Monday Grab Bag: *fart noise*

I spent my Saturday doing everything except paying close attention to the Buffs game.  What I discovered was that the world outside of Boulder still finds this whole college football thing fun.  Watching Florida/Tennessee and USC/Stanford was a damn treat, and the Holy War in Salt Lake City was a more than entertaining way to cap the day.  It's just a shame that Boulder can't join in on the fun.

Well, it's not just Boulder.  The entire State of Colorado just seems disinterested with the sport, and with good reason.  Of the four D-1 schools in the state (Air Force, CU, CSU, and UNC), the combined record is 3-8, with the wins coming over CU (by CSU), Idaho St (by AF), and something called Colorado Mesa (by UNC).

Sure, we have the mountains, and the valleys, and all the other wonders of God's creation, but it was like there was this awesome party going on, and the State of Colorado was not invited.  I wish we were invited...

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Today in the bag, I'll do a drive-by on the rotting corpse of the CU football program, turn to non-traditional sports for inspiration, and discuss some notes from the happier side of the nation of football.


Click below for the bag...


Impotent -

69-14.  To a MWC nee WAC school still coming to terms with a new coaching staff.  Is there anything else to say?

FINISH HIM!

How about this: that was the worst loss in program history.  Worse than the double-dip to Drake, worse than 70-3, worse than anything that happened pre-WWII.  Hell, at least in 70-3 you knew that the Buffs were a good team, just crushed by circumstance.  No, Saturday saw the team lay a massive steaming pile of shit on the field at a level that had previously been unimaginable.  (Good news!  The crew still has nine games with which to try and out-shit Saturday!  Fuck me...)

The death toll from Fresno:

• Boatraced 35-0 in the first quarter, CU gave up the most yards in a quarter since the Chuck Fairbanks era.
• The halftime yardage total (516) was the most given up by CU in any half ever.
• 55 points allowed in the first 30 minutes was the second most ever.
• The 665 yards gained by the Bulldogs is good enough for 4th all-time against a CU team.
• Fresno St finished with more rushing yards (288) than CU had total yards (278).

Let's be honest, had Fresno been interested, they could've cracked 100 Saturday afternoon.  The worst part, I wouldn't have batted an eye.  The Buffs deserved to get dick-slapped the way they were playing.

From the opening kickoff, you could tell that Fresno, CA, on a 102 degree day, was the last place any of those kids wanted to be.  Regardless of what they may say to the contrary, it was the result of a team who didn't care.  Maybe next time they could save everyone the trouble and cancel the trip.

There's been some hushed talk about how the team has a much better attitude to playing then they had in the past.  That Hawk strived for "good enough," while the current staff demands more.  I'm not seeing any results of this mythic improvement.  It looks like the same old crap to me; hell, it looks worse.

The national reception Saturday evening resembled something akin to finding out a former friend, who had always struggled with alcohol abuse, was killed in a violent DUI wreck.  The shock and horror upon hearing of the incident was undercut by a sense of knowing resignation to fate. CU is just that program you expect this shit to flow from now.

I was wondering how deep this rabbit hole can go.  It seems bottomless right now.


Grasping at straws - 

Alright, I need some good news, what do you have for me, soccer and volleyball teams?

The CU women's soccer team continued their good run of play with a 2-0 blanking of the Air Force Academy Sunday afternoon.  A pair of second half goals from Darcy Jerman and Hayley Hughes were more than enough to finish off the Falcons.  Since DU handed them their first loss two weeks ago, the team has rebounded with a three game win streak, and are playing good soccer headed into conference play.  At 6-1-2, the squad is off to their best start since '08 (the year they made the Big XII title game).

Hayley Hughes and the Buffs are rolling.  From: CUBuffs.com

The volleyball team is also on a roll.  They swept their two games in the Colorado Invitational Saturday afternoon, improving their overall record to 10-2.  This is already, by far, the best season in Coach Liz Kritza's tenure, and the team is off to their best start in 15 years. 

Nikki Lindow and her teammates have started the season well.  From: CUBuffs.com

Compared to last year, where almost every CU program was lousy prior to basketball season, this fall has marked a great run by the second-tier teams.  There's a lot to be proud of from these groups, and I just might make an effort to see a few soccer and volleyball games this fall.  They deserve the support.


Around the nation of football -

NFL

Baltimore @ Philadelphia - 

Philly continues to look awful, yet finds themselves sitting at 2-0 after another turnover plagued win over the Ravens.  At some point someone makes them pay for their dispassionate care with the football, right?

Tampa Bay @ NY Giants -

The game ended in a big comeback win for the G-men, but all anyone can talk about is a rather tame scuffle over the Bucs trying up to the final whistle.  I think Coach Coughlin needs to get the sand out of his vag, because there was nothing wrong with the play. 

YAAAARRRRRRR!  I'M SENILE!

College

Florida @ Tennessee - 

A great atmosphere in Knoxville made for great viewing.  The result, a 37-20 Florida win, belies the intensity the game had for most of the way.

USC @ Stanford - 

Stanford did it again, nipping the Trojans 21-14 in Palo Alto.  National title dreams aren't completely dashed, but, with at least one game with Oregon and the Pac-12 title game left on the schedule, don't be surprised if USC ends up with three losses.

Even without the great Andrew Luck, Stanford is still a capable opponent.  From: ESPN

Happy Monday!