Kevin Sumlin says any player who worries about competing for playing time doesn't need to join his program. I say, "Good work, coach." My observation during years of following high school recruiting has been that the bluest of the blue chip prospects don't worry about it. They're confident enough in themselves to believe they're as good as or better than the guys that are currently starting, and will get plenty of playing time. Maybe WR DaMarkus Lodge didn't think he was good enough to crack the starting lineup at Texas A&M.
Meanwhile, the season heats up again for the Aggies after a three-week lull involving romps over cupcakes Lamar, Rice, and Southern Methodist. This week, the opponent is Arkansas, a team that's getting some respect for a change. I've been going up and down, back and forth, about this game since week three, when Rice ran all over A&M's defense and Arkansas ran all over Texas Tech's. The Aggies opened as a two touchdown favorite against the hogs, an unrealistic point spread in my opinion, but is currently favored by a more reasonable 8.5 points. College Football News predicts A&M will cover the spread 41-31, and the stats simulation at Good Bull Hunting shows an Aggie win along the lines of 40-26. I'll take any kind of win, preferably one that doesn't have me pacing the floor and pissing blood all afternoon.
A&M vs Arkansas from Arlington is the SEC afternoon showcase game at 2:30 on CBS. The only other SEC game worth watching on TV will be Missouri vs South Carolina at 6:00 on ESPN. Missouri beat A&M last year and the Aggies already beat the Gamecocks this year, so the formula says I'm pulling for Spurrier's team to stomp a mudhole in Missouri's ass.
Added 4:10 PM on Saturday: About a minute left in the second quarter and A&M trails 21-14 after Arkansas scored on a fake punt (51 yard TD run). This game has been my worst nightmare so far. The offense is sluggish, the defense is erratic. Sloppy play on both sides, but Arkansas is just as good as A&M today. Kenny Hill can forget the Heisman hype, because today he looks like the quarterback I expected him to be. The Aggies got away with this shit against Lamar and Rice, but they're headed toward their first loss if they don't shape up soon. Penalties, dropped passes, a missed FG, and that fake punt... and now we've lost RB Brandon Williams to an injury.
Added 5:06 PM same day: Arkansas just hit a long (47 yard) bomb, and now it's 28-14 in the third quarter (78 yard drive in 4:09). A&M hasn't shown me a goddamned thing all day that makes me believe this game is still a possible win.
Added 5:20 PM Saturday: The Razorbacks lead 28-14 with one quarter to play, and they're driving for the touchdown that should ice the win. Texas A&M is being dominated now, and they can't make up 21 points. We need a miracle.
Added 5:33 PM: Arkansas didn't score the clinching TD, and the Aggies just went 88 yards in 43 seconds to make it 28-21 with 11:59 left in the game.
Added 6:02 PM: After the long bomb, the offense reverted to form. Arkansas is content to grind out the yards and drain the clock. Arkansas just missed a 44 yard FG attempt, so A&M will get one more shot at a tie in regulation... and in the time it took to walk from here to the TV, the Aggies tied the game at 28-28. Now we go to overtime. This fucking game will never end.
Added 6:40 PM: After slopping around most of the afternoon, the Aggies played perfect football on offense and defense in OT (one offensive play, four defensive plays) and won the fucking game 35-28. I still don't know how good A&M is this year, but they're better than I thought they were at 4:00 today.
Meanwhile, the season heats up again for the Aggies after a three-week lull involving romps over cupcakes Lamar, Rice, and Southern Methodist. This week, the opponent is Arkansas, a team that's getting some respect for a change. I've been going up and down, back and forth, about this game since week three, when Rice ran all over A&M's defense and Arkansas ran all over Texas Tech's. The Aggies opened as a two touchdown favorite against the hogs, an unrealistic point spread in my opinion, but is currently favored by a more reasonable 8.5 points. College Football News predicts A&M will cover the spread 41-31, and the stats simulation at Good Bull Hunting shows an Aggie win along the lines of 40-26. I'll take any kind of win, preferably one that doesn't have me pacing the floor and pissing blood all afternoon.
A&M vs Arkansas from Arlington is the SEC afternoon showcase game at 2:30 on CBS. The only other SEC game worth watching on TV will be Missouri vs South Carolina at 6:00 on ESPN. Missouri beat A&M last year and the Aggies already beat the Gamecocks this year, so the formula says I'm pulling for Spurrier's team to stomp a mudhole in Missouri's ass.
Added 4:10 PM on Saturday: About a minute left in the second quarter and A&M trails 21-14 after Arkansas scored on a fake punt (51 yard TD run). This game has been my worst nightmare so far. The offense is sluggish, the defense is erratic. Sloppy play on both sides, but Arkansas is just as good as A&M today. Kenny Hill can forget the Heisman hype, because today he looks like the quarterback I expected him to be. The Aggies got away with this shit against Lamar and Rice, but they're headed toward their first loss if they don't shape up soon. Penalties, dropped passes, a missed FG, and that fake punt... and now we've lost RB Brandon Williams to an injury.
Added 5:06 PM same day: Arkansas just hit a long (47 yard) bomb, and now it's 28-14 in the third quarter (78 yard drive in 4:09). A&M hasn't shown me a goddamned thing all day that makes me believe this game is still a possible win.
Added 5:20 PM Saturday: The Razorbacks lead 28-14 with one quarter to play, and they're driving for the touchdown that should ice the win. Texas A&M is being dominated now, and they can't make up 21 points. We need a miracle.
Added 5:33 PM: Arkansas didn't score the clinching TD, and the Aggies just went 88 yards in 43 seconds to make it 28-21 with 11:59 left in the game.
Added 6:02 PM: After the long bomb, the offense reverted to form. Arkansas is content to grind out the yards and drain the clock. Arkansas just missed a 44 yard FG attempt, so A&M will get one more shot at a tie in regulation... and in the time it took to walk from here to the TV, the Aggies tied the game at 28-28. Now we go to overtime. This fucking game will never end.
Added 6:40 PM: After slopping around most of the afternoon, the Aggies played perfect football on offense and defense in OT (one offensive play, four defensive plays) and won the fucking game 35-28. I still don't know how good A&M is this year, but they're better than I thought they were at 4:00 today.
No comments:
Post a Comment