College football this last week was crazy! There were some absolutely amazing games this last week! OU @ OSU, even LSU @ Arkansas was a good game. Gotta love rivalry week! I'll be talking about Auburn vs. Bama, BSU vs. Nevada, and of course, BYU vs. Utah.
The game that started it all was Auburn and Bama. I set the DVR to record the game, as my family and I made our way over to All-Star bowling lanes to participate in the timeless holiday classic, The Turkey Bowl. When I came home, I promptly sat myself down, and watched "The Iron Bowl". I don't like that name, because in comparison, Iron is weak to other metals. Should be called the Steel Bowl, or something like that. Oh well, I'm not from Alabama so I really don't mind that much. Traditionally I cheer for Auburn in this rivalry, basically because they live in the shadow of Alabama, and nobody really likes Nick Saban anyway right? Just ask...I don't know, maybe LSU or Miami Dolphins fans after he sold out on both of them. This year I was in a lose lose situation. I could cheer for pompous, arrogant Nick Saban, or the pompous, arrogant Cam Newton. Considering the fact that I don't want either BSU or TCU to go to the national championship, I rested my alliance once again with the Tigers. Well...needless to say Alabama jumped out to an early 14-0 lead after Julio Jones took the Greg "pretty boy" McElroy's pass about a billion yards to the house. After I saw that I quickly pulled out my black and silver samsung phone, and tweeted from the comforts of my very couch, that the game was over and promptly asked, "What time is the Nevada game?" Little did I know. Well, after going down increasing their deficit, on the road, I think that Jerry Sloan went in to give the halftime speech and some of the on-the-road comeback magic that the Jazz have used. Auburn came out of the half like a different team. AU was down 24-0, and by games end had miraculously left the fans in Tuscaloosa, and around the nation in shock as they came from behind to win 28-27. This is the second game where after the home team goes up 14-0, I've tweeted and said something along the lines of, "game over", and the road team comes back and wins! The first was the Utah vs. SDSU game. Many have already crowned Cam Newton the Heisman winner of 2010, including Larry Fitzgerald who was a Heisman finalist himself in 2003. I however, am not so quick to jump on the bandwagon. The Heisman represents everything that is right with college football. Cam Newton doesn't. I listened to a special segment of him on ESPN. I already thought the kid was a punk, but after watching that, my thoughts were solidified into feelings. I don't like him. I think he's a great football player, but he's not Heisman material. With the Heisman Trophy already surrounded by controversy, this is the last thing they need. If they give the Heisman to Cam Newton, they're just going to take it back in a year or maybe two. Cam Newton's lucky I'm not a Heisman voter.
I took a break from my current addiction of college football, and got my NBA on. Whoever schedules the games for the Jazz is genius. Rivalry week is scheduled, and the Jazz scheduled to play the Lakers at home! Gotta love it! The Jazz game starts, and I absolutely loved it! They got down, big, and early. The Lakers were getting all the calls (as usual) and I remember turning to my mom and telling her, "It's going to be a long night." The game got going, and things really started to pick up when Earl Watson got the ball on a fast break, and dished it off to his bash brother, 6'1" Ronnie Price, who in turn dunked it over the hated, 6'11" Lamar Odom. The Jazz were down 19, and made yet another HUGE comeback! Kobe Bryant finally decided to get his game on in the 4th quarter, and scored 11 points in 90 seconds. Raja Bell was guarding him, then the Jazz made a defensive switch to put Andrei Kirlilenko on him. Andrei made one mistake, and gave up a 3 pointer by going under a screen and not over, but other than that, completely shut Kobe down. Kobe got "fouled" behind the arc, nailed his 3 free throws to put the Lakers up 96-91, and once again I'd given up hope. The Jazz hadn't. The Jazz scored the final 11 points of the game, including a huge turnover they got where D-will tipped the ball up to Raja Bell for the easy fastbreak points, and the Jazz win 102-96. The Jazz really have been phenomenal so far. They have made huge comebacks against big teams, on the road, and at home now too. We can hang in there with anyone in the league, and I honestly do think we'll make a big run in the playoffs. Yesterday they beat the Clippers as well, which was the 7th road victory for the Jazz this season. Last year they got their 7th road win in JANUARY! This team has made some strides, and they are very excited to be winning these big games, and hit their stride. Al Jefferson said it was a playoff like atmosphere. He hadn't beaten the Lakers since his rookie year 6 years ago. These guys hang hang in there with the best of them.
After the intense comeback, I stayed on my couch, switched it to ESPN, and watched the Nevada Wolfpack take on the Boise State Broncos. Those of you who know me, know that I do not like those Broncos. I do not like them in a box, I do not like them with a fox. I think they are the most overrated team, perhaps in the history of college football. They put their 24 game win streak on the line in that matchup. Their last loss came in the 2008 poinsettia bowl against a then #11 ranked TCU 17-16. In this stretch of 24 games, they beat Oregon twice (once at home, and once on the road) by a total of 16 points from both matchups. They beat TCU once by a touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl, and they beat Virgina Tech by 3, who had an encore the next week by losing the the college football juggern(o)t James Madison IN Blacksburgh. Whenever Boise State does play someone big, they squeak out the victory. In this stretch of 24 games, I'd consider all the previously mentioned games "big". 5 out of 24 doesn't exactly do it for me. I've said it once, I'll say it a billion times. Boise State can't squeak out victories against these big teams week in, and week out. They can't do it. The game this last week was the clincher for the WAC title, and would have sealed a BCS birth for the Broncos. They had the ball with 9 seconds left and Kellen Moore threw a prayer up, and it was completed for a HUGE gain to the Nevada 10 yard line. I felt sick. I just knew that I was going to see Chris Peterson and all the BSU players go jumping around the field after another miracle of a victory. Well, out comes Kyle Brotzman (BSU's place kicker, who had a facebook profile, and promptly deleted it after the game) to try the what appeared to be a chip-shot of a field goal. It's up, and good. Boise State wins...so it appeared. I thought the game was over, and so did BSU. The refs thought differently. They said the kick was no good! Wide-right! Nevada has one more chance! Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times insists the kick was good. Nevada is one of maybe the 10 D.1 universities that still uses high school length goal posts. They would come in handy. BSU gets the ball first in OT, gets to 4th down again. Out comes Brotzman, and this time goes wide-left! I couldn't believe it! The same misfortune that BSU's opponents (BYU included) had been having for years had finally turned the table against perhaps the most loved team in the nation! I was sitting there with atownmania and gabbygayle enjoying every second of it. Nevada gets the ball with the necessity of a field goal to win! Out comes the kicker, and BOOM! Straight through the uprights! I could hear Howard Cosell yelling into his mic, "DOWN GOES BOISE! DOWN GOES BOISE!" I stood, jumped, and hugged all who were near me, as I saw the team I've been cheering against for year finally had something bad happen to them! Not only did they lose and have their BCS dreams go down the drain; but the Mountain West Conference which they recently joined also took a HUGE hit today! More on that later.BYU made their way up north this weekend as well to play the Utes of Utah. It was quite the game. Quite the game indeed. I don't think I need to do a huge recap of the game, because I believe that both of you who read this blog watched the game. There are some things that have been getting on my nerves though.
1-Robert Anae is calling the same plays that he's been calling ever since he's been at BYU. Short passes in the flats to the running backs. Going for it on 4th and 1 isn't just his call. That's the head coaches call. Bronco has the right to override any play before it's actually called. That being said I don't agree with a play-action pass on 4th and 1. BYU hadn't been able to run the ball at all on the 10th ranked rush defense in the nation. But it's only a yard.
2-Don't blame this game on the refs. BYU fans have used this photo to prove that yes in fact the receiver was down. I agree with you. They even circled it to prove their point. He was down. But who has possesion? In no point in this replay can you show, or prove that he had posession when he was down. You can't see his right hand in this picture. In fact, you can see more of Kendrick Moeai's hand, than that of BYU's receiver. This picture, and any comments about the refs are totally invalid. There is no proof either way on this call. BYU fans can complain all they want. But so can San Diego State's fans after BYU stole a victory from them. If we're going to blame everything on the refs, BYU shouldn't even have a winning season because of the refs! They shouldn't have won that game because of the refs! But they did win that game, and Utah won this one. Before you point the fingers at the refs, remember that VERY questionable call of BYU's catch, which was also reviewed. The no-call of the horsecoller which actually injured Eddie Wide and should have been a personal foul, and also the lame personal foul call on Brian Blechen for helmet to helmet, when it wasn't. PLUS BYU went for it on 4th down instead of kicking a field goal. Had they kicked, and made the field goal BYU would have won. When they did kick the field goal, Mitch Payne didn't even warm up, and when he got on the field had it blocked. Focus on your own team, and what they could have done better, not what the refs could have done better. Blown calls on both sides of the ball. This call however wasn't blown. There wasn't enough evidence to prove that did, or didn't secure the ball.3-I don't like BYU football at all. I really don't. However, I don't like the fact that Utah players were taunting Mitch Payne after the field goal. I think they should have celebrated the fact that they made a great play, and not the fact that he didn't. I also don't like the fact that Utah fans threw snow on Bronco Mendenhall. I don't like the guy at all, but I'm not dumb enough to throw snow on him. BYU gave the Utes all they could handle. It was a very evenly matched game, and Utah just made the plays when the plays needed to be made. It doesn't matter that BYU "dominated" the first 3 quarters. Utah's 4th quarter was better than BYU's whole game! Utah is the team that won by one, but it was very evenly matched, and no team has room to complain, or to trash-talk at all.
BYU and Utah will both be leaving the Mountain West Conference next year. BYU made its declarations of independence, and Utah will be going to the Pac-12. The 1 thing I like about the Mountain West next year, is that BSU or TCU will have to lose a game! They will play each other next year, and one of them has to lose! I'm very excited about that. TCU declared today that they will be moving to the Big Eas(y) in 2012. It was a desperate move by the Big East to keep it's BCS bid. There will probably be a 4 loss team emerging from within its ranks to represent itself in the Orange Bowl this year. Ridiculous. It was a smart move by TCU. They won't have to dominate every opponent now in hopes of maybe getting a coveted BCS bid. Now they just have to beat out the other cupcakes in the Big East. Smart move by TCU, and really really bad for Boise State. The new Mountain West might as well be commissioned by Karl Benson. Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State, and even Hawaii might be entering into the conference. Mountain West, say hello to even more mediocricy than you already had. Utah, BYU, and TCU fans, say goodbye to the Mountain, and those stupid remax signs on the field!
It's been fun! I hope you've had as much fun reading this as I had writing it! Until next week, stay classy
No comments:
Post a Comment