I never got around to posting about it last week, but one of the most enjoyable college football upsets in memory transpired when Division 2 Appalachian State defeated #5 Michigan, in Michigan. I don't have any opinion of Michigan, and couldn't tell you anything about them other than that Bo Shembeckler used to coach them to an annual Rose Bowl shellacking, but I knew they were a "traditional power" and I therefore took great pleasure in them being whacked by some tiny, unknown, lower division school. It was the first defeat ever of a top 25 team by a Division 2 school, and when Michigan dropped out of the top 25 in the next poll it was the first time ever for a top 5 school to leave the rankings the next week. Rivers of
digital ink have been spilled on the game, and if you care you've surely read about it by now, so I won't belabor it any further.
I bring it up now because this week Michigan is hosting Oregon. I wouldn't have taken any notice of this game, but after last week's amusement I had to see how Michigan, and their rabid fans, would react. So I set the game to tape this morning while I worked on other things, and I'm watching it now, with appropriate use of the FF button, while I eat lunch. It's great; Oregon scoring at will, Michigan making repeated mistakes, and it's 33-7 at the half. The TV coverage hasn't quite shown as many shots of shocked, dismayed, blue and maize-wearing fans than they have of the game, but it's pretty close, and we've got the dismal, soul-crushing 47-10 garbage time fourth quarter yet to come.
Adding to the fun, Michigan's QB stayed in the locker room at half and they've trotted out a freshman who could not look more overwhelmed. He handed off twice, one of which ended with Michigan's star running back limping off the field, then threw into a thicket of defenders on third down after absolutely staring a hole in the receiver.
Speaking of receivers, have the Colts drafted Michigan's #86, the misnomered
Maningham? He's quick, sure-handed, and never met a sidelines he didn't try dash across. The best one so far was a crossing pattern on 3rd and 3. He caught it at the line and never even glanced upfield before darting, untouched, out of bounds for a gain of one. Fortunately for him there was holding on Oregon, so his meaningless, gutless effort didn't go into the books. He made more of an impact later in the 3rd quarter, when the freshman QB hit him with a strike across the middle on 3rd and long. Tragically, there were defenders in the area so Boyingham tried to catch it while sliding down so he wouldn't get tackled, and ended up deflecting it into an interception. But hey, he's fast and I'm sure when they're working out in shorts and t-shirts he's a fricking terror.
Update: Oregon won 39-7, but from what I saw of the 4th quarter, the producer must have grown tired of showing shell-shocked Mighigan fans, since they mostly stuck to the "action" on the field or showed celebrating Oregon fans when they did a crowd shot.
Labels: football
