2023 Week 7
October 17, 2023
We're now having some great matchups and, thanks to the Sun Belt and Conference UFO, we're getting college football almost every day of the week.
Last night was a Monday so there wasn't any college football to watch. My good friend Johnny Majors came by and suggested that we watch the Manning Brothers, Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning Jr, cover the NFL game. I had stumbled across their show while channel surfing before so said go ahead. He tuned it in and instead of the Manning brothers we had a lady doing play by play in Spanish. I must say she was easier to understand than that Nawlins boy Peyton is which is interesting because I don't speak Spanish. Or Cagin.
As for the games, we had some classics. Things really got going on Friday night as Coach Prime Directive led the Colorado Golden Buffaloes against Stanford. Colorado led 29-0 at half and managed to lose the game 46-43. I haven't seen a guy in a hoodie choke like that since the Unabomber hitchhiker movie.
That wasn't the only wild ending in the Centennial state. Colorado's rival Colorado State fell behind Boys' State 30-10, then had a wild comeback, scoring three times in the final 6 minutes and winning the game on a Hail Mary that was tipped down by a defender right into the arms of a receiver who was lying prone on the end zone turf.
The defenders got it all wrong. You kick the receiver in the jimmy AFTER you tip the pass, not before. That way you don't risk a PI penalty and you also keep the receivers' head on a swivel anticipating the kick.
That wasn't the only game to end on a long pass. The Houston vs. Western Virginia tilt had its own dramatics. The game went to overtime. Now I'm still not sure about these overtime rules, but apparently this time they let each team get a shot from midfield. Western Virginia's pass was completed and run into the end zone while Houston's pass was caught in the end zone. Apparently, because the Houston QB threw his completion farther, the Cougars were awarded the victory.
There were also some dramatics and comebacks in less exciting games. Rutgers scored 3 quick touchdowns to overcome an 18-point deficit and defeat the Michigan State Fighting Chippewas, thanks to a punt snap that hit the punter's facemask and was recovered in the end zone followed by a bloop kickoff that hit the turf and went 6 feet in the air. I haven't seen balls bouncing around so wildly since the Bret Bielema sex tape.
I was glad that Coach Hayden Fry stopped by to watch the Iowa vs. Wisconsin game with me. At least I was until Iowa punted for the 10th time and Coach Fry threw his drink at the screen and broke it. And that was in a victory! I asked how he reacted during Iowa's 31-0 loss to Penn State and he said he wouldn't discuss his reaction but that he had to spend two weeks in purgatory.
My Pitt Panthers finally turned things around, slugging the St. Louisville Cardinals 38-21. The Tennessee Volunteers had a key punt return to give them the lead and a win against Texas A&M. And North Carolina steadily pulled away from Miami and beat the Hurricanes 41-31 to take over the top spot in the SEC South.
Notre Dame renewed acquaintances with Southern Cal and hamblasted the Trojans, taking advantage of 5 takeaways in a 48-20 blowout. Coach McKay stopped by and said "don't even ask me to repeat that line about execution".
Alabama had a tighter than expected win over R Kansas, running out the clock to hold on 24-21. I have to wonder if that magic touch is now eluding Coach Satan.
The biggest game of the day was in the great Northwest, as Washington and Oregon engaged in a tussle for the ages. Oregon refused to kick field goals until the end, then missed a chance to send the game into overtime. That came after Washington drove more than half the field in two plays to take the lead as Penix's thrusts penetrating the Ducks' back end led to ecstasy for the Husky fans.
Well it was a great week and I'm expecting even more. We are approaching the Third Saturday in October so that means great rivalry games like Tennessee at Alabama, Penn State at Ohio State, and the biggest rivalry game of them all, Minnesota taking on Iowa for the rights to the farming services of Floyd Rosedale. Can't wait!