Future PASTE from account:
Hello fans! It was
a weekend that turned out mostly as expected by me, except for Auburn.
The Georgia
Bulldogs keep rolling, they smothered Missouri after going behind 3-0 early.
Final score 43 -6. I watched the game live. I hung out again with a friend from
Savannah, GA, who is enjoying the season as other Dawg fans that I have met in
the last 4 months in the desert. It has been something to behold. I watched two
quarterbacks for Georgia; both seem pretty talented. Of course it is the
defense that show their prowess down after down. According to Carlton, who is a
big football fan in general (his favorite NFL team? The Colts!), Georgia has a
harder time defending athletic and mobile quarterbacks. The Mizzou QB seemed
all that, but it only resulted in two field goals. Not a problem for Georgia’s
defense, that I saw.
GEORGIA NEXT #1 (9-0): versus Tennessee (5-4) in Knoxville
The Irish
took down their yearly traditional rival Navy, 34 -6. Navy has been struggling
to score overall against all comers, as previously mentioned, so Notre Dame
knocked out what they were supposed to do. UVA is a much tougher opponent this
coming weekend, but we will see if the rib or side injury of the stud QB
Brennan Armstrong, suffered a week ago against BYU, will preclude him from the
game. Depending, this could be a high scoring match, but I expect the
opportunistic Irish to get it done.
NOTRE DAME NEXT #10 (8-1): versus Virginia Cavaliers (6-3).
In Charlottesville. I have been to that stadium twice, it is a fun venue. (I saw
both my undergrad alma maters oppose the Wahoos not too far from my home).
Auburn
had the tough opponent Texas A & M, the ones who slew the giant Alabama. As
I write this I realize that I was wrong in my last report that Georgia and
Alabama could face each other three times this season, because they have not
played each other once yet! The Aggies of Texas beat the Tide, so now they are
looking stronger after this ranked match up where they stifled the War Eagle 20
– 3. Color me impressed. I think that the Tigers will rebound and prove their
strengths against the respectable and ranked neighbors to the west, MSU. Auburn
has retained their top20 ranking.
AUBURN NEXT #13 (6-3): versus Mississippi State Bulldogs #17
(5-4)
BYU
handled a weaker FCS team. I observed most of the whole game; I was impressed
by some of the Tigers/Bengals players, despite their lower status. The final
score 56 – 14 reflected how things should have resulted as per their places in
the hierarchy of college football. The back-up offense for the Y was a little
disappointing, but the starters were spot on. One awesome Cougar receiver got
hurt, so we will see if he plays the rest of the season. They have plenty of
weapons at their disposal. The defense seems to be rested, and needed it, so we
hope to finish 10-2, which would justify last year’s 12 -1 season against
weaker competition.
BRIGHAM YOUNG NEXT: Bye week. Two more to go and despite the
fumbles against BSU and the whooping by Baylor, this is still a pretty good
year for my first alma mater.
The
Hurricanes are hot, ladies and gentlemen! Watch out. Perhaps the U is the best
team in Florida now, since UF is down, the Seminoles, too, and UCF is not
living up to the hype. Not to mention USF, FAU, or FIU… The ‘Canes prevail in
another close over the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets, and maybe they have some
confidence and swag back.
MIAMI NEXT (5-4): at Florida State Seminoles (3-6) Go,
‘Canes! Whip ‘em good! For certain reasons the Seminoles were the ones who
vexed me most in that state.
Congratulations
to the Tigers for holding down the Louisville Cardinals, 30 – 24. This is not
the best season in Columbia by a long shot, but they will go to a bowl and represent
some winning, and perhaps they are not as good as recent upstart Coastal
Carolina, but they are making their way.
CLEMSON NEXT (6-3): home versus Connecticut Huskies. Should
be a big rout. Tigers.
Last and
least: my lowly Hoosiers. The freshman QB did ok, but Michigan was not going to
have it on defense. They walked away in the Big House (the largest attendance
venue in all football, college or pro) and put themselves back in the higher
rankings, especially with the Purdue Boilermakers taking down the previous
highly ranked Michigan State Spartans.
It has been
a crazy year for a few highly ranked schools, like Ohio State, Alabama, and
Oregon. “Lesser” teams have snuck up on them.
INDIANA NEXT (2-7): versus Rutgers (4-5) at home, Memorial
Stadium. (About 4 miles from my childhood home). Check that: 2.7 miles, or 2.3,
or 2.2, depending on the route taken! (See below)
Last
notes: some undefeated squads went down last week, Wake Forest was upset by
UNC, and MSU as mentioned; this past week Army beat Air Force in a nail biter,
Utah looks strong, and Cincinnati looks beatable while still having no loss to
their name. And, conferences continue to re-align as a result of the SEC jump
in the near future by Oklahoma and Texas.
Some map notes on my home town, Bloomington, Indiana: there
are only two high schools, one off the page to the northwest and mine slightly
to the south along Walnut Avenue, the main strip going north to Indianapolis.
I enjoyed
growing up in a college town: crime was low, entertainment was available as far
as concerts, plays, and some recreational things not available to towns of that
size without the university.
It is a
nice place to visit if you ever get the chance. Spring and fall are best.
The
football stadium only seats around 52,000, and they rarely fill it up. Next
door in Assembly Hall, where the Hoosiers have won three national championships
and hang five banners since he beginning of the NCAA tournament in 1939. As a
kid the population was maybe 40,000 not counting the college students. Now it
is probably 75,000 or so. Blomington is a popular spot for some people to
retire, including my parents. They live in the southern neighborhoods not
pictured on the map.
A
recommend film shot there: Breaking Away,
1979. (Dennis Quaid among others, quite young).
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