COLUMN: Mixed reviews from a cowboy
Before the Oregon quack attack comes to town Saturday night, I think our Aggies could use some sound advice. And since I know the football team looks to The Utah Statesman for advice on how to prepare for upcoming games, I will offer a few tips.
Sunday morning, a good friend of mine who plays for the Wyoming football team, called me and we talked about the previous night’s game. It had been about 12 hours since he had taken off his brown uniform and traveled by bus across the brown desolation we call Wyoming – all the way back home to Laramie. He said his heart was still pounding from the thriller the night before. Even as a fan, I was still reliving the final minutes of the fourth quarter in my head.
THE GOOD: Talking to my friend last year, he told me how sad he was their game against Utah State had been canceled. He laughed as he told me how lucky we were they wouldn’t be coming up to Logan to beat up on our sad football team. But talking to him a few days before Saturday’s game, his tone had changed. He told me how impressive we looked on film and they were ready for a real dog fight. After the game, he was even more impressed. He said Emmett White was even better than advertised. He said the cornerbacks on his team said Kevin Curtis was far better than any of the receivers they had faced the week before against football powerhouse Texas A&M. I told him Curtis had surprised me as well.
I had a class with him last year and when I saw him wearing a USU football shirt, I just assumed he was the kicker or the water boy. Little did I know we had a Forrest Gump All-American on our hands. My friend also said our 0-3 record could be deceiving to a team like Oregon coming in on Saturday and if we didn’t make all the mistakes we made against Wyoming, we could give the Ducks a run for their money.
THE BAD (AND THE UGLY): “You guys really shot yourself in the foot,” he told me.
I agreed. Unless the Aggies thought they were playing against Logan High, it’s hard to commit 11 penalties for 122 yards and still expect to come away with a victory. With 122 yards in penalties, my intramural flag football team would have stood a chance. The Aggies crossed the line between the typical competitive nature of football and stupidity. I was surprised to hear my friend tell me our team was the dirtiest they had played against this season. It was like they were trying to be the Oakland Raiders of college football.
After the third of six unsportsmanlike conduct penalties was called, the Wyoming radio announcer said, “We haven’t played these guys in 20 years and now we remember why.”
I could tell by the tears at the end of the game how badly they wanted to win, but watching flag after flag being thrown for one dumb penalty after another, it makes us look like we were trying to lose.
After every touchdown he scored, Barry Sanders would celebrate by handing the ball to the referee. Because Dale Murphy would never argue with umpires (it was said with one look from him) an umpire would know he had made a mistake. Real players act like they’ve been there before, they talk with their pads instead of their mouths. Players like Sanders and Murphy – both respected by their fellow players – showed some class.
It’s a safe bet the Aggies will play hard on Saturday night. If they are ready to play smart, it could be a great game. If not, tell Oregon to stay home and I’ll have my intramural team ready.
Clark Jessop is a
sophomore majoring
in broadcast journalism.
He can be reached at
clarkjessop@cc.usu.edu