Smaug's $0.02
Whew!
What a ball game. Wow. Look at us. Going into week 12 a year removed from graduating 75 JUCO mercenaries (if Tech fans are to be believed), we are staring at a real shot at repeating as CUSA West champions and playing for the 'ship.
This is our letdown year, remember?
The year we were picked to finish fourth in the division, might not win 6 games, and have our betters avenge our unfair advantages (according to them) over the last two years. The year it all came crashing down.
Heh, bless their hearts.
Senior Day. Rained all morning, then turned chilly. Tailgating was a swamp. Didn't matter. A word on these seniors. A couple of them were in the room when Ray the Apostate committed his act of treachery, transferred out, and came home when mama called.
Several of them signed up to play football at a school not playing football. They are (without looking it up) the most successful senior class in UAB history (with only 3 years on the books). This is a special group of guys. The best part? There are only 14 of them! That makes the prospects for 2020 very exciting. We're a pretty damn young team in '19, sitting at 8-3 and still in the hunt going into week 12.
Anywho, on to the observations.
Sacred Cows
If you didn't get to the Blazertalk tailgate yesterday and missed out on one of the Mad Genius' steaks, brothers and sisters, you missed out on a sublime treat. A word on that, while I'm thinking about it. Blazerwkr has been the plow horse for our tailgate for as long as I've been participating. He's very quietly been a weekly hero for a long time. We should have toasted you last night, sir. On that note, we are discussing transitioning to the Gameday tailgate next year in anticipation of the new stadium, to both see what it's like and be "on the list" for '21. I'll let him start his own thread with the details, but if you've enjoyed eating and fellowshipping with us, consider chipping in and helping make this happen.
Tech gonna Tech
They have to be the biggest bunch of crybabies I've ever encountered. USM fans warned us and they were right. Something they've never learned in Ruston, despite plenty of lessons; taking defeat like a man.
Moll. Rhymes with "maul".
9 more tackles yesterday. Dude is a tackling machine. Speaking of, linebacker play, along with wide receiver, has been one of the most pleasant surprises this year. We are so fast. Sideline to sideline. In a conference full of pinball football, we are winning in the Clark era by running the ball and playing defense. Like Vince Lombardi once said, "Football is blocking and tackling. Everything else is mythology." Speaking of receivers...
Myron Mitchell. Rhymes with, "Holy s***! Did he just catch that?"
He might just end up a truly special player at UAB. 4 catches for 81 yards. He and Watkins (3 for 75) had a very nice day, which had a lot to do with...
Dylan Hopkins. Rhymes with "Our freshman backup QB > your freshman backup quarterback"
220 total yards, one TD and one pick. Good enough to win, the way our D was playing. Got more comfortable as the game progressed. We were not going to win without a decent game out of him, and we got it. Kid's now 2-1 as a starter and has gotten better every week. I don't know TJ3's status, but all is not lost if he can't go. A big reason for his success was due to...
Big Uglies
Inexperienced and much maligned unit had a great game yesterday. Tech simply did not get to Hopkins. Did not get near him. The pocket did not break down. Period. All his runs were called. We also ran for 167. Not phenomenal, but not bad, again because of how the defense played.
There's a D in Blazers
We held Tech to 270 yards and 14 points. Yeah, J'Mar didn't play, nor did their receiver, blah blah blah. Who's fault is that? J'Mar didn't look like the second coming of Tim Rattay in Ruston last year, I know that. But that's beside the point. We've been playing great D all year. David Reaves is very quietly one of the best DCs in the country, and we are lucky to have him.
#CUAB
Penalties:
Tech 8 for 70 yards.
UAB 8 for 70 yards.
The Good
Folks, after all we've been through, walking through that mob of football players, families, friends, and fans brings my heart joy. Everyone is happy, laughing, hugging, high-fiving, mugging for selfies. We have been through the desert. Enjoy.
The Bad
Why the hell were all the gates locked at the end of the game? I had a great time, but I was ready to go! On a related note, you had a pretty good day when that's all you've got to ***** about.
The Ugly
Steer clear of Tech's message board. Seriously. They're not taking it well.
So, what does this mean, Barbara?
It means we're going into week 12 with meaningful football still to play. Major goals still ahead of us. I like this. Way better than the other kind. Senior Day in Denton next week. Let's crash the party. It also means the twitterverse is awash with "(Fill in name of underachieving Privileged 5 school here) should get Bill Clark from UAB" again this year. Beats the hell out of having coaches they DON'T say that about.
That's all I got. For now. I think.
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Smaug's $0.02
