Football Write Up # 3

 Episode 3 for the Desert Fans

YES! We beat our arch rival! Finally!

More on that later.

              Georgia, now ranked number 2 to Alabama in the top spot, smothered UAB as they were supposed to, 56 to 7. That is four more points than Clemson scored last week, but I am sure the bench had a hand in that. Now in week 3 of the season Georgia faces neighbor state team South Carolina, which has no Jadeveon Clowney, so expect a rout. The Bulldog offense showed some scoring prowess against a smaller opponent, so now we will see if the genie is out of the bottle. (Ooh, Arab reference, a humbling point for me this week!) A Georgia fan that I talk to regularly likes the RB named White, who apparently can run for speed and power. As I told some other Bulldog fans this week, this might their year.

              Number 6 ranked Clemson will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who I have on good authority no longer run the triple option. They sucked the life out of the Game Coks last week, 49 – 3. So, expect a traditional dumping by the ACC traditional power of the Palmetto State over the not so Ramblin’ Wreck of the former penal colony next door. The Tigers should get some big numbers, like last week over South Carolina State. Only this time against a FBS team, and a Power 5 team.

              Number 12 ranked Notre Dame escaped a pesky Toledo Rocket squad. I know for some fans it was frustrating on multiple counts, both receptivity of the game and the closeness necessitated to win. Watch out for Purdue this weekend, the Boilers can always ruin your day, or your whole season. This in-state rivalry is heated; I know Purdue fans can be as obnoxious as they come. No more luck, my Irish, just lay down a whoopin’.

              Number 24 ranked Miami has another Big 10 foe on the docket, the Michigan State Spartans. I wear those colors daily and I try to not let it get to me. Say less. This will be a tough game, I predict, as Sparty has improved from some down years. The Hurricanes barely won over the Appalachian State last week, 25 – 23. Miami needs to bring their A game to win this one, I will be interested to see the outcome. If it is a blowout that would surprise me. But that outcome last Saturday was far from expected.

              Indiana opened up their scoring on FCS team Idaho in my hometown, but a lot of it was from the special teams, with blocked punts and a punt return. As a Hoosier fan I am still worried about the offense, the QB Penix has not found many long routes on passes, and now number 8 ranked Cincinnati come to town and we hope it is not ugly like the Iowa game the first week. The IU running game is not that impressive so far, either. The defense did okay against the surging Iowa Hawkeyes, who last week handled a top 10 (and probably over ranked Iowa State Cyclones).  Indiana is no longer ranked, nor will they deserve to have a ranking until they show us more.  More on the Big 12 at the end of our episode, Desert Fans. Maybe it’s just me that is pretty excited about the news…

              Auburn, ranked by some (like 20^th in the polls), dropped a whopping 35 points on Alabama State in the 3^rd quarter alone and came away, 62 – 0. That was some half time pep talk, I guess, after only scoring 6 in the 1^st quarter and 14 in the second. If a mighty school like Auburn is only up 20 to nothing at the half to lowly ASU (still not sure of the mascot), then them boys need some religion. Yes, suh! Next for the War Eagle (we need you to Roll the Tide at season’s end! Anybody, please!) Saban might already be the most successful coach of all time… But today is no cake walk at all: Auburn versus number 12 Penn State in University Park, Happy Valley. Should be a good one.

OKAY, I’ve been holding it till now! I might be letting 13 some odd years of frustration out!

The Utes (then ranked) could not stop the Cougs (then unranked)! It happened Saturday night in our Happy Valley in the great state of Deseret, along the picturesque Wasatch Range. For those who may not have read the first episode, I lived in Utah for five years doing work and college. But more than being there then, BYU is a church–owned school, of which I have been a member since the 1970s. So, I like it when BYU Blue outshines the Utah bloody red. In that decade of the 1970s BYU first became a pretty decent football school that would upset bigger teams. And we might be there now, since losing our former coach to UVA in Charlottesville in 2015 … BYU expects to play anyone, any time. And win our share. Especially against the heated rival a mere 49 miles to the north.

The QB Jaren Hall beat Utah with his arm, and legs, and that means he did it with his head. The Cougar defense stepped up and stuffed the formerly ranked Utes. Brigham Young is now ranked 23, or 21, and going to play the ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. They, possibly the best of the PAC 12 after Oregon (congrats for road win at Ohio State) are nationally ranked 21 or so, depending on the polls in the high teens, both 2-0 and standing to get a big win.

Can the Cougars keep it rolling?

I say yes!

Thanks Desert fans, for another installment of the college teams that we follow. It was a little less researched and more abbreviated due to my testing in Arabic and some night time duties this week. Things are okay with me, I surprisingly passed the listening portion and then failed the reading portion, sort of like a good Indiana team thinking they can beat a middling SEC team in a middling bowl. They cannot (see last January versus Ole Miss).

I did not read and guess on the DLPT well enough to pass the Arabic reading. I will re-take it in another six months, in sha’ allah, and we will see. This Hoosier and Cougar may get his share… But he will go out fighting, regardless… Enjoy the games!

Peace.

 

 

Okay, two more notes, I love it: Arkansas crushed Texas, 40 – 21

AND FINALLY: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State Seminoles 17.

Yes, college football is great. I think J-State is a HBCU (historically black college or university). If so, power to ‘em. If not, they are not FBS. Either way, Tomahawk chop that!