12:03 pm - Syracuse and Minnesota just kicked off. The thought of Greg Paulus starting is just too enticing to pass up, especially when the only other option is Ohio State and Navy. I have two TVs in my living room, so OSU-Navy is on the small TV.
12:04 pm - Wow, that was a terrible start for the Orange. Their center snaps the ball (literally) 8 feet over Paulus' head and the Gophers recover the loose ball. That was quite an ugly play.
12:05 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Minnesota. Duane Bennett get a handoff and takes it up the right sideline for a 16-yard score. Well, at least Paulus is getting the ball back. On the small TV, Terrelle Pryor is leading the Buckeyes down the field against Navy. My homeboy, Lefty, who attends the Naval Academy, is in Columbus for the game, so hopefully the Midshipmen will get it turned around for him. Not likely, though.
12:08 pm - Nice return my Syracuse kick returner Michael Jones. He takes it all the way back to the Minnesota 16 yard line. Let's see what Paulus does with this field position. Terrelle Pryor throws a touchdown to Dane Sanzenbacher on the small TV, giving the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead.
12:10 pm - Syracuse scores a touchdown...but they were lined up illegally, so it comes back. On the next play, they are unable to get the first down, so the Orange settle for 3. 7-3 Minnesota with 13:01 to go in the 1st quarter.
12:16 pm - Well, apparently no one in the Syracuse-Minnesota game knows how to cover a kickoff. The Gophers return it to Syracuse territory and will begin their drive with a short field. Deep ball from Adam Weber to Eric Decker puts the ball on the Syracuse 10. A Duane Bennett run gets them a few yards. 2nd and goal for the Gophers.
12:21 pm - Wow, two touchdowns at once. Troy Stoudermire catches a touchdown pass on 3rd and goal for Minnesota to give the Gophers a 14-3 lead. On the small TV, Ricky Dobbs takes the handoff for Navy and scores it. Don't look now, but Navy responded to Ohio State's touchdown with one of their own. Get it, Middies.
12:24 pm - Greg Paulus completes his first pass of his career, a short dump-off to the tight end. On the following play, Paulus again completes a pass to the tight end after scrambling under pressure, but is unable to get the first down.
12:27 pm - With 5:30 left in the first quarter, Navy is still tied with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are driving again, though, so this may not last.
12:30 pm - After a few big running plays, Ohio State is now down to the Navy 11 yard line. I don't think this tie is going to remain for much longer.
12:31 pm - On the big TV, the Gophers run a bit of the Wildcat formation. They put Stoudermire (who caught the last TD) at quarterback and put MarQueis Gray, a true freshman quarterback from Indianapolis, at slot receiver. Not much of a gain there, but an interesting look nonetheless.
12:32 pm - I haven't heard a single line of dialogue between the commentators doing the OSU-Navy game. It's on the small TV, which is muted, but I can already tell you that I don't like Bob Greise being in the booth with Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman. Pasch and Spielman are both average, and Greise needs a better group around him. I remember the days when he and Keith Jackson used to be a fantastic duo and seeing him now with these two is sort of depressing.
12:34 pm - The Gophers drive stalls and they punt back to Syracuse. If Paulus can find a rhythm and get another score, it might be game on. If not, Minnesota may run away with this thing. WHOA! Paulus tries a deep throw across his body and it's just about picked off. His receiver did a terrific job of breaking up the play or else it would've been Gopher ball.
12:35 pm - Delone Carter runs for a decent gain for the Orange, so Paulus now faces another 3rd and short. He needs to convert this.
12:36 pm - Paulus hands off to Carter, who drives the pile forward for the first down. This should settle the Orange a bit and allow them to try a few things on offense to open up the game. On the small TV, Ohio State punches through a field goal, giving the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead. Come on, Navy, respond with another touchdown. I wonder if Lefty will respond to a text message. Let's find out...
12:38 pm - I'm hungry. I need to find something to eat, but I don't have any desire to get up right now. Maybe I'll throw a couple chicken patties in the oven and let them be my lunch. Hmmm.
12:39 pm - Greg Paulus makes a great run to get a first down...but it's negated by a holding penalty. Now, instead of it being a first down, it's 3rd and 13. This isn't good for the 'Cuse.
12:40 pm - Syracuse tries to throw a screen pass, but their receiver tips it in the air and Minnesota drops the sure interception. Another punt for Rob Long, the Orange punter. Touchback, Minnesota.
12:45 pm - A quick three-and-out from the Gophers means that Paulus is getting the ball back.
12:47 pm - Interesting. The Syracuse offense has now implemented a few "Stallion" plays, which is their term for the Wildcat look. With some considerable gains, they are into Gopher territory already.
12:48 pm - That was fun. Paulus fakes a reverse and launches one deep to Mike Williams. He was covered and couldn't make the catch, but it was good to see the Orange take a shot. A screen pass on the next play gives Syracuse a first down. Don't look now, but the Orange are on the move.
12:50 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Syracuse. What a beautiful play by Paulus. He pump fakes the out route, then tosses it deep to Mike Williams, who ran a double move. 29-yard touchdown pass. Nicely done.
12:52 pm - Big Brother texts me to let me know that East Carolina, his alma mater, is already up 17-0 on Appalchian State. Nice. And you wonder why I don't support the big boys playing 1-AA teams. On the small TV, Navy's drive ended and they had to punt it back to the Buckeyes. Maybe they'll get a stop here and try again for the lead later.
12:54 pm - I'm kinda grumpy. My ESPN.com scoreboard isn't refreshing like it should. In addition to the two TVs, I have TV listings and a full D1-A scoreboard open in my other browser tabs to keep an eye on EVERYTHING that happens today. Without the scoreboard, I'm essentially relying on reading the Bottom Line during the games, and we all know that isn't happening.
12:56 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Buckeyes. Terrelle Pryor runs it in, giving Ohio State a 17-7 lead. Don't give up hope yet, Lefty; I'm sure your boys have a comeback in them.
12:57 pm - Ok, the chicken patties are now in the oven. I had a moment where both games went to commercial, and that's always a sign that you're meant to get food. In about 20 minutes, I'll be eating a nice lunch of chicken patties and Chee-tos. Yes, this is how I live on Saturdays. It's not as bad as you think.
12:58 pm - This is one of the reasons I think you have to be judicious in your use of the Wildcat package. Minnesota tried to get cute and run it with Stoudermire and Gray, but unfortunately, Adam Weber, their starting QB, has no rhythm upon his re-entry into the game. As hot as he was early, I don't quite see the sense in taking him out. You were up 14-3 with all of the momentum, but now you're struggling to even get a first down.
1:00 pm - Just as I was saying that, Weber throws an interception. I hate to say "I told you so," but it just doesn't make any sense what the Gophers' staff has chosen to do on offense since their first two drives. Syracuse ball at their own 30 yard line.
1:02 pm - In an in-game update, studio host Wendi Nix completely misses her cue and then tells everyone that Ohio State has gone up "14-0" on Navy. Considering my small TV, which is showing the OSU game, tells me 17-7, I have no idea what Wendi is talking about. Remember, it's week one for the broadcasters, too.
1:09 pm - Don't judge me, but I've turned the big TV over to the U.S. Open to watch some of the Federer-Hewitt match. I've rotated the Minnesota-Syracuse game over to the small TV to keep an eye on it.
1:10 pm - Minnesota tries a risky move, going for it on 4th down with a sneak by Weber on the Syracuse 40. He doesn't get it, but the play is under further review after Minnesota coach Tim Brewster nearly had a heart attack arguing the spot. The review upholds the call on the field, and Syracuse takes over.
1:12 pm - Federer wins the third set 7-5, which gives him a 2-1 set lead going into the fourth. Hewitt has challenged him today, so we'll see if he can pull out some magic in the last two sets. My guess is not a chance.
1:15 pm - Another good deep ball thrown by Paulus, but this one is just outside the outreached hands of his receiver. A few inches shorter and the Orange would've been in business. He seems to be settling in now, though, and is showing much more rhythm in the pocket.
1:17 pm - Ryan Liechtenstein puts through his 2nd field goal of the game, and the Orange have cut the Minnesota lead to a single point, 14-13. Minnesota desperately needs a quality drive, as all of the momentum is now with Syracuse.
1:19 pm - Elsewhere, Federer has gone up 2 games to love on Hewitt in the 4th set, and Ohio State knocks home a field goal to give them a 20-7 lead on Navy. On the small TV, featuring Ohio State and Navy since Syracuse-Minnesota is at a commercial, Rece Davis is showing America the man cave where the ESPN studio guys watch their games. Mine is sort of like that, except I have much less TVs and the ones I do have aren't as nice as theirs. Other than that, though, we're pretty much doing the same thing right now.
1:24 pm - For the first time all day, I turn it to the Big Ten Network. Penn State is assaulting Akron, so there's not much fun watching this one, but everything else in commerical, so I had no choice. Because it's a premium channel, I can only get it on the big TV, so the chances of me coming back to this later are very slim. For the record, Penn State is up 24-0 and driving into Zips territory with 36 seconds left.
1:26 pm - Darryl Clark rears back and throws a dart to Graham Zug for the touchdown. With the extra point, it's 31-0 Nittany Lions, and I'm off to another channel. Let's see what Federer is up to.
1:28 pm - Greg Paulus is heating up, ladies and gents. A nice, quick throw to his slot receiver gives the Orange a first down at the Syracuse 44 yard line. A holding penalty on the next play takes the Orange back to their 34, but then Paulus hits Mike Williams for an 18-yard gain. This is a functional offense we're seeing from Syracuse, something you couldn't have said for the past four years.
1:32 pm - Williams takes a screen pass and heads down to the Minnesota 17 yard line. Paulus now is 12/17 for 128 yards and a touchdown. Not bad.
1:33 pm - Delone Carter bulls his way into the end zone for a Syracuse TOUCHDOWN. The Lichtenstein extra point makes it a 20-14 Orange lead. Remember, they were down 14-3 in the first quarter. Wow.
1:37 pm - With both games at the half and Federer dominating, I'm going to take a lunch break. Catch up with you in a few.
2:06 pm - Alright, I'm back. While I was at lunch, Federer closed out Hewitt, Jesse Witten, a young American, was putting Novak Djokovic on the ropes, and Wendi Nix was wearing some glasses during the studio show that gave me a Van Halen "Hot for Teacher" vibe. And in no way do I mean that as a bad thing.
2:08 pm - Syracuse and Minnesota both have to punt on their first possessions of the half, so we're still at 20-14 there. On the little TV, Ohio State and Navy remain at 20-7 Buckeyes late in the 3rd quarter. The Midshipmen are playing tough, but they just can't seem to break off any big runs. They have a nice drive going now though, so maybe they won't need a big play to score. We'll see.
2:10 pm - Instead of showing the conclusion of the riveting Witten-Djokovic match, CBS is showing Melanie Oudin, the teenage American, against Russian heartthrob Maria Sharapova. I have nothing against either of these ladies, but I'm not really interested.
2:11 pm - Donovan McNabb joins Pam Ward and Ray Bentley in the booth. I like Donovan; he's a smart guy who articulates his point well. Maybe he can stay in the booth for a while.
2:12 pm - TOUCHDOWN Navy. Lefty is probably going nuts right now. Great pass from Ricky Dobbs to Marcus Curry. Considering that drive started on Navy's 1 yard line, that was an amazing series for the Midshipmen. 99 yards on that Ohio State defense? Amazing.
2:15 pm - Donovan McNabb is killing it in the booth. Ray Bentley asked him about Vick, and he was very open with his response. Now, he's dissecting the culture change under new coach Doug Marrone and the effect of Greg Paulus' maturity on the offense. He's terrific.
2:17 pm - Baseball Mom just sent me a text to tell me that "if you would have been that Oregon player (LeGarrette Blount) I would have personally gone out and gotten you." She's not kidding, either. Had I done something that stupid on the field, I'm pretty sure I would've seen her charging me 5 minutes later.
2:18 pm - Crap. Donovan is leaving the booth. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Meanwhile, Minnesota has scored a field goal and now trails 20-17.
2:22 pm - Goodness. Ohio State's kicker just rocked a 52-yard field goal. 23-14 Buckeyes according to the small TV.
2:26 pm - Some interesting scores from the early games. Iowa trails Northern Iowa 13-10 in the 3rd quarter. Tennessee is drubbing Western Kentucky 28-0 in the 3rd, but QB Jonathan Crompton is looking uncharacteristically sharp. West Virginia is leading Liberty, but only by a count of 23-13.
2:30 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Ohio State. After forcing a Navy fumble, Ohio State starts with a short field. A couple of plays later, Daniel Herron scores from six yards out for the Buckeyes. The extra point is blocked, but Ohio State's lead is up to 29-14.
2:38 pm - I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm convinced that Minnesota's desire to go with the Wildcat formation a couple times in the first half killed their momentum. Yes, they had short fields early, but they were converting with no problem. Now, Adam Weber is completely out of rhythm and hasn't been able to rediscover his touch. If the Gophers don't score now, they may be in trouble. They're only down 3, but Syracuse has all the momentum as we close out the 3rd quarter. I have the feeling that the Orange will score again, so Minnesota must keep pace.
2:40 pm - Wait, Sonic is offering a BLT on a buttery croissant and a side of tots for only $2.99? Is that really happening? Wow, I may have to eat at Sonic 5 times this week. Recession, people.
2:43 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Navy. You knew the Middies weren't giving up man. That's just not in their makeup. Dobbs finds Curry again for an 85 yard touchdown. All of a sudden, it's only an 8-point deficit and Navy has life. This is fun.
2:45 pm - Minnesota connects on a deep ball as Weber hits Eric Decker for a 53-yard completion down to the Syracuse 20. Like I said, scoring here is key for them, so that's a good way to jumpstart the drive.
2:48 pm - Just as I say that, Weber is sacked from the blindside and loses the ball. Syracuse hops on it, and after a review to make sure it was actually a fumble, the Orange have the ball at their own 32 yard line.
2:50 pm - Baseball Mom texts me to tell me that I should give a shoutout to East Carolina. I have to remind her that they're playing App State, and beating a JV team doesn't warrant acknowledgement in my post. Sorry, Mom. Love you.
2:51 pm - Syracuse is forced to punt it back to the Gophers after Paulus steps up nicely in the pocket on 3rd and 9, delivering a great ball to his tight end...who drops it. The Orange fans must remember that they still don't have much talent.
2:52 pm - Wow, this commercial is legit. An Army commercial that shows Douglas MacArthur, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and George Washington is just fine by me. Go America.
2:54 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Navy. After Pryor throws a tipped interception, Ricky Dobbs runs it up the middle for a long touchdown. 29-27 Ohio State, with Navy's 2-point conversion pending. Wow.
2:55 pm - OH NO!!! Ricky Dobbs attempts to throw for the 2-point conversion but is intercepted by the Buckeyes. They return the interception for a score, giving them 2 points and a 4-point lead, 31-27. Wow, that just sucks. Now Navy will need another touchdown to win, as opposed to a field goal. Ouch.
2:57 pm - Here's a little tip for all of you college football-watching novices. It's almost 3:00, which means we're about a half hour from the next wave of games starting. Now is the time when you check the TV listings to set up your gameplan for the 3:30 start times. Me, I'm going to put Nevada-Notre Dame on the big TV, because I think it's going to be closer than people think. On the small TV will be Baylor-Wake Forest, which I'm getting instead of Georgia-Oklahoma State. No, I don't want to talk about it. I will have the USC-San Jose State game on flashback to make sure that I get a good idea of what freshman QB Matt Barkley can do for the Trojans. I won't miss any of the UGA-Okie State game, because I'll have the ESPN.com GameCast pulled up as one of my computer windows. This should be interesting.
3:01 pm - Ohio State is running out the clock on Navy (sad), and Minnesota just missed the potentially game-tying field goal. Syracuse remains up 20-17 and gets the ball back with 8:54 left in the 4th on their own 30.
3:09 pm - After a fumble call is overturned, Syracuse retains possession and Paulus hits Mike Williams with a 20-yard completion. The Orange are now in the Gopher territory, looking to put this one away.
3:11 pm - I'll admit, I've been impressed with Greg Paulus today. I figured it'd take him a game or two to get up to speed, but he's made throw after throw after throw on target today. If not for a handful of drops, his completion percentage would by through the roof. Let's see if he can cap off his day with another scoring drive.
3:14 pm - Ok, I lied. I'm changing up my 3:30 lineup after remembering that Missouri and Illinois are playing on ESPN. I turned it over to the Big Ten Network because they're showing the conclusion of the Iowa-Northern Iowa game, which is surprisingly close. With 7 seconds to go, Northern Iowa lined up for the game-winning field goal from 40 yards out. Iowa blocks the field goal attempt and will now hang on for the 17-16 lead.
3:17 pm - WHOA! Apparently, the block occurred behind the line of scrimmage, and since the kick took place on 1st down and Northern Iowa recovered the block, they'll retain possession at the spot of the recovery (roughly the 25 yard line) with 1 second to go. This is crazy. I didn't know that rule existed.
3:20 pm - As the confusion in Iowa City is sorted out on the big TV, Minnesota is driving on the small TV. With a few completions, they're down to the Syracuse 25 yard line with 2 minutes to go in the 4th.
3:21 pm - Ok, I think I'm gonna go with Illinois-Missouri on the big TV, Nevada-Notre Dame on the small TV, Wake-Baylor as the flashback game on the small TV, and USC-San Jose State as the flashback on the big TV. Got all that? Ok, good, I thought you did.
3:23 pm - WOW!! After getting a second chance to upset the Hawkeyes, Northern Iowa AGAIN has their field goal attempt blocked. This time, Iowa dives on it, even though time had run out, and get off the field with a 17-16 victory. Unbelievable. What a crazy ending. Iowa dodged a bullet and probably has no business being ranked next week. They will, because pollsters only look at wins and losses, but you're crazy if you think a Top 25 team would win by 1 point at home against a D1-AA team. Back to Minnesota-Syracuse on the big TV. Sharapova-Oudin is now on the small TV until 3:30.
3:28 pm - Minnesota is unable to punch it into the end zone, so they settle for the game-tying field goal with 57 seconds left. Depending on the kickoff return, Paulus will have roughly 50 seconds to break the 20-20 tie. Welcome to college football, Greg.
3:30 pm - Melanie Oudin, after losing the first set 3-6 to Maria Sharapova, has taken a 5-1 lead in set #2. Good match so far. Unfortunately for them, I'm not watching anymore.
3:32 pm - This drive is a bad one for Syracuse. After a short gain on a pass to Mike Williams, Paulus is sacked to end regulation. Overtime, ladies and gents. Try to contain your excitement.
3:34 pm - Since we're headed to overtime, this gives me an opportunity to give me two cents on the college overtime system. I think it's great in theory, but we need to move things back to the 40 yard line to start. I like that both teams get a chance to one-up each other, but putting them at the 25 yard line to begin with is too easy. Move it back to the 40, and make them go for two immediately; don't wait until the 3rd overtime. Ok, I feel better now.
3:36 pm - Wow, great run by Delone Carter. He seemed to be stopped at the line of scrimmage, but broke a couple tackles and ends up down at the 10 yard line. In case you didn't notice, Syracuse has the ball first.
3:38 pm - That should do it. Greg Paulus was under pressure and scrambled, then threw the ball up for grabs in the end zone. Minnesota picked it off and now only needs a field goal to win. They're essentially in field goal range to start with, but should run a few plays to get it closer. Paulus' first mistake of his career was a huge one.
3:41 pm - I just watched Iowa block two field goals to save a game, so I'm not going to give this one to the Gophers yet. But I'm pretty sure you can call this one as good as over. It's a short field goal in a dome. Stranger things have happened, though. Syracuse is doing their best to ice the kicker; we'll see if it works.
3:43 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Baylor. That didn't take long. Robert Griffin leads the Bears down the field on their first drive of the season and draws first blood against Wake Forest. 7-0 Baylor.
3:44 pm - Minnesota's field goal is good, giving them the win over Syracuse. Paulus played well up until his very last throw, and the Orange defense was great as well. It's clear to anyone who watched that Syracuse is going to be better this year than they were last year. Progress is being made, but it's a rebuilding project. Good win for the Gophers. Going on the road and getting a victory to start the year is never a bad thing, and they showed some mettle in coming back after blowing a big lead.
3:56 pm - Well, my browser is acting up so I have no idea what's going on in the Georgia-Oklahoma State game. Great. Thank, ESPN, for giving me Western Michigan-Michigan as my mirror game as opposed to OSU-UGA. What a crock. Elsewhere, Baylor is driving on Wake Forest again. Notre Dame put up 7 quick points against Nevada. And USC hasn't been able to get it going against San Jose State just yet.
3:59 pm - Georgia is leading 7-0 after Joe Cox completed his first touchdown pass of the season. Richard Samuel rushed for 31 yards on the drive and Cox threw for 33, showing remarkable balance for the Bulldogs. How do I know this? I've resorted to using my phone internet as a stats update device for that game. Yeah, I know; I'm desperate.
4:01 pm - Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that Missouri has taken a 3-0 lead on Illinois. Blaine Gabbert looked sharp in his first drive as the Tigers' starting quarterback. Arrelious Been is in the locker room with an injury, which is bad news for Illinois. If QB Juice Williams doesn't have his best target available, that changes everything for the Illini offense.
4:05 pm - Matt Barkley looks rattled, and USC just got off a bad punt, giving SJSU the ball at the Trojan 35 yard line. Let's see if the Spartans can get a few points on the board. Baylor added a field goal to make it 10-0 against Wake Forest.
4:08 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Blaine Gabbert showed off his rocket right arm throwing a bullet to Wes Kemp for the touchdown. The safety took a bad angle on the throw and as it zoomed right by his ear, Kemp was able to take it in for the score. 10-0 Tigers.
4:09 pm - San Jose State does nothing with its field position, but converts on 4th down as Kyle Reed throws a dart to Kevin Jurovich to pick up the first down. That was impressive.
4:11 pm - The scene here at Skip To My Lank headquarters is quite crazy. I'm turning channels on both TVs at the same time, updating the blog, and hitting the 'refresh' button on my phone browser. Add in the fact that I get text messages and phone calls from time to time, and I'm completely overwhelmed right now. I'm not in midseason form yet, either.
4:15 pm - As San Jose State kicks a field goal to take a 3-0 lead on USC, Dirk calls me to give me some hypotheticals concerning possession rules after turnovers are committed during overtime. See, that's why I'm here. Just in case you wonder what happens when the intercepting team fumbles on the return, and the intercepted team recovers, give me a call and I'll explain it to you.
4:17 pm - USC fumbles after a completed pass, giving San Jose State the ball yet again.
4:20 pm - San Jose State is unable to do anything with the possession and punts back to USC. Trivia question during the Wake Forest-Baylor game: What movie is shown each fall on the Wake Forest campus? My guess: "Brian's Song".
4:22 pm - Illinois scores a field goal to make it 10-3 Missouri. USC still looks impotent on offense against San Jose State. Oklahoma State is on the move against Georgia, trailing 7-0. Notre Dame has added a touchdown against Nevada to make it 14-0 Irish.
4:24 pm - Answer to the trivia question: "Brian's Song". Thank you, thank you.
4:32 pm - Notre Dame is pouring it on against Nevada, now leading 21-0. Remember how I said that one was gonna be closer than people thought? Yeah, never mind. Wake Forest scored a touchdown to close the gap to 3 points against Baylor. San Jose State QB Kyle Reed got his bell rung, so he's out for the time being, which a deathwish against the Trojans for the Spartans. Backups aren't going to win that game for you; just a thought.
4:33 pm - My roommate's old laptop has gone batty on me, so I had to move to the desktop in his room for the time being. Luckily, I only have to tilt my body a little bit to see the TVs in the living room, so I'm not completely shut out. I'll go back to the laptop in about 10 minutes. Gotta let it breathe for a minute or two.
4:35 pm - Is there anything Baylor QB Robert Griffin can't do? He runs, he throws, he punts? Yeah, on 4th and 3, Griffin just pooch-punted a ball down to the Wake Forest 5 yard line. Nice form, too. This guy's a freak. In case you hadn't heard, he went to the U.S. Olympic team trials in the 400m hurdles. Crazy.
4:38 pm - Missouri extends their lead to 13-3. I must admit, I'm impressed with the Tigers. I figured they'd lose a bit of their offensive punch after losing Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, and Dave Christensen. However, they've looked relatively smooth today against a good Illinois defense and are putting points up on the board. Tip of the cap to coach Gary Pinkel and his staff.
4:40 pm - Uh oh. Melanie Oudin was up 3-1 on Maria Sharapova in the 3rd set but Sharapova just broke her in the 6th game to tie it at 3 games apiece. Sharapova is now serving for the lead. Come on, Melanie, stay strong, girl. Do it for Uncle Sam.
4:41 pm - This is why I need a commentating job ASAP. Missouri LB Will Weatherspoon has a family member wearing a shirt that lists "Spoon's Hit List" and includes a group of quarterbacks. One of the quarterbacks on the list is Nebraska QB Zac Lee. ESPN's commentators, Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham, apparently don't know who Nebraska's starting quarterback is, because they make a joke about 'Spoon's family member meaning "Zac Robinson" the quarterback at Oklahoma State. Little do they know, the joke is on them because the girl got it right and the "experts" at ESPN have no idea who one of the starting quarterbacks in a conference they broadcast games for is. Ridiculous.
4:47 pm - USC is finally getting things going now. Rather than let their freshman QB throw, they are choosing to run, run, and run some more. Stafon Johnson adds his second touchdown of the game to give the Trojans a 14-3 lead. With Reed out, San Jose State cannot move the ball and has turned it over some as well. Not that we expected them to win, but they're going south in a hurry after starting the game admirably.
4:49 pm - Melanie Oudin breaks Sharapova right back and is now serving for a 5-3 lead in the final set. She just hit one into the net, so they're at deuce, but she's been taking it right at Sharapova all match long and looks to have what it takes to win right now. I hope I didn't just jinx her.
4:51 pm - Oops. Sharapova wins the game and is now tied at 4 and serving. My bad, Melanie.
4:52 pm - With 11 seconds to go in the first half, Baylor misses a 45-yard field goal attempt. The score is still 10-7 Bears at the half. Even though this game has more points than Georgia-Oklahoma State, I'd still rather be watching the Pokes and Dawgs. Speaking of which, Oklahoma State is in Georgia territory, but has yet to put up any points all half. They have 2 minutes and 32 seconds to score in the first half from the Bulldog 46.
4:54 pm - Ok, it's getting ugly in LA now. The Trojans have tacked on another one, as RB Allen Bradford scores from 44 yards out. This one is now curtains, and I believe I'll watch the entire Illinois-Missouri game from here on out, unless there is a stoppage in time.
4:55 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Notre Dame. What a beatdown. The small TV was changed to the Irish game once Baylor went to half, and I got it over there just in time to see Notre Dame score. 28-0 after the extra point with just under two minutes to go in the half.
4:57 pm - On the big TV, Missouri audaciously goes for it on 4th down from the Illinois 33. Blaine Gabbert completes the pass to Danario Alexander for a Tiger first down. I'm telling you, Gabbert looks good.
4:58 pm - I'm back on the laptop in the man cave now, so things are back to normal. Contorting my body to see the TVs was getting old.
4:59 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. Zac Robinson finds stud WR Dez Bryant for a 46-yard touchdown. With 2:14 to go in the first half, the Cowboys and Bulldogs are now tied at 7. This could get fun in the second half.
5:01 pm - Missouri adds on a field goal just before the half to make it 16-3. Meanwhile, Melanie Oudin just broke Sharapova AGAIN, giving her a 6-5 lead in the 3rd set. She'll be serving for the match, but the way this thing is going, I'm not even sure if that's a good thing. The tennis match has been moved to the big TV because the only games on right now are USC-San Jose State and Michigan-Western Michigan. The Wolverines are dump-trucking Western Michigan 31-0, so that's no fun, and you already know how the USC game is going.
5:06 pm - Match point for Oudin. This is exciting. She's been taking to Sharapova all match long, and now is thisclose to getting the victory. Come on, girl; close it out.
5:07 pm - Unbelievable. Showing the poise of someone much older than her 17 years, Oudin wins the final set 7-5. She takes the match and advances to the 4th round to face Nadia Petrova. I like this. She's an American girl who built her entire season around making a run at the Open, and now she's doing it. Good for her. I think it's awesome that she gets the chance to beat another Russian next round, too. Beating Russians is never a bad thing in any sport. Never gets old, either.
5:10 pm - Tennessee scored 63 points in Lane Kiffin's debut today. That'll play.
5:11 pm - Oklahoma State kicks a field goal to take a 10-7 lead into the half. They struggled offensively to start things off, but maybe they'll relax in the second half now that they have a lead despite playing so poorly.
5:13 pm - Wow, this sucks. Baylor-Wake Forest, Notre Dame-Nevada, USC-San Jose State, Missouri-Illinois, and the U.S. Open are all at commercial or the half. Despite being rotating 5 events on my two TVs, I have only the blowout in Ann Arbor to watch. Great.
5:17 pm - Talk about a change of momentum. After getting the ball to start the half, Wake Forest turned it over. Then, on their first play from scrimmage, Baylor runs a sweet half option/half shovel pass play and takes it to the barn. 17-7 Bears in the blink of an eye.
5:21 pm - Wendi Nix still has that "Hot for Teacher" thing going on. I'm a fan. I wonder how that came about. Maybe she forgot her contact solution at home today? Whatever it was, I'm not complaining that it happened.
5:22 pm - Ok, CBS, let's go. I know you have a bunch of bills to pay, but there's no reason to take 5 minutes of commercials for no reason. Roddick/Isner are warming up, but Sam Querrey is in a battle with Robin Soderling and Tommy Haas is playing Fernando Verdasco. Goodness.
5:23 pm - Apparently, they heard me, because we're now watching Verdasco-Haas on the big TV. Thanks, CBS; you're too kind.
5:29 pm - I'm using this down time to catch up on scores that I may have missed. East Carolina held on to beat App State 29-24, which is kinda sloppy. Air Force hung 72 on Nicholls State, a school record. That's impressive. Meanwhile, on their first drive out of the half, Missouri is walking right down the field on Illinois.
5:30 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Blaine Gabbert to Jerrell Jackson for the score. This is a beatdown and I'm on the Gabbert bandwagon now. Dude looks good. No homo.
5:32 pm - Remember how I said that Oklahoma State should be able to relax after the half? Yeah, Perrish Cox just returned the opening kickoff of the half 74 yards down to the Georgia 24 yard line. That'll help the Cowboys relax if they weren't already.
5:34 pm - This Haas/Verdasco match is good, but I want to see Andy Roddick and John Isner. CBS is giving us immediate updates on it, but I didn't turn it here to see Verdasco and Haas. After splitting the first two sets, they're in a tiebreaker in the 3rd set, so it's clearly a good match. I'd just rather watch the two Americans go after each other, especially when one is my favorite tennis player. Call me crazy.
5:37 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Notre Dame. Jimmy Clausen launches one to Michael Floyd for an 88-yard score. 35-0 Irish, and I'm looking more and more like an idiot. With them play so well on offense, and Michigan also putting up points by the bushel, get ready for the hype machine to be revving up in anticipation of their game next week in Ann Arbor.
5:39 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Baylor. Robert Griffin threw a screen to Ernest Smith, who then threw it to Lanear Sampson for a 33-yard touchdown. Nice play drawn up by coach Art Briles to catch the Deacons napping.
5:42 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. After the long kickoff return, the Cowboys punch it in with a 2-yard Zac Robinson run. Boldly, the Cowboys went for it on 4th and 1 from the Georgia 3 yard line. That's setting a tone. I like it.
5:46 pm - Ok, here we go. Isner/Roddick is now the feature match on CBS. These are two hard-hitters who will have problems breaking one another. I give the edge to Roddick because he's more mobile than the 6'9" Isner. That's what I'm hoping for, at least.
5:51 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Gabbert throws a strike to Jared Perry, who does the rest and runs it in for the score. This a whitewashing now as the Tigers lead 30-3.
5:53 pm - Sometime as I was perusing other games, Wake punched in a touchdown to cut the Baylor lead to 24-14. The Bears are on the attack again, though, so it remains to be seen if they can get any closer than 10.
5:59 pm - CBS's coverage has ended for the evening, so now I'm over to the Tennis Channel to watch Roddick/Isner. This complicates things because the Tennis Channel is only available on a digital cable channel, so I can only watch it on the big TV. The small TV is going to keep me locked into football for the time being. Can I rotate 3 or 4 games on one TV successfully? We're about to find out.
6:01 pm - Missouri is up 30-3, Notre Dame is up 35-0, and USC is up 42-3. Maybe I won't need to rotate so many games after all. Watching Baylor-Wake Forest seems to be my only option at this point. That game is still 24-14 Bears, by the way. For the record, Roddick and Isner are tied at 5 games apiece in the first set.
6:05 pm - Shoutout to my laptop. This thing has made a comeback similar to BYU against SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl (Google it). After struggling for a while an hour or so ago, this thing has been humming like a sewing machine ever since I let it sleep for a minute or two. It reminds me of me in that regard.
6:07 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Illinois. Mikel Leshoure runs it in from a couple yards out. The extra point is no good, so even when the Illini do something right, they do another thing wrong. 30-9 in the Arch Rivalry. Elsewhere, Georgia has added a field goal to cut Oklahoma State's lead to 17-10. The Cowboys are on the prowl again, so we'll see how long this lead lasts at 7.
6:09 pm - I think I'm hungry again. During the Wake Forest-Baylor game, they cut to a camera shot of some barbeque being made at the concession stands. That looked fantastic. I'd take a whole plate of that right now. Alas.
6:13 pm - Isner just went ahead of Roddick 4-2 in the first set tiebreak. He won both points that Roddick served. Very impressive.
6:14 pm - According to my TV listings, the only games coming on at 7 (phase 3 of a Saturday) are Oklahoma-BYU on ESPN and La Tech-Auburn on ESPNU. I'll check out most of the first game obviously, but the second game is intriguing since Auburn is installing their new offense. I want to see if coordinator Gus Malzahn can put up points on the board in game one. Yes, I know Florida is also on, but I'm not much one to watch massacres.
6:16 pm - Isner takes the first set from Roddick, 7-6 (7-3). Come on, Andy; get it together.
6:18 pm - Back on ESPN on the big TV, and Missouri is on the move yet again. TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Blaine Gabbert strolls in on an 8-yard quarterback draw. This guy has looked great today. He hasn't forced any passes, he's made some good runs, and he's led them to 37 points in his debut. Nice job, Blaine. 37-9 Tigers with just under 9 minutes left in the game.
6:21 pm - Baylor QB Robert Griffin fumbles in Bears territory, putting Wake Forest in a great position to tighten things up. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, the Deacs trail 24-14, but could be in business after the turnover.
6:25 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Wake Forest. Andrew Parker catches a 5-yard strike from Riley Skinner. The extra point cuts the Baylor lead to 24-21 with just 3:57 remaining in the game. No, this still doesn't make up for me missing Oklahoma State-Georgia.
6:32 pm - Georgia just fumbled the ball on their own 36, giving the Cowboys a great scoring opportunity. With just under 9 minutes left, a touchdown here would push the lead to 14, which would obviously be huge.
6:34 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. Zac Robinson once again hooks up with Dez Bryant for a 12-yard touchdown. 24-10 Oklahoma State. That'd 3 TDs total for Robinson, and 2 receiving for Bryant. Big players make big plays in big games.
6:37 pm - Questionable call by Art Briles. Leading 24-21 with 1:23 to go, he tried a pass play on 3rd down even though Wake has no timeouts left. Simply running it into the line would've left Wake with about 45 seconds left to score. Now, Wake has a minute and 20 seconds. We'll see if this comes back to bite Baylor.
6:39 pm - Uh oh. Isner just broke Roddick to take a 4-2 lead in the second set. He'll now serve to take a big lead in the match. Going up two sets to none on Roddick would be bad news for Andy.
6:40 pm - That'll wrap things up in Winston-Salem. Riley Skinner is unable to complete a desperation pass on 4th down, and Baylor will take over with 26 seconds to go. Isner takes a 5-2 lead on Roddick in the second set, so it'll take a heroic effort from Roddick to pull himself out of this hole. Color me stunned.
6:45 pm - Well, all it took was the Baylor-Wake Forest game to end early for me to watch Oklahoma State-Georgia. ABC has switched the coverage down to Stillwater, and I'll gladly watch the last 5 minutes. It's still weird hearing Matt Millen call games. After the ineptitude his Detroit Lions showed the last few years, I'm not sure if I can trust him on football-related matters.
6:48 pm - Isner closes out the set by winning 6-3, and now he's up two sets to none on Roddick. I'm not giving up on Andy yet, because tennis is a sport of momentum, but it's clear that Isner is in the driver's seat right now.
6:49 pm - I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do about dinner. I'm like 99% sure that I'm going to grab a couple hot dogs at this place down the street, but I don't know when. I should probably go early in the BYU-Oklahoma game so that I don't miss too much of it. However, I'm not entirely hungry right now, so I may have to wait longer. Halftime of that game is probably an hour and a half away, so that's too long. I'll probably suck it up and go while the games are being played. I'll let you know how that goes for me.
6:51 pm - It's time to turn out the lights on Georgia. With 3:32 to go, they face a 4th and 5 at midfield. The pass is tipped up and intercepted, thus ending the Bulldogs' rally. If they're going to compete in the SEC, Georgia needs to sharpen up their offense a little bit. I don't care how good their D is, you can't win games by only scoring 10 points. It's not like Oklahoma State's defense is going to be confused with the '85 Chicago Bears any time soon, yet Georgia couldn't manage anything for the final 3.5 quarters. On the other hand, it's a great win for Oklahoma State. Though they looked a little rattled early, they showed some resilience and capitalized on every opportunity. That's what contenders do. We won't know much more about the Pokes until Texas comes to town, but you have to feel good about your team if you're head coach Mike Gundy right now.
7:00 pm - It's all over in Stillwater. Cowboys 24, Bulldogs 10. I'm now heading over to ESPN for the Oklahoma-BYU game taking place at the Cowboys Spaceship in Dallas. Brad Nessler is calling the game, which is music to my ears, literally. He's my favorite play-by-play guy and even though he's without longtime partner Bob Greise this year, I think he'll do well with Todd Blackledge at his side.
7:03 pm - Isner has Roddick's number. They're at deuce in game 3 of the second set, but Andy has been unable to get anything easy against Isner. He wins the game to go up 2-1, but has no margin for error the rest of this match. Let's see what he's made of.
7:10 pm - The Sooners come out looking a little sluggish and are forced to punt. Replacing 4 offensive linemen is never easy, so look for Oklahoma to need a few series to get things going. Sam Bradford was surrounded by talent on the line and at receiver last year, but it'll be up to him to make plays for the new guys this year.
7:12 pm - No such sluggishness for the Cougars. QB Max Hall has come out looking sharp, taking BYU into Oklahoma territory already.
7:15 pm - BYU is on the move. Bryan Kariya rushes for a first down at the Oklahoma 29 yard line. If the Cougars can get some early momentum, they're plucky enough to make it an interesting night for the Sooners. Roddick holds serve against Isner, taking a 3-2 lead in the third set. Eventually, he'll have to break Isner, because he's shown no ability to take a tiebreak against him. Isner is dictating pace and making Roddick chase his shots all around the court.
7:18 pm - Huge error by BYU. Rather than netting a 41-yard field goal, they are called for a delay of game penalty and miss the next kick. Instead of being up 3-0, they are still scoreless and have given some momentum back to Oklahoma.
7:24 pm - Ok, let's say this again: huge error by BYU. McKay Jacobson muffed the punt, and now the Sooners have the ball at the BYU 35. A bad idea to try and field the wayward punt, and it's probably going to cost the Cougars big time.
7:27 pm - WOW. What a point between Isner and Roddick. Facing break point, Roddick was run all over the court by Isner but hit shot after shot to finally break through and break Isner. He's now up 5-3 and is serving. If he's going to get back into the match, he'll have to ride this wave of momentum and hope to rattle the less-experienced Isner.
7:30 - Roddick closes out the set with a 6-3 win. He's now down two sets to one, but has more momentum than at any point before in the match. If he can get the fourth set, I like his chances in 5. However, if he can't capitalize on this run and allows Isner to dictate the pace again this set, he'll be out in 4. Let's see what happens.
7:31 pm - Facing a crucial 3rd and 12, Oklahoma converts down to the 9 yard line.
7:32 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma. Bradford throws a dart to Ryan Broyles, giving the Sooners the first score of the evening. Extra point is good, and it's 7-0 OU.
7:41 pm - BYU makes another mistake as Max Hall throws an interception right to Oklahoma LB Ryan Reynolds. The return takes the ball to the BYU 30 yard line, and OU is back in business.
7:43 pm - And just like that, OU is out of business. DeMarco Murray made a good run, but was stripped of the ball by BYU defender Andrew Rich. The Cougars must deal with starting at their own 5 yard line, but it's better than being down 14-0.
7:44 pm - I'm off to get dinner. I forgot that the U.S. men's soccer team plays tonight in a World Cup qualifier at 8 o'clock, so I gotta go and get back before then. Wish me luck on my journey.
8:00 pm - I'm back. I'm getting ready to eat, but I just wanted you to know that I made it in time. Mission accomplished. Hopefully, the Sams will follow my lead.
8:17 pm - Alright, that was delicious. Hot dogs are underrated, man. So good.
8:18 pm - Lots going on right now. BYU fumbled in the end zone and allowed Oklahoma to get a touchback. Andy Roddick and John Isner are at 5-5 in the 4th set. Virginia Tech and Alabama just kicked off. The U.S. men's soccer team is trying to take down El Salvador in Utah. I have no idea what kind of rhythm I'm going to get into, but I'm interested to find out. Right now, tennis is on the big TV and BYU-Oklahoma is on the small TV. Soccer is on the big TV flashback, and Alabama-VT is on the small TV flashback.
8:20 pm - Roddick FINALLY breaks Isner. He's up 6-5 in the 4th set and will be serving to tie the match at two sets apiece. Oh, and Indiana State just went up 7-3 on Louisville midway through the first quarter. Go Trees.
8:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, BYU. Andrew George catches a 5-yard strike from Max Hall to give the Cougars their first score of the game. 7-7 in Dallas. Meanwhile, Roddick closes out Isner in the 4th set. 2-2 going into the 5th. Color me excited.
8:27 pm - Isner doesn't look quite right. He's walking around with a slight limp and looks tired. His shots don't have the same zip that they did early on. Over 2 hours carrying around a 6'9" frame will do that to you.
8:29 pm - Oklahoma has moved into BYU territory with 20 seconds left in the first half. They're not quite in field goal range, though, so they'll need another play or two to score.
8:33 pm - Oh. My. Goodness. Sam Bradford, attempting to make a play before the half ends, landed on his shoulder while being knocked down. He stayed down for a while and had to be helped off the field. It looks like a broken collar bone to me the way it occurred, but hopefully I'm way off. That's just not good. The Sooners added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 2 seconds to go, but obviously that's of less importance than Bradford's injury to Sooner Nation.
8:34 pm - Willie P just texted me to tell me that if I'm watching soccer on a football Saturday, he's spending my inheritance this week. Oops. I hope you guys can keep a secret.
8:37 pm - Virginia Tech-Alabama is now on the small TV and the Tide lead 3-0. Don't ask me how it happened, I'm not sure. I was too busy watching Oklahoma's season go straight down the tubes.
8:38 pm - Great catch by Darius Hanks of Alabama. He bailed out QB Greg McElroy who looked to have overthrown the open receiver. A diving grab by Hanks gives the Tide a 35-yard gain down to the Virginia Tech 17 yard line.
8:42 pm - Alabama makes a field goal to take a 6-0 lead over VT. Isner and Roddick are tied at 2 games apiece in the 5th set. El Salvador just knocked in a header to take a 1-0 lead over the Americans. Crap.
8:43 pm - Just like that, things have changed in Atlanta. Virginia Tech returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the house. 7-6 Hokies. Special teams are big in a game like this where scoring is expected to be low. If you can steal 7 points like that, it's a huge deal.
8:45 pm - Isner is cramping up, and has summoned the trainer to help him out. Supposedly, the trainer whipped him up an elixir with coconut butter in it or something. I'm not really sure what that means, but that's what they told me on TV.
8:52 pm - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! The U.S. ties the game on a header by Clint Dempsey. Great send-in by Landon Donovan on the free kick, and Dempsey put it through with a diving header. Great play, Sams.
8:52 pm - In the Alabama-VT game, special teams show their head again as Virginia Tech muffs a punt. The Tide take over inside the VT 15 yard line with 3:15 to go in the 1st quarter.
8:54 pm - Alabama converts the turnover into a field goal, their 3rd of the game. 9-7 Tide, but if they don't start scoring touchdowns instead of field goals, they're going to regret it later.
9:01 pm - Roddick wins his game to tie the set at 5-5. Remember, this is the U.S. Open, so tiebreaks occur in the final set. We're on pace to see that right now. Elsewhere, Virginia Tech trails Alabama 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
9:02 pm - Landry Jones is now leading the Sooner offense as Sam Bradford is on the sideline with his arm in a sling. Not good. I really hope it's just a sprain, but it's not looking promising.
9:03 pm - Crap, I missed another American goal. We've gone up 2-1 on El Salvador at the half. That's relieving; I was worried about how we'd respond after giving up the early score. Now I know.
9:05 pm - After double-faulting the point before, Isner rips an ace past Roddick to go up 6-5 in the final set. Either he'll win 7-5 or we'll go to a tiebreak to decide this match. You guys already know what I'm hoping for.
9:08 pm - Roddick holds serve and we head to a tiebreak for the match. This has been one incredible match. I'm thrilled that I got to see it, quite honestly.
9:09 pm - After doing some research, I see that Jozy Altidore scored the second goal for the U.S. in extra time. Good for him, he's having a very good summer so far.
9:11 pm - Both men hold serve, and we're at 2-1 Roddick in the tiebreak. Isner gets the next two serves, so this could tell us a lot about the outcome.
9:12 pm - Isner holds serve on his breaks and gets a 3-2 lead. Serve now back to Roddick for the next two. Goodness gracious this is intense.
9:14 pm - Isner steals a point and now leads 4-3. He'll get the next two serves to take a 6-3 lead.
9:16 pm - Isner plays beautifully and scores off both serves. He leads 6-3 with two serves going to Roddick. Even if he gets them both, he'll have to break Isner to win. Isner is in the driver's seat.
9:17 pm - Roddick scores both points and now trails 5-6. Isner will serve for the match. Crazy.
9:17 pm - ISNER WINS!!! What a match. He doesn't get the ace, but gets Roddick to hit one into the net. Obviously, Roddick is disappointed and storms off the court after congratulating Isner. This is the biggest win of John Isner's young career, as he's moved into the 4th round of the U.S. Open after beating the highest-ranked American in the tournament. Fabulous match. Thanks, fellas, for putting on such a good show. Wow. I'm breathless.
9:20 pm - The funny thing about this is that the Oudin-Sharapova and Roddick-Isner matches went WAY over on time, so they have just ended the day session in New York. Yes, that's right, the day session. So there are two more matches to be played tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium. I hope everybody brought their coffee; we're going late into the evening tonight.
9:25 pm - Okay, after the tennis interlude, we're back to football on both TVs. Oklahoma-BYU is on the big TV and Alabama-Virginia Tech is on the small TV. Oklahoma still leads 10-7 despite losing Sam Bradford, and Virginia Tech leads 10-7 after tacking on a field goal.
9:27 pm - I'm bummed out right now. I went into my room to feed my fish and I noticed that another one of my fish has died. That makes four out of the six that I bought back in April. I have a disease that's permeating the tank and no matter what I do, it always comes back. I change the water regularly, I bought some solution for the water, but no matter what, it creeps back in. R.I.P. Bootsy, keep it real on the other side.
9:34 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Alabama. After working their way down the field methodically, the Tide gave it to RB Roy Upchurch for a 19-yard scamper. The extra point makes it 16-10 Tide with 3 minutes to go in the first half.
9:38 pm - Oklahoma seems content to run the ball with their dynamic running duo, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Their defense has stepped up since Bradford went down, so this plan may work. However, it's easy for people to stack up the line of scrimmage, so they'll need to try something else in the following weeks.
9:40 pm - U.S. forward Charlie Davies goes down with an injury. It looks bad, possibly rendering him unable to play Wednesday against Trinidad & Tobago in another qualifying match. That wouldn't be good. Stuart Holden is on to take his place.
9:42 pm - I don't mean to be Donny Downer here, but Tyrod Taylor isn't that good. The Virginia Tech QB has been hyped from day one, but the results just aren't there. He threw two (yes, 2) touchdown passes all of last season. I understand that Alabama has a good defense, but Taylor has done absolutely nothing this half. If he's supposed to be your game-changer, shouldn't he at least be able to make one play to help your chances? I don't get it.
9:45 pm - After thinking it over, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops decides to settle for a field goal attempt rather than go for it on 4th and goal. Good decision. The field goal is good and OU leads 13-7. BYU has looked lost on offense in the second half, but they'll need to find a way to get a touchdown in the last 11:47 of the game in order to put the pressure back on Oklahoma.
9:52 pm - Sometimes, all it takes is a little pressure to see how a team will perform. Facing an important drive, the BYU Cougars have put together a nice stretch here to get down to the Sooner 35 yard line. They must convert this to points, though, or else it's all for naught.
9:54 pm - Halftime in Atlanta. Virginia Tech leads 17-16 at the half. A pretty entertaining game thus far. Freshman RB Ryan Williams, replacing Darren Evans, got his first touchdown of his career with just over a minute to go in the half.
9:56 pm - BYU is now knocking on the door with a 2nd and goal. Just under 5 minutes to go in Dallas.
9:57 pm - Oklahoma is called for defensive pass interference in the end zone, so BYU will get the ball at the 2 yard line and a first down. Here's your game, people.
10:00 pm - TOUCHDOWN, BYU. Max Hall finds a wide open receiver in the back of the end zone, giving BYU a 14-13 lead with just over 3 minutes to go. Remember, Bradford is out, so OU will have to rely on the arm of Landry Jones to win the game. Chances of this happening: I say 18%.
10:02 pm - The United States soccer team refused to clear the ball out of the box in extra time at the end of the second half, so I just yelled at the top of my lungs for them to clear it out. They did. Ballgame over. 3 points for the Yanks.
10:03 pm - Ok, now the Sooners-Cougars game is moved to the big TV so that I can watch the drive of the game in sterling HD. On the small TV, I'm kicking off with Maryland and California. Cal owes the Terps one from last year, so look for them to come out strong.
10:07 pm - I just saw that William & Mary beat Virginia 26-14 today. Al Groh, your seat is a little warmer now.
10:09 pm - Landry Jones is 3/7 for 24 yards tonight. That's all you need to know about Oklahoma's chances in this game.
10:11 pm - Jones is trying to make me look like an idiot. He throws a nice pass to his tight end, who takes it down to the BYU 33.
10:14 pm - WOW. With a 3rd and 9 from the 33, Oklahoma gets called for a false start. Now it's 3rd and 14 from the 38, putting them out of field goal range.
10:16 pm - Timeout Oklahoma. 4th and 14 at the BYU 38 yard line with 1:28 to go. Here's your ballgame.
10:18 pm - Insanity in Dallas. Oklahoma tries a field goal from 54 yards out and miss left and short. BYU takes over with 1:23 to go and Oklahoma only has one timeout. Turn out the lights, the party's over.
10:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, CAL. Jahvid Best with a 73-yard scamper, showcasing his breakaway speed. It only took him two carries to score this year. That guy's good.
10:27 pm - Maryland turns the ball over with a fumble, and now Cal has the ball on Maryland's 23 yard line. A strike from Kevin Riley to Marvin Jones puts it at the 3. It may be Jahvid Best time again.
10:28 pm - Jahvid Best indeed. He gets the handoff from Riley, leaps from the 4-yard line and lands in the end zone for a California touchdown. It's under review, but it'll stand. 13-0 Cal, extra point pending.
10:30 pm - The touchdown stands and Cal tacks on the extra point. 14-0. I told you they'd come out strong. I hope you believed me.
10:32 pm - Maryland is on the move. Responding to the most recent Cal score, the Terps are down on the Cal 19 already. Chris Turner has settled the offense by completing a handful of passes and getting moderate gains.
10:35 pm - Cal is called for a penalty after stopping Maryland on 3rd down, so it's 1st and goal Terps at the California 3 yard line.
10:37 pm - Maryland scores, but is called for an ineligible receiver downfield. They're moved back five yards and now have 3rd and goal from the 8.
10:38 pm - Cal tips away the Turner pass, so Maryland must settle for a field goal attempt. By the way, Maryland-Cal is on the small TV and Virginia Tech-Alabama is on the big TV. Tennis is on the big TV flashback and Washington-LSU is on the small TV flashback. I know you were wondering, so I figured I'd clear that up.
10:39 pm - FUMBLE!!! Roy Upchurch gets a nice gain through the VT defense, but is stripped and loses control. The Hokies recover on their own 11 yard line. 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter.
10:41 pm - After a first down run by Tyrod Taylor, Josh Oglesby rushes for 7 yards and, all of a sudden, VT is on the move.
10:43 pm - A long pass play gets Washington down to the LSU 20 yard line. Don't hurt 'em, Huskies.
10:45 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Washington. Jake Locker throws a strike to James Johnson for a 17 yard touchdown. With the extra point, the Huskies lead 7-0. Wow, that's a surprise.
10:50 pm - Jordan Jefferson, LSU's quarterback, gets a nice gain through the Husky defense to respond to the Washington score. Charles Scott follows that up with a good gain, and LSU is already down to the UW 35 yard line.
10:57 pm - Yes, I just turned it to the Buffalo-UTEP game. Everything else is at commercial, and I wanted to check this one off my list. Just starting the second half, Buffalo leads 16-7.
10:59 pm - Back on the small TV, Maryland has driven down to the Cal 25 yard line. They keep knocking on the door, but they need touchdowns if they're gonna have a chance to win. On the big TV, Virginia Tech got the ball back, but was unable to do anything with it. They'll punt it back to Alabama, which has been a recurring motif this evening.
11:01 pm - Maryland kicks a field goal to cut the deficit to 8 points. Buffalo punches in another touchdown and leads 23-7 in El Paso. LSU is unable to get a touchdown on 3rd and goal, and must now settle for a field goal attempt.
11:03 pm - LSU converts the field goal, so they trail Washington 7-3. They look a little sluggish, which is to be expected when you travel across the country to play a team worse than you in week one.
11:04 pm - Greg McElroy, Alabama's QB, launches a deep ball to Marquis Maze to set up a Mark Ingram TOUCHDOWN run. The Tide have outgained the Hokies all game, but now the scoreboard is finally in their favor as well. The two-point conversion is good and the Tide now lead 24-17. Momentum has swung, ladies and gentlemen, and the Hokies must do something to stem the tide. Yes, pun intended.
11:07 pm - TOUCHDOWN, LSU. After tipping Jake Locker's pass, LB Jake Cutrera picks it off and takes it to the barn. 10-7 Tigers in the flash of an eye. Impressive play by Cutrera.
11:08 pm - Cal connects on a deep ball to Verran Tucker and now has a 2nd and goal opportunity.
11:10 pm - After a penalty and a couple of incompletions, Cal must settle for a field goal attempt. Field goal good, 17-6 Golden Bears.
11:11 pm - A turnover gives Alabama the ball back in Virginia Tech territory. Mark Ingram rushes up the middle for a big gain and it's 1st and goal Tide on the Hokie 4 yard line.
11:15 pm - Greg McElroy's 3rd down pass is incomplete and Leigh Tiffin converts a field goal for the Tide. 27-17 Alabama.
11:17 pm - Chris Turner is sacked by Cal's defense and fumbles. The Golden Bears recover and are in business near midfield. I would try to say something witty about the goings-on in the games, but I've been blogging for nearly 12 hours and can't even see straight. Don't worry, I feel a second win coming on.
11:18 pm - Virginia Tech gets another great kickoff return and Alabama commits a personal foul on top of that. The Hokies are starting on the Tide 32. They need points bad, real bad, Michael Jackson.
11:19 pm - Ryan Williams breaks loose and runs the ball down to the 2 yard line. The replay looks as if Williams actually got in the end zone, so this thing is under review. My guess is that Virginia Tech has a touchdown.
11:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Virginia Tech. Told ya. 27-24 Alabama. Meanwhile, Cal has just converted a crucial 3rd down and has 1st down at the Maryland 16 yard line.
11:24 pm - A strike from Riley to Marvin Jones gives Cal another first down, this time at the Maryland 3. 1st and goal, Bears.
11:25 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Kevin Riley beautifully eludes an oncoming pass-rusher and throws a touchdown pass to his tight end. Extra point good. 24-6 California.
11:26 pm - Mark Ingram gets another big gain for Alabama. He takes it into Virginia Tech territory and steals back some of the momentum from the Hokies. 8:42 remaining in the game.
11:29 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Alabama. McElroy throws a dump pass to Mark Ingram, who takes it 20 yards to the house. Extra point is good and the Tide lead 34-24. What an offensive explosion here in the second half. I'm impressed.
11:31 pm - Washington kicks a field goal to tie the game at 10 against LSU. With the Cal and Alabama games taking up my TV space, I'm not entirely sure what happened. Keepin' it real.
11:33 pm - 473-163. That's how bad Alabama has outgained Virginia Tech tonight. For those not keeping score at home, that's almost a 3-1 ratio. It's surprising that this game is as close as it is.
11:34 pm - Alabama sacks Tyrod Taylor and now the Hokies are punting out of their own end zone with just over 5 minutes to go. What I'm trying to tell you is, this one is over.
11:35 pm - Jahvid Best gets a screen pass and takes it into Maryland territory. He's fast.
11:36 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Nyan Boateng got loose in the secondary and caught a 39-yard pass from Kevin Riley on a beautifully-thrown ball. Extra point good. 31-6 Cal with 25 seconds left in the first half. Wow.
11:42 pm - Cal takes their lead to the half and Virginia Tech is unable to do anything with their possession. I'm off to drop off my boys at the bar; I'll be back in a few.
11:59 pm - I'm back just in time to see LSU take the lead against Washington on a 45-yard TD reception. The Tigers now lead 17-10 with 1:15 to go in the first half.
12:01 am - James Blake is getting ready to go down two sets to zero against Tommy Robredo of Spain, so I'm probably not going back there for a while. Cal is still at the half and LSU is heading that way, so I'm looking for something to do. Crap, the UTEP-Buffalo game is at a commercial. Yes, I was just disappointed that Buffalo and UTEP were on a commercial.
12:03 am - Cal returns the opening kickoff back to midfield, so it looks like they're gonna pick up right where they left off. Mark Jones and Bob Davie are having an interesting conversation about the defensive coordinators' responsibilities at LSU and Washington. Yawn.
12:05 am - Jahvid Best (ho hum) carries for 40 yards down to the Maryland 14 yard line. That'll give him 131 yards on the game...and we just started the first half.
12:06 am - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Shane Vereen gives Best a breather and scores on a touchdown run of his own. He showed a nice burst there and also a little power, burrowing into the endzone. Extra point good. 38-6 Cal and we're barely a minute into the second half.
12:08 am - Jake Locker completes a deep ball to Devin Aguilar, who then takes it down to the LSU 20 yard line. I commend coach Steve Sarkisian for not choosing to kneel the ball and go into the half only down 7. He's attacking the LSU defense until the last second ticks off the clock. 17 seconds to go.
12:09 am - UTEP tacks on a field goal to cut the Buffalo lead down to 23-17. With just under 6 minutes to go, the Miners will need a quick stop to get a chance to win the ballgame. Buffalo should try to keep it on the ground if they can, trying to milk the clock.
12:11 am - Washington is unable to get into the endzone, but they kick a field goal as time expires, cutting the LSU lead to four. 17-13 Tigers at the half. Back to Buffalo-UTEP on the big TV; Cal-Maryland remaining on the small TV. I can't get the Miners-Bulls game on the little TV, so the decision was basically made for me.
12:17 am - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Kevin Riley throws a bomb to Marvin Jones, who comes down with the 40-yard score. Riley has been on fire tonight, as have the Golden Bears. 45-6 Cal, with 9:35 to go in the 3rd quarter. Blowout city.
12:19 am - I just saw that Albert Pujols hit a pinch-hit walkoff home run for St. Louis tonight. That guy is good. Just thought I'd tell you that.
12:20 am - UTEP forces a punt and now has 2:29 to score a touchdown. They don't have any timeouts, so QB Trevor Vittatoe needs to take them 80 yards in a hurry. His first pass is a strike to Adams for a gain of 9. Short gains equal big gains eventually. Remember that.
12:21 am - Another pass to Adams for a first down. The clock will stop as they move the chains, but the Miners need to be ready to go as soon as the clock starts again. Vittatoe to Adams again. This time up to the UTEP 44 yard line. Gain of 8. Clock at 1:38 and moving.
12:22 am - Incomplete pass stops the clock for UTEP. 1:32 to go. 3rd and 2. First down, Miners. Vittatoe keeps taking what the defense gives him and is now close to midfield. Impressive drive so far.
12:23 am - UTEP to the Buffalo 43 yard line after a 9-yard completion. Only a minute to go, though. Vittatoe's next pass is incomplete, so the clock stops at 52 seconds.
12:24 am - TOUCHDOWN, Maryland. Da'Rel Scott gets loose and scores on a long TD run. The extra point is up and good, so the Terps are now down 45-13. The UTEP incompletion is under review, so the Miners are taking this time to catch their breath and set up the last part of this potentially game-winning drive.
12:26 am - Incompletion is upheld. On 3rd and 2, Vittatoe hits his receiver for another first down. The Bulls are back on their heels, but UTEP is only at the Buffalo 38 yard line. Remember, they need a touchdown.
12:27 am - Vittatoe to Adams yet again. This one for 12 yards down to the Buffalo 26. His next pass is a short one that's caught, so the Miners must down the ball to stop the clock. They'll now face a 3rd and long with 19 seconds to go. Ball on, roughly, the Buffalo 24 yard line.
12:28 am - Officially, at the 21 yard line. TOUCHDOWN, UTEP. Wow. Vittatoe reached back and launched one to James Thomas for the score. But wait, there's a holding a call and a personal foul penalty on the same play. So now the Miners will be moved back 25 yards to the 42 yard line. With only 14 seconds left, UTEP needs a miracle now. That's unreal.
12:31 am - Pass incomplete by Vittatoe. With 7 seconds to go, UTEP will need a hail mary of sorts to win the game. Buffalo is playing with 4 men on the line and 7 men way back. Pass broken up; game over. Buffalo wins 23-17. What a finish. I'm glad I turned it over here. And you people wonder why I watch the mid-majors play, too. THAT was an exciting game.
12:33 am - Cal goes back to the big TV and LSU-Washington (though at the half) is moved to the small TV. These are the times at night when I start thinking back on the day and pick out the best and worst moments. A time for reflection, if you will. After all of the insanity of the day, we're down to two games only. Weird.
12:39 am - Cal is on the move again. The 3rd quarter comes to a close as the Bears enter Maryland territory. 45-13 Cal.
12:43 am - Alright folks, I hate to do this to you, but I'm signing off. I have to go pick up some friends from the bar and it'll be a while before I get back. If games are still being played, I'll blog some more. Regardless, it's been a busy, but fun, day and I appreciate your readership. Stay thirsty, my friends.
~~ Lank
4:51 pm - Oops. Sharapova wins the game and is now tied at 4 and serving. My bad, Melanie.
4:52 pm - With 11 seconds to go in the first half, Baylor misses a 45-yard field goal attempt. The score is still 10-7 Bears at the half. Even though this game has more points than Georgia-Oklahoma State, I'd still rather be watching the Pokes and Dawgs. Speaking of which, Oklahoma State is in Georgia territory, but has yet to put up any points all half. They have 2 minutes and 32 seconds to score in the first half from the Bulldog 46.
4:54 pm - Ok, it's getting ugly in LA now. The Trojans have tacked on another one, as RB Allen Bradford scores from 44 yards out. This one is now curtains, and I believe I'll watch the entire Illinois-Missouri game from here on out, unless there is a stoppage in time.
4:55 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Notre Dame. What a beatdown. The small TV was changed to the Irish game once Baylor went to half, and I got it over there just in time to see Notre Dame score. 28-0 after the extra point with just under two minutes to go in the half.
4:57 pm - On the big TV, Missouri audaciously goes for it on 4th down from the Illinois 33. Blaine Gabbert completes the pass to Danario Alexander for a Tiger first down. I'm telling you, Gabbert looks good.
4:58 pm - I'm back on the laptop in the man cave now, so things are back to normal. Contorting my body to see the TVs was getting old.
4:59 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. Zac Robinson finds stud WR Dez Bryant for a 46-yard touchdown. With 2:14 to go in the first half, the Cowboys and Bulldogs are now tied at 7. This could get fun in the second half.
5:01 pm - Missouri adds on a field goal just before the half to make it 16-3. Meanwhile, Melanie Oudin just broke Sharapova AGAIN, giving her a 6-5 lead in the 3rd set. She'll be serving for the match, but the way this thing is going, I'm not even sure if that's a good thing. The tennis match has been moved to the big TV because the only games on right now are USC-San Jose State and Michigan-Western Michigan. The Wolverines are dump-trucking Western Michigan 31-0, so that's no fun, and you already know how the USC game is going.
5:06 pm - Match point for Oudin. This is exciting. She's been taking to Sharapova all match long, and now is thisclose to getting the victory. Come on, girl; close it out.
5:07 pm - Unbelievable. Showing the poise of someone much older than her 17 years, Oudin wins the final set 7-5. She takes the match and advances to the 4th round to face Nadia Petrova. I like this. She's an American girl who built her entire season around making a run at the Open, and now she's doing it. Good for her. I think it's awesome that she gets the chance to beat another Russian next round, too. Beating Russians is never a bad thing in any sport. Never gets old, either.
5:10 pm - Tennessee scored 63 points in Lane Kiffin's debut today. That'll play.
5:11 pm - Oklahoma State kicks a field goal to take a 10-7 lead into the half. They struggled offensively to start things off, but maybe they'll relax in the second half now that they have a lead despite playing so poorly.
5:13 pm - Wow, this sucks. Baylor-Wake Forest, Notre Dame-Nevada, USC-San Jose State, Missouri-Illinois, and the U.S. Open are all at commercial or the half. Despite being rotating 5 events on my two TVs, I have only the blowout in Ann Arbor to watch. Great.
5:17 pm - Talk about a change of momentum. After getting the ball to start the half, Wake Forest turned it over. Then, on their first play from scrimmage, Baylor runs a sweet half option/half shovel pass play and takes it to the barn. 17-7 Bears in the blink of an eye.
5:21 pm - Wendi Nix still has that "Hot for Teacher" thing going on. I'm a fan. I wonder how that came about. Maybe she forgot her contact solution at home today? Whatever it was, I'm not complaining that it happened.
5:22 pm - Ok, CBS, let's go. I know you have a bunch of bills to pay, but there's no reason to take 5 minutes of commercials for no reason. Roddick/Isner are warming up, but Sam Querrey is in a battle with Robin Soderling and Tommy Haas is playing Fernando Verdasco. Goodness.
5:23 pm - Apparently, they heard me, because we're now watching Verdasco-Haas on the big TV. Thanks, CBS; you're too kind.
5:29 pm - I'm using this down time to catch up on scores that I may have missed. East Carolina held on to beat App State 29-24, which is kinda sloppy. Air Force hung 72 on Nicholls State, a school record. That's impressive. Meanwhile, on their first drive out of the half, Missouri is walking right down the field on Illinois.
5:30 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Blaine Gabbert to Jerrell Jackson for the score. This is a beatdown and I'm on the Gabbert bandwagon now. Dude looks good. No homo.
5:32 pm - Remember how I said that Oklahoma State should be able to relax after the half? Yeah, Perrish Cox just returned the opening kickoff of the half 74 yards down to the Georgia 24 yard line. That'll help the Cowboys relax if they weren't already.
5:34 pm - This Haas/Verdasco match is good, but I want to see Andy Roddick and John Isner. CBS is giving us immediate updates on it, but I didn't turn it here to see Verdasco and Haas. After splitting the first two sets, they're in a tiebreaker in the 3rd set, so it's clearly a good match. I'd just rather watch the two Americans go after each other, especially when one is my favorite tennis player. Call me crazy.
5:37 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Notre Dame. Jimmy Clausen launches one to Michael Floyd for an 88-yard score. 35-0 Irish, and I'm looking more and more like an idiot. With them play so well on offense, and Michigan also putting up points by the bushel, get ready for the hype machine to be revving up in anticipation of their game next week in Ann Arbor.
5:39 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Baylor. Robert Griffin threw a screen to Ernest Smith, who then threw it to Lanear Sampson for a 33-yard touchdown. Nice play drawn up by coach Art Briles to catch the Deacons napping.
5:42 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. After the long kickoff return, the Cowboys punch it in with a 2-yard Zac Robinson run. Boldly, the Cowboys went for it on 4th and 1 from the Georgia 3 yard line. That's setting a tone. I like it.
5:46 pm - Ok, here we go. Isner/Roddick is now the feature match on CBS. These are two hard-hitters who will have problems breaking one another. I give the edge to Roddick because he's more mobile than the 6'9" Isner. That's what I'm hoping for, at least.
5:51 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Gabbert throws a strike to Jared Perry, who does the rest and runs it in for the score. This a whitewashing now as the Tigers lead 30-3.
5:53 pm - Sometime as I was perusing other games, Wake punched in a touchdown to cut the Baylor lead to 24-14. The Bears are on the attack again, though, so it remains to be seen if they can get any closer than 10.
5:59 pm - CBS's coverage has ended for the evening, so now I'm over to the Tennis Channel to watch Roddick/Isner. This complicates things because the Tennis Channel is only available on a digital cable channel, so I can only watch it on the big TV. The small TV is going to keep me locked into football for the time being. Can I rotate 3 or 4 games on one TV successfully? We're about to find out.
6:01 pm - Missouri is up 30-3, Notre Dame is up 35-0, and USC is up 42-3. Maybe I won't need to rotate so many games after all. Watching Baylor-Wake Forest seems to be my only option at this point. That game is still 24-14 Bears, by the way. For the record, Roddick and Isner are tied at 5 games apiece in the first set.
6:05 pm - Shoutout to my laptop. This thing has made a comeback similar to BYU against SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl (Google it). After struggling for a while an hour or so ago, this thing has been humming like a sewing machine ever since I let it sleep for a minute or two. It reminds me of me in that regard.
6:07 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Illinois. Mikel Leshoure runs it in from a couple yards out. The extra point is no good, so even when the Illini do something right, they do another thing wrong. 30-9 in the Arch Rivalry. Elsewhere, Georgia has added a field goal to cut Oklahoma State's lead to 17-10. The Cowboys are on the prowl again, so we'll see how long this lead lasts at 7.
6:09 pm - I think I'm hungry again. During the Wake Forest-Baylor game, they cut to a camera shot of some barbeque being made at the concession stands. That looked fantastic. I'd take a whole plate of that right now. Alas.
6:13 pm - Isner just went ahead of Roddick 4-2 in the first set tiebreak. He won both points that Roddick served. Very impressive.
6:14 pm - According to my TV listings, the only games coming on at 7 (phase 3 of a Saturday) are Oklahoma-BYU on ESPN and La Tech-Auburn on ESPNU. I'll check out most of the first game obviously, but the second game is intriguing since Auburn is installing their new offense. I want to see if coordinator Gus Malzahn can put up points on the board in game one. Yes, I know Florida is also on, but I'm not much one to watch massacres.
6:16 pm - Isner takes the first set from Roddick, 7-6 (7-3). Come on, Andy; get it together.
6:18 pm - Back on ESPN on the big TV, and Missouri is on the move yet again. TOUCHDOWN, Missouri. Blaine Gabbert strolls in on an 8-yard quarterback draw. This guy has looked great today. He hasn't forced any passes, he's made some good runs, and he's led them to 37 points in his debut. Nice job, Blaine. 37-9 Tigers with just under 9 minutes left in the game.
6:21 pm - Baylor QB Robert Griffin fumbles in Bears territory, putting Wake Forest in a great position to tighten things up. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, the Deacs trail 24-14, but could be in business after the turnover.
6:25 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Wake Forest. Andrew Parker catches a 5-yard strike from Riley Skinner. The extra point cuts the Baylor lead to 24-21 with just 3:57 remaining in the game. No, this still doesn't make up for me missing Oklahoma State-Georgia.
6:32 pm - Georgia just fumbled the ball on their own 36, giving the Cowboys a great scoring opportunity. With just under 9 minutes left, a touchdown here would push the lead to 14, which would obviously be huge.
6:34 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma State. Zac Robinson once again hooks up with Dez Bryant for a 12-yard touchdown. 24-10 Oklahoma State. That'd 3 TDs total for Robinson, and 2 receiving for Bryant. Big players make big plays in big games.
6:37 pm - Questionable call by Art Briles. Leading 24-21 with 1:23 to go, he tried a pass play on 3rd down even though Wake has no timeouts left. Simply running it into the line would've left Wake with about 45 seconds left to score. Now, Wake has a minute and 20 seconds. We'll see if this comes back to bite Baylor.
6:39 pm - Uh oh. Isner just broke Roddick to take a 4-2 lead in the second set. He'll now serve to take a big lead in the match. Going up two sets to none on Roddick would be bad news for Andy.
6:40 pm - That'll wrap things up in Winston-Salem. Riley Skinner is unable to complete a desperation pass on 4th down, and Baylor will take over with 26 seconds to go. Isner takes a 5-2 lead on Roddick in the second set, so it'll take a heroic effort from Roddick to pull himself out of this hole. Color me stunned.
6:45 pm - Well, all it took was the Baylor-Wake Forest game to end early for me to watch Oklahoma State-Georgia. ABC has switched the coverage down to Stillwater, and I'll gladly watch the last 5 minutes. It's still weird hearing Matt Millen call games. After the ineptitude his Detroit Lions showed the last few years, I'm not sure if I can trust him on football-related matters.
6:48 pm - Isner closes out the set by winning 6-3, and now he's up two sets to none on Roddick. I'm not giving up on Andy yet, because tennis is a sport of momentum, but it's clear that Isner is in the driver's seat right now.
6:49 pm - I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do about dinner. I'm like 99% sure that I'm going to grab a couple hot dogs at this place down the street, but I don't know when. I should probably go early in the BYU-Oklahoma game so that I don't miss too much of it. However, I'm not entirely hungry right now, so I may have to wait longer. Halftime of that game is probably an hour and a half away, so that's too long. I'll probably suck it up and go while the games are being played. I'll let you know how that goes for me.
6:51 pm - It's time to turn out the lights on Georgia. With 3:32 to go, they face a 4th and 5 at midfield. The pass is tipped up and intercepted, thus ending the Bulldogs' rally. If they're going to compete in the SEC, Georgia needs to sharpen up their offense a little bit. I don't care how good their D is, you can't win games by only scoring 10 points. It's not like Oklahoma State's defense is going to be confused with the '85 Chicago Bears any time soon, yet Georgia couldn't manage anything for the final 3.5 quarters. On the other hand, it's a great win for Oklahoma State. Though they looked a little rattled early, they showed some resilience and capitalized on every opportunity. That's what contenders do. We won't know much more about the Pokes until Texas comes to town, but you have to feel good about your team if you're head coach Mike Gundy right now.
7:00 pm - It's all over in Stillwater. Cowboys 24, Bulldogs 10. I'm now heading over to ESPN for the Oklahoma-BYU game taking place at the Cowboys Spaceship in Dallas. Brad Nessler is calling the game, which is music to my ears, literally. He's my favorite play-by-play guy and even though he's without longtime partner Bob Greise this year, I think he'll do well with Todd Blackledge at his side.
7:03 pm - Isner has Roddick's number. They're at deuce in game 3 of the second set, but Andy has been unable to get anything easy against Isner. He wins the game to go up 2-1, but has no margin for error the rest of this match. Let's see what he's made of.
7:10 pm - The Sooners come out looking a little sluggish and are forced to punt. Replacing 4 offensive linemen is never easy, so look for Oklahoma to need a few series to get things going. Sam Bradford was surrounded by talent on the line and at receiver last year, but it'll be up to him to make plays for the new guys this year.
7:12 pm - No such sluggishness for the Cougars. QB Max Hall has come out looking sharp, taking BYU into Oklahoma territory already.
7:15 pm - BYU is on the move. Bryan Kariya rushes for a first down at the Oklahoma 29 yard line. If the Cougars can get some early momentum, they're plucky enough to make it an interesting night for the Sooners. Roddick holds serve against Isner, taking a 3-2 lead in the third set. Eventually, he'll have to break Isner, because he's shown no ability to take a tiebreak against him. Isner is dictating pace and making Roddick chase his shots all around the court.
7:18 pm - Huge error by BYU. Rather than netting a 41-yard field goal, they are called for a delay of game penalty and miss the next kick. Instead of being up 3-0, they are still scoreless and have given some momentum back to Oklahoma.
7:24 pm - Ok, let's say this again: huge error by BYU. McKay Jacobson muffed the punt, and now the Sooners have the ball at the BYU 35. A bad idea to try and field the wayward punt, and it's probably going to cost the Cougars big time.
7:27 pm - WOW. What a point between Isner and Roddick. Facing break point, Roddick was run all over the court by Isner but hit shot after shot to finally break through and break Isner. He's now up 5-3 and is serving. If he's going to get back into the match, he'll have to ride this wave of momentum and hope to rattle the less-experienced Isner.
7:30 - Roddick closes out the set with a 6-3 win. He's now down two sets to one, but has more momentum than at any point before in the match. If he can get the fourth set, I like his chances in 5. However, if he can't capitalize on this run and allows Isner to dictate the pace again this set, he'll be out in 4. Let's see what happens.
7:31 pm - Facing a crucial 3rd and 12, Oklahoma converts down to the 9 yard line.
7:32 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Oklahoma. Bradford throws a dart to Ryan Broyles, giving the Sooners the first score of the evening. Extra point is good, and it's 7-0 OU.
7:41 pm - BYU makes another mistake as Max Hall throws an interception right to Oklahoma LB Ryan Reynolds. The return takes the ball to the BYU 30 yard line, and OU is back in business.
7:43 pm - And just like that, OU is out of business. DeMarco Murray made a good run, but was stripped of the ball by BYU defender Andrew Rich. The Cougars must deal with starting at their own 5 yard line, but it's better than being down 14-0.
7:44 pm - I'm off to get dinner. I forgot that the U.S. men's soccer team plays tonight in a World Cup qualifier at 8 o'clock, so I gotta go and get back before then. Wish me luck on my journey.
8:00 pm - I'm back. I'm getting ready to eat, but I just wanted you to know that I made it in time. Mission accomplished. Hopefully, the Sams will follow my lead.
8:17 pm - Alright, that was delicious. Hot dogs are underrated, man. So good.
8:18 pm - Lots going on right now. BYU fumbled in the end zone and allowed Oklahoma to get a touchback. Andy Roddick and John Isner are at 5-5 in the 4th set. Virginia Tech and Alabama just kicked off. The U.S. men's soccer team is trying to take down El Salvador in Utah. I have no idea what kind of rhythm I'm going to get into, but I'm interested to find out. Right now, tennis is on the big TV and BYU-Oklahoma is on the small TV. Soccer is on the big TV flashback, and Alabama-VT is on the small TV flashback.
8:20 pm - Roddick FINALLY breaks Isner. He's up 6-5 in the 4th set and will be serving to tie the match at two sets apiece. Oh, and Indiana State just went up 7-3 on Louisville midway through the first quarter. Go Trees.
8:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, BYU. Andrew George catches a 5-yard strike from Max Hall to give the Cougars their first score of the game. 7-7 in Dallas. Meanwhile, Roddick closes out Isner in the 4th set. 2-2 going into the 5th. Color me excited.
8:27 pm - Isner doesn't look quite right. He's walking around with a slight limp and looks tired. His shots don't have the same zip that they did early on. Over 2 hours carrying around a 6'9" frame will do that to you.
8:29 pm - Oklahoma has moved into BYU territory with 20 seconds left in the first half. They're not quite in field goal range, though, so they'll need another play or two to score.
8:33 pm - Oh. My. Goodness. Sam Bradford, attempting to make a play before the half ends, landed on his shoulder while being knocked down. He stayed down for a while and had to be helped off the field. It looks like a broken collar bone to me the way it occurred, but hopefully I'm way off. That's just not good. The Sooners added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 2 seconds to go, but obviously that's of less importance than Bradford's injury to Sooner Nation.
8:34 pm - Willie P just texted me to tell me that if I'm watching soccer on a football Saturday, he's spending my inheritance this week. Oops. I hope you guys can keep a secret.
8:37 pm - Virginia Tech-Alabama is now on the small TV and the Tide lead 3-0. Don't ask me how it happened, I'm not sure. I was too busy watching Oklahoma's season go straight down the tubes.
8:38 pm - Great catch by Darius Hanks of Alabama. He bailed out QB Greg McElroy who looked to have overthrown the open receiver. A diving grab by Hanks gives the Tide a 35-yard gain down to the Virginia Tech 17 yard line.
8:42 pm - Alabama makes a field goal to take a 6-0 lead over VT. Isner and Roddick are tied at 2 games apiece in the 5th set. El Salvador just knocked in a header to take a 1-0 lead over the Americans. Crap.
8:43 pm - Just like that, things have changed in Atlanta. Virginia Tech returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the house. 7-6 Hokies. Special teams are big in a game like this where scoring is expected to be low. If you can steal 7 points like that, it's a huge deal.
8:45 pm - Isner is cramping up, and has summoned the trainer to help him out. Supposedly, the trainer whipped him up an elixir with coconut butter in it or something. I'm not really sure what that means, but that's what they told me on TV.
8:52 pm - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! The U.S. ties the game on a header by Clint Dempsey. Great send-in by Landon Donovan on the free kick, and Dempsey put it through with a diving header. Great play, Sams.
8:52 pm - In the Alabama-VT game, special teams show their head again as Virginia Tech muffs a punt. The Tide take over inside the VT 15 yard line with 3:15 to go in the 1st quarter.
8:54 pm - Alabama converts the turnover into a field goal, their 3rd of the game. 9-7 Tide, but if they don't start scoring touchdowns instead of field goals, they're going to regret it later.
9:01 pm - Roddick wins his game to tie the set at 5-5. Remember, this is the U.S. Open, so tiebreaks occur in the final set. We're on pace to see that right now. Elsewhere, Virginia Tech trails Alabama 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
9:02 pm - Landry Jones is now leading the Sooner offense as Sam Bradford is on the sideline with his arm in a sling. Not good. I really hope it's just a sprain, but it's not looking promising.
9:03 pm - Crap, I missed another American goal. We've gone up 2-1 on El Salvador at the half. That's relieving; I was worried about how we'd respond after giving up the early score. Now I know.
9:05 pm - After double-faulting the point before, Isner rips an ace past Roddick to go up 6-5 in the final set. Either he'll win 7-5 or we'll go to a tiebreak to decide this match. You guys already know what I'm hoping for.
9:08 pm - Roddick holds serve and we head to a tiebreak for the match. This has been one incredible match. I'm thrilled that I got to see it, quite honestly.
9:09 pm - After doing some research, I see that Jozy Altidore scored the second goal for the U.S. in extra time. Good for him, he's having a very good summer so far.
9:11 pm - Both men hold serve, and we're at 2-1 Roddick in the tiebreak. Isner gets the next two serves, so this could tell us a lot about the outcome.
9:12 pm - Isner holds serve on his breaks and gets a 3-2 lead. Serve now back to Roddick for the next two. Goodness gracious this is intense.
9:14 pm - Isner steals a point and now leads 4-3. He'll get the next two serves to take a 6-3 lead.
9:16 pm - Isner plays beautifully and scores off both serves. He leads 6-3 with two serves going to Roddick. Even if he gets them both, he'll have to break Isner to win. Isner is in the driver's seat.
9:17 pm - Roddick scores both points and now trails 5-6. Isner will serve for the match. Crazy.
9:17 pm - ISNER WINS!!! What a match. He doesn't get the ace, but gets Roddick to hit one into the net. Obviously, Roddick is disappointed and storms off the court after congratulating Isner. This is the biggest win of John Isner's young career, as he's moved into the 4th round of the U.S. Open after beating the highest-ranked American in the tournament. Fabulous match. Thanks, fellas, for putting on such a good show. Wow. I'm breathless.
9:20 pm - The funny thing about this is that the Oudin-Sharapova and Roddick-Isner matches went WAY over on time, so they have just ended the day session in New York. Yes, that's right, the day session. So there are two more matches to be played tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium. I hope everybody brought their coffee; we're going late into the evening tonight.
9:25 pm - Okay, after the tennis interlude, we're back to football on both TVs. Oklahoma-BYU is on the big TV and Alabama-Virginia Tech is on the small TV. Oklahoma still leads 10-7 despite losing Sam Bradford, and Virginia Tech leads 10-7 after tacking on a field goal.
9:27 pm - I'm bummed out right now. I went into my room to feed my fish and I noticed that another one of my fish has died. That makes four out of the six that I bought back in April. I have a disease that's permeating the tank and no matter what I do, it always comes back. I change the water regularly, I bought some solution for the water, but no matter what, it creeps back in. R.I.P. Bootsy, keep it real on the other side.
9:34 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Alabama. After working their way down the field methodically, the Tide gave it to RB Roy Upchurch for a 19-yard scamper. The extra point makes it 16-10 Tide with 3 minutes to go in the first half.
9:38 pm - Oklahoma seems content to run the ball with their dynamic running duo, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Their defense has stepped up since Bradford went down, so this plan may work. However, it's easy for people to stack up the line of scrimmage, so they'll need to try something else in the following weeks.
9:40 pm - U.S. forward Charlie Davies goes down with an injury. It looks bad, possibly rendering him unable to play Wednesday against Trinidad & Tobago in another qualifying match. That wouldn't be good. Stuart Holden is on to take his place.
9:42 pm - I don't mean to be Donny Downer here, but Tyrod Taylor isn't that good. The Virginia Tech QB has been hyped from day one, but the results just aren't there. He threw two (yes, 2) touchdown passes all of last season. I understand that Alabama has a good defense, but Taylor has done absolutely nothing this half. If he's supposed to be your game-changer, shouldn't he at least be able to make one play to help your chances? I don't get it.
9:45 pm - After thinking it over, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops decides to settle for a field goal attempt rather than go for it on 4th and goal. Good decision. The field goal is good and OU leads 13-7. BYU has looked lost on offense in the second half, but they'll need to find a way to get a touchdown in the last 11:47 of the game in order to put the pressure back on Oklahoma.
9:52 pm - Sometimes, all it takes is a little pressure to see how a team will perform. Facing an important drive, the BYU Cougars have put together a nice stretch here to get down to the Sooner 35 yard line. They must convert this to points, though, or else it's all for naught.
9:54 pm - Halftime in Atlanta. Virginia Tech leads 17-16 at the half. A pretty entertaining game thus far. Freshman RB Ryan Williams, replacing Darren Evans, got his first touchdown of his career with just over a minute to go in the half.
9:56 pm - BYU is now knocking on the door with a 2nd and goal. Just under 5 minutes to go in Dallas.
9:57 pm - Oklahoma is called for defensive pass interference in the end zone, so BYU will get the ball at the 2 yard line and a first down. Here's your game, people.
10:00 pm - TOUCHDOWN, BYU. Max Hall finds a wide open receiver in the back of the end zone, giving BYU a 14-13 lead with just over 3 minutes to go. Remember, Bradford is out, so OU will have to rely on the arm of Landry Jones to win the game. Chances of this happening: I say 18%.
10:02 pm - The United States soccer team refused to clear the ball out of the box in extra time at the end of the second half, so I just yelled at the top of my lungs for them to clear it out. They did. Ballgame over. 3 points for the Yanks.
10:03 pm - Ok, now the Sooners-Cougars game is moved to the big TV so that I can watch the drive of the game in sterling HD. On the small TV, I'm kicking off with Maryland and California. Cal owes the Terps one from last year, so look for them to come out strong.
10:07 pm - I just saw that William & Mary beat Virginia 26-14 today. Al Groh, your seat is a little warmer now.
10:09 pm - Landry Jones is 3/7 for 24 yards tonight. That's all you need to know about Oklahoma's chances in this game.
10:11 pm - Jones is trying to make me look like an idiot. He throws a nice pass to his tight end, who takes it down to the BYU 33.
10:14 pm - WOW. With a 3rd and 9 from the 33, Oklahoma gets called for a false start. Now it's 3rd and 14 from the 38, putting them out of field goal range.
10:16 pm - Timeout Oklahoma. 4th and 14 at the BYU 38 yard line with 1:28 to go. Here's your ballgame.
10:18 pm - Insanity in Dallas. Oklahoma tries a field goal from 54 yards out and miss left and short. BYU takes over with 1:23 to go and Oklahoma only has one timeout. Turn out the lights, the party's over.
10:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, CAL. Jahvid Best with a 73-yard scamper, showcasing his breakaway speed. It only took him two carries to score this year. That guy's good.
10:27 pm - Maryland turns the ball over with a fumble, and now Cal has the ball on Maryland's 23 yard line. A strike from Kevin Riley to Marvin Jones puts it at the 3. It may be Jahvid Best time again.
10:28 pm - Jahvid Best indeed. He gets the handoff from Riley, leaps from the 4-yard line and lands in the end zone for a California touchdown. It's under review, but it'll stand. 13-0 Cal, extra point pending.
10:30 pm - The touchdown stands and Cal tacks on the extra point. 14-0. I told you they'd come out strong. I hope you believed me.
10:32 pm - Maryland is on the move. Responding to the most recent Cal score, the Terps are down on the Cal 19 already. Chris Turner has settled the offense by completing a handful of passes and getting moderate gains.
10:35 pm - Cal is called for a penalty after stopping Maryland on 3rd down, so it's 1st and goal Terps at the California 3 yard line.
10:37 pm - Maryland scores, but is called for an ineligible receiver downfield. They're moved back five yards and now have 3rd and goal from the 8.
10:38 pm - Cal tips away the Turner pass, so Maryland must settle for a field goal attempt. By the way, Maryland-Cal is on the small TV and Virginia Tech-Alabama is on the big TV. Tennis is on the big TV flashback and Washington-LSU is on the small TV flashback. I know you were wondering, so I figured I'd clear that up.
10:39 pm - FUMBLE!!! Roy Upchurch gets a nice gain through the VT defense, but is stripped and loses control. The Hokies recover on their own 11 yard line. 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter.
10:41 pm - After a first down run by Tyrod Taylor, Josh Oglesby rushes for 7 yards and, all of a sudden, VT is on the move.
10:43 pm - A long pass play gets Washington down to the LSU 20 yard line. Don't hurt 'em, Huskies.
10:45 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Washington. Jake Locker throws a strike to James Johnson for a 17 yard touchdown. With the extra point, the Huskies lead 7-0. Wow, that's a surprise.
10:50 pm - Jordan Jefferson, LSU's quarterback, gets a nice gain through the Husky defense to respond to the Washington score. Charles Scott follows that up with a good gain, and LSU is already down to the UW 35 yard line.
10:57 pm - Yes, I just turned it to the Buffalo-UTEP game. Everything else is at commercial, and I wanted to check this one off my list. Just starting the second half, Buffalo leads 16-7.
10:59 pm - Back on the small TV, Maryland has driven down to the Cal 25 yard line. They keep knocking on the door, but they need touchdowns if they're gonna have a chance to win. On the big TV, Virginia Tech got the ball back, but was unable to do anything with it. They'll punt it back to Alabama, which has been a recurring motif this evening.
11:01 pm - Maryland kicks a field goal to cut the deficit to 8 points. Buffalo punches in another touchdown and leads 23-7 in El Paso. LSU is unable to get a touchdown on 3rd and goal, and must now settle for a field goal attempt.
11:03 pm - LSU converts the field goal, so they trail Washington 7-3. They look a little sluggish, which is to be expected when you travel across the country to play a team worse than you in week one.
11:04 pm - Greg McElroy, Alabama's QB, launches a deep ball to Marquis Maze to set up a Mark Ingram TOUCHDOWN run. The Tide have outgained the Hokies all game, but now the scoreboard is finally in their favor as well. The two-point conversion is good and the Tide now lead 24-17. Momentum has swung, ladies and gentlemen, and the Hokies must do something to stem the tide. Yes, pun intended.
11:07 pm - TOUCHDOWN, LSU. After tipping Jake Locker's pass, LB Jake Cutrera picks it off and takes it to the barn. 10-7 Tigers in the flash of an eye. Impressive play by Cutrera.
11:08 pm - Cal connects on a deep ball to Verran Tucker and now has a 2nd and goal opportunity.
11:10 pm - After a penalty and a couple of incompletions, Cal must settle for a field goal attempt. Field goal good, 17-6 Golden Bears.
11:11 pm - A turnover gives Alabama the ball back in Virginia Tech territory. Mark Ingram rushes up the middle for a big gain and it's 1st and goal Tide on the Hokie 4 yard line.
11:15 pm - Greg McElroy's 3rd down pass is incomplete and Leigh Tiffin converts a field goal for the Tide. 27-17 Alabama.
11:17 pm - Chris Turner is sacked by Cal's defense and fumbles. The Golden Bears recover and are in business near midfield. I would try to say something witty about the goings-on in the games, but I've been blogging for nearly 12 hours and can't even see straight. Don't worry, I feel a second win coming on.
11:18 pm - Virginia Tech gets another great kickoff return and Alabama commits a personal foul on top of that. The Hokies are starting on the Tide 32. They need points bad, real bad, Michael Jackson.
11:19 pm - Ryan Williams breaks loose and runs the ball down to the 2 yard line. The replay looks as if Williams actually got in the end zone, so this thing is under review. My guess is that Virginia Tech has a touchdown.
11:22 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Virginia Tech. Told ya. 27-24 Alabama. Meanwhile, Cal has just converted a crucial 3rd down and has 1st down at the Maryland 16 yard line.
11:24 pm - A strike from Riley to Marvin Jones gives Cal another first down, this time at the Maryland 3. 1st and goal, Bears.
11:25 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Kevin Riley beautifully eludes an oncoming pass-rusher and throws a touchdown pass to his tight end. Extra point good. 24-6 California.
11:26 pm - Mark Ingram gets another big gain for Alabama. He takes it into Virginia Tech territory and steals back some of the momentum from the Hokies. 8:42 remaining in the game.
11:29 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Alabama. McElroy throws a dump pass to Mark Ingram, who takes it 20 yards to the house. Extra point is good and the Tide lead 34-24. What an offensive explosion here in the second half. I'm impressed.
11:31 pm - Washington kicks a field goal to tie the game at 10 against LSU. With the Cal and Alabama games taking up my TV space, I'm not entirely sure what happened. Keepin' it real.
11:33 pm - 473-163. That's how bad Alabama has outgained Virginia Tech tonight. For those not keeping score at home, that's almost a 3-1 ratio. It's surprising that this game is as close as it is.
11:34 pm - Alabama sacks Tyrod Taylor and now the Hokies are punting out of their own end zone with just over 5 minutes to go. What I'm trying to tell you is, this one is over.
11:35 pm - Jahvid Best gets a screen pass and takes it into Maryland territory. He's fast.
11:36 pm - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Nyan Boateng got loose in the secondary and caught a 39-yard pass from Kevin Riley on a beautifully-thrown ball. Extra point good. 31-6 Cal with 25 seconds left in the first half. Wow.
11:42 pm - Cal takes their lead to the half and Virginia Tech is unable to do anything with their possession. I'm off to drop off my boys at the bar; I'll be back in a few.
11:59 pm - I'm back just in time to see LSU take the lead against Washington on a 45-yard TD reception. The Tigers now lead 17-10 with 1:15 to go in the first half.
12:01 am - James Blake is getting ready to go down two sets to zero against Tommy Robredo of Spain, so I'm probably not going back there for a while. Cal is still at the half and LSU is heading that way, so I'm looking for something to do. Crap, the UTEP-Buffalo game is at a commercial. Yes, I was just disappointed that Buffalo and UTEP were on a commercial.
12:03 am - Cal returns the opening kickoff back to midfield, so it looks like they're gonna pick up right where they left off. Mark Jones and Bob Davie are having an interesting conversation about the defensive coordinators' responsibilities at LSU and Washington. Yawn.
12:05 am - Jahvid Best (ho hum) carries for 40 yards down to the Maryland 14 yard line. That'll give him 131 yards on the game...and we just started the first half.
12:06 am - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Shane Vereen gives Best a breather and scores on a touchdown run of his own. He showed a nice burst there and also a little power, burrowing into the endzone. Extra point good. 38-6 Cal and we're barely a minute into the second half.
12:08 am - Jake Locker completes a deep ball to Devin Aguilar, who then takes it down to the LSU 20 yard line. I commend coach Steve Sarkisian for not choosing to kneel the ball and go into the half only down 7. He's attacking the LSU defense until the last second ticks off the clock. 17 seconds to go.
12:09 am - UTEP tacks on a field goal to cut the Buffalo lead down to 23-17. With just under 6 minutes to go, the Miners will need a quick stop to get a chance to win the ballgame. Buffalo should try to keep it on the ground if they can, trying to milk the clock.
12:11 am - Washington is unable to get into the endzone, but they kick a field goal as time expires, cutting the LSU lead to four. 17-13 Tigers at the half. Back to Buffalo-UTEP on the big TV; Cal-Maryland remaining on the small TV. I can't get the Miners-Bulls game on the little TV, so the decision was basically made for me.
12:17 am - TOUCHDOWN, Cal. Kevin Riley throws a bomb to Marvin Jones, who comes down with the 40-yard score. Riley has been on fire tonight, as have the Golden Bears. 45-6 Cal, with 9:35 to go in the 3rd quarter. Blowout city.
12:19 am - I just saw that Albert Pujols hit a pinch-hit walkoff home run for St. Louis tonight. That guy is good. Just thought I'd tell you that.
12:20 am - UTEP forces a punt and now has 2:29 to score a touchdown. They don't have any timeouts, so QB Trevor Vittatoe needs to take them 80 yards in a hurry. His first pass is a strike to Adams for a gain of 9. Short gains equal big gains eventually. Remember that.
12:21 am - Another pass to Adams for a first down. The clock will stop as they move the chains, but the Miners need to be ready to go as soon as the clock starts again. Vittatoe to Adams again. This time up to the UTEP 44 yard line. Gain of 8. Clock at 1:38 and moving.
12:22 am - Incomplete pass stops the clock for UTEP. 1:32 to go. 3rd and 2. First down, Miners. Vittatoe keeps taking what the defense gives him and is now close to midfield. Impressive drive so far.
12:23 am - UTEP to the Buffalo 43 yard line after a 9-yard completion. Only a minute to go, though. Vittatoe's next pass is incomplete, so the clock stops at 52 seconds.
12:24 am - TOUCHDOWN, Maryland. Da'Rel Scott gets loose and scores on a long TD run. The extra point is up and good, so the Terps are now down 45-13. The UTEP incompletion is under review, so the Miners are taking this time to catch their breath and set up the last part of this potentially game-winning drive.
12:26 am - Incompletion is upheld. On 3rd and 2, Vittatoe hits his receiver for another first down. The Bulls are back on their heels, but UTEP is only at the Buffalo 38 yard line. Remember, they need a touchdown.
12:27 am - Vittatoe to Adams yet again. This one for 12 yards down to the Buffalo 26. His next pass is a short one that's caught, so the Miners must down the ball to stop the clock. They'll now face a 3rd and long with 19 seconds to go. Ball on, roughly, the Buffalo 24 yard line.
12:28 am - Officially, at the 21 yard line. TOUCHDOWN, UTEP. Wow. Vittatoe reached back and launched one to James Thomas for the score. But wait, there's a holding a call and a personal foul penalty on the same play. So now the Miners will be moved back 25 yards to the 42 yard line. With only 14 seconds left, UTEP needs a miracle now. That's unreal.
12:31 am - Pass incomplete by Vittatoe. With 7 seconds to go, UTEP will need a hail mary of sorts to win the game. Buffalo is playing with 4 men on the line and 7 men way back. Pass broken up; game over. Buffalo wins 23-17. What a finish. I'm glad I turned it over here. And you people wonder why I watch the mid-majors play, too. THAT was an exciting game.
12:33 am - Cal goes back to the big TV and LSU-Washington (though at the half) is moved to the small TV. These are the times at night when I start thinking back on the day and pick out the best and worst moments. A time for reflection, if you will. After all of the insanity of the day, we're down to two games only. Weird.
12:39 am - Cal is on the move again. The 3rd quarter comes to a close as the Bears enter Maryland territory. 45-13 Cal.
12:43 am - Alright folks, I hate to do this to you, but I'm signing off. I have to go pick up some friends from the bar and it'll be a while before I get back. If games are still being played, I'll blog some more. Regardless, it's been a busy, but fun, day and I appreciate your readership. Stay thirsty, my friends.
~~ Lank
1 comment:
I knew it was brian's song too.
Post a Comment