2024 Week 2
September 11, 2024
Well we're definitely back into the swing of things.
The most notable result was Texas going up to Anne Arbor and laying a whipping on Michigan, winning 31-12. The Horns had little trouble driving the field on the Wolverines but also played great defense to end up dominating on both sides of the ball. I didn't see the game live but my good friend Darrell Royal was very glad to let me watch the recording. I haven't seen video of a cornholin' like that since Coach Corso's fraternity initiation tape.
Speaking of Coach, I'd say he's not looking too good these days. That Longhorn head he put on almost caused him to tip over. And he probably shouldn't be sitting so close to Nick Satan on the Gameday set as Nick is always recruiting for his Dark Lord and Lee looks like he's moving up the overdue list.
The biggest upset took place in South Bend as Northern Illinois blocked a last second Notre Dame field goal attempt to defeat the Fighting Irish 16-14. Those MAC teams sure play some entertaining football, especially on Tuesday nights in mid-November when there's nothing else to watch. As for the home squad, it was unfortunate that USC coach Lincoln Riley's son Leonard had such a tough game for the Irish. At least now that Leonard has transferred away from Duke he won't have to play against his Dad's University of South Carolina team in a regular season ACC matchup.
Speaking of the Mid-American Conference, the Big Ten/MAC showdown continued, with Ohio State bombing Western Michigan 56-0 and Penn State taking a narrow 34-27 win over Boweling Green. Since the Big Ten wants to find a league it can beat up on, the MAC decided to try something similar but it backfired - Kent State lost to St Francis 23-17. You gotta be careful when you play some of those Catholic high school teams from Toledo.
Highly touted Oregon continued their tour of Idaho with a narrow win over Boys' State, 37-34. I'm not sure what their problem is, Roman Gabriel and Bob Dillon's grandson seems to be throwing the ball all right, but the defense struggled last Saturday - the Beavers seem very leaky.
Another highly ranked team, Oklahoma, really struggled with Houston, winning 16-12 thanks to a safety and two-point conversion in overtime.
Bring 'em Young won the religious battle of the week over Southern Methodist, 18-15. I'm still not sure which conference either of those teams is in so I'm not sure whether it counts in the league standings. Similarly confusing was Cal's 21-14 win over Auburn which I guess was an ACC game. Also Arizona State had a tight win over Ole Southern Piss State, 30-23.
Cal's sidekick Stanford beat Cal Poly 41-7 in front of about 3,000 fans. I believe that when the Cardinals get into the conference schedule they'll do better with the crowds - when Wake Forest comes to town I bet they'll draw upwards of 4,500.
One of the most famous cross-state rivalries ended dramatically. The Huckeyes had taken a double digit lead over Iowa State but the Cyclones came back and booted a 54-yard field goal as time expired to win 20-19. The good news for Iowa is that they are still averaging over 10 points a game.
Another renewed rivalry wasn't nearly as entertaining. Nebraska turned the clock back about 30 years and pummeled Colorado 28-10. I predict Husker freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola will win two Heisman Trophies and a retroactive Outland Trophy for his Dad.
The one game that all of us up here were really enjoying was the Pirate Bowel between Washington State and Texas Tech. Coach Leach hosted a gathering, but, being his usual quirky self, there was no hooch, just wings with no sauce. Hell, my tongue needs a workout every day and with no booze and no sauce I was drooling like a basset hound. As for the game, Wazzu pulled away from Tech to win 37-16 and Coach Leach was in fine form throughout, pausing the TV to tell us the origins of the cotton gin, which of course got me thinking about having some gin, so I finally left and went back to my place for some quality time with my good friend Tom Collins.
Next week's schedule is looking pretty weak, though we will see Alabama head north of the Mason-Dixon line for the first time since Gettysburg. And of course there's the REAL backdoor brawl as Western Virginia visits my Panthers.