Day 1 Results

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Well, we’re off and running in the 2008 version of our College Bowl Series contest. Four down and thirty to go. The third tiered games played yesterday were so-so with 3 out of 4 being decided by double digit margins. Only the New Mexico Bowl had a close final score as the Colorado State Rams prevailed 40-35 in a run-fest over Fresno “break out your sunglasses” State Rams. Those red uniforms stood out like a turd in the punch bowl. Fresno was cruising early at 21-13 but with 9 sec. before halftime CSU (with no timeouts) threw a bit of a hail-Mary (rather than kick a field goal) and the gamble paid off as the 6’8” receiver made a great catch in the corner of end zone between two defenders. That cut the score to 21-20. CSU had to overcome lots of penalties, especially on special teams…I don’t think they had a punt or kick-off return without being flagged. The CSU tailback ran for 280 yards.

In the early game, Wake Forest extracted a little revenge on Navy for a loss earlier in the season. After spotting the “mid-shipmen” to a 13-0 lead, Wake came back strong for a 29-19 win. Of note, the Wake quarterback set a new NCAA record by completing 100 percent of his passes in the game. Granted it was just 11 for 11 (something Colt usually throws in a quarter) but a record just the same. You can’t accuse Navy of not playing to the bitter end and using strategy not normally seen in college games. With less than a minute to play and trailing by 10, they attempted a 40-yard FG with hopes of then recovering an onside kick. However the attempt sailed right and Wake ran out the clock.

In the magicJack “sure seems like a phone scam” Bowl, the University of South Florida made short work of Memphis cruising to an easy 41-14 blowout. USF scored on 4 of their first 5 possessions to get a 24-14 halftime lead.
In the nightcap, Mike Stoop’s Arizona Wildcats won their first bowl game in over a decade (there is hope for Norte Dame) over BYU. BYU was making its forth straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl…does anyone else see the irony on inviting a bunch of Mormons to ‘Vegas at Christmas? But, I digress. The game was more entertaining than the final score (31-21) indicates. The penalties twice cost BYU prime chances to tie or take the lead. Three straight flags just before halftime turned a third and 1 at the Arizona 19-yard line into a third and 16. BYU eventually missed a 40-yard field goal wide left. Arizona led at halftime 10-7. BYU actually lead in the second half after recovering an Arizona lost a fumble on the first play of the half. BYU took advantage of the short field and scored a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead. Arizona responded with 3 straight TDs to seal the deal.

So, after the first four games the results cover the spectrum. We still have one participant (Rusty) with a perfect score and in the running for the million dollars. We also have a candidate for the “perfect Mirror” award. Now, wouldn’t that be something…0-34!! You go Dale! And just because I can…check out Brooke and her 3-1 record. She is tied for second after our first day of play. There will be lots of “man-cards” forfeited if this holds up.

One game today (Sunday). It’s Southern Miss and Troy in the New Orleans Bowl.

Here are the results as I have them…look them over and keep me honest. I’ve found a few breaks in the spreadsheet already and expect to find more as the contest progresses.

2008 Bowl Standings
Rusty 4
Brooke 3
Bryan 3
Bryce Heg 3
Fanchon 3
David W. 3
Loel 2
Bass 2
Jerry 2
Matt 2
Jason W 2
Kainer 2
John 2
Garreth 2
Trent Heg 2
Rich W 1
Tom Jackson 1
Angel M. 1
Tom Heg 1
Ben H 1
Leslie W 1
Dale 0