Apathy or Ennui? Who Cares.

When last I checked, I had posted 5 times in 2015 and none in 2016.  Will this be the last gasp?  We shall see.  College football ramps up this weekend with some fun matchups.  Perhaps as the games get closer, I will come up with something either insightful or amusing or both but likely neither.  Stay tuned.  Or not.

Just Wait Until Next Year

THIS (click on the word "this"---it is supposed to be in a different color) is sort fun...a shoot around on coaching positions.Of course, some are moot by now.
Aggies were sooooo disappointing.
Watched a ton of football over the weekend and offer these observations:


1.  U of H was impressive.
2.  Iowa was boring.
3.  Ohio State finally showed up.
4.  Yay, Stanford!
5.  Florida is B-A-D, stinko malo as my mother used to say.
6.  Speaking of stinko malo.....Horns.
7.  Baylor-TCU was the second worst game I've ever seen.  The first-worst was the 1992 Cotton Bowl featuring Florida State and Texas A&M.  It rained.  There were 13 turnovers and 17 penalties.  The final score was 10-2, Fla State.  And I WAS THERE.  It was horrendous.  (By the way, is there such a thing as the "second worst"  anything?)


I am sure that I had many, many more incisive insights but I can't remember them. 

A Wrench in the Monkeyworks*

Here are the current schools with openings for the head coach position:


13 openings (for now): Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa State, Maryland, Miami, Mizzou, North Texas, South Carolina, Syracuse, UCF, ULM, USC, Va. Tech


Notice that neither LSU nor Georgia is on the list (yet). 


A friend told me that his son, who attends UT, reports that in Austin there is wide speculation that Charlie Strong may go to Miami.  Apparently, he has a connection with that school.  Nonetheless, that doesn't seem like a move up to me, unless he thinks he is going to be fired.


Oxey and I wonder if any of the ACC or SEC teams would consider Mike Leach, who has been enjoying some success at Wash State recently.  Wouldn't it be fun to see what he could at a school that is easier to recruit to?


Oxey also opines that Lane Kiffin will get yet another head-coaching job, despite his pitiful past performance in that role.


Would Tom Herman leave U of H after only one season?  Would Derek Mason leave Vandy after two? Would Kirk Ferentz leave Iowa after seventeen?


Would someone please hire Jake Spavital?


*On a conference call this morning, one of the participants said "I don't want to throw a wrench in the monkeyworks but...."   This is my new favorite expression.

Play Ball

I only got to see the first half and the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter because the axis of evil aka ESPN/ATT/DIRECTV changed channels on me.  Of course, by the time that happened the game was won and the Aggies were playing the water boys and equipment girls.  Some observations;


1.  Ricky Seals Jones, who I was cussing last week, looked good.  He made at least 2 difficult catches of badly thrown balls and ran some good routes.  Nice to see.
2.  But for a couple of iffy throws early, Kyle Allen looked good.
3.  The secondary was exposed when the backup D-line was in.
4.  Speedy seemed to have racheted it up a notch.
5.  Kirk is still great.
6.  Glad we didn't have to punt much.
7.  Loved seeing Mack run down the Ball State running back during the last four minutes.  Great, great hustle in a game that was done.
8.  Glad that once the game was in hand, A&M played lots and lots of backups in order to get them some reps.  Hopefully, we will be able to do this next week as well.
9.  Arkansas:  HAHAHAHAHA


BTHO Nevada!

Even Mother Would Call This Ugly

Can I get Kickstarter funding to buy these for the entire family?

Hail to the Chief

As you may have noticed, I have kinda given up on this whole blog thing but now that college football season has begun I feel compelled to remark upon the Texas A&M-Arizona State game.  I watched the entire game Sunday morning (can't watch it live---get too nervous) and here are some thoughts:
1.  Holy Shit!  We played some defense.
2.  Garrett and Hall are friggin awesome.
3.  Chavis was a great get.
4.  Christian Kirk is great and will get greater. 
5.  Do we have any running backs besides Carson?  He did great....ran tough, picked up the blitz...but he cannot carry that load for an entire season.
6.  Our punter is REALLY good.  (Read this morning that the injury isn't too bad).
7.  Ricky Seals Jones is a big disappointment.  I don't think he is very smart.
8.  I was a little disappointed in the o-line but, as Oxey suggested, the ASU defense is pretty good.
9.  Not worried about the QB play---will improve.  Thought Allen kept his composure quite well after getting pulled.  Murray was impressive  but he sure is small.
10.  Kudos to Brandon Williams for agreeing to switch to defense.  Hope he picks it up and excels.
11.  YAY!


Here is some analysis of Ball State, our next opponent.  Now I must go online and buy some Aggie paraphernalia.

The Trill* Is Gone

All I have to say about the A&M-Alabama game is "How 'bout dem Cowboys!"

*the word "Trill", a mashup of "thrill" and "true",  has been copyrighted by Kenny Hill's parents. 

Cool Kenny: Aggies 52, Gamecocks 28

My oh my!  That was a bit unexpected, wasn't it?  While I thought the Aggie offense would be good and capable of scoring 30 points a game, I didn't expect it to be so powerful (I know, I know....it is only 1 game).  Hill was cool, calm,  collected and.....really, really good.  Receivers?  We got 'em.  O-linemen?  We got 'em.  Running backs?  We got 'em.  Defense:  We, er, we are getting one.  As prayed for by Ohfor, the Aggies got off to a powereful, aggessive start....not at all shitful (my new favorite word).  Gig em.

(As evidence of the high level of class exhibited by this blog, notice the absence of descriptors like limp and flaccid, etc as applied to the Lamedicks).

***WARNING***WARNING***WARNING***

SEC fans are under a season-long Bloviating Gasbag Watch( BVW), for Brent Musburger has been assigned to the lead play-by-play seat at the SEC network, according to the Dallas Morning News.  He will be paired with Jesse Palmer. (Chris Fowler will move into Musburger's former position at ESPN alongside Kirk Herbstriet (heavy sigh)).  Lee Corso is returning as is Lou Holtz.  (Holtz talks like he's wearing someone else's teeth....has he always been this way?)  I hope Corso makes a little more sense this year, though I think it unlikely.  Even with him, I enjoy College Gameday.

By the way, I heard from Ohfor, who is on the fence between 9-3 and 8-4 for the Aggies.  I find that a bit optimistic.....hope he is correct.

FINALLY.

College football season is upon us with the Aggies opening at South Carolina on Thursday, August 28.  Remember:  this is being aired on the new SEC channel, so don't waste time looking on the ESPN family of channels.  (For DirecTV people, I think the channel number is 611).

The Aggies are 10.5 point underdogs.  Here is a link to the line on all the games.  (Drumski---looks like the Illinois game is so blah that there isn't a betting line at all).

This is a link to interesting  article on the SEC quarterbacks.

My prediction for the Aggies this year is 6-6.  I am not really worried about the offense....I think we can score 20-30 points a game.  BUT I have no confidence that the defense will have significantly improved.  Seems like recruiting focuses on offense;  we need more BAMFs and Daylight Pistol-whippers because the few we had have been arrested and/or kicked off the team.  (As Oxey says, what do you expect.....they are BAMFs and DLPWs.)   Last year, we lost to Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, and LSU.  All 4 are ranked in the preseason polls, as are the Aggies.  Bama at 2;  Auburn 5 or 6; LSU at 13; and Mizzou at 24 on the AP poll.  Aggies are anywhere from 18 to 20.  This year we play Bama and Auburn away, Mizzou and LSU at home.  HERE is the full schedule.  I predict wins over Lamar, Rice, SMU, Ark and ULM, losses to Bama, Auburn, and LSU.  We should beat Miss St., South Carolina (ranked #9)  is a possibility, cause you just never know with the Ole Ball Coach (yuck) and Ole Miss likely will be competitive.  In years past I would have picked us over Mizzou but now I think it is a bit of a toss-up.  Doesn't quite add up to 6-6; I just think it will play out that way.  And if it does, I will close my eyes and remember 2 years ago.

Other good games this weekend include Clemson v. Georgia; FSU v. OSU; and Wisconsin v. LSU.  For some reason, the Wisconsin-LSU match-up makes me smile.  Les Miles' wild-ass cajuns vs. the lumpen men of Wisconsin.  Don't get me wrong...the Badgers are good but this should be a spectacle of contrasting styles. 

And let us not forget that this will be Charlie Strong's first year at UT and Kingsbury's second at Tech. 

So, let's all say it together:  BOOLEY!

I AM THE DANGER*

As predicted by Oxey, Sumlin is on USC's wishlist.  Dang.  Please, KS, stay with us a little longer.

I was glad to see that the Ags could run a bit......used the run to great effect on Saturday----offset the rain, kept the Hogs offense off the field, continued to score.  Same ole story, though:  offense, yes; defense, no.

* Homage to Breaking Bad, which concluded last night.  Great show.

Boo Boo Boo--P-U-TO-U-T-U

Now THIS is funny:

Variations on a Theme

Fans of the t.v. show The Wire (best show EVER) may recall a scene from an early episode where the dialogue consisted of variations of the f-word.  That was it:  variations of the f-word, the entire scene.
So, that pretty much describes my reaction to the Aggie loss on Saturday.  Effing effed-up effity eff!

As feared, the defense wasn't up to the task and, give Alabama credit, its offense exploited our defensive weaknesses, at will.  Honestly, it was hard to watch.  PLEASE, SOMEONE, MAKE AN EFFING PLAY!

Lesson:  we simply CANNOT make any mistakes on offense.  Unfortunately, we made two on Saturday and those two were the difference in the game. We should have won that effing game (see what I mean....you just have to cuss it out).  I can't decide if the first int was JFF's fault or not.  Didn't look to me like the receiver made a very good effort, but the ball was overthrown.  Still not quite sure what happened on the second one, other than the fact that the defender made a tremendous play running it back.

Mike Evans was a STUD...love him and JFF was great but for...

Someone needs to beat Bama, which  is doable. But as Oxey says, if we can't play decent D, we don't deserve to be contending for the big prize.  We have SMU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss on the horizon.  We should beat SMU and Arkansas (I think....I don't know what the Hogs are up to this year).
Don't know much about Ole Miss but if the Rebels have any offense, we again will need to score LOTS of points.

Oh, well.  Still love the Ags, always will, remain proud of the no-quit effort, hopeful for the remainder of the season.  BUT....we should have won that effing game.  Effing gig em.

Gig em, please!

Thanks to Ohfor for this link to a super article about the upcoming game. 

I am worried about the defense ....glad we are playing at home.

As for last week:
Illinois beat Cincinnati .....congrats to Drumski.
USC lost to the Leaches......YAY!'
UT lost, giving up the most running yards in the history of ever....exit Manny D.
Georgia looked surprisingly good;  I still don't like Spurrier;  OSU has some 'splaining to do.

"D" GETS "F"

One week into the new season and I already am sick of JFF. (See the cover of Time magazine) From this point forward, I only am going to comment on his performance on the field, excluding trash-talking.  Against Rice, I thought he looked good.  Yay.

And now, for the rest of the story:  WHAT THE !!!! ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE DEFENSE?  That was Fugly with a capital "F".  I loathe the 3-man front, which worked not at all.  Where are our daylight pistol-whippers and BAMFs?  It was hard to watch.

Not that anyone cares, but I vow to do a little better on the posting.  Hope to do some predictions and name some bloviating gasbag (BG) nominees.  Speaking of which, I heard a little of the radio broadcast of the Aggie game and was reminded how truly awful Dave South is.  Here is a sample:  "Johnny is in the shotgun at the forty yard line and now he has the ball.  Oh, there is a man open and IT IS A CATCH.  Ok. Looks like a first down.  Johnny is in the shotgun at the 8 yard line....(time passes)...Touchdown!  At that brings us to the end of the half.  Stayed tuned for this message from Jolene's House of  Crawdads, located in downtown Bryan".   Honestly, I believe I could do a better job.   He isn't a BG, however.  He just isn't any good.  All hail mediocrity. 

Apropos of nothing,  Oxey and I were talking about the Georgia-Clemson game.  We agreed that the 3 teams who never fail to disappoint are Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.  All recruit great atheletes but as teams, they just never seem to be as good as they should be. 

Mama Didn't Raise No Punk

Check out Larry Allen's Football Hall of Fame induction speech. Aged Cowboy fans recall that Larry Allen never spoke to the press and appeared angry on and off the field. Of course, we also recall that he was a total stud on the field and I think all agree that he deserves to be in the HOF.

Those fans will find his speech intriguing....it is sincere, at times funny, and it is SIXTEEN minutes long! Who knew? My favorite part: his laugh.

FAN? MEET SHIT.

As a surprise to no one, JFF is officially under investigation.  My favorite comment so far is the JFF is the Justin Bieber of college football.  Does 6-6 sound like a viable prediction?  Who is the backup QB anyway?

UH OH.

Read it and weep.

And Now, a Little Perspective

As feared, JFF has turned out to be a punk...an immature, arrogant, bone-headed d.b. (and I don't mean defensive back).  Since the end of bowl season, Aggies everywhere (meaning me) have been praying to Whomever to please oh please oh please just let JFF not eff up before (or during) next season.  Is that too much to ask?  After that, who cares?  (and so, the ugly truth:  I just want the Aggies to succeed and I really don't care if they are led by this dope.  It is all about the football).  Needless to say, JFF's antics the last few weeks have caused heartburn for us all (meaning me) and fueled renewed bargaining with the Almighty Whomever.

But wait.  In this article by Tim Colishaw, which appeared in today's Dallas Morning News, we are reminded that JFF's foibles are more of the minor "20 year old drunk college boy" variety than the "this is a really bad dude" variety.  Perspective:  it's a good thing.

At 20, I did my share of idiotic, immature, bone-headed things and I turned out ok (mostly).  Of course, I didn't have the laser beam of the national media focused on me at every moment but what if I had?  Yes, JFF is in the spotlight because he chose to play football, and then he played it damn well, but shouldn't he be cut the same slack we would cut any other 20 year-old bone-headed college boy?  He hasn't robbed, abused, killed----he's gotten drunk, missed work, mouthed-off, showed-off and generally behaved badly.  Do I wish he hadn't? Yes.  Does he deserve condemnation? No. 

That said, I do wish Sumlin or sum-one would snatch JFF baldheaded and take away his bucket of dumbshit ice cream.  Gig em.

Whoop!

JFF on the cover of Texas Football Magazine:

Haven't read the analysis of A&M, but according to SBaskind, it is very interesting.