2007 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 2007 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Wolf Pack were led by Chris Ault in his 23rd overall and 4th straight season since taking over as head coach for the third time in 2004. They played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


2007 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 2006 season 8–5 and 5–3 in WAC play to finish in a tie in third place and lost the MPC Computers Bowl to Miami (FL) by 20 to 21.


2007 New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election
The New Brunswick New Democratic Party held a leadership election, following the resignation of Allison Brewer, on November 6, 2006 subsequent to their previous convention on September 25, 2005.


2007 New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election
The New Brunswick NDP is a social democratic political party in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.


2007 New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election
Members voted by mail or at a convention on October 13, 2007, where Roger Duguay was elected leader.


2007 New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election, Candidates
The Telegraph-Journal reported on August 8, 2007 that there were two declared candidates upon the close of nominations.


2007 New Brunswick New Democratic Party leadership election, Candidates
Despite earlier speculation, Yvon Godin, 51, federal Member of Parliament for Acadie-Bathurst since the 1997 election, did not enter the race.


2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 season was the New England Patriots' 38th  season in the National Football League, the 48th overall and the 8th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots improved on their 12–4 record from 2006 and won the AFC East for the sixth time in seven years by winning all sixteen of their games. Starting quarterback Tom Brady won the NFL's Most Valuable Player award.


2007 New England Patriots season
They became only the eighth team in NFL history to finish a regular season undefeated, and first to do so since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, as well as only the fourth to finish undefeated and untied. The Patriots were also the first team with a perfect regular season since the NFL expanded its schedule to sixteen games in 1978.


2007 New England Patriots season
Thus, they broke the record for victories in a single regular season that had been shared by the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, and the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, and later tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and 2015 Carolina Panthers, who each finished with a record of 15–1.


2007 New England Patriots season
The 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears would win Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XX respectively, the 1998 Vikings and 2004 Steelers would lose their conference championship games, the 2011 Packers would lose their first playoff game, and the 2015 Panthers would lose Super Bowl 50. The 2007 Patriots are also the only team in NFL history to complete a 16-game regular season undefeated, as the NFL switched to a 17-game schedule in 2021.


2007 New England Patriots season
In Super Bowl XLII, the New York Giants defeated the Patriots 17–14 in an upset. With the loss, the Patriots were not able to join the 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears as Super Bowl champions, failing to go 19–0 and claim their fourth Super Bowl victory. Despite this loss, the 2007 Patriots are still regarded as one of the greatest teams in NFL history, with NFL Films ranking them as the 7th-greatest team of all time in 2019.


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
The Patriots entered the offseason following a stunning loss to the rival Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship after blowing a 21–3 first half lead. After having lost their two starting wide receivers in the previous offseason, the Patriots added Donté Stallworth in free agency and traded for Wes Welker from the Miami Dolphins and Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders in the spring. Welker would tie for the NFL lead in receptions with T. J. Houshmandzadeh in 2007 while Moss would set an NFL regular season record with 23 touchdown catches (part of his 98 receptions).


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
The season began with controversy, when Patriot head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization were penalized by the NFL for their involvement in the videotaping of opponents’ defensive signals from an unauthorized location in their Week 1 game against the New York Jets. This came to be referred to in the media as "Spygate". Early in the season, the Patriots won their first two games by identical scores of 38–14, and followed up the next game with a  score of 38–7.


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
Despite the media scrutiny, the Patriots continued to gain momentum, winning mid-season games by scores such as 49–28, 52–7, and 56–10, as quarterback Tom Brady emphasized the team's desire to blow out and “kill teams." The Patriots set the record for most points in a season with 589, shattering the previous record by 33 points. The Patriots won 12 games in which they surpassed the 30-point mark, four games in which they surpassed the 40-point mark and two in which they surpassed the 50-point mark.


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
The Patriots clinched the AFC East after their eleventh game (in Week 12), the fourth time since the NFL introduced the 16-game schedule in 1978 that a team had clinched a division title by their eleventh game. In the season finale, the Patriots sought to finish the regular season with the first 16–0 record in NFL history, and did so successfully.


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
In that game, Brady and Moss connected on two touchdown passes, with Moss setting his 23 catch record, breaking Pro Football Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice's 22 touchdown receptions and with Brady setting an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes on the season. It was the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins finished 14–0. Brady earned his first NFL MVP award, while the Patriots’ offense destroyed numerous NFL records, including those for  touchdowns (75), points scored (589) and point differential (+315)


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
With the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Patriots first defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31–20, then the San Diego Chargers 21–12, to advance to Super Bowl XLII, their sixth in franchise history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with this accomplishment, they became the first professional sports team since 1884 in any of the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey) to win the first 18 games of their season. Facing the prospect of a perfect 19–0 season with a victory over the underdog New York Giants, analysts saw the 2007 Patriots as being the greatest team in NFL history.


2007 New England Patriots season, Season summary
Despite being the overwhelming favorites to win the game, the Patriots failed to protect a four-point lead on a Giants drive late in the fourth quarter. A dramatic pass from a scrambling Eli Manning combined with an acrobatic catch by wide receiver David Tyree put the Giants deep in Patriots territory, and a Manning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress gave the Giants a lead with just 35 seconds left. The Patriots could not score again and came out on the losing end of what is considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The Patriots ended the season at 18–1, becoming one of only three teams in NFL history to finish their season (including postseason) 18–1. The NFL Network named the 2007 Patriots the #1 team on their list of “Top 10 Teams That Didn't Win A Super Bowl.”


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Death of Marquise Hill
On the evening of May 27, 2007, 24-year-old defensive end Marquise Hill and his friend, Ashley Blazio, fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. Neither of them wore personal flotation or tracking devices. According to Hill's agent, who spoke with Blazio, Hill “ended up saving her life, keeping her calm until she could grab onto a buoy." Blazio was rescued and sent to Tulane Medical Center. Coast Guard units searched the area. Hill's body was found by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries around 2:15 PM CDT on May 28.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Death of Marquise Hill
Hill's funeral, paid for by the team, was attended by many members of the Patriots team and staff, as well as by Hill's former coach Nick Saban.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Death of Marquise Hill
For the 2007 season, all members of the Patriots wore a black No. 91 decal on the backs of their helmets. A friend of Hill's since high school, fellow Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green supported Hill's fiancée Inell Benn and son Ma’Shy financially following Hill's death. Green also wore Hill's old shoulder pads for the Patriots’ October 14 game against the Cowboys, which Benn attended.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Staff changes
Unlike previous offseasons, head coach Bill Belichick’s 2007 coaching staff remained generally unchanged. Wide receivers coach Brian Daboll left to become the quarterbacks coach for the New York Jets and was replaced by Director of Pro Personnel Nick Caserio. Former Duke University offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien was also hired as an offensive assistant. A former special teams contributor for the Patriots, linebacker Don Davis retired and joined the coaching staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. Offensive coaching assistant Mike Judge also joined Harvard University as a wide receivers coach.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Departures
Free agency saw the departure of two 2006 starters for the Patriots: tight end Daniel Graham signed with the Denver Broncos, and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain signed with the San Francisco 49ers, while running back Corey Dillon, the Patriots’ leading rusher in 2006, asked to be released; the Patriots released him on March 2. Safety Tebucky Jones was also released early in the offseason. Another departure came when punter Todd Sauerbrun signed with the Denver Broncos.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Departures
When Sauerbrun was signed by the Patriots in December 2006, he agreed to a right of first refusal, meaning that the Patriots could match any offer by any other team made in the subsequent offseason. When the unrestricted free agent signing period came, the Broncos tendered Sauerbrun, and the Patriots exercised their right and matched the offer. However, the Broncos argued that the Patriots had not filed the proper documents required for that right, and ordered a hearing before an NFL special master. The Broncos won this hearing and Sauerbrun was allowed to sign with the Broncos. After spending all of training camp with the team, veteran punter Josh Miller was released on August 16.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
In the first week of free agency, the Patriots traded their second- and seventh-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Wes Welker. A restricted free agent, Welker signed a five-year contract with the Patriots to complete the trade.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
During the second day of the draft, the Patriots added yet another wide receiver, this time trading a fourth-round draft pick (which the Patriots acquired the day before from the San Francisco 49ers with the 49ers’ 2008 first-round pick in exchange for the Patriots’ original 2007 first-round pick) to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss, who agreed to take a pay cut of over US$6 million.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
The offseason also brought the arrival of seven unrestricted free agents to the Patriots. On offense, the Patriots added running back Sammy Morris, tight end Kyle Brady, as well as wide receivers Donté Stallworth and Kelley Washington. On defense, they added Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas and cornerbacks Tory James and Eddie Jackson.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
Free agents or potential free agents Heath Evans, Billy Yates, Larry Izzo, Rashad Baker, Gene Mruczkowski, Junior Seau, Randall Gay, Troy Brown, and Vinny Testaverde were all re-signed. Defensive end Ty Warren also received a long-term contract extension.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
The Patriots used their non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Asante Samuel; Samuel signed it on August 28, with the stipulation that the team would not use it again on him when he became a free agent again after the season, after the two sides failed to reach a long-term contract agreement with the team by the July 16 deadline.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Arrivals
During the preseason, on August 7, the Patriots traded an undisclosed pick in the 2008 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears for cornerback Dante Wesley, but since Wesley was cut, the Bears did not receive that pick.


2007 New England Patriots season, Offseason, 2007 NFL Draft
The Patriots traded their original fifth-round pick (#165 overall) to the Oakland Raiders during the 2006 season for Doug Gabriel. They also traded Patrick Cobbs to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ross Tucker to the Cleveland Browns prior to the 2006 season for late-round conditional draft picks, but neither players made their respective rosters, so the Patriots received no compensation.


2007 New England Patriots season, Opening training camp roster
As of the Patriots’ first training camp practice at Gillette Stadium on July 27, they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster. First-round pick Brandon Meriweather, who was not signed until after training camp began, did not count against that limit until his signing. Asante Samuel also did not count against the limit, as he had not signed yet signed his franchise tag tender and was not in training camp. Finally, the Patriots received five total roster exemptions for the NFL Europa allocations of Brian Barthelmes, Danny Baugher, and Tom Malone (one for each player, plus two bonus exemptions because of the time Baugher and Malone spent on practice squads in 2007).


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
In the Patriots’ fourth matchup with the Jets in 20 games, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium to face his former defensive coordinator in Jets head coach Eric Mangini to open the season. The Jets reached Patriots territory on their opening possession, but were forced to punt. The Patriots then began a 12-play, 91-yard drive that ended in an 11-yard Wes Welker touchdown reception to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
On the ensuing kickoff, Kelley Washington forced a fumble on Jets returner Justin Miller after a 26-yard return, but tight end Chris Baker recovered the ball at the Jets’ 33-yard line to retain possession. The Jets went three-and-out, but the Patriots punted back to the Jets despite a 19-yard Donté Stallworth catch to begin their next series. Three plays later, Jets quarterback Chad Pennington was sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive lineman Ty Warren, forcing a Jets punt on the final play of the first quarter.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
Starting from their own 42-yard line after the punt, the Patriots reached the Jets’ 25-yard line, where kicker Stephen Gostkowski lined up for a 42-yard field goal attempt. However, the snap was fumbled by holder Matt Cassel, and recovered by Cassel to turn the ball over on downs. The Jets responded with a 10-play, 66-yard drive, tying the game at 7–7 on a 7-yard pass from Pennington to wide receiver Laveranues Coles.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
Several plays into the Patriots’ ensuing drive, before and after the two-minute warning, wide receiver Randy Moss caught passes of 33- and 22-yards from quarterback Tom Brady to put the Patriots in the Jets’ red zone. Brady then connected with tight end Benjamin Watson on a 5-yard touchdown pass that was reviewed by the booth but upheld, giving the Patriots a 14–7 lead going into halftime.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs returned the opening kickoff of the second half 108 yards for a touchdown and a new NFL record for the longest kickoff return in the league's history; at the time, it also tied the existing record for longest play in NFL history (a record broken a few weeks later by Antonio Cromartie). Nine plays into the Jets’ next drive, Pennington was sacked by defensive lineman Jarvis Green and was injured; Kellen Clemens entered the game but the Jets were forced to punt two plays later.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
Four plays later, Brady hit Moss for a 51-yard touchdown reception that extended the Patriots’ lead to 28–7. However, the Jets came back with a 9-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off with Coles’ second touchdown grab of the day, this one from one yard out, to cut the Patriots’ lead to 28–14.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
The Patriots received the ensuing kickoff with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter and would not surrender the ball until there was just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, ending the 17-play drive with a 22-yard Gostkowski field goal that extended the Patriots’ lead to 31–14. The Jets then went three-and-out, and punter Ben Graham’s 36-yard punt gave the Patriots the ball at their own 47-yard line.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets
On a 1st-and-goal from the Jets’ 1-yard line, fullback Heath Evans could not score; the Patriots challenged that the ball did in fact break the plane of the goal line but the play was upheld. On the next play, following the two-minute warning, Evans did in fact score on a 1-yard run, increasing the Patriots’ lead to 38–14. The Jets’ next drive stalled on a Vrabel strip-sack of Clemens that the Jets recovered, but ended on a failed fourth down conversion from the Jets’ 38-yard line. The Patriots then kneeled down once to end the game and give them their first victory of the season as they started 1–0.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets, Videotaping incident
On September 10, Bill Belichick was accused by the Jets of authorizing his staff to film the Jets’ defensive signals from an on-field location, a violation of league rules. The Jets confiscated the video camera used by video assistant Matt Estrella to film the signals during the game and filed a complaint to the league office, detailing the accusations.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets, Videotaping incident
On September 13, Belichick was officially fined $500,000, while the Patriots were also fined $250,000, and forfeited their first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. If the Patriots had missed the playoffs, they would have instead forfeited their second and third round selections in the 2008 draft. Goodell said that he fined the Patriots as a team because Belichick is effectively the team's general manager as well as head coach, and exercises so much control over the Patriots’ on-field operations that “his actions and decisions are properly attributed to the club.” Goodell considered suspending Belichick, but decided that taking away draft picks would be more severe in the long run.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 1: at New York Jets, Videotaping incident
Belichick later issued a statement in which he apologized for what he called a “mistake” in his interpretation of the rules. However, he denied ever using videotape to gain an advantage while a game was underway.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
The Patriots’ home opener was a rematch from the 2006 divisional playoffs, against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. For the second consecutive week, the game began with a touchdown on the Patriots’ first series: this time, Brady hit Watson for a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. On the first play of the ensuing Chargers possession, their first, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin intercepted a Philip Rivers pass, but it did not translate into points for the Patriots as Gostkowski then missed a 41-yard field goal attempt on the Patriots’ resulting series.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
After a Chargers three-and-out, the Patriots capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 23-yard Moss touchdown reception, putting the Patriots ahead 14–0. Colvin then added a sack and forced fumble to his game statistics, as he strip-sacked Rivers after the Chargers reached the Patriots’ 34-yard line and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork recovered the fumble for the Patriots’ second forced turnover of the game.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
On the Patriots’ next drive, which spanned into the second quarter, Brady was strip-sacked by linebacker Shawne Merriman at the Chargers’ 29-yard line, but Brady recovered his own fumble to retain possession for the Patriots. Six plays later, a 24-yard Gostkowski field goal extended the Patriots’ lead to 17–0. After a Chargers three-and-out, the Patriots were pushed back to their 10-yard line after another Merriman sack of Brady.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
The Patriots would punt back to the Chargers, but on a 3rd-and-1 from the Patriots’ 37-yard line, Rivers was intercepted by linebacker Adalius Thomas, who returned it 65 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 24–0 lead. The Chargers were unable to get past midfield on their next drive and punted, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 20-yard line with just under three minutes to play in the first half. A 25-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Chargers safety Marlon McCree would help the Patriots reach the Chargers’ 26-yard line, but Brady was intercepted by safety Clinton Hart at the Chargers’ 10-yard line. The Chargers then ran one play to end the half.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
Receiving the kickoff to begin the second half, the Chargers embarked on a 16-play, 72-yard drive, reaching Patriots territory on a 22-yard third down reception by tight end Antonio Gates. Ten plays later, fullback Lorenzo Neal caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to put the Chargers on the scoreboard at 24–7. The Patriots responded by going 75 yards on seven plays, taking a 31–7 lead on a 24-yard Moss touchdown reception, his second of the night.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
Three plays later, Rivers was intercepted by Patriots safety James Sanders at the Patriots’ 38-yard line, but the play was nullified by a 37-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Hobbs. Rivers completions of 19 yards to wide receiver Malcom Floyd and 12 yards to running back Michael Turner helped put the Chargers in the Patriots’ red zone, where Rivers completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gates on the second play of the fourth quarter to cut the Patriots’ lead to 31–14.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
On the ensuing kickoff, Chargers wide receiver Kassim Osgood forced a fumble of Hobbs after a 31-yard return that was recovered by Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer at the Patriots’ 31-yard line. However, Rivers was sacked twice for losses of 10 yards each on the next two plays, the second of which was a strip-sack by Colvin that was recovered by offensive lineman Kris Dielman; the Chargers punted on 4th-and-30.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
Starting from their own 9-yard line with more than 13 minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots did not surrender the ball back to the Chargers until there was less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter. This 15-play, 91-yard drive culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Sammy Morris, extending the Patriots’ lead to 38–14. The Chargers could not convert a first down on their next possession, giving the ball back to the Patriots to end the game as they improved to 2–0.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
The 0–2 Bills, who had not beaten the Patriots since Week 1 of the 2003 season, faced off against the Patriots in Foxboro. On the opening drive of the game, Wilfork was penalized for roughing the passer for a late hit on Bills quarterback J. P. Losman. Two plays later, Hobbs sacked Losman, causing a fumble at the Bills’ 35-yard line that set up a 24-yard Gostkowski field goal. Trent Edwards replaced Losman at quarterback for the Bills on their next possession. Losman was later diagnosed with a sprained MCL.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bills took the lead on a 12-play drive finished off with an 8-yard Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, but these points proved to be the only of the game for the Bills. Early in the second quarter, the Patriots drove to the Bills’ 29-yard line, but on fourth down, opted not to punt; the gamble did not pay off and the Patriots turned the ball over on downs. After a Bills three-and-out, the Patriots again drove deep into Bills’ territory, this time to the Bills’ 3-yard line, but a Brady fumble on a rushing attempt kept the Patriots from scoring.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
The Patriots challenged the ruling but it was upheld. The Bills could not advance past their own 1-yard line on their next possession, with punter Brian Moorman booming a 75-yard kick that was returned 29 yards by Welker. Starting in Bills’ territory, Brady culminated a six-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Watson. Another Bills punt gave the Patriots the ball in Bills territory again, setting up another six-play drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown catch by Moss.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
After the teams exchanged three-and-outs to begin the second half, the Patriots embarked on a nine-play, 89-yard drive that ended on a 4-yard Jabar Gaffney touchdown reception that gave the Patriots a 24–7 lead. After another punt, the Patriots advanced into Bills territory on a 26-yard pass to Welker that was kept alive when Welker lateraled to Moss for another 11 yards. Morris then ran in for a 4-yard touchdown.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bills were able to pin the Patriots at their own 2-yard line on their next punt, but that only proved to be the beginning of a 10-play, 98-yard drive that came to a close when Brady connected with Moss on a 45-yard touchdown pass, extending the Patriots’ lead to 38–7. The catch made Moss the first player in NFL history to have three games with at least 100 receiving yards to start a season.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
After an exchange of punts, the Bills began their ensuing drive with Edwards throwing an interception to cornerback Asante Samuel, which was returned 42 yards to the Bills’ 12-yard line. However, the Patriots could not generate any points off the turnover, with an Evans run on fourth down from the Bills’ 8-yard line coming up short of the first down. The game would end on the Bills’ next drive, sending the Patriots to a 3–0 start.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
Coming off a divisional win at home over the Bills, the Patriots traveled to Paul Brown Stadium for a matchup with the Bengals. On the game's opening drive, the Patriots drove 66 yards on 11 plays, stalling at the Bengals’ 13-yard line before Gostkowski hit a 31-yard field goal. The Bengals’ next drive would span five plays but only one yard, ending in a punt. After an exchange of punts, the Patriots began a drive from their own 35-yard line, but quickly advanced into Bengals territory on a 49-yard Morris run.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
Three plays later, Brady hit Vrabel on a 1-yard touchdown pass to extend the Patriots lead to 10–0. After a Bengals punt on the first play of the second quarter, the Patriots had the ball but found themselves in a 3rd-and-23 situation, when Brady was intercepted by Leon Hall at the Bengals’ 35-yard line. The Bengals capitalized on the turnover, with Carson Palmer ending a five-play drive on a 1-yard touchdown pass to T. J. Houshmandzadeh. The Patriots responded by going on a 12-yard, 62-yard drive, finishing it with a 7-yard Moss touchdown reception, putting the Patriots ahead 17–7. The Bengals managed to reach the Patriots’ 20-yard line on their next possession, but a Samuel interception at the 2-yard line kept the Bengals from scoring at the end of the first half.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals reached midfield on the opening drive of the third quarter before punting. From their own 19-yard line, the Patriots moved deep in Bengals territory after a 15-yard penalty was tacked onto a 16-yard Moss catch. A few plays later, Morris ran for his second touchdown of the night; the 7-yard run opened the Patriots lead to 24–7. The Bengals, though, continued to threaten the Patriots offensively, moving to the Patriots’ 22-yard line before linebacker Tedy Bruschi tipped a third-down pass to force a 40-yard Shayne Graham field goal.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Patriots next drive spanned into the fourth quarter but a Morris run on third down from the Bengals’ 13-yard line was stopped for a loss, setting up a 36-yard Gostkowski field goal. Yet again, the Bengals moved into Patriots territory on their ensuing drive, but the Patriots defense prevented another touchdown and forced a 48-yard field goal, making the score 27–13. On the Patriots’ next drive, a 23-yard Stallworth catch put the Patriots in Bengals territory, setting up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Moss. Down 34–13, the Bengals continued to move the ball with a 17-yard Houshmandzadeh catch on the next play, but Palmer's next pass attempt was intercepted by Randall Gay at the Patriots’ 47-yard line. The Patriots then ran out the clock to end the game and bring their record to 4–0.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns
Returning to Foxboro, the Patriots faced off against the Browns, coached by their former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. The Patriots opened the game with a 14-play, 78-yard drive culminating in a Gostkowski 20-yard field goal. After a 65-yard drive brought them to the Patriots’ 1-yard line, the Browns failed to score on two downs before quarterback Derek Anderson threw an interception to linebacker Junior Seau on third down. Following a Patriots three-and-out, a Samuel interception on the first play of the Browns’ next drive gave the Patriots the ball at the Browns’ 34-yard line.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns
Brady quickly turned the turnover into points, throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to Stallworth to give the Patriots a 10–0 lead. The Browns would then punt on their next drive. On the first drive of the second quarter, the Patriots would move into Browns territory but were forced to punt, giving the Browns the ball at their own 12-yard line. After a 36-yard punt by Scott Player, the Patriots began their ensuing drive from their own 49-yard line.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns
They would advance to the Browns’ 4-yard line, but a Morris run for a loss forced a 25-yard Gostkowski field goal, giving the Patriots a 13–0 lead. The Browns’ next drive showed promise after Anderson moved the team from their own 10-yard line to the 46-yard line, but following the two-minute warning a false start penalty and then an interception by Seau, his second of the game, ended the advance. With good field position, Brady moved the 25 necessary yards in three plays, taking a 20–0 lead on a 7-yard Watson touchdown reception. A Bruschi sack then forced the Browns to take a knee to end the half.


2007 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns
In the second half, both teams exchanged punts before the Browns began an 8-play, 56-yard drive that got them on the scoreboard, with Phil Dawson kicking a 42-yard field goal. Neither team could advance past midfield until the closing minutes of the quarter. The Browns would then score their first touchdown of the day, on a 21-yard strike from Anderson to wide receiver Tim Carter. The Patriots would respond with their own touchdown drive, taking a 27–10 lead on a 25-yard touchdown catch by Watson.