September 17, 2006

Mad Cal's weekend football notes:

- Clemson is the first team ever to play its way off my Blacklist. They had 2 kicks blocked (PAT and FG) and run back for points, so during the usually useless halftime interview, coach Tommy Bowden said something like 'I'm done with kicking today. We aren't kicking anymore.' It was a close game against Florida State, so it may have come down to points from the kicker. Clemson scored a TD in the the 3rd quarter and were ahead 20-9. A PAT kick would make it a 12 point lead, so FSU would need to score 2 TD's instead of a FG, TD and a 2-pt conversion. But he must have been playing too much Madden because coach stuck to his word and went for 2 and failed. Of course, FSU gets a FG, a TD, and a 2-pt conversion to tie the game. In the last minute of the game, Clemson gets in field goal range and could win it with a kick. But they resist and finally get down to the one yard line with less then 10 seconds left. I think I could make a field goal from this range, but they choose to punch it in for the TD instead. Tommy did let his kicker back out to kick the final PAT.

- Oklahoma probably got screwed by the officials in Oregon this weekend, but I don't care. Pac-10 power!! Note: The Pac-10 Power chant does not apply to the former Division 1A team that plays its home games at the new stadium in the Palo Alto area. I think the conference should drop them and pick up UC Davis or San Jose State.

- Cal should have run it up and went for triple digits. Marshawn Lynch needs to rack up his Heisman numbers. (When I won the Heisman using Lynch in EA's NCAA Football, he had 35 TD's and 2500 or so yards.) Or at least knock Portland State around until their 6th string QB came in.

- On the pro side, the Miami Dolphins are on the Blacklist. Losing to the Buffalo Bills is pathetic. They can't even blame their inepitude on the Ricky Williams' second-hand weed smoke anymore. Killed a 4 team parlay and a 6 team teaser. I have to trade Ronnie Brown and Chris Chambers off one of my fantasy teams.

- Fantasy stud: Ryan Longwell (from Cal): Accounted for all 16 of Minnesota's points, including the game-winner: 3 FG's and a TD pass. To all those who thought I was kidding when I said kickers were vital to a fantasy team's success: Ha!

- The Blackburn Rovers finally won a game in the English Premier League. They beat Man City 4-2 on Saturday after playing to a 2-2 draw in a UEFA Cup match on Thursday. In its last 2 games, this football (or what most of you would call soccer) team has scored as much as the Raiders in their last 2 games. Amazing.

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