El Rival Mas Debil!

In Dutch it is called “De Zwakste Schakel”. In German it is “Der Schwachste fliegt!“ When Italians watch it, their name is “Anello Debole“, but the Spanish call it “El Rival Mas Debil!” As for we Americans, the show is synonymous with Anne Robinson’s voice when she says, “You are…….the weakest link!”

The “Link” franchise is the second most popular game-show franchise in television history, only to “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” No less than 34 countries have had versions of “the Weakest Link”. In all versions, the host wears black clothing with the intent of intimidating the players.

I couldn’t help but think of “The Weakest Link” as I watched Florida get upset by Ole Miss, Tennessee get stopped time after time until finally losing to Auburn, and as a finale, Georgia, wearing their version of all-black in order to intimidate the visitors getting their own lights turned out by the Crimson Tide. As I watched one SEC East team after another get beat by an SEC West team, I couldn’t help but think…..who in the East is the Weakest Link?

The answer used to be easy. It was Vanderbilt, of course. But under Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt is not to be taken lightly. In fact, Vanderbilt is 4-0, ranked #19 in the country, and is leading the SEC East. Maybe, just maybe, Vanderbilt is NOT the weakest link in the SEC East. In fact, it would be hard to argue this morning that Tennessee is NOT the Weakest Link in the East. Of course, South Carolina would have to be right there with them. But after yesterday, maybe the entire SEC EAST is the Weakest Link.

And the West? Well, the AP media love affair with the Tide has already begun, moving them over LSU (#3) with a ranking of #2. The USA Today poll has LSU #2 and the Tide #4. Auburn is #13 in the AP and #14 in the USA Today poll.
This sets up a very interesting scenario for the SEC. Alabama still has to play LSU and Auburn. Georgia still has to play LSU, Florida and Auburn. LSU still has to play Florida, Georgia and Alabama. And Auburn still has to play Georgia and Alabama. Now, throw in the fact that Auburn, Georgia and Florida have to play Vanderbilt, and things at the top are far from settled. Oh, and did I mention that Auburn, Alabama and LSU must play an Ole Miss team that went into Gainesville and took care of business? Or Alabama, Florida and Georgia must play an undefeated Kentucky team?

The game continues….and right now we don’t really know….who…..is the weakest link.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR

Orange Striped Socks

In 2004, my employer purchased a manufacturing operation located thirty miles east of Knoxville. Being a part of the due diligence and implementation team, I spent a great deal of time in that area. On a weekly basis, I stayed in the Cedar Bluff area of Knoxville. During this tour of duty along the Tennessee River, I found a retail establishment I frequented. It was a big men’s shop that not only tailors their own clothing, but also carries a lot of name brand clothing as well.

Oftentimes, when I was perusing the items-for-sale table, I would encounter a tall and/or large young man who was in need of new threads because of a road trip he was taking with his team. Of course, that team would be the Volunteers, and the threads would be slacks, a jacket, a new tie or some other attire. We would speak briefly about their team, what he was majoring in, or some other general topic. One person I never actually saw there, but who also was a regular to the shop, was Head Football Coach Phillip Fulmer.

The haberdasher who typically assisted me was also Coach Fulmer’s. Because he knew I was an Auburn fan, the clothing vendeur would ask me about the team, the fans, Tuberville, etc. He would also tell me stories about Phil Fulmer, including some of his idiosyncrasies. One such was the type of orange striped socks he prefers, because of his feet. I’m not sure if that is because of the way the alumni step on his toes because of underperformance, or because the shoes of General Neyland are just too big to “Phil”.

What I do know is that this week, Fulmer will be dressed to the nines in full orange regalia, and will be bringing his league of Vol-In-Tears (their emotional state following the dismantling that occurred at the hands of Florida) to the Plains. He will have on his lucky socks, and will hope that his team has more juice than pulp. Together, they will be facing an Auburn team that took a battering of their own, however much less humiliating.

Auburn has a chance to bounce back this week, after the bitter loss to LSU. One thing they will have to be able to do is run the football. This is the only way Auburn can expect to win big games. They also need some playmakers. People who will step up and make the big throw….make the big catch….make the big interception….make the big hit. Hopefully, that is what Auburn will do this week. If they don’t, it could be a long afternoon. But if they do, they will leave Tennessee staring down at their orange striped socks.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR

Gameday on the Plains

Motivation is an interesting thing. Some people are internally self-motivated. Others are best motivated by external circumstances. Earlier this week, I wanted to make sure that my son was motivated to help his mother, do his homework, brush his teeth(!!), etc. while I was in New York for a week. Therefore, I told him that if he did all of these, without fussing, I would take him to Auburn early on Saturday because ESPN Gameday will be televised live from the front of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. I think he is already working on the signs he will bring, such as “Tuberville owns LSU (Les, Saban and Urban)”. It should be a lot of fun, not to mention a LONG day.

This marks the 5th time that the Gameday crew will have been at Auburn, the last one being in 2006 when the Florida Gators came to town. That same evening, Tre Smith had the ESPN game changing performance by flipping into the endzone after Auburn blocked a punt of the #2 ranked Florida Gators. Of course, Auburn went on to win that night.

It would have been the sixth visit to Auburn by the Gameday bunch. They were scheduled to be at Auburn for the LSU game in 2004, but hurricane Ivan forced them to move to Michigan State.

The curmudgeon prognosticator-coach that most seem to enjoy watching and yet despise deeply is Lee Corso. One of the things he does at the very end of the broadcast, is pick who he thinks will be the winner at the venue where they are located. Typically he puts on the headress of the school mascot he is picking to win. It will be interesting to see which set of Tigers Lee picks.

Lee Corso is the only original gameday cast member remaining. For those of you old enough, you might jog your memory and recall that the original crew consisted of Bob Carpenter as host, with Lee Corso and Beano Cook as analysts. That goes all the way back to 1987, when the show got its start. Chris Fowler joined the show in 1992, and has hosted every Gameday event until 2004, when he began to tag-team the duty with Rece Davis (a bammer!!!) In 1996, Kirk Herbstreit joined the team, and they have been together ever since.

One of the bits of trivia that you may not know has to do with LSU and Gameday. Back on November 9, 1996, ESPN Gameday was at Baton Rouge for the LSU-Alabama game. As he always does to end the show, Lee Corso picked who he thought would win. He picked Alabama. The LSU fans were so raucous, angry, and many witnesses say drunk, that they began throwing anything they could at Fowler, Herbstreit and Corso. One person threw a golf ball that barely missed Lee Corso’s head. And, believe it or not, the LSU Athletic Department still has that golf ball in their trophy case, as though it should be some type of award! Needless to say, Gameday changed their security measures and have used a protective screen around their crew ever since. By the way, Alabama shut out LSU that day, 26-0.

So get up early, draw or paint your sign, and come join the crowd as Auburn welcomes Gameday to the Plains this Saturday.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR

The Big Chill

Maybe it was the 3-2 score from this past Saturday. Maybe it was the 55 degree temperature I woke up to in Manhattan this morning. Perhaps it is just the scratchy throat that is bothering me. Whatever the reason, I woke up with a shiver and chill along my spine. Although New York certainly is not in the full bloom of autumn, maybe the first blush of fall has hit the city.

The summer seems to have flown by. Yesterday was July 4th, and today we are in the 4th week of football season. The kids are back in school and Halloween Candy is on sale in every store. Don’t blink, because Thanksgiving will be here before you know it.

After all, it is already September 15.

The older I get, the faster time seems to fly. Did you know that is was twenty-two years ago today when the first broadcast of “L.A. Law” took place? Twenty-two years! It seems like only yesterday when we were introduced to the Los Angeles law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak. My favorite episode was aired Thanksgiving week, 1990. As with each episode, there was a title, and this particular one was “Vowel Play”. Douglas appeared on “Wheel of Fortune” , and when he became the champion he tried to ask Vanna out on a date. Don’t ask me why it was my favorite episode…perhaps it is just because it was Thanksgiving week and I was trying to relax with a little T.V.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, this year I will get to spend the entire weekend with my family. The last three I had to either leave during the weekend for Japan, or get back on Thanksgiving Day from China. And I can assure you, they don’t know what cornbread dressing is in Osaka or Shanghai.

This also means that I will be home for the Iron Bowl this year. I was afraid I was going to miss it. Of course, if Auburn's offense doesn't improve, I might be afraid I WON'T miss it! As it was last year, this year's Iron Bowl will be Thanksgiving weekend.

So, with a touch of fall in the air this morning, I am beginning to think about Thanksgiving. Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims. The Mayflower.

Or maybe I am thinking about all this because 388 years ago, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England with 102 pilgrims. People just like you and me. They were on their way to a new world for themselves and their descendents to follow. A world free from tyranny where religion could be practiced freely. It was September 15, 1620. 388 years ago today. Kind of makes a chill go up and down your spine, doesn’t it.

WJLaneSR

il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo

I’m not a superstitious man. When walking on sidewalks, I don’t worry whether I have stepped on a crack or between them. Typically I don’t walk under ladders, but it isn’t because of superstitious mysticism; rather it is for pure safety reasons. Black cats don’t bother me any more than white or calico cats. And Friday the 13th might make a lot of money as a horror movie, but they never bother me either.

However, I have to admit I looked at my watch last night…..twice. The Seiko watch that my wife gave me a couple of years ago not only keeps up with the time and the date, but it also has the day of the week. And though I knew yesterday was the 13th, I actually looked twice to see if it was really Saturday, because it felt more like a Friday the 13th. The first time I looked was at halftime of the Auburn-Mississippi State game, when the score was 3-0. The second time I looked was just as the game ended, with a score of 3-2. And both times, just as I had remembered, it was SATURDAY the 13th, not Friday 13th.

However, the entire ballgame had the feel of the paranormal and surreal. It was a weird game. It was an oddity. And, there was a full moon.

Now soothsayers will tell you that more babies are born during a full moon than at any other time of the year. That may be true. And perhaps it is because of the gravitational pull of the moon…at least that’s what I have always heard. But that gravity sure didn’t pull Auburn (nor Mississippi State for that matter) toward the endzone. 3-2 is much more a baseball score than a football score. At least it would be, if Auburn and Mississippi State’s baseball teams hadn’t scored more runs in each of the three games they played in 2008 than the football teams did. And that’s the Stark-ville truth!

Sergio Leone directed a movie back in 1966 which starred an up-and-coming actor named Clint Eastwood. The title of the movie was “Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo”. An English version of the movie came out in 1967 entitled “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. Borrowing from the movie title, I want to share my thoughts on the good, the bad and the ugly last night.

First the good. Auburn’s defense held Miss. State to 36 yards rushing on 30 attempts. The “D” held Miss. State 0 for 14 on 3rd down attempts, and 0 for 3 on 4th down. They forced Miss. State to punt 10 times. The 116 yards that Mississippi State DID get was the fewest yards an Auburn defense has given up against ANYBODY since the undefeated season of 2004. And finally, Auburn won.

The bad. Auburn had 9 penalties on the offensive line, with the worst one being a safety for holding back in their own endzone. Auburn was only 3 for 16 on 3rd down efficiency. That is a measly 19%. Auburn fumbled the ball 3 times and turned it over on each one of those. Auburn got in the red zone only two times during the entire game, and could not put it in the endzone either time. And finally, Auburn was 1 for 3 on field goals, one miss being from chip shot range. I could say here that Auburn’s offense was bad....but I won’t.

The ugly. Because the offense was ugly. It was worse than bad. Snap count confusion, fumbling, holding, play calling, focus, attention, heart, drive. Frankly, or maybe “Franklin!”, it was ugly. I could write more here, but you can read about it on anyone’s blog that covers Auburn football. But there were other ugly things as well. Brad Lester’s fall on his head, spraining his neck, was ugly. He could have been seriously hurt. The fact that Ryan Pugh yelled to the Auburn faithful after the game that he scored more points than the entire Mississippi State team did (he was the one who was called for holding, hence the safety) was ugly and uncharacteristic for him. It was nothing to be proud of, and I am sure he will pay dearly for it this week in practice. And finally, LSU comes to town Saturday night. And if the offense doesn’t find itself and quick, it also will be ugly.

War Eagle
WJLaneSR

Remembering Seven Years Ago

I have a corner office on the 27th floor of our building. The view is fantastic. In fact, when I first began working in Manhattan, I often caught myself looking out the window every few minutes to take in the view. The walls are made of tinted glass, and being in the corner, I can see the East River as I look down 52nd Street. I can see the Waldorf, the Doubletree, the Marriott and the W Hotel as I look along Lexington Avenue. The horn blasts from Taxis and the sirens from Emergency Personnel used to bother me some, but now I rarely even notice. In fact, I rarely look out the window any more except to see whether it is raining.

Like most people in the city, I now just hustle along the sidewalk until I get to my building, crowd into an elevator like cattle in holding corral, and jump off on my floor. Nothing unusual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Same routine. Another day.

As I sit here in my office, I can see airplanes in the distance as they are descending to land at LaGuardia. I don’t usually notice them probably because they do it all day long, and I’m not as observant as I was when I first started working in the city. Just another day at the office.

Or so they thought seven years ago today. Most of the people who worked in the World Trade Center were no different than me. Or you. Just going to work. Fighting the fight. Another day.

I can’t help but think about the two planes that missiled those buildings seven years ago today. Maybe that’s why I notice each plane landing over a LaGuardia. It could have been one of those planes. It could have been my building. It could have been me. Or you.

Both presidential candidates are laying wreaths at Ground Zero today, and I applaud them for that.

But make no mistake. It could happen again. It might happen again. And even if it doesn’t happen again, I am different than before. Because as I look out my corner office and see another silvery white jetliner descending from the clouds, a little voice deep within me says “What If?”

Let us never forget those who were brutally massacred in a fiery inferno on 9/11/2001. And let’s never entrust our safety and security to ANYONE who wants to back off the fight against terrorism. Because we NEVER AGAIN want the “What If” to become “It Did”.

WJLaneSR

Slanting Monster

While athletic director and head football coach at Auburn, Pat Dye’s office was the size of most condos rented to families of four on Dauphin Island during a summertime vacation. If one had the privilege of visiting his office they would have seen a large walnut bookshelf lined with great works of literature. These books ranged from “The Shooter’s Bible” (a Sears-Roebuck sized magazine about shotguns and rifles), to a biography of Bear Bryant. One book in particular, however, was front and center. Its pages were frayed, many of them dog-eared, and there were notes scattered on and in it.

This great work of literature was written by Dale Foster. The 224 page hardback volume was published by Parker Publishing Company in 1970. The title of the book: “The Slanting Monster Defense in Football.” Pat Dye was a disciple.

Dye believed strongly in the slanting monster defense, and entrusted the strategy to arguably his most devoted assistant coach. The coach who had followed him from East Carolina, to Wyoming, and then to Auburn. Wayne Hall was also a devout follower of the slanting monster, and in 1988 had the tools to use it to perfection. By the end of the year, his defense would be ranked #1 in the country in total defense, scoring defense and run defense. Anchoring the defensive line was the great Tracy Rocker.

An example of how strong the defense was took place on October 22, 1988. Coach Dye had warned his team all week that though his Auburn Tigers were a heavy favorite, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were “a dangerous team”. This was especially so given the fact that during the week preceding the game with State, Tracy Rocker had headed the list of a dozen players nominated for the prestigious Lombardi Lineman of the Year Award. Media from all over the country had swarmed to Auburn that week to get more information about young Mr. Rocker. Wayne Hall, when interviewed, said, “There are really no number ones on our defensive, and that includes Tracy. We’ve got good players who help each other out and we have good kids who look out for each other. They all play sound, fundamental football.”

Auburn went on to shut out Mississippi State that Saturday by a score of 33-0. The nation’s number one defense picked off 5 passes that day, and only allowed 68 yards rushing. James Joseph, who was moved from halfback to fullback for the game, led the offense with 126 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Auburn visits Mississippi State on Saturday, and as coach Dye said twenty years ago, they are “a dangerous team”. We saw that last year, as Auburn virtually gave them the ballgame. But, if Coach Rhoads has the highly rated Auburn defense ready, and the offense can hold onto the ball without turning it over, Auburn should win. If that happens, the following game week should be one of high drama.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSr

David

My intention for today’s blog was to recapitulate the Southern Mississippi game of this past Saturday. However, there are two reasons that I will not be doing that…at least at this time.

I was sitting in my favorite chair (you know, the one with the invisible sign on it that says “Dad’s Favorite Chair…Beware….trespassers will be shot!! Perhaps you have one as well) watching the Raycom Halftime Report, when I heard my youngest daughter galloping down the stairs. Clop clop….clop clop…..clop clop…..Then, I heard a crash and a blood-curdling scream. Scrambling out of my chair, I run out of the family room and down the hall to find my daughter screaming, “I think I broke my foot….I fell and heard it crack!!!) I scooped her up, got her into my Ford Expedition, and took off for the emergency room. So much for the second half of the Auburn game.

Fortunately for her, the foot was NOT broken, but only sprained, albeit pretty severely. But this is reason #1 that I will not give a recap and opine on the game.

Getting the weekend off to a really great start with our youngest daughter laid up in bed with a sprained ankle, the weekend ended even worse.

My wife is the Children’s Ministry Director for our church. She does an outstanding job with this, and has a Sunday evening program during the school year for kindergarten through 5th graders. Last night, there were 50 of the little ones participating. I ran the sound and video board for their program. After it was over, I went to the store while my wife went home. When I arrived home, she said “I have to tell you something.”

She told me that one of my best friends in life, David Stiles, had died of a massive heart attack. I was shocked, stunned, couldn’t have been hit by a brick any harder than this news hit me.

David and I lived across the hall from each other at Young Harris College. His future wife and my future wife both went to North Georgia College. Together, he and I trekked over the mountains MANY times to visit the girls. He was in our wedding. I was with him when two men from his church came up to us to tell him that his father had died of a massive heart attack. I drove him home that night because he didn’t think he could drive.

David was always concerned about his own health, so he became a marathon runner, ate lots of raw veggies, never at red meat, and took medicine to control his cholesterol, which always seemed to want to be high.

David was an educator from the day I met him. He wanted to teach school and be a principal one day. And he did. He taught school in Gwinnet County in Georgia, became a principal there, and was hired away to move to Birmingham, where he became the principal of Mountainbrook High School. David moved on up into the Superintendent’s office, and most recently was named the Superintendent of the brand new school system close to Mobile….Saraland.

David and I had a meeting on March 6 of this past year. He had called me to ask if we could meet somewhere because he needed to talk to me. I had a reason to go to Birmingham, so we met that day. He talked to me about Saraland. He said he didn’t know if it was going to happen or not, and didn’t know whether to take it if it were offered. He wanted my opinion. I encouraged him to go for it.

We had communicated quite a bit since March. And I can’t believe he is gone.

But he isn’t gone. He was a very strong Christian man, and didn’t mind people knowing he was a person of faith. His legacy is scattered all across the states of Georgia and Alabama in the students he taught, mentored and guided. And though I will miss him dearly…..in fact, I’m in kind of a funk about this whole thing…..he will not be forgotten.

Today, though….it just feels like I lost my brother. And in a lot of ways, I did. He was only 49 years old......1 year older than his father when he died.

WJLaneSr

In Memory

I like to use the phrase “I’m having a senior moment” when I just can’t remember something…whether it be someone’s name, an address, a phone number, or where I left my car in the airport parking lot. Using that phrase seems to deflect the sheer embarrassment I have when, on occasion, I just can’t seem to remember things. My wife says it isn’t a senior moment at all, but rather the lack of paying attention or listening….especially to her. After all, she says, “how can you remember the score, how many rushing yards and how many passing yards Auburn had in a meaningless game back in 1984?” Well, to begin with, there are no meaningless games that Auburn plays.

But back to my memory issues. Maybe it’s because the world we live in today is so cluttered with trivial minutia bombarding us every time we turn on the television, click on internet explorer, or circle our finger over the i-pod trying to decide which of the 2000 songs we are going crank up.

Back many moons ago, I took a class from a visiting professor from Germany. The class was entitled “The Theology and Philosophy of Hope.” Suffice it to say, it was a VERY deep class with lots of reading and writing. But there was one statement that he made that has stuck with me over the years. He said, “Memory and Hope are basically the same thing. One is looking backwards, and the other is looking forward.” Another way of saying it is, “if you don’t know where you’ve been, how can you ever know where you are going?” Pretty heavy stuff for football related blog, don’t you think?

Anyway, today I want us to use our memory. To remember.

I have seen nothing written on this in any blog or news source. I am afraid we have forgotten. I am sure that his family has not. Nor his teammates. And the rest of us should not either. After all, he was only 20 years old when he left us.

You see, only a few days ago was the 25th anniversary of the death of Auburn’s starting tailback, Greg Pratt. He collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack after running wind sprints on the practice field. It was picture day for Auburn, and Pat Dye announced it to the journalists and photographers when they showed up to take the team’s picture. Pat Dye’s words were, “It is a tragedy for Auburn University, our football team, and the people who loved him and were close to him. We will truly miss him, and we will always remember him.”

So Coach Dye, keeping true to your word…..today, we remember Greg Pratt.

War Eagle!

WJLaneSr

The Jet

It was a cool, crisp day that November 11th at Jordan-Hare Stadium. A breeze was blowing toward the south endzone; just enough to make the flags above the stands gesticulate. The Pat Dye led Auburn Tigers scored on their first four possessions, but each of those were field goals by Jim Von Wyl. Auburn, ranked number 15 in the country, took at 12- 7 lead going into the fourth quarter, and seemed to have the game in hand. Scouts from six bowls were on hand that day to determine which New Years Day Bowl the Tigers would play in. But the heralded Tigers inability to get the ball into the endzone proved costly. With only 46 seconds left, Anthony Harris caught a 10 yard touchdown pass as Southern Mississippi shocked Auburn, 13-12. The quarterback who orchestrated that tremendous comeback was “Brett-the-Jet” Favre. It was the Tigers first home defeat since the 1987 season, and Pat Dye to this day says it is arguably the biggest upset loss at home while Auburn was under his guidance.

The legendary John Cox, voice of the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles from 1977 to 2007, said this of Brett Favre: “People often ask me, "Did you know that Brett Favre would be as good as he turned out to be?" And tell them that anyone that says that they did is lying, but what I did see while watching him play at Southern Miss was a player that had the drive, the passion, the heart and the ability to be the best and who would never ever give up.”

The Favre-led Golden Eagles not only beat Auburn in 1990, they also beat Alabama. After the capstone’s defeat at the hands of the Hattiesburg Golden Boy, Gene Stallings said "You can call it an upset, or a miracle, or whatever term you want to use. All I know is Brett Favre was larger than life."

This past Saturday I gave my son and my cousin’s son a “Brett-the-Jet” t-shirt showing him as a “new” New York Jet. But I remember well the day that he drove his Golden Eagles down the field….eighteen years ago….like a jet that couldn’t be stopped. Little did any of us know that while we were feeling our hearts get crushed, we were watching a star in the making.

Let’s get ready for Southern Mississippi as they come visiting again this Saturday.

War Eagle!

WJLaneSr

Hurricane Watching

It is halftime of the Tennessee vs. UCLA football game, and I can’t stop switching channels between the ballgame and the Weather Channel. Not that I am a Hurricane Tracker with one of those blue gridded maps whereby one can chart the path of any given tropical storm or hurricane. Nor is it because I know anyone directly in the path of Gustav. (Now Hanna, on the other hand, could be heading directly toward two of my children who live in Charleston, South Carolina, but that is later this week). Rather, I think my interest is peaked because of what happened to New Orleans because of Katrina, and yes, the human interest stories always seem to touch me. But I am also very interested to see if we learned anything from Katrina, and if New Orleans and the gulf coast is better prepared this time around.

Hurricanes are powerful and unpredictable. We have seen that over and over again. Not only do communities along the coast have to prepare for the power that a hurricane can bring, they also have to prepare for the unpredictable…where exactly the eye will hit….how high the storm surge will be….if evacuating, what to take and what to leave. Dealing with the power and unpredictability.

This past Saturday, the Auburn faithful were supposed to see the unveiling of the spread offense and it’s power and unpredictability. Louisana Monroe, or ULM as they prefer to be called, was to be the victim of this turbo charged, fast paced wonder-offense. An offense that could you hit you all over the field in many different ways, much like the swirling winds of a hurricane.

Now I don’t know about you, but what I saw was anything but unpredictable. In fact, it looked like more of the same that I saw last year. Oh, don’t get me wrong….rushing for over 300 yards is quite a feat. But I am convinced that we could have rushed for over 300 yards against ULM were we in the power-I, the Borges West Coast, or the spread. But our quarterbacks….both of them….often looked confused, less than poised, and certainly not “spreading the ball around the field” with the passing game.

This week is Southern Mississippi. The challenge will be tougher than this past week. And following that, the full force of hurricane S.E.C. will be bearing down on us. The defense seems to be ready. But the offense….I’m just not sure.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR