For the Year: 6-17-1 (.261) ($1270) ATS 13-11 (.542) SU
What we learned last week:
We learned why Jevan Snead couldn’t beat out Colt McCoy in 2006. Ugggggggly. A Hooters in Des Moines ugly. Snead is a good kid who looks like Davis Love III, but that didn’t help his NFL chances for a quarterback some were saying would be the top quarterback drafted out of anyone playing in college today…….
We learned that TCU can commit 11 penalties on the road in a tough venue and still come out ahead. Color me more impressed with that effort than anything Boise State has done this year……
We learned that if you send multiple extra rushers at Jacory Harris, he’ll panic a bit. Which is to be expected for a young quarterback, but we learned that we need to tap the brakes a bit on proclaiming Miami as “back” and give them the second best odds of getting to the national championship game like one online book did last week…….
We learned that just when you start to trust in Jeff Tedford and Cal, they’ll pull a game like that on you, and remind you there is a reason they haven’t been to the Rose Bowl in 51 years. Some teams can handle the pressure, and other teams, such as Mississippi and Cal, are more comfortable not having the bulls-eye on their back. Which is fine, as long as you don’t want to win any big games……
We learned that Mike Leach doesn’t like field goals, but he hates Twitter. Also, team captain OL Brandon Carter was suspended indefinitely after he was rumored to scream at coaches and trash the opposing locker room at Robertson Stadium. I like to go for it on 4th and Goal from inside the opponent’s five yard line, but in that situation, up 5 late in the game, you have to kick the field goal so that one play doesn’t beat you, it just ties you if they happen to get the two point conversion as well. And Leach restricted players from using Twitter, when he should be restricting opposing offenses from running up 600 yards of offense……
And finally, we learned that yes, it is possible for Trevor Walker to get playing time at the University of Texas. Congrats, Trevor.
Anyhow…
Life is short.
We hear that a lot, and pay heed to it every now and then, but sometimes it takes events of the past few days to remember it, understand it and cherish it.
On the way to tailgate set-up on Friday afternoon, one of those Friday afternoons where you feel privileged to live in Austin, Texas because there is a hint of Autumn in the air to add to the natural beauty of the place, my wife and I came upon a cavalcade of emergency vehicles blocking the street. We quickly diverted and went on our way, thinking that there was a gas leak or something of the sort and didn’t think much of it.
Well, as it turns out, 21 year old University of Texas senior Brianna Becker, was hit by car while jogging and died that afternoon, the night before she was to take the LSAT test.
Becker was clearing her head, preparing for a life altering exam, and in one moment it was all taken away from her. Just think if she had taken a call that delayed her for five minutes, or had decided to jog earlier. She’d still be alive today. Her family is permanently scarred, as is the driver of the vehicle that hit her and his family.
Then there is the case of USC running back Stefon Johnson.
Johnson, the all-time leading rusher in Los Angeles prep history, was the Trojans’ leading rusher in 2008, but entered 2009 as more of a situational back, one who got the ball in short yardage situations while star running back Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford handled the bulk of the carries. Johnson took the demotion in stride.
"At the end of the day, you want to be in the game when it's important to help your team and I think I did that," Johnson told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year. "You've got to make sure when you get your opportunities that you make the best of it."
Earlier this week, tragedy struck, ending Johnson’s season and nearly claiming his life.
Johnson was working out in the Trojans’ workout facility, preparing for the game this weekend against the California Golden Bears that might decide who wins the Pac-10 championship, when he dropped 215 lbs of weights on his throat while doing a bench press exercise. Johnson started bleeding from the nose and the mouth and was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent 7 hours of surgery to repair a crushed larynx, a crushed adam’s apple and torn muscles in the throat.
Johnson was listed in critical but stable condition following the surgery. He won’t play again this season, but doctors were just hopeful before the surgery that he would be able to talk again.
It can all change in an instant.
The Trojans, who used the Bill Withers classic Lean on Me as an inspirational song for the 2009 season (the great ESPN Gameday story can be seen here), will now have to lean on each other more than ever, not only to replace Johnson on the field, but to get over the personal tragedy of such a personal friend and teammate.
So, as I make a bad segue in how tragedies in real life equate to what happens on the field of play each Saturday in the fall…enjoy this year. Enjoy every moment of the tailgate. Enjoy watching Colt McCoy enter the Texas record books. Enjoy Dan Buckner’s development from high school star to forgotten on the depth chart to Colt McCoy’s safety valve on third down. Enjoy Tre Newton climbing from fourth on the depth chart to starter through hard work and dedication. Enjoy watching Jordan Shipley overcome personal setback year after year to blossom into an All-American candidate. Enjoy watching Sergio Kindle climb up the draft charts, and the Acho brothers, who do more good off the field than they ever could on the field, blossom into future stars.
Appreciate what we have here at the University of Texas. Appreciate the 10 win seasons. Appreciate Mack Brown and what he has brought to your university. It is fun to be cynical and point towards the conference championships he hasn’t won, but we have won plenty, and we have won doing it the right way, and we have done it with a coach that we can be proud about.
And most of all, enjoy the bye week. Spend time with your friends and family, share a laugh with them, share a tear with them, but just share something with them.
Because you never know when success in a season, success at a program, or frankly, your life could just go away.
As USC WR Damian Williams says in the Gameday story above, “Be in the moment. Make sure you squeeze every drop out of it.”
All of that was the furthest thing away from Stefon Johnson’s mind when he left the field following a 2006 game against Washington, a game in which he didn’t play at all, another in a line of disappointing contests in that season in which he did not play. All of the sudden, Johnson felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Washington coach Tyrone Willingham.
“It will work out for you – I know it,” Willingham said. “I believe in you.”
We can all hope that it works out for Johnson….again.
Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong…
FACEBOOK NEWS FEED
Tim Tebow took the quiz “What NFL Player Are You?” with the answer Merril Hoge.
Mike Leach has left Facebook.
Brandon Carter has joined the group “I Got Suspended From My Football Team So I Became a Rodeo Clown to Keep Wearing the Makeup.”
Robert Griffin is a bigger man than you are.
Mike Price is going to the Landing Strip to drown his sorrows. Drinks on UTEP!
Joe Paterno is considering retiring….from having to play Iowa.
LSU is hey don’t look at us, we don’t know how the hell we’re in the Top 5, either.
Lou Holtz even I think Bobby Bowden is senile and needs to retire.
Kevin Sumlin is packing his bags for Penn State.
Mack Brown can’t wait to see Them Crooked Vultures, Bon Iver and Black Joe Lewis at ACL.
On to the games...
Washington @ Notre Dame -12.5:
Washington is a good story this year with the return of Jake Locker, their win over USC and near win over LSU, but got taken to the woodshed last week by an okay but not great Stanford team.
I know we all hate to admit it, but this Notre Dame team is on the rise, is better than Stanford and should be able to handle Washington at home. But I do like the Huskies to get the back door cover.
Notre Dame 34 Washington 24
ATS – Washington
SU – Notre Dame
LSU @ Georgia -3:
Vegas doesn’t think LSU is a top five team, either, if they are basically a scratch against the 18th ranked team in the country. The Tigers needed a kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception returned for a touchdown in order to beat Mississippi State, who outrushed them 151-30 and outgained them 374-263 last week.
Georgia has won 3 in a row, and 6 out of 8 in this series, and won last year in Baton Rouge 52-38. LSU has the look of a four loss team to me, and number one comes this week in Athens.
Georgia 38 LSU 24
ATS – Georgia
SU – Georgia
Auburn @ Tennessee -2:
Gus Malzahn, er Gene Chizik has Auburn back on the right track, with an offense that ranks 3rd in the country behind a devastating running attack. The defense isn’t as good, giving up 30 to West Virginia and 30 to Ball State.
Tennessee’s defense is legit, but their offense has a combined 28 points against decent teams this year (UCLA and Florida), and Jonathan Crompton is downright scary under center, and I don’t mean scary in a good way.
So who wins in this clash of styles? Give me Auburn’s defense getting a couple of interceptions off of Crompton (they have 8 interceptions in four games), setting up a short field for Auburn’s offense. And Tennessee doesn’t have the firepower to keep up.
Auburn 27 Tennessee 20
ATS – Auburn
SU – Auburn
USC -5 @ California:
Both teams are reeling a bit, USC started off strong but then coasted to a lackluster win over Washington State last week, while California got LaGarrette Blounted in Eugene last week as Jahvid Best ran his way out of Heisman consideration with only 55 yards rushing.
What happens here? Your guess is as good as mine, but USC has won 5 straight in this series, actually wins a big game every now and then, and has a much better defense than Oregon. Give me the Trojans….but barely.
USC 24 California 21
ATS – California
SU – USC
Arkansas -1 v. Texas A&M:
This one could be the shoot-out that we thought Texas Tech/Houston was going to be. Arkansas enters the game with the 4th ranked passing attack and everyone short of Alabama has felt the pain when they have faced Ryan Mallet this year. Texas A&M, yes, Texas A&M, leads the country in total offense, but have yet to face much this year.
A&M needs this game more, they need a “landmark” win for Mike Sherman and crew, but I just think playing Georgia and Alabama have readied the Hogs for this one, while A&M has beaten up on nobodies for the most part.
Arkansas 44 Texas A&M 37
ATS – Arkansas
SU – Arkansas
Oklahoma -7.5 @ Miami:
Is he going to? Is he not going to? Nobody knows whether Landry Jones will shave his mustache this week, but you know that JR will wear his black hat and that Bob Stoops will wear his white visor and that Sam Bradford will be under center when they face Miami Saturday night.
The question is, will he be effective? AC joint sprains are not to be taken lightly, as it could take some time for Bradford to get the range of motion and arm strength back in order to be 100% effective.
Oklahoma’s defense is high flying, posting two straight shutouts of, ahem, Idaho State and the more respectable Tulsa, but they will be tested by Miami quarterback Jacory Harris, who has already seen two good defenses this year in Florida State and Virginia Tech. BYU was able to throw on Oklahoma, and I think Jacory Harris will be able to, as well.
We haven’t heard much about OU’s weak offensive line since that BYU game, but Miami has the athleticism to exploit it. If Landry Jones is the starter, a weak OL combined with inexperience in a hostile environment for the first time will be a recipe for disaster. Bradford still has the chance to be rusty, and going against a mad Miami team looking for national exposure isn’t where I would want to come back.
The Sooners are a very average road team over the last couple of years. This one will be no different.
Miami 24 Oklahoma 20
ATS – Miami
SU – Miami
Before we get to the RHDC…I have a favor to ask of my readers. In late October, a friend of the tailgate, Michael Drakes, will be going to United States Marines boot camp and then off to Iraq. Michael has adopted the Longhorns as a favorite team since moving to Austin from New Jersey , and really, really wants to go to Texas/OU Weekend in Dallas before he shipped off. He told me a couple of weeks ago he just wants to go to any game, but hell, we might as well send him off going to the best game that there is, right? I know times are tough, boy do I know times are tough, but if would be willing to donate anything at all, cash, fair coupons, whatever, to this cause we would be eternally grateful. We’re just looking to pay for his dinner at Campisi’s with us on Friday night, food and drinks at the fair and a game ticket. Mack Brown has already sent us a football signed by every member of the 2009 football team, an autographed photo and several other Longhorn memorabilia items. If you would like to donate to the cause, please email me at mattcraig@gmail.com. Thanks a bunch, God Bless America and Hook ‘Em!
Random Hot Dallas Chick
For entertainment purposes only. Save your money for a marine doing good things in Iraq.
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