2002 Week 12
November 13, 2002
This year's season is moving along quite well, with all the major conference showdowns and the bowel salesmen hanging out in the press box showing off their wares.
Oklahoma had a really rough time down in Aggie country. I bet the Okies are reconsidering that decision to join the other teams in the Southwest Conference's South division.
One team that didn't struggle was Miami, which laid waste to Tennessee. That brutal Knoxville beating may be on the next episode of "Jackass", as long as Coach Fulmer promises not to sue for a copyright infringement due to the title.
Notre Dame turned things around this week and went back to old-fashioned Notre Dame style football in their win. It was a good decision by Coach Willingham to re-install the classic Irish option offense, and I also applaud his decision to get rid of the green jerseys and have his guys wear ND's traditional Navy blue jerseys.
Of course one of the most exciting moments was Ohio State's game-winning play against Purdue.
The 4th down long pass gamble in the last couple of minutes of that game was very reminiscent of the legendary 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas game, where Darrell Broyles' famed blind QB James Longstreet threw a ball up for grabs.
A Texas receiver caught the pass, Texas scored a game-winning TD soon after, and they went on to the receive the Richard E. Nixon national championship trophy.
Ohio State threw a long pass on 4th and short to win the game and are still in contention for a national title. It's identical to the Texas situation, except for the fact that Purdue's not very good, Coach Cooper's never recruited a blind QB, Ohio State still has some games to play, and the Nixon national championship trophy is now a doorstop at the Watergate Hotel.
The most memorable moment last weekend occurred in Lexington Kentucky, where the LSU Tigers scored on a miraculous 75-yard tipped TD pass as time ran out.
As the play began the Kentucky fans had raced out onto the field to tear down the goalposts, then, upon seeing the LSU touchdown, two students picked up the goal posts and chased after QB Nate Lorenzo for calling that time out with 15 seconds left that gave LSU a chance to win. The students lugging the 600-pound goal posts were easily able to outrun the fleeing Lorenzo, who's lugging a few hundred pounds of his own. Lorenzo said the goal post would have tasted better with some spices.
Before the miracle play, Kentucky players had already dunked their coach with a barrel of mint juleps. It looked like the defensive backfield had taken a few sips themselves. The UK secondary parted themselves like a drunken tri-Delt, and LSU had their miracle win.
After the game LSU coach Nick Satan had little to say other than "I'd like to sing the praises of my Dark Lord. All blessings be unto Lucifer!"
The first famous last-second TD pass actually occurred at a small school in Virginia named for the German king and queen, Wilhelm und Maria. In 1925 when Wilhelm und Maria defeated the Florida Undergraduate College on a last second 50-yard TD pass, the fans chanted "Heil Wilhelm und Maria!", which became a famous cheer for the school.
During World War II, due to concerns about the evil German regime, the school's name was changed to "William and Mary" and the cheer and the play became known as the "Hail Mary".
The "Hail Mary" has a long history at all levels of football. We all remember the famous pass thrown by Estelle Stewart for Colorado against Michigan, that's one of the most well-known plays in football history.
But the most noted "Hail Mary" was in 1984, in Foxboro Massachusetts, when Doug Flutie threw a 50-yard bomb to help Boston defeat Miami 47-45. It's a play that will live in the anals of both Miami and the Boston Patriots.
Now I'm just about ready for this Saturday's games, as long as I can find some mint julep mix. And a Tri-Delt.