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Week 13 Review

Week 13 Review

220Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State– The Ole Miss Rebels set the tone for the weekend against the Miss State Bulldogs. The Rebels/Black Bears/Land Sharks were huge underdogs. Hardly anyone, including my brother, really believed that they would emerge victorious. Maybe it was the horrible injury to Nick Fitzgerald (and, take it from one who knows from personal experience, severe ankle injuries are horrible) that allowed them to pull it off, or, maybe, and this is more probable, they just wanted it more. That’s a novel concept, wanting it more. Read on. For most of the game Ole Miss was completely in control. Up 24-6 entering the fourth quarter, it looked like the Rebs were rolling up the Yanks, er, Bulldogs, at Chancellorsville, er, Starkville. MSU mounted a comeback in the last quarter, scoring 22 points to UM’s 7, but it was too little, too late. The unranked Rebels, or Black Bears, or Land Sharks, won, 31-28. Hotty Toddy!

Miami vs Pittsburgh– In another game where the underdog was given very little chance of pulling an upset, the Panthers with their losing record took on the number 2 team in the nation, the undefeated Miami Hurricanes. From the open kickoff it was obvious Pitt was there to play. Miami couldn’t get anything going. No matter what they tried, the Canes couldn’t move the ball consistently. The Turnover Chain that has symbolized the Canes all season sat on the sideline, unwept, unhonored, and unsung. And unclaimed, and therein lies the rub, unclaimed. In a stunning upset, and for the second year in a row, Pitt took down the number two team in the land, 24-14.

Alabama vs Auburn– The Iron Bowl had a lot riding on it, and the Plainsmen came out of the gate with fire in their eyes. They moved the ball against the vaunted Tide defense at will. QB Stidham illustrated for Bama just 134what they were lacking. He completed pass after pass with stunning accuracy. Alabama’s counterpart, Quarterback Jalen Hurts, would drop back to throw the ball, but he was more concerned with running it. Most of the time he was running for his life, as the Auburn defensive unit continuously pressured him into imitating a cottontail bunny facing a pair of hungry coyotes. He couldn’t make up his mind who was his target, resulting in his eating the ball instead of delivering it downfield. The Alabama linebacking corps’ casualty list hurt (that’s no pun) but that wasn’t the major problem. Remember what I said about Ole Miss wanting the game more than Miss State? I told you to stay tuned. Auburn wanted this game more than Alabama did. That hurts, it hurts me to say it, but it’s true. It hurts, and Hurts hurts. Without a quarterback who will – not ‘can’, Hurts ‘can’ throw, but ‘will’, Hurts won’t throw the ball – Alabama doesn’t have it to take down a top ten team playing at home where they are invincible. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of yelling, cussing, stomping around, and irrational anger in the Sutton household in merry ole England, cause there was. Auburn won, 26-14. Now they get to replay Georgia for the SEC crown, but this time it’ll be away from home (3-30 point reversal, you just wait and see). Freakin, $#*&% %&#) #*#)# play calling! *#(%&% not being able to pass %$(#*! But there is still a chance that Bama makes the playoffs and that will give me another opportunity to cuss some more. Say, Nick Saban, HELL-OOOOO! Hurts is hurting US!!!!!! The only coach I know of who manages quarterbacks worse than St Nick is Coach Sumlin, at A&M. Oh, that’s right, it ain’t ‘Coach’ Sumlin anymore.

Ohio State vs Michigan – Once again Coach Harbaugh failed to direct his team to beat Michigan’s main rival. This is a theme that’s on its fourth verse up in Ann Arbor. Yes, the Wolverines were playing with their back up to a back up quarterback, but it goes far deeper than that. The talent level at Ohio State is superior to that of the school up north. Michigan made a game of it in the first half, but as the game went on it was evident that the Wolverines couldn’t keep up. Ohio State kept the pressure on the winged helmets and played their unrelenting pressure game. The Buckeyes won again, 31-20.

Cigar Ashes

Oklahoma destroyed West Virginia. Expect the Sooners to go far in the playoffs, like, they just might win it.

Wisconsin will play in the Great White North Championship game after beating up another team with a losing record, Minnesota. Enjoy picking on the Gophers, PJ and his oarsmen are coming! The Badgers might be embarrassed against Ohio State

Georgia vs Georgia Tech – After getting destroyed by Auburn, UGA needed to restore their confidence that they were still a force to be reckoned with, and, against the Yellow Jackets, that’s precisely what they did. Beating GA Tech, 38- 7, the Dawgs get another shot at Auburn again in the SEC Championship game. It’ll be on a neutral field, and I have serious doubts that either team will annihilate the other. Of course, I doubted that the Tigers would eat the Dawgs alive at Jordan-Haire, too.

VA Tech vs. Virginia – Seriously thought the Cavaliers were going to play far better than they did. The Hokies won, 10-0

Penn State had no trouble with Maryland, 66-3

Kansas bowed to Oklahoma State, 58-17, and Kansas announced they will be keeping their coach. That’s just the difference in the fan bases of Kansas and Texas A&M. Another reason that the Aggies wanted out of the Big 12 that only has ten teams now.

Memphis crushed East Carolina, 70-13, in a game where everyone got to play. The Tigers take on Central Florida again in Orlando. It’s hard to beat an opponent twice in one season. Are you listening Auburn, Oklahoma, Central Florida? Good Luck, Tigers

Fresno State took it to Boise State, 28-17

Clemson beat instate rival South Carolina, 34-10. Now they get to weather Miami’s hurricane. Some hurricanes are over-rated, just cause they beat a sub-par Notre Dame squad.

Notre Dame, the darling of the press all year, lost all hope of making the playoffs when they left South Bend again and got beat by Stanford, 38-20.

Washington State flopped again against Washington, losing, 41-14

Texas A&M was nowhere to be found against LSU, they couldn’t do anything right. The Tigers played far better, 45-21. Maybe Orgeron is for real.

TCU tuned up for Oklahoma by burying Baylor, 45-22.

Central Florida had their hands full against South Florida but managed to win, 49-42. Now the big question is, how long before their Head Coach Frost is at another school? Oh, yes, there is the little matter with the Memphis rematch.

Arkansas lost to Missouri, 48-4,5 and then the Hogs said goodbye to Coach Bielema. Kansas kept their coach. Arkansas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida (so far) fired theirs after losses. In the SEC, it just means more.

Iowa beat Nebraska 56-14, and that caused the Cornhuskers to send Coach Riley packing, they have high hopes of getting Coach Frost. I guess it means a lot in the Big 10 (14), too.

Texas worked very hard in losing to Texas Tech, 27-23

Michigan State speared Rutgers, 40-7

Florida State skinned the Gators, 38-22

Louisville won the Governors Cups by whacking Kentucky, 44-17

Purdue won the old Oaken Barrel by taking down Indiana, 31-24

How did Wake Forest lose to Duke 31-23? Shocker

NC State looked shaky against North Carolina but pulled it out, 33-21

Kansas State, on the last play of the game, completed a touchdown pass to upset Iowa State, 20-19. Underestimating a Bill Snyder-coached team can be fatal.

Vanderbilt took care of business against Tennessee, 42-24. But, then, everyone else has too. The Vols don’t even know how to hire a new coach, and we all know it just means more in the SEC. Maybe we could swap them for the Noles in the ACC.

Arizona State upset Arizona, 42-20, to achieve a winning record for the season. It wasn’t enough to save Coach Graham’s job. Add the PAC-12 to conferences where it means more.

In the Civil War, or for what passes for a Civil War in the Northwest, Oregon dropped Oregon State, 69-10. Those folks would have fought the Great War, the War of Northern Aggression, with Nerf balls and paint guns.

 

 

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