Blow out. Louisiana Monroe was favored but acted like they were unfamiliar with covering looping passes. Bobcat receivers had no problem running past War Hawk defenders for huge chunks of yardage.
The final score was 45-14 but it was over at the half. Ohio has some serious alliteration going on with quarterback Tyler Tettleton, running back Beau Blankenship (who scored four touchdowns, a new Indy bowl record) and wide receiver Chase Cochran (not really alliteration but I threw it in anyhow.)
Advocare is a multi-level marketing brand (pyramid scheme) for energy drinks and work out products featuring spokesperson Drew Brees of the Saints. He claims other top athletes use the products.
The game is in Shreveport and the tourism board tries its best to drum up some visits by saying it's the other side of Louisiana. Geographically, it certainly is. Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover appears in the ads and seems like an affable fellow, who bears a resemblance to a certain comic book villain.
This game has a serious trophy. Here's a couple happy Bobcats holding it. It appears to be a two man job.
I was way off on this pick, taking the War Hawks. By the way, if you say that team name quickly it sounds like Warthogs, which I think we be a better name.
On to the second game of the day, the Russell Athletic Bowl, formerly the Champs Sports Bowl.
A match-up of former Big East foes. Both teams play good defense. To say they were offensively challenged would be an understatement. This was easily the worst bowl game I've seen since the 2008 Sun Bowl when Oregon State beat Pittsburgh 3-0.
I could run down the statistics of offensive futility in this game but you can look for yourself right here. All you really need to know is that there were 21 total punts in this game. Virginia Tech made their field goal in overtime while Rutgers missed, final score 13-10.
In the second half, Mrs. Keith asked why I was watching this wretched game. I really have no good answer.
ESPN stuck us with Matt Millen as analyst with play by play man Joe Tessitore. Millen must have called him "Tess" more than 500 times during the game. I've never heard one announcer refer to the other by nickname like Millen did. He is the absolute worst. You get a lot of this with Millen, "Uh, Uh, Uh, Uh." He's also calling the Orange Bowl next week, you've been forewarned. I guess it was appropriate he was calling this game.
The trophy presentation should have been someone throwing said trophy into a dumpster. Neither team deserved an award for anything that happened.
Another missed pick for me, taking Rutgers.
And the final game of the night.
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech.
Coaching change alert. Tommy Tuberville left the Red Raiders in the lurch to take the Cincinnati job. There are stories suggesting Tuberville took the U.C. job in the middle of recruit visit at a Lubbock restaurant and actually left in the middle of the dinner without saying a word to the kids who came for the visit. Classy guy, but you knew that already by the pleather sports coat he was wearing at the Belk Bowl.
At least this game had some scoring after the mess that was the previous game. Minnesota put up more offense in their opening drive than Rutgers and Virginia Tech combined in the second half of their game.
To be honest, I really had no interest in this game, having been up since 3:15am. I stuck around to the half and went to bed. Both teams were really chippy with each other because who doesn't remember the great Gopher/Red Raiders game of yore?
Texas Tech kicked a field goal with time expiring to win the game 34-31. At least Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill didn't collapse on the sideline like he did twice during the regular season. The man should seriously consider another line of work.
Game notes:
-Here's a picture of some of the game t-shirts that have been sold the last couple years. Notice anything strange about them?
Nice.
-Despite the game logo being a belt buckle you cannot buy an actual belt buckle as a souvenir from this game. This bowl game needs to find a new marketing firm.
I picked this one correct - yeah me! My record stands at 8-6.
Big load of games today, five total starting at 11:45am. Hopefully they'll be better than the hot mess that was Friday.
My connection to the Advocare game: I once worked with a guy who played baseball for ULM when it was NE Louisiana University (I still have the NLU cap he gave me). He played back in 1983; he got to stand in the batter's box when they played Texas and Clemens threw three unhittable fastballs past him. Glad to know all that, aren't you?
ReplyDeleteI'm richer for it. Cherish that hat.
ReplyDelete