Sorry I wasn't on here earlier. I have been very sick for two weeks, but I hope to be recovering soon.
Reactions to last night's games.
Georgia Tech (Alma Mater for Bachelors and Masters):
Yes we lost. It was expected. Georgia is the #1 team in the nation and undefeated. Georgia Tech had only won 10 games in total under the previous "coach", and most of the losses to UGa were of the totally humiliating kind. I know people say a moral victory is still a loss, but it really isn't. This game was Rocky 1, the Alamo, our Dunkirk. We lost. We didn't roll over. We showed the world that a lowly team of patched together nerds and transfers could play with the biggest of big boys when we have a real leader and coach. Brent Key really has been there and done that, and these young men know it and believe in him. In 2018 - 2021, the average score differential in this game was 38 points in Georgia's favor. This year it was 8. I'm not dumb and will definitely not say that this is a significant trend that means Tech should win by 22 next year. But it is an inflection point. The results curve is no longer accelerating downhill at the same rate. It simply indicates a greater flattening of that downhill slope is present, and considering additional experimental evidence from games such as Miami and North Carolina, it appears that Brent Key is pulling the Yellow Jacket swarm out of an uncontrolled nosedive. It is only a moral victory? No it is a morale victory we sorely needed. Congratulations on your win, Bulldogs, and may you strongly defeat Alabama, who lucked out and beat
AuburnCongratulations on finding the one clueless, sound asleep, catatonic, quasi-life form occupying the rear left side of the endzone when your quarterback threw a 35 yard pass, mastodons. Hail Mary, fall on his face. One of the best performances of the Auburn Tigerkittens this year was completely ruined by one somnambulist in the only place the pass could have been completed. Hopefully (and knowing the kindly, forgiving nature of Auburn boosters and trustees) the defensive backfield coach for the babycats will be wearing a sign next week that reads "Will coach peewee football for boiled peanuts." In the meantime, I can only hope that in preparation for their showdown with an angry and motivated Georgia Bulldog team, the Bama team bus broke down with six tire blowouts right in front of the Alabama State Sewage Repository as it was overflowing from the seasonal winter monsoon, and they were found by 1000 sewer possums and their possum litters only to be carried off and prepared for a late Thanksgiving dinner with sides of rotting buzzard and raccoon droppings.
(Writing as an Auburn Emerita Associate Professor of Polymer and Fiber Engineering, 1995-2016)
Washington State (Alma Mater-in-law)
Respectable. Predictable. Inaccessible. It is the story of Cougar football and its narrative of valiant struggles that fail. No one anticipated such an epic struggle by a 5-6 team against the number four, and undefeated, team in the nation. If there is one problematic thing an old southern born and raised woman of the west could see it was the frustrating whirligig of a quarterback performance of Cam Ward that was either complete confusion or complete self-absorption. Keep the ball. Try to run in the wrong direction against a squadron of powerful, talented defenders only to waste precious clock time and discover new and fascinating views of the Seattle turf. Washington State's defense was often far better than their seasonal average performance. Their offense produced plays that far exceeded expectations. They did not know the meaning of quit or, it sometimes seemed, the limits of their physical stamina. But in the end three things were clear:
The Washington State Cougars consistently build up, then smash down the hopes and joy of their alumni, including my husband, who will not be in a good bedtime mood for a week now, and thus, I will become very surly on here!
The Washington Huskies have the better, stronger athletes and the greater will to win
The Washington State Cougars need a better offensive co-ordinator and a more savvy quarterback
In many ways this strongly echoes the more successful performance of
Clemson (Alma Mater for PhD)
Firstly, I will give kudos to South Carolina for giving a good fight and scoring a touchdown against Clemson at the Gamecock's own field for the first time in the last three home contests. The Gamecocks (Really? You really want to keep a name like that instead of the Mini-Tyrannosaurs or the Mighty Foghorns?) were most polite hosts on their first two possessions, donating a football to the Clemson defense on a garnet carpet to the endzone with one, then generously gifting the ball to their guests again on the next possession. They finally chickened out on this kindness the next time around and made their only significant offensive drive of the game to even the score. This awakened the sleeping Tiger and Clemson's defense never let them score again. In fact, the South Carolina quarterback will likely be changing his name from Rattler to Rattled on Monday, as he joined Washington State's Cam Ward in pursuing the study of turf grass right there on the field. It was a very good day for the Clemson defense, and that was one of the two factors that led to the team's win. The other was not the offensive performance of the quarterback or the receivers. (This is a great time for me to add a campaign plug for having football catch up to 100 years of baseball history so we can keep up with and employ statistics. Go-o-o-o Math! Rah! In particular, the scorekeeper officials need to keep track of receiver errors, as in dropping a pass that is thrown right to the player with no defender within about five yards. This is charged against the quarterback, when the quarterback did his job well.) That said, Cade Klubnik is no Trevor Lawrence. He panics and tries to throw on the run, which results in interceptions or just stupid passes. Garrett Riley is riling up the fanbase by delivering nothing as advertised so far, so there is a big likelihood that he will be looking for a home closer to his brother if this continues. On the positive side, a new and unexpected superhero emerged in this game, like a whirlwind suddenly grown to an EF 4 tornado. His name is Jonathan Weitz, and he scored 10 of Clemson's 16 points with a perfect 3 for 3 in field goals and an extra point. He has finally found his technique and is no longer missing "gimme" kicks, like the one that should have given Florida State its only loss of the year. It truly was a well played game, cocks, and if you don't fire your coach in favor of hiring the Jimbo the Clown Show, you will continue to see improvement.
But now it's time to focus closer to my home of
Wyoming
What a year for the Mountain West! They have burst onto the scene as the heir apparent to the PAC-12 with the possible addition of Washington State and Oregon State, but they have their own homegrown heroes including the Wyoming Cowboys. Garbed in the unlikely colors of brown and yellow, this small school in the least populous state in the nation has produced an 8-4 football team that stands with Air Force and Fresno State on (ahem) the mountain top. They absolutely humiliated Nevada, which is not easy, since they are from a state known for gambling, drinking, and whores! The big 42-6 beatdown was like a trip from the Dutton's Yellowstone Ranch to the Train Station across the Wyoming state line. Quarterback Andrew Peasley looked like the next NFL pick to rival Josh Allen for fame and stardom from the mile-and-a-half-high university. Nevada is, of course, no great shakes, unless you're thinking about those whores again, but this was the cherry (which those gals haven't had for a while) on the sundae for Wyoming. I am delighted to see this little team heading for a bowl game.
That's it for now while I prepare for a doctor visit tomorrow, but enjoy your wins, plot your revenge, and always remember - it's just a game. Unless you're a part of that school and its traditions.