[NU Sports] Whew ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Ugh - thought it was gonna be BGSU 2001 all over
again. But the Cats came through for a 2-0 start ...
HUGE to do that with this schedule. Yes, there are
holes and problems, but with the way the rest of the
league is looking all of a sudden and with our 2-0
start, there's some reason for cautious optimism.

I will say that I was impressed - very impressed -
with Mr. Sutton today. Looks like we have our back and
he's working well with the scheme. The receivers and
Baz were a bit off today, but came through when
needed. And the D was up and down -- but loved seeing
the special teams come through with a score!

As for the two big calls - I agree with both. A
6-point lead did little for RW when he called the fake
and we SHOULD have been able to get it in with four
tries inside the 5. As for Novak, his team was moving
the ball well and had momentum -- NU has confidence to
win in OT games, so why not strike for the win now.

Looks like after a 1-week break, Dyche Stadium is back
to the cardiac finishes to which fans are
accustomed.:) 2-0 and a trip to the desert for what
could very well be a "doughnut" game for ASU between
two top-5 teams in LSU and USC who visit Tempe. Let's
pull the upset!

Around the league ...

Down day for the league - not just in the losses on
the scoreboard, but on teams as well with Tate and
Hart. Certainly could re-shape the race. Ohio Stadium
looks electric right now. I'm not a big OSU fan, but
I'm even less of a fan of all things Texas so Go Bucks
and save some Big Ten pride.

* Not that Michigan deserved to win after choking so
badly, but the officiating crew in Ann Arbor on
Saturday had better hope they have jobs come Monday.
Those final minutes were embarassing -- half of
Henne's body, plus the ball, were in the first dive
(and was there a penalty or not?) ... the delay for
replay on the second ... another replay later. Plus a
lot of time that ticked away. Just a sloppy end to a
sloppy game. I'd be surprised to see either team in
the B(C)S though the Irish fans are already talking
Pasadena (puke).

* Iowa falls into the September trap again (is Ferentz
the new Lloyd Carr?) -- they'll still be in the hunt,
but this loss is a big blow to morale.

* Lots of big numbers on the scoreboard from Big Ten
teams today ... and from Big Ten opponents. The Paul
Bunyan Axe game alone could be 77-70. Purdue, PSU, MSU
and the Illini also top 40. Not seeing much in the way
of defense though, which hopefully will be good news
for our offense.

2-0 feels nice and the win was a thrilling shootout as
expected (though I didn't expect our ground game to
come up as big) ... ASU will be a huge step up, but
the Big Ten picture is clouding up a bit so who knows
where we can go if the young ground game matures and
Baz steps up?

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!


	
		
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