Friday, December 30, 2005

Mizzou won over Carolina!

I had nine people at my house watching the game.. Everyone was cheering for Carolina except for me. I was wearing this MU vest that my old boss gave me, and I was sad and quiet for the first quarter. USC came out firing 21-0. I was scared it would turn into a blowout, and I wanted a good game. Then MU got an interception and ran it back for a touchdown. It was AMAZING! At the same time, my best friend called me, and I asked her if I could continue to talk to her throughout the game for luck.

Needless to say, she couldn't but it didn't matter. Brad Smith came out firing and running up and down the field. He ran and passed for 451 yards, and he lead the Tigers to beat Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks. The tides changes once they intercepted the second ball and they marched down field to tie the game 28-28. I was cheering, and my carolina friends were worried. The game tied again, and I thought it couldn't get any better than go into OT. Well, Smith ran in for another TD with 2 minutes left. MU then intercepts the ball a minute later to seal the win.

By winning the game, the heat is taken off of Brad Smith, and Missouri showed great poise. They could have easily given up after being down 21-0 after 8 minutes into the first quarter. Needless to say, they didn't and they kept fighting! I am proud of my Missouri Tigers. Carolina fans need to realize that they will be great next year, and I hope they will win. It was really tough for me because I wanted both teams to win their bowl games. However, playing against each other, I was truly torn. I decided in the end to cheer for MU. I really hope that Mizzou gets good recruitments, and this will only make SC stronger by this loss. They will come out with lots of energy. I have to give a nod to Sidney Rice! He surpassed Sterling Sharpe's record for most yards recieving in a season. I am a huge fan of Sharpe, and Sidney looked great today! Carolina wil only be better next season after this loss!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

USC or Texas, who will win?

Everyone is excited about the big game on Wednesday, including myself. We will have the #1 team and the #2 team facing each other. There will be people who will argue that USC should not have won against Norte Dame (myself included), and they should have one loss. However, they got some breaks at the end of the game, and they are still undefeated. One of the interesting story lines that appeared last night is that Pete Carroll signed an extension to stay at USC. Although the details haven't been released, I believe that this is a great sign for USC's future. Pete is an incredible coach that can handle adversity and stars on his team. Reggie Bush as a running back is a sight to see. I love watching him make cuts and run down the field. He is probably one of the greatest running backs of all time. Next year when he is playing for the Jets, he will shine! Yes, he will be going to the Jets. They have basically sealed their fate as the number one pick after losing to New England. Matt Leinart staying for his senior year was a great choice! He will play pretty well in the NFL, but there are few quarterbacks that will make an immediate impact on the game.

Vince Young is one of those quarterbacks that you have to watch out for because he can run and throw to his WRs'. He gave a good run for the Heisman, but it may work in his favor not to have won the big trophy. He will be a fast quarterback for the team that drafts him, and he could give teams an offensive weapon to worry about like Vick. Another quarterback is Missouri's own Brad Smith. He is the first player in Division I-A history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 twice (in 2002 and 2005). Smith is also the Big 12's career leader in total offense (12,656), he threw for 2,022 yards and ran for 1,151 this season. The drawback for Smith is he never had a great team around him. They had some great players, but not an overall great team like Leinart has with USC or Young with Texas. He will go under the radar, and if an NFL team picks him up, then he will shine in the NFL. I have watched him play for four years following my alamater, and it has been fun to watch. If he had played for Steve Spurrier for any of those years, his name would be mentioned many times as a great quarterback.

I am going to go on record to predict that USC will lose to Texas this year. Texas's defense will be able to stop Bush from running more than 100 yards, and Vince Young will shine. He will demonstrate his athletic ability and prove to the voters that he should have won the Heisman. Texas is a dangerous team, and no one is predicting they will win. It reminds me of when Oklahoma came in and beat Florida State for the Orange Bowl in 2000. I predicted that Oklahoma was going to win, and they did as underdogs. My father was shocked that I was right, but I watched how Oklahoma was playing while going to Missouri. They played their games underneath everyone's radar, and no one was giving them the chance to win. Oklahoma made a statement. Another similarity is Heupel was the runner up for the Heisman in 2000, and he led his team to a victory and national championship. Texas reminds me of the 2000 team. This game will be wonderful to watch, and I hope that the Big 12 comes out on top!

Tomorrow will be the MU vs. Carolina game, and I am hoping that it will be a good game as well. I think Carolina will pull it out in the end by a field goal, but whoever wins I will be happy!

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Prayers to the Dungy Family

I wanted to send my condolences to the Dungy family during this time with the lost of their child James. He is the type of coach that always puts his family first, and his faith will bring him through this tragedy. I am a believer that faith helps all of us through rough times, and these incidents only make us better people.

I lost my mom at age 11, and it was a rough time for me. There are days when little things remind me of her, and I break down in tears. During this holiday season, I remember the days when she used to cook fruitcakes for people in our family. She used to buy 20 gallon cans to mix the ingredients. As a 9 year old, I remember digging my hands into the mixture and trying to stir the pounds of mixture.

The key to learn from this tragedy is to realize that family is very important, and one should spend time with them as much as possible. One shouldn't wait till an event like this happens for us to realize the importance of family. Even though we may have different relationships with our families, we need to keep in mind what they mean to us.

Hope everyone is safe this holiday season!

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Bowl Lineup announced.. SC or Mizzou?

Tonight I was watching the bowl lineups appear, and I was anticipating South Carolina and Missouri's bowl games.. I have been reading in the paper that Mizzou could play SC, and I was hoping they wouldn't.. However, tonight they announced that SC will be playing MU in the Independence Bowl. Needless to say, I have to choose one or the other to cheer for. I am at odds..

I was born and raised a Gamecock fan, and I have been going to games since I was a young child. My mom went there for a couple of years, my dad got 2 masters from SC, my oldest brother got his undergrad honor's degree, and my middle brother got his medical degree from the USC branch. I am going to graduate in May with my masters..

I called one of my good friends from Mizzou, and she was wondering who I was going to cheer for. I told her SC because it outweighed my alumni. She was like well, you spent lots of money in Mizzou tuition. That is true, but I have spent 27 years in SC, and I am sure I have spent more money in SC than in Missouri. So I will ultimately cheer for SC in the bowl game. It will be very hard because I will be cheering for Mizzou as well. I will be happy either way.

My gut says that Steve Spurrier will be fantastic against Mizzou, but Brad Smith will be wonderful at QB. He has set records in every category at Mizzou! He is amazing, and he is a running qb as well as an efficient passer. He can find angles to run in and has a quickness to him like Michael Vick. I hope he gets drafted by an NFL team next year because he will be great in the league. Mizzou's defense has struggled at times, but when they need to perform big, they will do it! They performed great against Nebraska, but they have struggled of late. Pinkel will have the team ready, and they do remember the last time there were in the Independence Bowl two years ago and lost to Arkansas. It was a horrible victory, and Brad will want to come back and win.

South Carolina needs to be careful not to overlook Smith and their wideouts. Mizzou's running game is good when they want to be, and they could be dangerous. South Carolina has had very strong games against Tennesse, Arkansas and Florida. However, we had a bad day on my birthday by losing to Clemson. Needless to say, Carolina will come out fighting as well. Blake Mitchell is doing really well, and if he controls the ball really well, it could be a long game for Mizzou. Carolina's defense has been playing very good as of late, and I hope it continues.

All in all this should be a great game. It will come down to the special teams and turnovers. If SC handles the ball without turning it over, I think Spurriers offense will go into high gear. Missouri will be ready offensively, but I am hoping their kicking game is better than in years past. Special teams and defense will have to produce turnovers in order to shift the momentum in this game. Needless to say, I will be having a party at my house to watch the game! Go Cocks and Tigers!!