College Football lives here

Section 121: That is where I sat to witness the greatest college football game in the history of New Jersey. On Thursday night, Rutgers made fans all over American as they kept beating up the 'ville offense.

But the story of the RU success goes back longer. Four years ago, a group of friends and I decided to go and see Miami take on Rutgers. At the time stadium was 3/4 full, but something was different, Rutgers held the lead late in the fourth quarter until Miami scores something like 21 points in six minutes to win. On that day you could tell that this program was heading in the right direction and on Thursday night with all of American watching, the once laughing stock of college football, showed the country that wow northeasters can rally behind a college football team.

As a person that has been to the Rutgers Stadium a bunch of times, to see it look like that was something that I never thought would happen.

Forest Gump Loves English Soccer

Last week, the Shrimpers stood on top of the English footballing world. In the League Cup, this week Southend defeated Manchester United to advance to the quarterfinals of the League Cup, but that is not the point.
In this country we ask question about nicknames including: What the heck is a hokie; Is auburn a war eagle or a tiger; Who the hell would name themselves the zips; and who the hell is going to fear ducks.
But in English football it’s 20 times worst. Just looking at the list of nicknames from teams that are in the England, you find a bunch crazy names that make the zips seems normal.
Southend is not the only club to love the sea life. Blackpool is known as the Seasiders, Brighton & Hove Albion is known as the seagulls. Morecambe is just know as the shrimps.

Here is just a list of the club of the crazy names:

• Queens Park Ranger: The Super Hoops: what was regular hoops taken.
• Barnsley FC, The Tykes: You never want to have a nickname, which could be changed into something that you do not want.
• Everton, The Toffees: In its history it says that it was named after a local shop that sold mints. I swear I wish I could make this stuff up.
• Bristol Rovers, Gas: This one I have no clue about. In their history it says the club used to be located next to a gasworks. It would have been better to call them fart.
• Wycombe Wanderers, The Chairboys: What another club was known for being lazy.

They are nuts on the other side of the pond. The funny thing about the English soccer clubs is that they usually have two nicknames. For example Blackpool is know as the Seasiders and The Tangerines. Its bad enough to have one bad nickname but to have two take a lot of trying.

Magic of the Little Guy

In the United States it hard to image a team like the Tulsa Drillers playing the New York Yankees for a championship, but in England it happens every year. With the proper FA Cup ready to start in England this weekend, I can not think about how great it would be to have an event like this in any sport in United States. This year, there were approximately 687 teams entered into the cup and every year one of the teams from the lower division decides to shock the soccer world and beat one of the EPL larger teams. The format is easy, sometime in later summer teams from smaller division play off to see who gets to the first round of the cup. In the first round the teams from the first and second division of the Football league join them. In the third round, the EPL teams join the event and all of the crazy stuff starts.
But there is something different about this, teams are not bracket up and they play through to the end. They are draw out of a hat and put together, so after you win you have no idea who you are going to face, there could be a fourth round game that futures the top two teams in the EPL and another fourth round game that features two lower level teams that advanced.
That is the magic of "The world's oldest knockout competition."

A Few Random Things

• A guess there is not enough room at the inn. A year after signing a stellar recruiting class, it looks like North Carolina is not going to get involved in the fall basketball signing period.
• Even in times of tragedy, some media members can still find a way to take a shot at the Miami football program.
• Interesting story on the MSI transfer situation with West Ham United and the future of this type of deal.
• Glad to see former Redskins flop Heath Shuler has better political skills then passing skills.

The French can't fight

So they did not want to be part of the Iraq war effort, but leave it French Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger to show that French fighting spirit. Wenger was involved in a touchline bust up with West Ham United manager Alan Pardew, after West Ham scored a later winner on Sunday.
Ok so he has an eye for talent, but he will never be confused with Mike Tyson. Wenger is brilliant, he along with Sir Alex, where two of the guiding lights behind what the EPL is today. But he has been involved his fair share of troubles over the years. One of the most famous incidents came with Sir Alex's Manchester United squad when he called Ruud van Nistelrooy a cheat after a highly charged game at the Old Trafford. No one wants to remember you for being a grumpy old man.
But Arsene please calm it down, watching you try to throw down in a puffy coat might be funny, but it does nothing for your street cred.
Watching this unfold made me think of mangers and coaches around the sporting world that I would love to see throw down.
1. Coach K and Roy Williams: Now that would be great, Coach K could call on Grant Hill and his useful ankle to do a run in, while Roy could just beat them both.
2. Lou Holtz and Jimmy Johnson: Wow that would be classic, Jimmy hair vs. Lou's glasses.
3. Ol' Ball Coach vs. Anyone at the University of Tennessee: Hey you can not spell butt kicking without UT.

Little House on the Prairie now being show on Saturday afternoons

Good night John Parker Wilson, Good Night Gordon Ely-Kelso, Good Night Colt. This has to be the year of the red neck in College Football. Its seems like Confederate Flags and guns racks on pick-up trucks are all the rage at college football stadium around the country. With respects to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a red neck if you have the first name of a beer. So here is the a list of the best red neck names in college football.

1. Jim Bob Cooter, QB, University of Tennessee: I do not care if he has played very little during his time. Any time you have a Cooter on the Tennessee football team its comedy gold.

2. John David Booty, QB, USC: A red neck filling in for Mr. Hollywood, now that is a concept that should be a movie.

3. Britton Colquitt, Punter, University of Tennessee: All you need to know is that everyone in the Colquitt family punted for the Big Orange Nation. Family of punters with hick names now that is something to be proud of.

4. Gordon Ely-Kelso, kicker, University of Georgia: Anytime you have a name like that and play at the UGA, you will make a list like this.

5. Colt McCoy, QB, University of Texas: This man is everything Texas. Besides leading the Texas offense all year, he also enjoy hunting and fishing. Really I cannot make this stuff up. He went to Jim Ned High School, it sound like a place in the Fox Show King of the Hill.

6. Colt Brennan, QB, University of Hawaii: He has lead the June Jones offense to great heights. The Rainbows are number offense in the nation averaging 525.2 yards a game, passing for 421.9 and scoring 45.4 points. Wow this really is turning out to the be the year of the Colt, he should join McCoy in the New York in December.

7. John Parker Wilson, QB, University of Alabama: He is a cult hero in the state. Before coming to 'Bama, Wilson was the quarterback at Hoover High School, the state top prep program.