Sports

Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If college football was a horse race the announcer would exclaim, “they’ve hit the far turn.”  Eight games, or two-thirds in of twelve, the games never fail to intrigue.  As they make the turn, we head to the nuggets.

  1.  A speed horse is one that jumps way out front and burns out, eventually giving way to the field.  But, Alabama is no speed horse.  It’s the class of the race.  Sitting unanimously at no. 1 in the new AP Top 25, it’s looking back at the field wondering if there is a worthy challenger.  They stay in the barn this coming week prepping for a Baton Rouge run v. the now # 4 LSU Tigers.
  2.  THE Ohio St. wasn’t running a clean race for weeks, but was still rambling down the backstretch in second.  They were. Purdue handed them their third loss in three years to an inferior Big 10 opponent.   The Boilermakers of Purdue kicked mud in THE’s eye.  THE fell back hard to 11th.  If they win out and beat Michigan in the season finale, who knows?
  3. Clemson jockeyed to second with a convincing romp of undefeated pretender North Carolina St.  Clemson wants everyone to know that they still own the ACC.  In a distant second in the ACC is, well, North Carolina St. The Wolfpack dropped back to 23.
  4.  Notre Dame is 3 and LSU, off of an uneven but defensively dominating 19-3 win over Mississippi St., now holds the coveted 4th spot.  They’ll likely hold it next week too as they lick their wounds from a tough early track with an off week as well.  Alabama visits on 11/3.  One would wager that College Gameday will visit on 11/3 as well.
  5. Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Florida make up the next five through nine.  They are all tightly bunched and one or two could break free as we soon turn for home.  They all have one loss.  Michigan stands out though.  They are lurking at 5.  The Wolverines allowed a meager, paltry, miserly 94 total yards to decent in state rival Michigan St. Their only loss was in week one to the Fighting Irish, and is a minor blemish now.
  6. One of Georgia and Florida will be put out to pasture as far as title aspirations go this weekend.  The “Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” that you cannot call “The Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” anymore gets served straight with ice on Saturday.  The #9 Gators opened yesterday as a nine-point dog to the Bulldogs.
  7.  UCF wants to know if anyone cares to notice that they are #10.  It seems not.  They seem to only run in claiming races.  And, no one claims them.   They really need to schedule stronger out of conference foes.
  8.  For 13 years no one noticed Washington St. either.  For 216 straight weeks of GameDay shows, someone’s shown up to wave a giant Washington State flag, no matter how far away from Pullman, WA.  On this past Saturday, college football took notice and Oregon paid for it as 20k plus Washington St. faithful watched the ESPN show on campus.  Then, even more watched the show that Mike Leach’s team put on .  The final was 34-27 Cougars over the Ducks of Oregon, but the first half Cougar domination was impressive.  They bolted all the way up to 13th.  It’s the highest ranked PAC 10 team.  That’s good for them and not so good for the left coast.
  9. Hello Appalachian St.  Is there a more appropriate nickname than the Mountaineers?
    Sunset from Cowee Mountains Overlook, on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

    They are ranked for the first time ever at 25.  After being a major thorn in then called D-1 schools for a long while, the Mountaineers joined the FBS in 2014.   They play in the Sun Belt Conference if you don’t know, and sport a 3-0 record in bowl games thus far.  ‘Where are they from,’ you ask?  Well, they hail from proud Boone, NC. of course.

  10. The SEC has spots 1,4,7,9,12, and 16 this week.  Wow!  Over the final month they’ll beat each other up as almost all games left are in the divisions inside of the conference.  One stands way out, while some of the others hope to ascend to greater notoriety.
  11. (or plus one)  Some early lines are out.  Missouri -6 hosts Kentucky.  It almost seems like the wrong team is favored.  Almost.  Washington St. is a 3 point road dog to Stanford.   The happy Cougars need to avoid a low after the Pullman high.  NC St is a one point dog at Syracuse.  The one loss Wolfpack get little respect.  Maybe they haven’t earned much?  Clemson is a 17 point road favorite over Florida St.  WWBBS?  What Would Bobby Bowden Say?

Till five days from now.

Abby Roux Takes Down Vegas Part IV

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby accepted one too many dog treats and pats on the head after her two-week domination v. Vegas.   A quick trip to the vet late Saturday evening seems to have her focused again for her fourth week.  It’s college football’s week nine, and it’s getting interesting.

After a 4 bone win with 11 bones wagered and a 3-3  win/loss week, Abby Roux stands on all four paws at 21 bones buried with 36 wagered and 9 wins v. 7 losses season to date.  Vegas got a bit back but Abby still has plenty gnaw on.  Her hunch bet (Miss.) lost, but her prediction of a very high( she said 51-37 Miss. over Ark.) scoring affair prevailed. The over covered.   Regardless her hunches are now 2-1.

Week Eight has some doggone good match ups that make for fun viewing.  Let’s roll some bones.

Auburn -3 at Ole Miss -Abby nearly covered(minus 7 won by only 4) on Miss. last week on a hunch.  Everyone wants to know what is wrong with Auburn after a loss to a Tennessee team that hadn’t won a conference game in over a year.   Ole Miss is about to find out.  The answer Saturday is…… nothing is wrong.  Four bones.

Stanford -2.5 at Arizona St. -This isn’t Stanford’s best team.  This isn’t Arizona State’s best team either.  This isn’t the PAC 10’s best year.

If this game was at the tree huggers we would five bone it.  It isn’t.  Two bones.

North Carolina St. +17.5 at Clemson – NC St. is undefeated.  I guess Vegas doesn’t think much of their competition thus far.  Or, maybe they think Clemson will roll at home.  This line almost is out of line and makes Abby want to paw the pay dirt with Clemson.  But, she’ll take the heavy points in a light way.  One bone.

Miss St. +7 at LSU -It’s Homecoming in BR.  It’s also “we beat Georgia hangover” in BR.  The Bulldogs feature a stout D line and a solid running game.  Both are important to play LSU tight.    Moo St. was off last week.  We mentioned the LSU win last week v GA.  Next week LSU is off.  The week after they play Alabama.  This is a classic trap game.  Three bones.

Purdue +14 v. THE Ohio St U -Purdue has played pretty well against pretty good competition thus far.  THE has played down to the level of some of their competition.  This one is in Indiana.  It’s not much more than a hunch bet.  One bone.

On a hunch take Nebraska at home to cover 3 1/2 over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  If Nebraska falls to 0-7 Abby recommends that they bury their head in shame in the nearest gopher hole.

There they are, four road teams and one home.  Three dogs and two chalks.  Eleven bones are there for the taking plus one Cornhusker hunch.

Woof!

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Week Eight, when teams have mostly played seven games, is in the books.  Speaking of playing games of seven, a few teams went “seven out” and crapped.  Dicey.  The nuggets are warm and ready for your consumption below.

  1. We have a newcomer who fought their way into the top four of the AP College Football Poll.  Georgia’s loss was the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame’s gain.  Bama is alone and lonely at the top.  They won by “only” 29 over Mizzou.  THE Ohio St and Clemson each moved up a notch to nos. 2 and 3 respectively.  ND was lurking at 5 and now say hello at 4.  All four are undefeated.
  2. Looking ahead ND’s next two are pretty easy before they close with Florida St (talented enough), Syracuse(the Power Five kryptonite), and USC (road game out west). Meanwhile THE has five left and needs to sweep their border friends Michigan State and Michigan.   If ND plays them “one game at a time,” good things might be in store.  Michigan looms large for THE.  However the game is in THE Horseshoe.
  3.  In the span of two weeks LSU went from 5 to 13 to 5.  The whipsaw was due to a loss to a Florida team now ready for an Outdoor Cocktail Party (I think they stopped calling it that for politically correct reasons) and a 36-16 thorough thumping of last week’s no. 2 Georgia.  Moo State and homecoming are hangover hurdles waiting for LSU next week.  Then they take the annual week off to heal before a team named Bama heads to BR.
  4.  Michigan is relevant again.  Jim Harbaugh is paid large coin not Bitcoin to get them there.  Last year is in Ann Arbor’s rear view mirror as this year’s squad stands 6-1 and number 6.  Several teams in the top ten swooned and Michigan said hello with their own thorough thumping of what seems to be an under achieving Wisconsin clan of Badgers.  Their first game loss to now #4 ND isn’t something to hang a Wolverine head about.  Watch out for Sparty next week.  I can hear the ESPN shrill’s shrill now.  Michigan is “on upset alert.”
  5. Georgia slid six spots to number 8 after the LSU tailgating and the LSU team whipped UGA’s tail.  Question for Ga fans-who is the best team that their 6-1 team has beaten?  South Carolina?  UGA just said UGH!  Florida is chomping at the bit next.  One has to wonder if Ga. has as much experienced talent as last year’s group led by Sony Michel,  Nick Chubb, and Roquan Smith had that lost the NC overtime thriller to Bama.
  6.  A trio of top ten teams lost, hence the top ten turmoil.  West Virginia acted like the West Virginia of years gone by as the Iowa St. Cyclones handed them their first defeat.  The strength of the Big 12 including Oklahoma and Texas lies ahead.  Washington dropped all the way to 15 with loss no. 2.  Washington St. appears at 25.  The PAC 10, with Oregon at 12, isn’t exactly packed with top 25 participants.  And, none crack the top ten.  Penn St. didn’t fear Sparty.  They should have.  Maybe the Wolverines will.  Mark D’Antonio thanks all of the experts who said he might be on the dreaded “hot seat.”
  7. UCF, North Carolina St., Cincinnati, and USF are all still undefeated.  I think I just heard a group yawn.  UCF hasn’t lost in over a year.  Memphis came oh so close to shredding the narrative, but UCF prevailed by one 31-30.  They won while others ahead lost.  Yet they stayed at 10.  Is that their ceiling? It’s probably close.
  8.  The Big Ten has spots 2,6,18,19, 23, and 24 in the Top 25.  That’s 6 in out of 25 or 24%.  That’s good stuff.  But one wonders if anyone is a real threat aside from Michigan and THE.  Penn St. has two losses and Wisconsin is trying to get the maize and blue helmet paint washed out of their jerseys.  Iowa is a quiet 5-1.
  9.  Miami’s descent continued.   They began the year in the top ten and favored in Jerry Jones’ Palace in a coveted season kickoff opener spot against LSU.  After that loss and this week’s loss to Virginia they now garner a not so coveted spot in the dreary “others receiving votes” area.  Getting 38 AP writers to vote you into 31st place is no place for a team named after a storm that reeks havoc.  Going back to last year they are 5-5 in their last ten.  All together now……a.v.e.r.a.g.e.
  10. Some early lines are out.  Some early thoughts about the early lines follow.  Michigan is -7 at Michigan St.  Sparty is calling Vegas.  Auburn is -3.5 at Mississippi.  The mythical hot seat that likely isn’t accurate went from Orgeron at LSU to D’Antonio at Mich St.  This week the focus is on Auburn and Chizik.  Lose at Oxford and you get to sit in it next.  Mississippi St. travels at plus 7 to LSU.  Take the touchdown and extra point.  Oregon is minus 1.5 at Washington St.  The Cougars are going to throw all they have at the Ducks.

Until a lucky seven days from now……..

Five Foot Eleven Drew Brees Casts a Tall Shadow

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

October is a great time for sports nuts like us.  The NHL is skating.  The NBA is about to roll.  MLB playoffs are in full swing.  And football, from pee wee to pro, is everywhere.

So yesterday while a 27 time World Series champion NY Yankees team was getting pasted by a Boston Red Sox team that can come at you in many ways, the defending World Champion Houston Astros busily had their brooms out sweeping the Cleveland Indians.  All the while a proud LA Dodgers organization was showing continued excellence dispatching the young, upstart Atlanta Braves.

Oh, yes.  And there was a Monday Night Football game.  The Washington Redskins came to New Orleans to play the role of the Washington Generals getting worked by The Harlem Globetrotters.  The Redskins played the role perfectly as Drew Brees took the national stage and was crowned the all-time NFL passing yardage leader.  He needed 201 yards to pass Payton Manning.  He got the crown, a standing O, a kiss from his wife, and a hug from his coach by halftime.

All five foot eleven inches of Drew Brees casts a tall shadow indeed.   His 26-29 and 3 td performance brought his career total yards to 72,103.  He also ranks as number one ever for completion percentage.  Twenty-six for twenty-nine last night is almost his norm.

Rank Player Yards
1 Drew Brees* 72,103
2 Peyton Manning 71,940
3 Brett Favre^ 71,838
4 Tom Brady* 67,418

Once more, that’s 72,103 yards and counting.  That’s all but 41 miles.

He played QB at a football factory high school in football crazy Texas.  No prominent college team in Texas offered him a scholarship.  So, he “took his talents” to Purdue.  Purdue.  On draft night 2001 San Diego traded out of the very first pick.  With it the Atlanta Falcons took Michael Vick.  With the first pick in the second round the San Diego Chargers took Drew Brees.  His first pass attempt ever for them ended in a sack and a fumble.  San Diego chose Phillip Rivers, QB,  in the first round in 2004.  The proverbial handwriting was on the wall.

As a free agent in 2006 Drew wanted to go to the Miami Dolphins and play for some coach named Nick Saban.  Miami doctors feared that his rotator cuff injury was too risky to pay money for a starting QB.  New Orleans and a new head coach named Sean Payton came calling.  Saban’s loss, a rarity, was Payton’s gain.  The city was absolutely reeling at the time due to Katrina and the terror she brought.

Twelve years, 41 miles of passing yards, lots of rebuilding, and one Super Bowl win later Drew, the Saints, and its fans share a rabid passion and common bond.   Drew is the Saints.  Drew owns the town.  And the town owns Drew.

So, where to from here?  He keeps himself in great physical shape.  He’ll turn 40 on January 15,  roughly the time he hopes he is leading his team to another deep playoff run and a shot at ring number two.  It would not surprise anyone if Drew will play into his mid forties.  It would not surprise anyone if he got to 88,000 passing yards.  That’s 50 miles in case you wondered.

And, it says here that Brees will become even more of an off of the field leader than he already is. His charitable work is great.  He founded the Drew Brees Foundation that helps cancer patients live better lives. He has others that he is involved in as well.  His investments, local and national,  in various business ventures employ many.

It says here that a successful run for mayor of the city is very possible if he wants it.  He already is king of the city.

Anyone who doubts that misses who he really is.  Drew says,” nothing is given, everything is earned.”  Indeed.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

And just like that most teams are half way into their schedule having played six games.  Enjoy your ten pieces below.

1,  Nothing new at the top.  Bama, Ga, THE Ohio St, and Clemson are comfortable in the top four.  Nothing new at the top of the coaching profession either.  Nick Saban is mad at his defense for surrendering 31 to Arkansas. Nick being mad isn’t new.  Oh, and Bama scored 65.

2.  LSU got beat in Florida.  It cost them 8 spots from fifth down to 13th in the AP Poll.  Florida was better on both sides of the trenches and Mullen and his staff out coached Orgeron and his.

3.  Notre Dame jumped into the 5 spot with a convincing road win at Va. Tech.  Beating Stanford and Va Tech solidly in the last two weeks has them in a good place as their schedule softens down the stretch.

4.  West Virginia has quietly risen to 6th.  They snoozed a bit against Kansas but still won by 16.  Kansas is better than they have been in a while, but still have a long way to go.

5.   Texas jumped up to 9 with a wild west win over Oklahoma 48-45.  It’s their first appearance in the top ten since 2010.  The turnaround with Tom Herman steering (see what we did there?) must be mostly deemed complete.  The season opener loss to Maryland, their lone blemish is distant in the rear view mirror now.

6. Oklahoma dropped to 11 with the loss.  Nick Saban wasn’t the only one upset with his defense.   Sooner Head Coach Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Mike Stoops yesterday.  Mike is the older brother of Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops.  It was his second stint as DC in Norman.

7.  The sneaky team in the top ten?  UCF.  They remain undefeated.  Their schedule isn’t going to help them climb much higher unless several above lose and lose convincingly.

8.  Michigan is 12 and Wisconsin is 15.  Along with THE at three and Penn State at 8 the Big 10 has four teams in the top 15.  They all are 5-1 except Ohio St. who remains undefeated.  The Big 10 also has 14 schools.  Go Figure.

9.  South Florida jumped into the pool for the first time at #23.  They’re 5-0 and have five wins over mostly nobody except Georgia Tech.  Their season opening win was over a team called Elon. Bonus points to anyone who knows what state Elon hails from and what their mascot name is.  If you answered North Carolina and Phoenix take a bow.   USF, UCF, Florida, and Miami are all ranked.  They play some good football in the great state of Florida.

10.  Some early lines are out.  USC is -7 hosting Colorado.  That’s a bit of lack of respect for a 5-0 Colorado team.  Texas is -15 hosting Baylor.  That’s a lot of respect to Texas.  Georgia is only favored by 6.5  in LSU’s Tiger Stadium.  Washington is minus 3.5 at Oregon.

Friday Abby will give you the winners.  It’s early but she has her eyes on USC, Baylor, LSU, and Washington.

 

 

 

 

Abby Roux Takes Down Vegas, Part II

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby is a big hit this week in the college football mascot community.   Both SEC Football Bulldogs (Miss St. and Georgia) gave her high five paws for her run on Vegas last week.  Mississippi State’s bulldog refused to be photographed for this post.  Tennessee’s blue tick hound, Smokey IX,

howled his approval as well.  Why?  Well, Abby had her college football betting debut last week and darn near won best in show.

Her record against the spread was three wins v. two losses while collecting nine of the 13 bones that she wagered.  Her hunch bet (no bones) cashed as well.  Let’s hope that this success does not go to her head and she can keep her four paws on the ground for more paydays.

Speaking of paydays, Abby has barked all week about how much tougher she feels this week’s betting lines and games shape up.  She’s been busy trying to sniff out the winners, but suggests that you do not bet all of the dog food money this week.

Arkansas +35 over Alabama -We mentioned last week that Abby likes big dogs.  Arkansas is a big dog yet again.  They played decent D against the Aggies.  Abby thinks Alabama might go through the motions and win easily, but not cover.  Two bones.

Oklahoma -6.5 over Texas-  The Red River Shootout actually has some bullets in the gun this year.  Tom Herman is steering(see what Abby did there?) the Longhorns back.  Abby feels like they will play a game game.   But, they will fall short of an Oklahoma team that can score in bunches.  The line started at -8.  The amateurs are on the Longhorns.  Abby likes that.   Two bones.

Syracuse -3.5 over Pittsburgh -The Orangemen are pretty good.  Either they’ll be hung over from the valiant effort v. Clemson or they won’t.  If they are not, they should cover easily as they are much better than the Panthers.  If they are flat, they’ll lose straight up.  Abby says Cuse covers.  Two bones.

Texas A&M -5 over Kentucky –  Flip a coin.  Heads, Kentucky is legit.  Tails, Kentucky frequently starts out 4 or 5 and 0 then reality hits.  Benny Snell is legit.  Abby likes to bet on dogs (Kentucky), but Reveille (A&M’s mascot) gave her some inside scoop on this one.  Aggies cover late.  Two bones.

Florida St +13.5 v. Miami -Pick of the litter.  Simply stated Miami isn’t that much better than any team with 85 talented dudes on scholarships much less an in state rival.  War chant.  Four bones.

Abby has two hunches.  Take  Iowa -7 over Minnie.  Take the USA when you bet Navy v Air Force.

Woof.

 

 

 

Brooks in a Dust Up with Dustin? Swing and a Miss.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Who knows if any of the rumors flying out of the stench leftover from the Americans weak showing in the Ryder Cup last weekend are true?  The latest one has workout partners and good friends Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson throwing down before the Cup began and later Sunday night again after it ended.

Did Patrick Reed blow up the team chemistry with a petulant attitude towards who he was and was not paired with, or how often he did or did not play?  Well, he does have a bit of a controversial past with college teammates, family, the press, and opponents.  So, maybe so.

But, did DJ and Brooks have not one, but two dust ups?  Even if a little flare up happened it will likely all wither away in the coming winter months filled with PGA inactivity.

One thing is for certain.  If DJ swung at Brooks he likely missed him like so many short putts he had to win or tie a hole for the ugly Americans and their woeful performance.

Maybe Captain Jim Furyk should have included red, white, and blue pacifiers as part of the team issue uniforms.

Is Patrick Mahomes the Next Drew Brees?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Just three days before 2015 vanished and 2016 arrived a nondescript Advocare Texas Bowl game ended with LSU well ahead of an outmanned Texas Tech team, 56-27.   Unless you were a fan of either team its unlikely you watched it, much less remembered it.

The headliner going into and the story line coming out of the game was that Leonard Fournette ran over, around, and through the less talented Red Raiders.  But buried within the game was a stat line of Patrick Mahomes II, the Tech QB.  It read 28-56 for 370 yards and 4 TD’s.  Those numbers sound like so many other inflated,”run and gun,” forgettable QB’s that passed through the dust that Lubbock is.  Sonny Cumbie, BJ Symons, Billy Joe Tolliver, Graham Harrell, or Kliff Kingsbury don’t exactly evoke comparisons to greatness once they left that pass happy offense.

But Mahomes got his numbers that night in a different and impressive fashion that left this staff member duly impressed.  LSU’s defense can get after you.  He sat coolly in the pocket till flushed.  When flushed he completed passes to his left after scrambling right.  He completed passes to his right after scrambling left.  He ran only when it was a last resort.  He ran well when he did.  Gritty.  Smart.  Confident.

Mahomes was a junior then.  He completed his senior year and entered the 2017 draft last year.

The New Orleans Saints held the 11th pick in the first round.  The Buffalo Bills had the 10th.  Nine picks were gone and the woeful Bills were on the clock.  Sean Payton, head coach for N.O., knows a thing or two about quarterbacks.  Working side by side with Drew Brees masterfully carving up NFL defenses for 12 years lets you see what it takes to be one of the greatest of all-time first hand.

As Payton recalled it on the Dan Patrick show, “Here it was—pick 10—and we have two players in the bubble, Lattimore and Mahomes. Kansas City traded up to 10 and took Mahomes, which pushed Lattimore to us, but once we were at pick 10 with those two players we were assured one of those two players.”

Payton said that if the Chiefs would have taken Lattimore, the Saints would have selected Mahomes.  They loved both.

Marcus Lattimore was the defensive NFC rookie of the year in 2017 .  Mahomes rode the pine serving a one year apprentice at the shoulder of another quarterback whisperer Andy Reid.

Now its 2018 and Mahomes is starting and his Chiefs are 4-0, good for the best record a quarter way through in the AFC.  His Monday Night Football performance rallying his team past the loud crowd in Mile High Stadium was very impressive.  It reminded one of a certain otherwise forgettable 2015 Advocare Bowl.  However, this stage was much larger, the lights much brighter, and the crown much louder.

Is Patrick Mahomes the next Drew Brees?  Whoa!  Pump the brakes.  Four games does not a career make.  Brees has performed at the highest level for a dozen NFL seasons.  Afterall, last year DeShaun Watson was the next greatest QB starting as a rookie and tearing it up for the Texans. This year he has looked very average.  NFL defenses always adjust.  Always.  Oh, and by happenstance Watson was picked right after Lattimore.

Mahomes then Lattimore then Watson it went, 10,11, and 12.

Having Andy Reid and Sean Payton both wanting to employ you at QB is indeed high praise.  Over time we will know more.  For now the start is impressive.

 

 

Act Like You’ve Been There Before

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

There were football coaches back then.  But, there was but one Bum (Oail Andrews) Phillips.  Bum coached through every level and had a ten year NFL head coaching run with the then Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints.  He was the ultimate players coach.  His players loved him.   Loved him.   Bum was born and raised in Southeast Texas.  He coached a mega star who was born and raised in Northeast Texas.  His name was Earl Campbell, aka The Tyler Rose.

Campbell was an incredible runner at the University of Texas and won the Heisman before turning pro.  Campbell had tree trunks for legs, and a strong desire to find the goal line.   If you need your memory refreshed, click here.  Bum had many pearls of wisdom, colloquialisms, and funny thoughts.  He suggested to Earl that when he got to the end zone he hand the ball to the referee.  In the late 70’s and early 80’s spiking the ball or doing a dance in the end zone had become all of the rage.  “Act like you’ve been there before,” he suggested in a deep Texas drawl.

Campbell scored 74 NFL times.

09/07/1980 – Houston Oilers Earl Campbell (34) finds running room against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.

He politely handed the ball to the ref 74 times. Bum was polite too.  He wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat like a second skin.   Except.  Except he never wore the hat in the Astrodome nor the Superdome.  When asked why, Bum said, ” My mama taught me that when you walk indoors you take off your hat.”

Sixty-nine of those TD’s were in his first six years.  Bum worked him like a plow horse.  Defenses knew what was coming.   And what was coming just kept on keeping on.  Bum admired Earl so, “I wouldn’t say Earl is in a class by himself, but I’ll tell you one damn thing: It don’t take long to call the roll.”

Bum passed away in 2013.  Earl works for the University of Texas’ athletic dept.  One too many rushes and way too many hits have taken a toll on Earl’s health.

Their careers and dignity are forever intertwined.  Together they taught us a lesson.  Embrace success, stay humble, and most of all “act like you’ve been there before.”

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Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

And, quickly, five weeks are in the textbooks in college football.  There is a lot to chew on.  Let’s go straight to the nuggets.

  1.  Bama rolled.  Georgia keeps chugging right along.  THE Ohio St. came back with a vengeance to make Happy Valley (The “Happy Valley” is a nickname for the State College area. Apparently, the term was coined during the Great Depression when the town was not hit as hard by the economic situation due to Penn State University’s influence.) not so happy.  And Clemson struggled but survived at home.  Despite that struggle these are the four highest rated teams in the new AP Poll and rightfully so.  At the moment they seem a bit separated from the others.
  2.  Clemson wears orange, but the Orangemen from Syracuse nearly peeled Clemson from any title aspirations as unwelcome visitors.  Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence should be ready to go this week after a brutal hit Saturday.  Syracuse has become the Power 5 team that no one wants to play anymore.  They will “scrap you for a ball” as Les Miles once said.
  3. There are about 4 or so “want to be’s” below these four teams.  One of them is Notre Dame.  They sent Stanford, the Cardinal, and it’s Tree back to Cali rather rudely.   How good is ND?  Good enough to beat now #14 Stanford and now #15 Michigan.   They head to Va Tech Saturday.   They have an opportunity to climb as those above have a tougher stretch run.
  4.  Another one is Oklahoma.  They scored 1.1 points per minute, 66 in all, in demolishing Baylor.  This week they get resurgent Texas in the Red River Shootout, er Showdown, er Rivalry.  Depending on how politically correct you are, you can call it what you want.   ESPN College Gameday will be there.  If Coach Lee Corso picks Oklahoma as the winner, DUCK.
  5. West Virginia is yet another.  They went into Lubbock and took care of a team that contenders must take care of in Texas Tech.  They held on at 42-34 after owning a 35-10 halftime lead.  They are undefeated, ranked 9th, and have both Red River Rivalry teams still ahead.  The opportunity is there and the strength of schedule would make for a good case if they ran through it.  Do they have enough D? We will see.
  6.  Perhaps LSU is the fourth other.  The boomboomsroom.com staff sat through a constant light rain to see them throttle Ole Miss 45-16 to up their season mark to 5-0.  They say it never rains in Tiger Stadium.  They fibbed.  Ole Miss isn’t good.  Their defense is offensive.  Vegas isn’t sure that LSU is that good either.  As we write Vegas has LSU with a less than 50% chance in each of the following upcoming games- Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and A&M.
  7.  Here is a quick quiz.  Who is undefeated since the end of the 2016 season, has had a game cancelled in 2017 and 2018, and has scored 56,38,56, and 45 points in a 4-0 start in 2018?  If you said the University of Central Florida, or UCF, you know yourself some college football.  Unfortunately, for them, they probably aren’t one of the “others.”   Their strength of schedule isn’t a strength on their yearly resume’.  Bonus question.  What’s their nickname?  The Knights.  Who knew?  No wonder they held a “championship” parade for themselves last year.
    Image result for pictures of rodney dangerfield
    No Respect at All

    As Rodney used to say, “NO RESPECT.”

  8. Someone who is starting to get some respect and quickly is Kentucky.  The Wildcats followed up their 28-7 Miss St. beat down with a solid take down of South Carolina, 24-10.  The Bulldogs and Gamecocks might not have great O’s, but 17 total points allowed to two SEC schools is what it is.  Kentucky has but one important thing to do to climb from AP #13.  They need to keep winning.
  9. Spots 21-25 in the poll are much like a revolving door.  Welcome in this week Colorado (the lone undefeated PAC 10 school), Florida, NC State and Oklahoma St.  Welcome back Virginia Tech who had a very nice road, bounce back win over Duke.  A week earlier Va Tech lost at home by 14 to…..remember………Old Dominion!
  10.  Some early lines are out.  LSU is -2 at Florida.  Notre Dame is -4.5 at VaTech.  Texas A&M is -6.5 at Kentucky. and OU is -8 vs Texas.   Our first glance favors the home dogs and Texas in Dallas.

Until week six.

PS.  Two great tiebreaker MLB games play off today.   Enjoy.