2009 Week 5
October 8, 2009
One of the great traditions in college football is all the trophy games.
Last Saturday we got to see Minnesota and Wisconsin square off for possession of Paul Bunyan's Ass. At the same time Michigan and the Michigan State Fighting Chippewas battled for the rest of Paul Bunyan's corpse.
LSU had an amazing comeback at Georgia and took home the famous doggie trophy, UGA's Red Rocket.
The biggest game was probably the Oklahoma vs Miami showdown, which brought back memories of Sooner/Cane football matchups (and many arrests) during the 1980s. The Canes prevailed and raced onto the field to hoist the Barry Switzer Memorial AK-47.
One of the newest trophy games was played in that venerable stadium in South Bend. Notre Dame knocked off Washington to win a new prize, the Ty Dillingham One Wood.
In that game there was a very unusual call. On a field goal attempt a Notre Dame player got too physical and was called for a personal foul on the guy who centered the ball to the kicker.
I haven't seen an Irishman rough the snapper like that since Fatty McArbuckle.
One of the trends in recent years has been for satellite campuses to start football programs. A lot of those teams were in action on Saturday. The University of Texas at El Paso upset Southwest Conference power Houston. Alabama Birmingam beat Ole Southern Miss. The University of Miami in Ohio lost to the Bengals. And Stanford won a non-conference tussle against newbie school Cal-Los Angeles.
The most dominant satellite school in recent years, the University of Texas at Houston, was not in action. Colorado State will be the next team to get a shot at U.T.A.H.
There's been a lot of focus on excessive celebration penalties in recent weeks, especially after one was called on Georgia in their loss to LSU. People wonder why the refs penalize young men who get excited after a fine play.
Back in the early 1930s the Alabama Crimson Tide had a powerful program, in large part thanks to legendary receiver Don Hutson. The Tide was so good that in 1934 they barnstormed the Midwest, won the Big Ten title, and went to the Rose Bowel.
Hutson was famous for his play during that season, but he probably should be even more famous for his actions as a sophomore during the 1932 season.
Alabama was an emotional team and they had a complicated series of sideline dances and handshakes after every touchdown. Hutson was the "idea man" and came up with new things to add to the celebration every week.
During their 1932 game against "Sergent Bob" Neyland's Tennessee team, the game went down to the wire. With 15 seconds to go, Hutson took an end around and raced 32 yards for the game-winning touchdown to clinch an unbeaten season.
Hutson raced back to the sidelines, ready to do the ultimate TD celebration. He went to the table where the big team water jug and several cups of water were resting. He and fellow end Shug "Bear" Bryant hoisted the water jug (FSU had yet to invent Gatorade) to drench coach Frank Thomas. Then they started to pick up the cups of water and poured them down one another's throats (this was during the era of the 18th Amendment, there was no champagne available).
Unfortunately, the trainer had brought in the wrong jug, he had taken a jug from his father's brand new still. Not only that, it was improperly made, that moonshine was full of wood alcohol. 13 players were blinded.
The NCAA cracked down, banning celebrations. The nation took note too about the dangers of unsafe moonshine, and ended Prohibition.
And for that I will always be thankful.