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Good morning, and welcome back to your weekly social media-driven look back at the Saturday that was in college football. I don’t know about you, but Saturday kind of felt like the dress rehearsal before the opening act, because next Saturday is when the SEC gets going. Well, presumably. In the meantime, we had lots of good stuff on Saturday, and we also had Bill Moos at his Bill Moosiest, which is always great for some comic relief. More on that later.
The Good
Got the day started off right during College GameDay, as Ol’ Crimson made its 244th consecutive appearance.
Our very own @NickRolovich waving @olcrimson this morning on @CollegeGameDay! #GoCougs | #WaveTheFlag pic.twitter.com/Hyb970Cujp
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 19, 2020
My man Coach Rolo looked like he was ready to impale somebody with that flagpole while simultaneously mastering the art of the figure eight. Well done!
- More great catches
Wait... what?!
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 19, 2020
That is one way to answer for @AppState_FB pic.twitter.com/QQENhPWuT5
But wait, there’s more!
One of the best catches you'll see all week #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/8Sy8Ry2Kqf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 19, 2020
Seems like the Texas State Bobcats make one of these per week.
That’s our guy ♂️
— Texas State Football (@TXSTATEFOOTBALL) September 20, 2020
(@MarcellBarbee18)#NWO #EatEmUp https://t.co/JHrseDBOXP
We’re giving the title of “Week’s Best Catch” to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Not only was it an amazing play, but the stakes were pretty big, especially if you had La Tech +5.5 like we did!
WHAT. A. CATCH.
— LA Tech Football (@LATechFB) September 20, 2020
+ PAT
Up 31-30 with 14 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/1OPGR13HM1
- How about those Navy Midshipmen! It’s not easy to pull off a big comeback when you run the ball most of the time, but come back they did. Also lol Barstool.
Navy Is So Bad At Football https://t.co/tJYiG2p5TC
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 19, 2020
Yeah, about that.
COMEBACK WIN FOR NAVY ‼️
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 19, 2020
The Midshipmen rallied from down 24 to get the W. pic.twitter.com/tLXVhu8cv9
- THE U IS BACK! MAYBE FOR REAL THIS TIME!*
@CanesFootball knocks out Louisville pic.twitter.com/VXHzYZEgHX
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 20, 2020
*Ok probably not
- We documented the horror show of a punt during the Citadel game last week, and I thought this Pat McAfee segment on College GameDay was a pretty cool way to end the story.
The Citadel punter Matt Campbell went viral last week after his botched punt.
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 19, 2020
So @PatMcAfeeShow called up a few of his friends to give Campbell some "For the Brand Therapy." pic.twitter.com/MGP95HXZ8Z
- I love a verified team account putting a point spread into a tweet. I believe this is what the kids would refer to as “throwing shade.”
+6
— BC Football (@BCFootball) September 19, 2020
L O L pic.twitter.com/G0ihcCkpp7
- Spencer Hall will never not be hilarious.
An ACC-heavy football season so far feels like I'm watching the college version of the XFL
— BUM CHILLUPS, NPR CLASS PUNDIT (@edsbs) September 20, 2020
the mascots are BIRDS WITH TEETH
the football is IFFY
the stands have SOME PEOPLE?
the locations are FAR FROM THE NEAREST IKEA
- Thought this was cool, in a macabre sort of way.
Georgia Tech alum Thomas Carter took a photo at a 1918 football game during a flu pandemic.
— Georgia Tech (@GeorgiaTech) September 19, 2020
More than 100 years later, his great-grandson Andy McNeil is back in those same seats, taking the same photo.
Masks helped reduce the spread of the virus then, and they're helping now! pic.twitter.com/FBLkESftQL
- Bundesliga started this weekend, and although I’m chronically confused by the machinations of the season and all the tournaments which seem to overlap, I do know that we won 3-0! Yes, I said “we” because I was born into BVB fandom and it will always be in my blood.
A perfect start to the Bundesliga season! ✅ pic.twitter.com/y2hDvc9v5Z
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 19, 2020
- Although we only had one Top 25 matchup this weekend, things really heat up next Saturday. Can’t wait!
The College Football slates haven’t been very thrilling on paper but next week really heats up:
— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) September 20, 2020
Kentucky at Auburn
Florida at Ole Miss
Mississippi State at LSU
Tennessee at South Carolina
Louisville at Pitt
WVU at Oklahoma State
Florida State at Miami
The Bad
- Yikes. Get well soon, coach.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell tests positive for COVID-19, will miss rivalry showdown vs. Miamihttps://t.co/kS5xopjl2g
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) September 19, 2020
- On the team front regarding COVID, the poor Memphis Tigers seem to be having all kinds of issues. Hopefully things get better and they’re able to play sooner rather than later.
Source: Memphis won't be playing UTSA on Friday as its struggles with COVID-19 continue. UTSA will instead host Middle Tennessee in San Antonio.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 19, 2020
- I don’t know who is to blame for this nonsense, and I know Bill Murray is one of the funniest people alive, but sometimes it feels like he is more interested in playing Bill Murray than just being Bill Murray. In this case, did he really think we’d all howl at the fact that he was swinging in and out of the frame since he can’t figure out how to turn his screen 90 degrees? Also, does Bill still have dial-up at his house? At least he didn’t make Lee Corso bleed this time, so, progress?
Bill Murray is picking games from a hammock over Zoom with a terrible internet connection. Maybe 2020 ain't so bad. pic.twitter.com/O0EyrMaeFL
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 19, 2020
- This coach is ready to run through a wall!
Now that is what we call hype! pic.twitter.com/7SC7AMrSOr
— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) September 19, 2020
Marshall Thundering Herd 17, Appalachian State Mountaineers 7.
- Things are not going well for your team when the fans are doing this in clusters.
The double surrender cobra. Rare to see one in the wild. pic.twitter.com/v2X6FTWDTB
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) September 19, 2020
Or this at any point during the game.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 19, 2020
- Looks like the Louisville Cardinals need a minor pass coverage adjustment, much like Southern Miss did a couple weeks ago. Luckily our man Alex is here to break things down.
Hey guys, it's me again. I know scheme can be really tough to parse sometimes. That's why I'm here to walk you through the Xs and Os all season long pic.twitter.com/XydQAKBVtF
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) September 20, 2020
Here was the result of Louisville’s slight mishap:
Seems like a bad defensive strategy pic.twitter.com/UkAzNJ277C
— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) September 20, 2020
I can’t be the only person having Washington State Cougars 2019 flashbacks.
The Ugly
Last week, the South Florida Bulls were on the right side of some unfortunate punting buffoonery, as we mentioned. This week? Not so much.
South Florida’s punter just got LAID OUT.
— theScore (@theScore) September 19, 2020
( : @NDFootball) pic.twitter.com/2UH4tJw8Vd
Somehow, it got worse!
Our guy @Jordanbotelho_ is really bout dat action on special teams today. #GoIrish x #BeatBulls pic.twitter.com/iAxiGwyb9G
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 19, 2020
The Pathetic
New category this week! The Big Ten revealed what feels like the twelfth iteration of its 2020 football schedule on Saturday, and a certain team was not happy about its draw.
Nebraska's first four games of the season:
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 19, 2020
at Ohio State
vs. Wisconsin
at Northwestern
vs. Penn State pic.twitter.com/xGBdV5X1DQ
King snake oil salesman Bill Moos voiced his displeasure, and just about broke the unintentional comedy scale.
Bill Moos: “I’m going to protect my school and what is fair. I was outspoken on those items. At the end of the day, I was 0-for-3. I wasn’t just going to sit around and listen and get kicked around. I’ll never do that.” #huskers https://t.co/JsZsRYLy0F
— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) September 19, 2020
I can not tell you how hilarious that quote is, and how pathetic Bill Moos seems. He says he wasn’t going to get “kicked around” shortly after admitting that he lost every argument. Excuse me, Bill? Mr. Kendall from CougCenter here. I want to make sure I’ve got this right. When the Big Ten postponed the season, you and your coach made transparently hollow threats about seeking other places to play. The conference called your nonsensical bluff and you slinked back to Lincoln with your tail between your legs. Now, after bitching and moaning for weeks, you expected the conference office to give you a break? Do you have any idea how the real world works?
But this quote was the cherry on top of the “woe is me” sundae:
“I’ve got a good football team with a great football coach that deserves a break here or there to start getting back on track to being a contender in the Big Ten West.”
How far has the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program fallen? The AD is having to request preferential treatment just so they can win a game or two! Didn’t you used to have a proud program? Look, Bill, you’ve got a bad football team with an unproven coach, and your football program is, at best, the sixth or seventh best in its conference.
This pathetic display brought to mind a family gathering during the holidays, when the little kids are relegated to the hastily-assembled card table in the corner of the room because all the seats at the main table are taken. Hey Bill, turn around and take your seat at the kiddie table, the adults at Wisconsin and Ohio State are talking.
Football
The erstwhile clown college that is Pac-12 leadership continues to try and have a semi-season in 2020. As you could probably guess, little to no progress is being made.
Pac-12 to play six games? Eight games?
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) September 19, 2020
While we wait to find out, don’t miss the middle finger some of the conference coaches are giving leadership.
Column: https://t.co/LKZTOBu49E
Six games? We really gonna do all this for six games? I’m sure many of you feel differently, and I understand. But I moved on from having a season weeks ago, and any effort to salvage some semblance of Pac-12 football 2020 is starting to smell like Jon Favreau’s answering machine debacle in Swingers. It also brought to mind this Eddie Murphy bit about hamburgers. The Pac-12 is Eddie’s mom, and the rest of the Power Five is McDonald’s. WARNING: As you can guess, there are swear words.
Pac-12 presidents delay restart decision, and frustration soars
The presidents should allow non-conference games on Halloween for the teams that can be ready to play safely. That would require bold thinking from a group that prefers to remain inside the box.
Covid-19 antigen tests the key to Pac-12 football restarting
To combat coronavirus, the Pac-12 has partnered with Quidel for antigen tests that are believed to be more effective than PCR tests used by the NFL.
This Week in Parenting
I was out of town for much of the week, and when I returned home Friday evening, I noticed that SportsCenter was on the DVR menu. I asked the boys why it was on there, and the 12 year-old said, “I figured you’d want to watch SportsCenter so I recorded it.” There’s hope for that kid after all. The happiness was short-lived, though, as his Boy Scout camping trip was canceled shortly before he was to depart the house. If that weren’t bad enough, he had volunteered to help cook the meals at camp, so now we have all of this damn food on hand and nowhere to put it.
On Saturday, we were watching a World War II show, and the narrator was talking about the day FDR died. The eight year-old asked me if I was alive when that happened. Sometimes I wonder, “How damn old does this kid think I am??!!” He’s really funny about this. Like, when we’re watching a show that talks about a celebrity from the 90s, for example, he almost always asks if that person is still alive. I’m always going, “How long ago do you think the 90s were?” I don’t know if it’s a funny quirk or if he has some fixation on the living and the dead. Not sure I want to find out.
This weekend - canceled campout aside - was an eye-opener, as the 12 year-old had an overnight birthday party and the youngest had a friend over until late Saturday. Then on Sunday, the youngest had baseball camp from 10-noon, and I had to go pick up the oldest from his sleepover then jump back in the car to take the youngest to a Scouting event at the zoo from 2-4, while Mrs. Kendall took the oldest to his baseball camp from 2:30 to 5:00. It was enough to make me long for the calendar-free days of lockdown.
I Wonder
I wonder, did John Mayer really go to his 10-year reunion?
Beer
Best beer I had this week: Well it certainly wasn’t the hefeweizen/pils/hefe/pils round robin of German beer in Stuttgart. Saturday night I opened a can of Hop Hooligans Unravel: Banana, and it was enough to make me want to visit Bucharest immediately.
10 Best Beer Advent Calendars For Christmas 2020
From boxes that come fully stocked to calendars you can fill yourself, here are the best beer advent calendars from Etsy, Amazon, and more to help you feel the Christmas spirit.
Non-Sports
Hang on, you mean all that plastic I put in the bin isn’t getting recycled? It’s more about satisfying lobbyists and oil companies, while patting myself on the back? WELL KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER.
Is Plastic Recycling A Lie? Oil Companies Touted Recycling To Sell More Plastic : NPR
An NPR and PBS Frontline investigation reveals how the oil and gas industry used the promise of recycling to sell more plastic, even when they knew it would never work on a large scale.
The Unfinished Story of Emmett Till’s Final Journey | by Alexandra Marvar | Sep, 2020 | GEN Till was murdered 65 years ago. Sites of commemoration across the Mississippi Delta still struggle with what’s history and what’s hearsay.