Rites of Autumn

Monday Ramblings...

Michigan proved why they are one of the big boys on the block Saturday night.  When the lights shined brightest, they responded and won a BIG game on the road with the whole country watching.  We had a guy with us that had never been to a D1 game; it was fun to watch him and his experience.  And he had his Michigan hat and shirt on. I gave him a MIchigan RIVALSflag for his garage.  He is having some of the boys over for the Ohio State game for a garage tailgate party.  Michigan was Michigan and Illinois was the Illini Saturday night.  Illinois lost to the Wolverines for the billionth straight time it seems.  Tradition proved to be very telling in a lot of games Saturday.  We thought Florida could get Kentucky; the schedule makers did Kentucky no favors scheduling LSU and Florida back to back.  Emotionally and physically drained after 3 OT's with LSU, Florida got on them and stayed there.  Florida is now again relevant in the National Title talk.  Andre Woodson looks more impressive each week.   Cal could not go on the road and get it done at UCLA.  Disastrous loss for the Bears and a HUGE win for PAC 10 unbeaten UCLA.  Oregon went on the road and was impressive against a pretty physical Washington team.  Oregon may just be able to get USC this weekend.  Would love to see a game at Autzen.  Alabama setup the monster showdown in the SEC West race with their blowout win over Tennessee.  LSU comes to town  November 3, Tuscaloosa will be rockin' that weekend.  Ticket prices just went up with the win over Rocky Top.  Tried to work through an Alabama contact to get one but will probably be watching that one on the big screen TV.  Should be a GREAT environment with maybe some talking going on prior to the game by the head coaches?  Big 10 looks more and more like Michigan and Ohio State.  Big 12 North is still a race with Mizzou and KU.  Nebraska is in free fall after A&M spanked them pretty good, in front of the home folks.  First time A&M has won there since the '50's.  Lot of unpleasant firsts for the Cornhushers this fall.  Kansas hasn't been good since Nolan Cromwell played QB there and that is a LONG time.  Mizzou/KU at the end of the season may have just a little more sizzle than normal. 

When Michigan scored the go ahead TD Saturday night you would have thought we were in Ann Arbor.   We were on the eastside on the 35 yard line up underneath the overhang of the upper deck.  As soon as the extra point was made, "Hail to the Victors" was being sung by every Michigan fan in the stadium.  And it was LOUD.  Very impressive display by the Wolverine faithful.  I know they get knocked for sitting on their hands in the Big House but they made a lot of noise Saturday night.  Was a great night for football; the place was electric after the Illini scored on their first posession.  But alas the team with the most tradition between the white lines got it done again.  You can't say enough about the job Lloyd Carr and his staff have done since the Oregon game.  "Hail! to the Victors valiant, Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes, Hail! Hail to Michigan..."

RoA

Coast to Coast TV and not at 3 AM

Wow, it is 7 AM and I am not in the RIVALSflag Road Crew GMC van yet.  Last week at this time we were just arriving in Iowa City after a 4 hour drive.  My Michigan/Oregon gameday started at 1 AM.  Felt real good to sleep in this AM after a LONG week of work.  I get a bye week next week to rest up.  But deer stands need to be hung so no rest for the road warrior.

Conference games all over the place with major implications.  Today will separate the pretenders from the contenders.  A beat up Oregon team has to travel to Seattle and fight to stay at the top of the PAC 10 as well as around or in the Top 10.  Jeremiah Johnson is out for the season with an ACL; his speed and power were very impressive in person.  Orgeon may be the most athletic team I have seen.  Florida at Kentucky in the SEC East is a monster, ESPN Gameday chose to be there so you know it is a big one.  With a week off and Kentucky coming off LSU,  Florida would seem to have all the mojo.  Tennessee at Alabama, the third Saturday of October; just like the old days before the expansion to 12 teams.   Big game that will decide a lot in both divisions of the SEC.  Not much in the BIG 12 other than to see if OU can keep it going.

And then we have Michigan at Illnois in the Big 10.  We posted earlier this summer that we wondered if Illinois would be in a position to make this game relevant (nationally televised so they get an A there).  They have done that and then some; yes the Iowa game did hurt but if they beat Michigan they will be 4-1 in the Big 10 with a non-conference game (Ball State) and @Minnesota so they could be 5-1 going to Columbus on November 10.  History points to Michigan winning the game, Illinois has not beaten the Wolverines in Champaign since 1983.  I think a big key is Mike Hart and how well he can go.  If he is 100% then I think it will be tough for Illinois if Michigan takes care of the ball.   Should be a good one.

RoA

Children of the Corn Revolt

Within the last hour, Nebraska fired their AD after the worse home loss in over 50 years.  AD's don't coach the game or get the team ready so it looks like the house cleaning has just begun.  I was recruited by Tom Osborne and I will tell you this.  If he does become the interim AD then Bill Callahan is gone.  Coach Osborne lived by the run and will want a coach that believes in that principle if he does become the interim or new AD.  In this day of spread offenses, most defenses are getting smaller in the back 7.  I've said it many times and will continue to say it.  The time is right for the wishbone or ground oriented attacks to come back into fashion.  With LB'ers now going in the 210 lb range for coverage of the spread attacks, if a team commits to the run I think they can be successful.  I know the spread is the rage now but if someone comes to the game with a huge offensive line and big RB's and runs the ball at those teams with 210 lb LB'ers, well I think the running team is at a distinct advantage if they execute properly.  Just as Coach Osborne did in his time.  Or Woody Hayes, Darrell Royal, etc., etc.  If you play good defense, special teams and can run the football, you are never out of the game as Nebraska proved for some 40 years.  Should be interesting to see how it plays out.  I think Houston Nutt is ready to get out of Arkansas and he believes in the run.  Same for Tommy Tuberville at Auburn or Paul Johnson at Navy.  Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove were  graduate assistants when I was at Illinois and I personally liked them both and hate to see what is happening to them.  Shawn Watson was in my recruiting class also; good people.  But Nebraska football is very important to that state and they will not stand for the continuation of what is happening there now as evidenced by the firing of the AD.  More heads will roll, just a matter of time.

RoA

A Day of Trap games

Just got home from the Iowa/Illinois game.  Looks like Illinois was not the only one who didn't survive the trap game on the road.  Made our "Hawkeye" and her friends very happy at the postgame tailgate.  #1 LSU falls to Kentucky after the big game against Florida.  Watching Cal go down in flames as I just turned on the TV after the drive home from Iowa.  What a season of upsets...The youngest grandchild had the best idea of the day as this was taken during the 2nd half of the game.  He didn't miss a thing did he.

RoA

Players and coaches; a special bond

Today as we were getting ready for the trip to Iowa City to see the Illini and the Hawkeyes do battle tomorrow, I ran into a former player.  Ryan O'Malley is a pitcher for the AAA Iowa Cubs.  Man it was great to see him; handshake and a hug.  RO was called up to the majors last year in August and pitched a great game in Houston on about 8 hours notice.  He is the 2nd best white athlete I was ever around; Kirk Gibson of Michigan State and LA Dodger fame being the best.  RO could play any position in any sport you wanted him to.  He played wide receiver for us when I was coaching at Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin; he was also a DB, backup QB and would and could have played any other position we asked him to play.  He was and still is a great kid with a great family.  The day he got called up to pitch for the Cubs last August, we were getting things packed to take our youngest off to Iowa.  We sat and watched the entire game together and she was so excited that she used to hang out with a guy who was on national TV pitching for the Cubs.  She told of times past being on the sidelines with SHG and how special those memories are to her.  When the game was over and RO walked to the stands and flipped the ball to his Dad, we both had tears running down our cheeks.  Players and their coaches have a special bond and it was great to see RO again.  He wanted to go to Iowa to see the game but his grandmother is having a big birthday party tomorrow.  He asked if we had tickets and I said no and he said he wished he would have known.  Since he pitches for the Iowa Cubs he said he could have used his contacts to help us out.  Typical RO, would do anything he could for anyone. 

Off to Iowa tomorrow morning at 3AM and most of the RIVALSflag Road Crew will be on the road with us.  Iowa is in bad shape physically and a little desperate, those facts worry those of us who would like to see the Illini get this one and welcome ESPN's Gameday next week to Champaign.  Should be a great game but I see the Illini covering the number against a depleted Iowa Hawkeye squad.  If there was ever a trap game though, this is the spot.  Illinois beats #5 Wisconsin last week and has Michigan coming to town next week.  Zook has preached all week Iowa, Iowa, Iowa.  We will see if the team/congregation were listening.  We leave in 7 hours and kickoff is 15 hours away...

Ryan O'Malley pitching in Houston for his first big league win. 

RoA

Bo is smiling for his boy Jimmy

One of the great all-time movies, "Blazing Saddles" had a quote that I think is more than appropriate this Monday morning.  Slim Pickens said in the movie something like, what in the wide, wide world of sports is a goin' on here?  Stanford beats USC in the Coliseum as a 41 point underdog and the Illini take down #5 Wisconsin.  2 teams in the top five upset on the weekend following the previous week's meltdown of Top Ten teams.  Cannot give you answers to why so many upsets are happening but all I know is that if we go to a playoff format (I am opposed to that, kids do need some time off for school and a social life, not "pro's" yet) then the regular season and the bowl games lose so, so much.  Wherever Bo Schembechler is right now, I am sure Saturday night he had a smile on his face when his former QB (Jimmy as he called him) shocked the college football world with maybe the BIGGEST upset of all time. 

RoA

Gameday, Post Mortem

The coolers have been washed and are drying in the early morning sun.  Was another glorious sunrise this AM, two mornings in a row I've been up to see the new day dawn.  The kitchen table is piled with leftovers from everyone's contribution to the tailgate.  The GMC RIVALSflag Road Crew van has been washed and put away until this week's possible road trip to Iowa to see the youngest and watch the Illini/Hawkeyes.  Sandwich game to say the least, real possible road trap game with Michigan coming to town on October 20 for a nationally televised night game on ESPN.

Was a great weekend of college football everywhere.  Rocky Top made a statement against the Georgia Bulldogs and stays in the SEC East race.  Stanford SHOCKED the world last night with their monumental upset of the Trojans in the Coliseum.  We had posted earlier that we doubted SC could withstand the road in the PAC 10 but did not envision a home loss.  SC hadn't been beat at home since '01.  LSU get's pretty darn lucky to convert that many 4th downs and score to win the game.  Florida is the best 2 loss team out there in my book.  Arizona State survives the road in the great northwest to stay undefeated.  But the best of them all was the game we endured yesterday.

Hot and humid, when we arrived at 8, it was already in the 80's.   Made the libations of the day taste that much colder and they went down way too easy.  As our entourage gathered the discussion centered on the game.  Everyone rubbed the "bear claw" and I told "its" story several times.  I said to Jon (my high school QB) that the heat would take a toll on the Wisconsin offensive line and the Illini D would stuff the run in the second half.  He had called me from a frat house where he was "popunding the drums" with his son's fraternity (he didn't show up til after the game and was "beaming" when he got there if you know what I am talking about, so was his son).  Called a radio talk show back in Springfield (I used to do color for them for a local powerhouse football program, coached their also) and talked with "SAM."  He is the local voice, his local talk show is top rated.  If you ask him, he knows what is going on with just about anything and everything.  He asked about the atmosphere, how electric, etc.  Then I made my call of Illini 31, Wisconsin 27.  It is still early on Sunday but I expect a call today from the great white Sammmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy.  His Sunday is a little better, ND won to go to 1-5.  How "dumb" is AB (Arrelious Benn) now (comments made by ND after AB picks Illinois over ND).

Taco dip and chips with a few more cold ones and we were off to the game.  As we walked in I said, "Damn it is HOT."  So was the game.  Gametime temp close to 90 with humidity and bright sunshine.  Pregame atmosphere in the stadium was as hot as the weather.  The Illini fed off of it early and ran it up the front and backsides of Wisconsin (Mendenhall was a beast).  17-0 early but it just felt like Wisconsin was still in it.  AND THEY WERE.  Illini D makes some big stops in the second half and we beat a ranked team for the second week in a row since 1959.  And the Illini #2 QB (Eddie McGee) comes in again and drives them for the winning score. 

Post game tailgate was pretty mellow and broke up early.  The heat was just oppressive and after being in it for 8 straight hours everyone was pretty spent.  And from yelling at the game (the 57 thousand was LOUD at all the right times). Stopped at Lil Porgy's to continue that oh so sweet tradition.  The BBQ tasted so good after such a big win.  Some Wisconsin fans were there, the word is getting out about some good BBQ.  Wished them a safe drive home.

As I took the bear claw from around my neck last night before I got in the shower, I noticed that it looked funny.  My eyesight is going quick so I turned on more lights.  As I grabbed it there was something sticky on it.  Lil Porgy's sauce had found its way onto it.  And as Jimmy Johnson could only say it via NFL Films footage,

HOW ABOUT THEM ILLINI!!!

RoA

Gameday, 5 AM

Hooted with the owls last night (watched Boston beat the Angels) and am up soaring with the eagles this morning.  Gameday.  These 11 AM kickoffs are good in some ways but there are times when a little more shuteye would be good.  Big college football weekend all over the country.  The Red River shootout is a loser go home affair this year.  Clemson/Va Tech in the ACC is in the same category.  LSU hosts Florida in Death Valley at night when the Tigers are pretty unbeatable.  I think Florida finds a way to run the football without Tebow and gets it done.   The matchup of the day in the Big Ten is undefeated Purdue hosting Ohio State.  Purdue is not in the class of the Buckeyes and Ohio State's defense will stop the "fast break on grass."  Everyone have a great day.  Better yet, GO ILLINI!!!

RoA

The Bear Claw and Zook's Kool Aid

Haven't posted for awhile...been so busy working on this week's BIG GAME in Champaign.  Another fine outstanding tailgate lineup for the Wisconsin game.  Dad's Weekend and my high school QB will be there; his son is a senior with a job already in hand when he graduates with a degree in actuarial science from Illinois.  Stef was a heckuva a football player but a better pole vaulter (qualified for the National's as a senior in high school and Illinois asked him to walk on the track team).  Will be good to see him and his Dad the last Dad's Weekend of Stef's time at the Old U.

What can you say about last week.  The road when you get in conference play is a tough thing to overcome as Oklahoma found out.  Not winning at home is almost suicide to national title hopes as Florida and Texas found out.  California is the real deal and DeSean Jackson is as good as you will see,  as Oregon found out.  He is my Heisman favorite right now.  He has played big in the big games this year and has Cal at a place they haven't been in almost 50 years.

My cousin passed away almost 15 years ago.  He loved the outdoors and was quite a hunter as his Dad had been.  Mike had a bear claw from a black bear he harvested made into a necklace; nothing fancy but it was pretty cool.  He had it on the last time we were together; we went trout fishing up the North Fork of the Cherry River in West Virginia.  He was too weak to fish but watched from the car, the cancer just was getting the best of him that day.  It finally took him.

His sister saw to it that I got that bear claw necklace.  Mike always wanted me to have it, told me old Indian legend says that once you pass it down it will bring good luck to the new owner.  According to Mike, that is why you always saw Indian warriors with bear claw necklaces, they needed good luck as they ventured into battle.  A smile always comes to my face when I see it and think of him.

I have worn it to 2 games since it was given to me.  Coach Zook's opening game as HC against Rutgers.  Brian Leonard (St. Louis Rams RB now) went 70 yards to put Illinois down big, early in the 3rd quarter.  Illini come back to win the game in overtime.  I also wore the "bear claw" last week to the Penn State game.  Illini get up big early, then make many big defensive stops to win the game in the 2nd half 27-20.

Now comes #5 Wisconsin and the biggest game in years for the Illini.   Old bear claw, don't fail Illini Nation now...

Illinois 31

Wisconsin 27

I have had some of the Zook Kool Aid, it is good...

Zeke and me outside Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Cal game 2000.  They broke the mold after he was made, the one and only "Q" for me.  His legend grows each and every year.  We will celebrate our 40 years together as friends this weekend.