Jawwgiiaa!

The Odyssey’s latest doubleheader weekend started in Atlanta at the Mercedes Benz dome.  Georgia Tech was the quasi-home team against Louisville.  In the first half, the Rambling Wreck looked reminiscent of the Yellowjackets’ 4 national championship squads.  Haynes King, the Texas A&M transfer, led Tech to an eye-popping 321 yards of offense and a 28-13 lead.  The Odyssey was impressed with Georgia Tech fans, exuberant despite a fallow period in recent years.

HOWEVER…..Jeff Brohm’s return to his alma mater was noteworthy.  If Brohm is deemed to be the Cardinals’ savior, their halftime adjustments would totally be in accord with such accolades.  The Tech offense was totally shut down in the second half, save for a last-ditch TD against a prevent defense.  Big 39-34 comeback win for Louisville.

Having the pleasure of attending the game with my son, TJ, his assessment seemed reasonable:  2 ACC teams of middle tier.

After a late-night drive to Macon, the Odyssey looked forward to the second leg of our journey to Statesboro for our first Georgia Southern game.   For football addicts, one of the great inventions is Sirius radio.  The trip whizzed by as the Odyssey enthralled with Prime’s debut with the Buffaloes.  At game’s end, we were thunderstruck that a team, projected to win 3-4 games, could suddenly have 3 Heisman Trophy candidates.  Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

The road leading to Paulsen stadium was incredibly beautiful and unique.  A road was split by a huge median highlighted by rows of magnificent trees.  The stadium could use some renovation but that road is a vision that would have wowed Scarlett O’Hara.  And if we had to pick a locale which had the vibe of being most up for a post-game Country music concert, Statesboro would be very close to the top of the list.

Notice that I have said nothing about Georgia Southern’s game against FCS Citadel.  Simply because there is nothing to say in a 34-0 whitewash of an outclassed FCS team.  The Odyssey wishes these FCS sacrifices would stop.  The SEC had never recorded 10 wins of 30+ points on a single Saturday until yesterday.  Ironically, the worst of the slaughters involved Macon’s Mercer Bears, a 73-7 victim at Ole Miss.  Given that my toilet backed up in my Macon hotel room, create your own metaphors.

I am hoping that one of the fallouts of the crazy doings in college football realignment is that the two big daddies, ESPN and Fox, eventually get rid of most of these slaughter games in favor of more compelling tilts.

However, any college Saturday will never fail to offer some delights.  On Saturday, the Mountain Time Zone reigned supreme!  The day started with Colorado’s spine-tingling upset and ended with another upset by a decided underdog:  In Laramie, Wyoming threw a game-tying TD pass on 4th and 7 in double overtime despite a fierce blitz.  When the ensuing 2-point conversion succeeded, the Cowboys had their 35-33 upset over Texas Tech.   A giddy field storming ensued in Cowboy land.   COOL!!