Don't take your cheap shots at the I-Bowl ... or Shreveport

     Another year, another cheap-shot bashing of the Independence Bowl ... and Shreveport.

     Before we examine this further, let's make this clear: We don't like it, at all.

     But it is part of the bowl scene, and it happens far too often. However, the latest "analysis" -- by a Brigham Young fan-boy who happens to write a blog -- was a low blow of epic proportions.

     And to see him referred to as a "reporter," that's just wrong, wrong, wrong. This is a JAG -- just a guy -- sitting in the stands, a BYU supporter who happens to reside not in Utah but in Arkansas.    

UAB's football players were happy with their
 Independence Bowl trip ... and victory. (WVTM photo)

     His "observations at the Independence Bowl," and I won't dignify them by giving you his name or even a link to his "effort," was simply sour grapes because his BYU team, despite its No. 13 national ranking, came to Shreveport and fell flat against a much more determined UAB team.

     The cheapest shots were at the "rundown" conditions this guy saw while he was in Shreveport. And, yes, we know they are there. (There are rundown areas, we will counter, in every city of any size. We live in a really nice city, a big city -- Fort Worth, Texas -- but we could take you to some areas you wouldn't like.)

     Yes, Shreveport's Fair Grounds Field -- just down the street on the Fairgrounds from Independence Stadium -- is an eyesore. That's no secret. But what's that got to do with football? 

     Boarded-up business places? Same thought as above. If you go places, they'll be there. What's that got to do with football?

     Enough of that crap. If you read the junk this guy wrote, you will find excuse after excuse for why BYU lost this game, including the Cougars' underwhelming performance. To say that no one has heard of UAB is ignorant; that university's football rise, a resurgence after a two-year hiatus, is a helluva good story.

     UAB's record since 2017: 43-20 record (most victories by a Conference USA team), twice conference champion, three-time West division champ, bowl-eligible all five years, two bowl victories ... and a victory over its highest nationally ranked opponent -- No. 13 BYU.

     We will concede that maybe the nation's No. 13-ranked team deserved a more prestigious bowl trip. But the fact -- fact! -- is that one of the three bowl options for BYU is with the Independence Bowl.

     If BYU didn't qualify for a New Year's Day Six bowl game, or if the Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona did not have an available spot for the Cougars, they were bound to play a Conference USA team in the Independence Bowl. And that's what happened.

     So much for the whining.

     And talk about hypocrisy: Two weeks earlier, our BYU blowhard's blog was titled "Why the Independence Bowl is fine." 

     Here is what it concluded: "... The Independence Bowl has some prestige to it. The bowl game has been around since 1976 and has some prestige to it. The Bowl Game has been around 1976 and has it's own stadium. No colleges play in the Independence Stadium on a regular basis and it seats 50,000 people.

     "Compare that to other bowl games like the Bahamas Bowl, Camellia Bowl or the Quick Lane Bowl and thinks don't sound so bleak. The actual bowl game is a good bowl and has plenty of history."

     (Editing 101: You don't capitalize Bowl Game, and "it's" should be "its." Just pointing that this is no professional writer, or reporter, doing this.)

---

     We have seen criticism of the I-Bowl for decades, really. Our friend Paul Finebaum -- once a Shreveport Journal sportswriter -- has done his share. He's still our friend.

     This BYU blog brought to mind the aftermath of the 1983 game (Air Force vs. Ole Miss) and a professional cheap-shot column by then-Denver Post sports columnist Woodrow Paige Jr.     

      It was -- like this year's I-Bowl -- a miserable weather day. That's happened a lot over the years, unfortunately; the ultimate was the 2000 "Snow Bowl" (Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State). A rare Shreveport snowstorm left the field in a white blanket, with TV coverage hard to make out, and it's still being talked about. (Terrific game, though; Mississippi State won 43-41 in overtime.) 

     Back to 1983: Paige, who was at the Denver Post for 35 years and, at age 75, is still a columnist in Colorado and a regular ESPN "mouth," took Shreveport and the I-Bowl apart in a scathing column. Bush league.

     We at the then-afternoon Shreveport Journal were impressed -- depressed? -- by the column that, at editor Stanley Tiner's direction, ran above the masthead on Page One on the Tuesday after Paige's column in the Sunday Denver paper.

     And we also began a week's worth of Journal readers being invited to offer their response/comments to Mr. Paige, with the assurance they we would be forwarding them to him. (As if Woodrow cared.)

     It really was kind of fun, and it certainly helped fill our pages for a week, and maybe even helped us sell some papers. 

     Personally, I wrote a story centering on the two competing teams' athletic directors' views of the I-Bowl, and that included much praise and some constructive criticism from them.

     We left in Shreveport in 1988, but we are interested in what happens there because it is -- always will be -- my home city (so is Amsterdam), and (repeating) we don't like criticism from the outside or inside. 

     To be honest, it is disappointing to see how much criticism from Shreveport-Bossier people I saw on Facebook this week. We know the place has issues (too much crime/too many homicides, questions on leadership, declining neighborhoods, a shrinking newspaper, etc.).

     What is not being considered is that, almost without exception, is that the teams that have been Independence Bowl participants -- the school officials, coaches and players -- have praised how well they are treated during bowl week in Shreveport. That was the case again with UAB ... and BYU.

     Bowl director Missy Parker Setters and her staff and the I-Bowl committee every year during their very best to put on the best show they can. The community has provided financial support, even in tough times, and certainly ticket sales are affected by marginal weather. But the Independence Bowl has persevered all these years ... 46 years.

     Wrote about this on this blog nine years ago. Here is the link to that one, and we still feel the same way. Read it, change the year to 2021, and it'll work.  

     https://nvanthyn.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-spirit-of-independence.html

      Don't let the BS -- stories, comments, a wayward blog by a non-reporter -- get in the way of what the Independence Bowl has achieved. It remains a point of pride for Shreveport-Bossier.  

The most media-cooperative coach

        One interview with one of America's greatest college football coaches was a time to remember.

Coach Bowden (AP photo/Nati Harnik)

      We are all a bit heartbroken as Coach Bobby Bowden faces his final days.

      Few football coaches were as loved and respected as the friendly, upbeat man who directed Florida State University's rise to one of the nation's foremost powers for three decades.

     For the media, he was a dream. Can't think of a more cooperative football coach anywhere, anytime.

      Many, many media members had a lot more exposure to Coach Bowden than this one. But the one time I was sent to write about him was one of the great experiences in a long sportswriting career.

     Don't even remember the exact circumstances -- where or when, or even the year. It had to be the early 1990s. And it definitely was in Jacksonville, Florida, in the spring. Best I can recall it was at a hotel where Coach Bowden was going to speak at an FSU alumni/booster gathering.

      Don't even remember what the strong angle was. Don't have a copy of the story I wrote.

     Here is what I do remember: Coach Bowden was just great. I got a dose of how caring and personable he was.

     I'd never met him, never covered an FSU game or event. Certainly wasn't my regular assignment, and I'm not sure why I was even the one sent to do a story.

      So I made my way to the hotel, found the room where he was going to speak -- think that was scheduled for about two hours later -- and there he was in the lobby just outside.

    There were people all around him (most obviously FSU fans), asking for an autograph or a photo with him, or just there to shake his hand or exchange a few words. 

     I believe, with the help of an FSU athletic department aide who was there with him, I was able to get a moment to introduce myself and ask for a little time to do an interview.

     Of course, he was willing -- I was instantly his buddy -- but there was a catch.

      "I can give you 10 minutes or so," he said, "but can you wait a little while? I've got to do a few things before I can get to you."

     Sure, I told him. It was mid-morning; my deadline was not until mid-evening, so I had plenty of time to wait, and plenty of time to write the story.

     "Look," he said, "there are going to be people coming up that are going to want to speak to me. So just stay with me, stay closeby, and we'll get together."

       He moved a few steps away to do an interview with one of the Jacksonville TV stations. I stood a few feet away.

     And then between interviews, he indeed was asked to pose for photos with FSU fans, and stopped to sign autographs, and after about 10 minutes, he looked over at me and said again, "Stay with me, buddy. It'll be a few more minutes."

      No problem.

      Another interview. More photos. More handshakes. More autographs. It was a parade of fans.

      A few minutes later, Coach Bowden again walked past and said, "Don't give up, buddy. I'll be there in a few minutes."

      (I have seen similar scenes play out over the years, and many coaches who wouldn't have given a media person much attention. But Coach Bowden reminded me of one of the most cooperative from our area -- Grambling State legend Eddie Robinson. He always made as much time for media people as they needed. Coach Bowden, of course, was as legendary as Coach Robinson.)

      It took another short time, and another glance over and reminder, and then -- maybe 25 minutes after our initial exchange -- there Coach Bowden was. True to his word.

      "Let's go in this room over here," he said, and we moved away from the crowd to a side area where no one could interrupt.

    And then he was as open and expansive with his answers -- as folksy and charming -- as everyone experienced over all the years.

      He was as wonderful as fellow media people and his FSU fans told me he was.

      It was my one and only time around him. It was unforgettable, and much appreciated.  

  

Tech-Grambling football didn't happen in 1973

'Country Joe' West: We remember him when ...

    Joe West -- umpire, football star.

   If you were watching Monday night's St. Louis Cardinals-at-Chicago White Sox game on ESPN, you saw a lot of umpire Joe West.

   Not a pretty sight ... ever.

   But the TV crew focused on Mr. West for a full inning -- and more -- because he is about to become the umpire who has called more major-league games than anyone in history.

   The focus was on him Monday night because -- stationed at first base -- he was calling his 5,375th regular-season MLB game, tying Bill Klem's all-time record. Tuesday night he will break that record.

   Bill Klem was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Joe West a Hall of Famer? C'mon ... be serious.

   He has proven that arrogance (always) and incompetence (often)  is acceptable in Major League Baseball.

   You might have guessed that Joe West is not my favorite umpire. He would rank near the least favorite.

   But at least as long as Angel Hernandez and C.B. Bucknor are calling games, West won't be the worst umpire in the big leagues. Nor the most arrogant; Hernandez locks that up every night he steps on the field. That, and most incompetent.

   Actually, Joe West is a good umpire when he doesn't doze off and turn lazy. But when he's challenged on a call, he is insufferable, and has been for years.

   He's been chosen -- in frequent managers/players polls -- as among the worst umps in the big leagues. To be fair, some voted him as among the best.

   Klem umpired in the National League for 37 years, retiring in 1941. 

   West first umpired in the NL in 1976 and became a fulltime MLB ump in '78. His 43 years is the longest ever for an umpire. 

   He's worked too many World Series and league playoff games, and he's often been -- willingly -- the center of attention/controversy.

   He's known as "Country Joe" or "Cowboy Joe" because, in addition to messing up baseball, he's a country-western singer-songwriter, with a couple of recorded albums.

   But we don't sing his praises. No, thank you.

   He's 68 and he has said that he will retire after this season. Not soon enough.

   However, we have one soft spot for Joe West. Because -- of course -- he has a Shreveport connection.

---

   When he was a college senior, at Elon (N.C.) College, this umpire-to-be was a quarterback ... and a good one. At least, on the afternoon he played in a national championship game at Shreveport's State Fair Stadium.

    It was Saturday afternoon, December 8, 1973. The NAIA national championship game.

    He was not the best QB in the game, however.

   Joe was Elon's alternate quarterback and he was a passing sensation once he entered the game. But his team was far behind.

   Elon was the No. 1-ranked NAIA team. But No. 3-ranked Abilene Christian, with two stars who would make headlines in the NFL in the near future, routed Elon 42-14 before only 4,162 fans in a 33,000-seat stadium. 

   Entering the fourth quarter -- when West put on his show -- Elon was behind 28-0. 

   ACC -- now ACU -- was far too good because (1) its quarterback,  Clint Longley, passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns in the game and (2) its star running back, freshman Wilbert Montgomery, ran for 159 yards and caught four passes for 79 yards. 

   You might have heard of them.

   That season, before this game, Longley had passed for 2,826 yards and Montgomery had run for 1,022 yards, and combined they had accounted for 61 touchdowns.

   They were NAIA All-Americans. Another NAIA All-American running back that year was Walter Payton of Jackson State. You might have heard of him, too.

   Bill McIntyre and Jim McLain covered the game for The Shreveport Times. Here are a couple of items from their coverage.

   So Elon was no match for an Abilene Christian program that only two years earlier had left the Southland Conference, unable to fund its scholarships that league required. The Lone Star Conference was more affordable for ACC, but it obviously had some recruiting attraction.

   Longley would become a Dallas Cowboys QB, famous for his 1974 Thanksgiving Day TD heave to Drew Pearson to beat the hated Washington Redskins and infamous for his locker-room, sucker-punch of Cowboys starting QB and superhero Roger Staubach that was Clint's goodbye to the team.

   Montgomery would help run the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles past the Cowboys in the NFC title game and into the Super Bowl.

   And Joe West? He left football behind because he also liked baseball and found a role in it. 

   Many a manager and player has told him -- and told the world -- how much they dislike his umpiring. He doesn't care. He's convinced he's never missed a call.

   And we can't get him off our television screen.

   But, although few will remember, he had one good afternoon in Shreveport. Of course, he played on the losing side. So there.

Excuses, whining are for ... losers

     OK, observations on the LSU-Texas A&M football game that was quite the spectacle Saturday night. Hey, we have nothing else to do, and it seems to be quite the talk on Facebook. So ...
     First, two quick thoughts: (1) A&M deserved to win; (2) LSU did not deserve to lose. 
     (Yeah, that's confusing. But I am conflicted.)   
     Make all the excuses you want, place all the blame -- on officiating, on the highly paid defensive coordinator -- and whine forever. Not into that personally.

LSU linebacker Devin White (40), from Springhill was outstanding in
this game,  as he has been all season, but he and his teammates
 could not keep their grip on A&M QB Kellen Mond or the victory. 

     (Well, I do have one "excuse" for LSU, but it is more an analysis/explanation. Stay tuned.)
     LSU fans are upset -- mad? crazy? -- and you could say rightfully so. They feel robbed -- by the officials -- and I could make a case for that.
     But a fact: The final result ain't changing. And, frankly, the whining/excuse-making is tiring. Give A&M credit for not giving up, for making play after play after play, and for having lots of luck.
     Give the LSU kids credit -- despite some odds -- for never giving up, for proving that this is a football team that has given all it for most of this season. It is not a great team, but it is a darned competitive one.
     Aggies fans are elated and, gosh, they needed this victory ... because they are Aggies. 
     Look, I root for LSU -- and Louisiana Tech -- in every instance. I also have a bunch of friends with A&M ties, some good longtime friends, and it is a wonderful university (as almost all universities/colleges are). The tradition there is outstanding ... and some of the traditions are, well, weird.
     Sorry, Aggies, not about to apologize for feeling that way. You are proud of your place; we just shake our heads.
     Oh, heck, back to the football game. Posted this on Facebook, and will repeat it here: 
     A helluva football game. Great win for Aggies, no shame for Tigers. Both teams fought their hearts out. (more below)
---
     There were several debatable calls in the final minute of regulation and in the overtimes. Officiating is what it is -- never going to be perfect.
     But here is a fact: LSU had a dozen chances to end this game. Could not do it. One play in any of those situations -- offensively or defensively -- would have done it. 
     Starting with the 3rd-and-4 play when a first down -- with A&M out of timeouts -- would have clinched it at the 2-minute mark. The Tigers' play call was too predictable, too conservative -- a run to the right by QB Joe Burrow -- and easily stopped. Forced a punt.
     (I think Steve Ensminger has done a really nice job with play-calling all season, and in his stint two years ago, too. But not a perfect job.)

A&M's Kellen Mond (11) made so many big plays late in this game.
 (Associated Press photo by David J. Phillip)

     On the Aggies' tying drive at the end of regulation, LSU's defense gave up pass completions of 12 yards (on 3rd-and-10), 13, 20 (on 4th-and-18), 22 and then the crushing 19-yard TD (after the disputed 0:01 put back on the clock).
     Five plays made by A&M QB Kellen Mond and his corps of receivers, who got better and better as the game wore on.
(And it did wear on.)
     In the overtimes, the Aggies -- especially Mond, scrambling away from LSU's attempted defensive pressure -- had gains of 12, 9, 17, 25 (TD pass), 10, 21, 13, a tying PAT pass, and a 4th-and-6 tying TD pass (and spectacular, one-handed catch by Kendrick Rogers -- the play of the game, in my opinion).
      No way to win a game defensively.
     Yes, a couple of very tough calls went against LSU -- the targeting/ejection call, and the last pass interference against  Shreveport's Greedy Williams. (Greedy can play, and he's going to be a first-round NFL draft pick. But he did get beat on the 1-second-remaining tying TD pass.)
     But, darned it, here's a couple of defensive points for the LSU defense: 
     (1) Aggies ran 6 plays inside the LSU 4 during the overtimes, did not score; that is a heroic effort; 
     (2) LSU played this game without five defensive starters (a linebacker, a down lineman, two cornerbacks, the free safety) -- all hurt, a couple out for the season. Then the starting middle linebacker is ejected in overtime. 
     So, you have the fifth-through-seventh best defensive backs on the team on the field for most of the game. And little depth or experience to replace them. (And this is my excuse for LSU; you don't have to buy it.)
     Those kids played their butts off. You want to blame the defensive coordinator, who is one of the nation's best (and highest paid), you do so. I won't.
     As for blaming the officials or the replay official, it is too easy, too convenient. Yes, I question putting the one second back on the clock -- that's what Coach O and the LSU staff were furious about afterward -- and I thought A&M's nine-man line of scrimmage was pretty obvious before the spike play (think it is a 5-yard penalty, but no clock runoff). But that's life in athletics, folks.
     It was A&M's great fortune that a screwup, Mond fumbling the snap, picking it up and then throwing a deflected pass that was intercepted, became a giant break when his knee touched the ground as he picked up the fumble. Think the replay was clear on that.
     Another fumble, the muffed punt return by LSU, recovered by A&M in the third quarter was a real momentum-breaker at the time for LSU. After the Tigers' defense, not too stout in the first half, had settled in and forced two Aggies' punts, that fumble hurt and gave A&M a short field (29 yards) for a tying-breaking touchdown.
     Practically forgotten in all the overtime drama.
 ---    
     The rest of my original postgame Facebook post: There is a reason why for years I have said and written that overtime is BS. Coaches do not have to "go for it" at the end of games, they can settle for another OT. Jimbo took the easy way out twice, Coach O once. No guts. Some games should just be ties.
     John James Marshall will vouch for this: Since 1985, I have written and said -- repeatedly -- that overtime is unnecessary for regular-season high school and college football. Playoffs, yes, there has to be a way (if the old first downs or penetrations method was unacceptable).
     It is a long and separate argument (and blogs), and one of my friends (Jimmy Manasseh put a proposal on Facebook today that I like) ... but back to Saturday's game.
     Jimbo Fisher could have made the decision at the end of regulation, when it was 31-30, LSU, to have his team go for a two-point PAT -- win or lose, right there. But he chose the tying PAT kick, and even refused an offside penalty on LSU that would have put the ball at the 1 1/2-yard-line on a retry.
     Worked out for Jimbo and A&M, but it was a chicken-spit way out. 
     At the end of the second overtime, LSU scored and was one point behind. Coach O chose to go for the tying PAT kick (and a third overtime). He could have had the Tigers go for two -- win or lose, right there. Nope. Chicken-spit way out.(Hey, Paul Dietzel would have gone for two.)
     These head coaches are paid millions a year to make those tough calls. But the rules, at the end of regulation and the first two OTs, give them an easy out -- a "no guts" out. Make the so-tired kids play some more overtime(s). 
     Yes, it is great theater. What happened in this game, the tremendous do-it-or-lose scenarios, was riveting. (Of course, I did not watch; I refuse to watch the OTs in college or high school football, my own statement of protest. No guts.)
---
     One more angle on A&M-LSU football, the sentiment that it was not a rivalry. How stupid and short-sighted a thought.
     The Bryan Eagle web site headline: "Texas A&M needs to beat LSU to help the series become a rivalry." Heard that in the pregame comment on TV, too.
      In memory of John David Crow, Ken Beck and Richard Gay -- North Louisiana football fans will remember -- A&M-LSU long has been a rivalry, always will be. The on-field games have been going for more than a century; the recruiting battle is fierce in many areas -- especially around  Houston.
     So what if LSU had won the previous seven games? Never easy, always competitive. Think it wasn't a rivalry when A&M won six out of seven in the 1990s, five in a row from 1991-95. Think that Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2010 season (LSU, 41-24) wasn't tough?
     Think that A&M did not kind of resent playing 16 times in a row in Baton Rouge -- and rarely ever won? Think that one of those rare Aggies' victories, 20-18 in 1970, on a 78-yard pass from Lex James to Bucky McElroy with 13 seconds remaining, wasn't devastating for LSU?  
      Look, Alabama has beaten LSU eight times in a row, and Bama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant beat his former player and then-LSU coach Charlie McClendon 14 out of 16 (the only Tigers' wins were in 1969 and '70), but -- darn it -- it is still a rivalry. And it was when LSU beat Bama seven out of eight starting in 2000 (Nick Saban's first season as LSU coach).
      Too many "not a rivalry" experts out there. Too many fans second-guessing everything that didn't go their way.   
      LSU fans should be proud of this season's team. Stop complaining. Yes, a 9-3 regular season could have/should have been 10-2. Still, these Tigers were a pleasant surprise,  fought hard and achieved a great deal, and -- my opinion, again -- deserve a New Year's Day bowl game. 
        I have gone overtime in this blog, several overtimes. I should gave gone for a two-point PAT much sooner.

Thinking, writing about college football

     Let's take a timeout and cover some college football thoughts ...
     No, let's not take a timeout. We'll take the penalty.
     We will get to a number of quick thoughts in a moment, but first ...
     I don't pretend to be a football whiz, would not pass an Xs-and-Os test. But game-management strategy is something we can all second-guess. And I am real good at second-guessing two pieces of strategy.
     Those who have heard me rail for a lot of years know that two of my major pet peeves about college football (also high school football and the NFL) are:
     (1) Taking timeouts when the play clock runs down;
     (2) Settling for the tying PAT kick near the end of games instead of "going for it" -- trying for the winning (or losing) two-point PAT.
     About the "automatic" timeout calls ... you see them almost every game. Play call is slow coming to the quarterback or a team is slow getting lined up, QB looks at the defense and makes play-call adjustments, play clock is winding down toward :00, QB turns to referee and signals time out ... or frantic head coach runs toward the nearby official and -- PO'd -- calls the timeout.
     It is just a reflex action ... timeout.
     And almost always, here is my reaction: That is so stupid!
     My logic: The 5-yard delay-of-game penalty is not nearly as harmful as wasting one of the team's three timeouts per half. Take the damn penalty.
     Heck, yes, there are exceptions: A 3rd-and-short or 4th-and-short play, especially in the other team's end of the field, a crucial late-game down, maybe near the end of the first half with a timeout or two remaining.
     But most of the time ... automatic call ... stupid.
     We have seen the best of coaches do it, repeatedly. Tom Landry was the best of coaches. If I saw his QBs -- Meredith, Staubach, Morton, Danny White -- do it once, I saw it dozens of times. Wasted timeouts.

Arkansas head coach Chad Morris: Two "burned"
timeouts in the second half against LSU did not
 help his team's chances.

     It really came to mind last Saturday in Arkansas-LSU. Twice in the second half, Arkansas simply wasted timeouts with play-clock-winding-down reaction calls. First time with a 3rd-and-9 at the LSU 42 with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter; second time with a 4th-and-10 at the LSU 11 with 12:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
     Both times, really, taking a 5-yard delay penalty would not have hurt the Razorbacks at all. 
      In fact, after the second one, they hit a touchdown pass. They could have done that about as easily from the LSU 16, and saved the timeout.
     They could have used those two burned timeouts in the game's final five minutes. Arkansas fought hard, but I never got the feeling that it was going to win that game. But it might have a better shot with two more late-game clock stoppages.
     And how times over the years have we seen LSU waste its timeouts on similar stupid calls? (Les Miles and staff were known for their clock-mismanagement gaffes.)
     Those timeouts should be treated like gold. They are so valuable. Protect them almost like you would your kids.
     OK, second point: Playing to win at the end of a game. So many coaches take the easy way out; have the extra point kicked and tie the game, so settling for overtime or -- if it is in overtime already -- another OT period.
     So, bless the coaches who "go for it." Over the years, we have not seen it often. Because the coaches -- in Jerry Byrd language -- have no guts. 
     But in recent weeks, we have seen three gutty go-for-the-win calls: It worked for Dana Holgorsen and West Virginia at Texas; it did not work for Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, nor for Tim Lester and Western Michigan (in overtime) against Ball State on Tuesday night.
     I am not enamored by Holgorsen or Gundy (or many college football head coaches these days), but props to them for those calls.        
---
     Other matters ...
     Have I seen a better college football team than Alabama this season? I have not.
     The season is not over. Can any team can beat Alabama? Good luck. But Clemson (which was fortunate to beat Bama in the CFP title game two years ago) and Georgia (which came so close last season) have a shot. Maybe Notre Dame does ... but I doubt it.
     Keep thinking this, though -- in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram sports department, Oklahoma's 2003 team was being declared "the greatest ever" for most of that season ... until that rout by Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl national-championship loss to ... LSU, coached by Nick Saban.
     Five more national championships later, Saban has his best team ever. As son-in-law observed during Bama's stifling victory against LSU a couple of weeks ago, Bama is taking the fun out of college football ... except for Bama fans.
     We don't have to like it, but more power to them. So Alabama fans are a bit spoiled. Can you blame them?
---
     It is a little more than a week away, but LSU's game at Texas A&M -- always a great rivalry -- is going to be large. A major bowl game will be at stake for the Tigers. Beat the Aggies, and they almost certainly will be 10-2 and in a New Year's Six game. Lose, and it will a nice bowl game, but not a "major."
     It has been a surprisingly successful season for LSU, better than most could have anticipated. Do not think the Tigers are especially a top-six team -- too many lapses, too sporadic, especially an offensive line that some quarters can't block or protect the passer, and a secondary that is talented but spends too much time woofing at opponents and showing off.
     But victories against three Top-10 ranked teams at the time is impressive. We know now that Miami and Auburn were not anywhere as good as they seemed then, but Georgia is, and that victory was LSU's finest game this season.
     If LSU somehow loses to 1-10 Rice this Saturday, forget all this.        
---
     Closing thought (for now): Like so many people, I believe the College Football Playoff field should be eight teams instead of four, three games for the title instead of two.
     Always going to be a debate over the final four (or eight) teams. But why not make it automatic for the champions of the Power-Five conferences (Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Pac-12, Big 12, SEC) and the other three best -- chosen by committee -- among independents and other "major/mid-major" conferences (hello, Notre Dame and Central Florida).
     Too much football? Sure. One option would be to (gasp!) eliminate the conference championship games, but they are so popular (and such money makers).
     It would be easier to eliminate one week of the regular season -- we have gone from 10 to 11 to 12 games for most teams. And a thought here is that for the "majors," it would be easy to knock off one non-conference game, especially those total mismatches against non-majors.
     Consider this week: Alabama vs. The Citadel. Are you kidding? (I am not a bettor, but how many points would you give here? Start with 50? 60? 70?)
     Just look at some other SEC "matchups" this week: LSU vs. Rice, Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee, Georgia vs. UMass, Auburn vs. Liberty, South Carolina vs. Chattanooga. Not too challenging, is it?
      There is one good one, though: Alabama-Birmingham at Texas A&M. UAB is one of college football's best stories, from oblivion to Conference-USA West champs and title game, from out-of-business to 9-1 in two seasons.
      The Aggies, who have the resources to give new coach Jimbo Fisher a billion dollars or so on a 10-year contract, can afford to present UAB a big payday. Under my proposal, one less "money" game a year for the majors would be eliminated.
      Anyway, might have to peek at the A&M-UAB game. But if those head coaches burn a timeout or two, I will flip out ... and flip channels. 
                     

It must have been a darned good game ...

     Some quick thoughts on college football ...
     • First, Louisiana Tech at LSU ...
     Confession: I did not watch the game. Too many mixed emotions. As I have said often (and written twice in recent weeks), love both schools, never want either one to lose.
     So I just let them play, and saved myself the agony of watching and not having my heart racing.

LSU could not pile up the score on Louisiana Tech
(Getty Images photo)

     Checked on the score twice -- once right before halftime (LSU, 24-7) and once when I knew the game was done (LSU, 38-21 ... and, obviously, it was much closer than that).     Do not think LSU is the fifth- or sixth-best team in the country right now, not based on its inconsistent play in each of its four games (victories) this season -- play well for one or two quarters, mediocre in one or two quarters.
     The Tigers got some great breaks -- bounces of the ball, missed officiating calls -- against Tech. This I know from reading about the game, talking to a good source about it, and watching highlights on YouTube and the LSU web site.
     Figured the Bulldogs would give them a fight. Tech's program is solid, its teams are fun to watch, and LSU -- more often than not -- plays to the level of its opponent. 
     Yes, the Tigers more than did that in two impressive victories against Miami and Auburn, and although the final score against Southeastern Louisiana was 31-0, it was an extremely tepid second-half showing by LSU.
     Still can't see better than an 8-4 or 9-3 record for LSU -- not on same level with Alabama and Georgia certainly, and a tough SEC West road ahead. 
     Tigers have too many offensive-line issues, and secondary is shaky, especially if the defensive front seven can't get more pressure on the passer than it did against Tech.
     Tech should compete well in Conference USA, but next Saturday's test at North Texas will tell a lot. UNT might be the conference's best team this season.
      Finally, glad Tech made a good showing at LSU. Did not want (or expect) a blowout loss, and that $1.3 million payday softens the effects of a loss. 
      (Oh, and it will be Tech at LSU in men's basketball in a couple of months. That will not be as heart-rendering for me.)
      • Texas much deserved the victory against TCU. But to declare the Longhorns' program "back" among the elite is premature. Let's see (1) how UT does against Oklahoma a few weeks from now and (2) how it fares when it comes to Fort Worth to face TCU next year.
     • I rarely pay attention to the poll rankings, don't even look at preseason predictions and do not think they are important until the sixth or seventh week of the season. And, remember, it is just a bunch of sports media and/or coaches doing the rankings. Everyone has an opinion, and you know what the saying is about opinions.
     That said, this Alabama team is so much better than anyone else in the country, it deserves a battlefield promotion ... to the NFL. 
     • What makes college football so great is the big underdog -- especially, the mid-majors --  beating the "majors." So, giant-killer Troy beating LSU last year and Nebraska this season, Old Dominion knocking off Virginia Tech yesterday, North Texas routing Arkansas, Fresno State routing UCLA,  and this "almost" shocker yesterday -- Army taking Oklahoma to overtime. 
     Maybe in the 1940s, Army beating OU would have been routine. In the 1950s, it would have been a great matchup. Since then, those programs have not been in the same hemisphere. 
     So, again, great for college football. Not so great if you are on the losing end (hello LSU, Arkansas, Nebraska, UCLA).     
     • We have railed often about how overbearing college football head coaches can be, how they are given god-like treatment. Two items -- and two of my favorite targets in this regard, Nick Saban and Gary Patterson -- caught my attention today.
      Saban, closing his media session yesterday after his team's romp past Texas A&M, said "... I would appreciate it if you would sort of look at some of the things we didn't do so well ..."
      That is part of his "rat poison" theme, which he loves to use to keep his players grounded and motivated. Yes, the rest of the country feels so badly for those less-than-perfect Alabama players. 
      Let's see ...  53 points per game, average winning margin 41 points per game. So many things wrong.
      Ridiculous, preacher Saban.
      TCU down 15 points, 2:44 remaining, 4th-and-4 at its 38 ... Patterson had his team punt the football away to Texas.
       Punt? Needing two scores? What were the Frogs' chances after they punted?
     Asked about his "strategy" afterward, Patterson said he had two timeouts remaining and he was hoping for his defense to stop Texas, get the ball back and score quickly, then recover an onside kick.
      "... I don't play to lose," he said. "I don't play to get through it, but I had two [timeouts]. ... I know how to manage games. It wasn't that play that got us beat. I can promise you that. And you had a backup quarterback in the game."
     Excuse me, but that is BS. He waved a white flag, that's all. 
      Yes, he can manage games (162-59 record in 18-plus seasons) and I often have said that Patterson and his staff do as good a job as any school in the country. 
      But, sorry, this was a mistake. Heaven forbid a coach making $4.75 million -- base salary -- a year admit a mistake. Coach P (for paranoia) will not do that.
       • The other side: Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz, about a 4th-and-1 play -- a quarterback sneak -- that did not work late in the game at LSU (the Tigers piled it up and stopped it short).
     "I'm upset with myself on the fourth-down call I made," Holtz said. "Not the decision to go for it, but the call. I should have called a timeout. It was a dumb call. I want to put our players in a position to succeed, and I don't think I gave our guys the best to do that [on that play."
    A dumb call. Got that, Gary Patterson?

So how important is football to you?

     Posed the question to my Facebook/e-mail friends Wednesday: Is football still as important to you as it ever was? Do you still live/die with your teams?
     Received several good answers, and will post them at the bottom of this blog piece.
     Timing this with this week's explosion of college football games, the full schedule, although we had a smattering of games last week (because it begins earlier each year).
     Here was my comment Wednesday: For some of us, interest has declined greatly, almost totally in the NFL (and for me, personally, it has nothing to do with the national anthem). Just don't like how much of our attention the NFL receives now.
     With my question, I attached an article by Tim Layden (Sports Illustrated writer) from a week ago, his perspective on what football means -- or should mean -- to our society today. (Link -- a long link -- posted below.)
     Not here to tell anyone what to think -- same as politics -- but what follows is my view on football today. 
     I still love it; I still care. The nervous feeling which hits a few weeks before every LSU season is there again. And I want Louisiana Tech to do well, always have. 
      (And what if LSU plays Louisiana Tech? That is going to happen again Sept. 22. That's a tough one.)
     Want "my teams" in several sports -- Yankees, Cowboys, Netherlands soccer, LSU, La. Tech -- to win big. The competitive streak in me has not faded. When it does ... uh-oh.
      I am sure that is it for you, too. We all feel better when our team wins. 
      We make it personal. Can't help it. Know damn well that what I think or say -- or yell -- is not going to make a bit of difference. But we get into it. Vow to be calmer, but then they start playing and ...
      It is the off-the-field crap that is so bothersome to me. And all the money coaches and NFL players make (and as an aside, I do not think college players should be paid more -- too many loopholes. Isn't a free college education enough?).
      Money makes the football world go 'round. 
      The seemingly increasing brutal nature of the game, the fatal injuries, the brain drain, the sexual assaults, "bullying" coaches, recruiting "verbal commitments" and National Signing Day and everyday analysis, speculation, Internet "talk" sites ... January through December.
      One big gripe: The over-emphasis on anything college football and NFL head coaches say or do. We treat them like gods. They're not. 
      Same for NFL owners. Please don't pay attention to what Jerry "Blabs" Jones says (that was a blog piece several ago).
      Personally I watch or read very little of what any head coach has to say. And when they lecture the media, as some are prone to do (Saban, Patterson) or act sanctimoniously (Urban Meyer, Hugh Freeze, the late Joe Paterno), it is beyond irritating.
      OK, enough of that. Here's the good part: Watching the games.
      Love it still -- at least college football. I, for one, don't like the high-scoring, wild offensive slugfests. Give me some defense and kicking game, please. But the game itself is still entertainment -- and competition -- for me.
      Probably watched fewer games last year -- not even LSU, live -- than ever before. Watched about 10 minutes of one NFL game (Cowboys). That was more than enough.
      Just don't want to spend hours and hours tied to the TV these days. Watched one game live (Louisiana Tech's bowl game, vs. SMU, in Frisco).
      The wife wants nothing to do with football, period. Does not want to hear my commentary, that's for sure. So recording games and watching them -- silently -- hours later when she's asleep is the better option.
      There are other TVs in the facility where we live. So I will be headed there Saturday -- and Sunday night.
      Looked at the TV game schedule for this week, noted the times and set up the recorder. There are teams I want to see, mostly in the SEC (the main interest for many of my friends, too).
      For instance, I will check on the Tennessee Vols because I know son-in-law cares ... a lot. And that matchup with West Virginia should be a good one.   
     (As for Alabama, no thank you. But I have to admit -- if LSU's program was as successful as Alabama has been, especially the last decade, would I care more for college football than I do now? Honest answer: yes.)
      So, the game I care most about -- LSU vs. Miami -- will be played in our neighborhood Sunday night. Our son and our nephew will be there at JerryWorld; I will watch on TV ... anxiously. I do care.
       As for LSU vs. Louisiana Tech in a few weeks, I will be rooting for the winner. That should satisfy all my friends who say I am a frontrunner.
       Have a nice season. It is important enough to me that I  will try to watch ... for a while, anyway.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/08/23/football-player-safety-jordan-mcnair-death-maryland-urban-meyer-zach-smith-ohio-state-punishment?utm_campaign=si-extra&utm_source=si.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2018082413PM&eminfo=%7b%22EMAIL%22%3a%22g%2fuGJg%2f6MqPr9L%2fN%2beR2ew%3d%3d%22%2c%22BRAND%22%3a%22SI%22%2c%22CONTENT%22%3a%22Newsletter%22%2c%22UID%22%3a%22SI_EXT_D84683FA-9C1F-4D44-99C4-043367C843CF%22%2c%22SUBID%22%3a%2299057493%22%2c%22JOBID%22%3a%22861658%22%2c%22NEWSLETTER%22%3a%22SI_EXTRA%22%2c%22ZIP%22%3a%22%22%2c%22COUNTRY%22%3a%22CAN%22%7d