Well, at least for some of us. Georgetown wrapped up its final practice today ahead of a trip to Stony Brook to take on the Seawolves. Kickoff is at 6 PM EST and will be carried live on guhoyas.com.
The SEC's 75th Anniversary season started tonight. #2-ranked LSU, boasting one of the more absurd collections of talent in the country, routed Mississippi State 45-0 tonight in a game that was not as close as the score indicated, as exhibited by Miss. State's Michael Henig tossing six interceptions. Four years into the Sylvester Croom era at Starkville, is this debacle merely a blip in what will be a bowl season for the Bulldogs or a continuation of the malaise that permeated the end of the Jackie Sherrill era into the present day?
Miss. State's fall from the SEC's competitive ranks into an oft-beaten also ran is sad because through the 2000 season the Miss. State was competitive with Tennessee, Florida and Alabama. Of course, there were issues to with the NCAA, but even with that, the Bulldogs' total collapse in this decade -- a drift Croom has been unable so far to correct -- has been disheartening. I am a supporter of Coach Croom and I hope he and the Bulldogs put themselves together from this loss (BURN THE TAPE!) and return to competitiveness.
Meanwhile, down in Dallas, Brian Davis of the Dallas Morning News believes the Aggies need to jam 50 points down Montana State's throat to get a good start to the season. I concur with this view. Montana State is at some level a barometer of the Ags' future success and at the same time not. Obliterate the team as expected and do we gain any insight for future games? However, if A&M only wins by 20, or, worse, loses outright, it's automatically a sign of concern and panic.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
"Alex Buzbee, Georgetown University"
Thanks to Hoya Saxa.com for adding this page to the blogroll.
Today class started back at the mighty Hilltop, and we are only now a few short days away from Hoya kickoff on Saturday against Stony Brook. Additionally, one of our recent graduates may be on an active NFL roster this season.
As fellow Hoya Aaron Ammerman (F'00) points out:
Not to preempt Zo's thunder, but I can't help noting that fans of Hoya football anxiously await the NFL's final roster deadline, this coming Saturday at 4:00, for one of our Hoya brethren is one cut away from playing professional football this season. Alex Buzbee, the defensive star of the 2006 Georgetown Hoyas, signed as a free agent with local favorite, the Washington Redskins and has survived against the odds. As of last weekend, #90 was widely considered to be the 10th or 11th best defensive lineman on a team that could probably only keep ten. However, the breaking news tonight that the Skins have cut veteran DT Joe Salave'a may mean that our hopes are not misplaced.
If Alex succeeds where no Hoya has succeeded in many a decade, it may bode well on another front. Consider all those Hoya hoops devotees who ponder whether the local basketball affiliate, the Washington Wizards, will have the judgment necessary to tank this entire season in order to unceremoniously ditch two of the most profoundly awful centers in all the land, Brendan Haywood and Etan "The Bard of Al Qaeda" Thomas. Freeing themselves of this deadest of deadweight, the Wiz would then likely have the opportunity to use a lottery pick on Hoya Big Man #55 Roy Hibbert in the NBA Draft of 2008.
Will any DC area franchise wise up and realize they have a huge cash cow sitting here unmilked? I mean, the only game I know I'll attend next year is January 6th, when the Son of Jeff Green's Mom returns to the Phonebooth in all his splendor.
If Buzbee does indeed make the roster for the Redskins, I wonder what his Monday Night Football intro will be like? You know, the sequence where the players get introduced and they give their names and their schools? In recent years, players have expanded the repertoire to give all sorts of shout-outs: to high schools, hometowns, etc., etc.
So, what will Alex say?
"Alex Buzbee, Georgetown University."
Or, "Alex Buzbee, The Hilltop."
"Alex Buzbee, the 202."
"Alex Buzbee, We are Georgetown."
"Alex Buzbee, Hoya Saxa."
"Alex Buzbee, The Tombs."
"Alex Buzbee, Chicken Madness."
Today class started back at the mighty Hilltop, and we are only now a few short days away from Hoya kickoff on Saturday against Stony Brook. Additionally, one of our recent graduates may be on an active NFL roster this season.
As fellow Hoya Aaron Ammerman (F'00) points out:
Not to preempt Zo's thunder, but I can't help noting that fans of Hoya football anxiously await the NFL's final roster deadline, this coming Saturday at 4:00, for one of our Hoya brethren is one cut away from playing professional football this season. Alex Buzbee, the defensive star of the 2006 Georgetown Hoyas, signed as a free agent with local favorite, the Washington Redskins and has survived against the odds. As of last weekend, #90 was widely considered to be the 10th or 11th best defensive lineman on a team that could probably only keep ten. However, the breaking news tonight that the Skins have cut veteran DT Joe Salave'a may mean that our hopes are not misplaced.
If Alex succeeds where no Hoya has succeeded in many a decade, it may bode well on another front. Consider all those Hoya hoops devotees who ponder whether the local basketball affiliate, the Washington Wizards, will have the judgment necessary to tank this entire season in order to unceremoniously ditch two of the most profoundly awful centers in all the land, Brendan Haywood and Etan "The Bard of Al Qaeda" Thomas. Freeing themselves of this deadest of deadweight, the Wiz would then likely have the opportunity to use a lottery pick on Hoya Big Man #55 Roy Hibbert in the NBA Draft of 2008.
Will any DC area franchise wise up and realize they have a huge cash cow sitting here unmilked? I mean, the only game I know I'll attend next year is January 6th, when the Son of Jeff Green's Mom returns to the Phonebooth in all his splendor.
If Buzbee does indeed make the roster for the Redskins, I wonder what his Monday Night Football intro will be like? You know, the sequence where the players get introduced and they give their names and their schools? In recent years, players have expanded the repertoire to give all sorts of shout-outs: to high schools, hometowns, etc., etc.
So, what will Alex say?
"Alex Buzbee, Georgetown University."
Or, "Alex Buzbee, The Hilltop."
"Alex Buzbee, the 202."
"Alex Buzbee, We are Georgetown."
"Alex Buzbee, Hoya Saxa."
"Alex Buzbee, The Tombs."
"Alex Buzbee, Chicken Madness."
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Marooned!
The 2007 edition of the Fighting Texas Aggies comes in after the most successful year of the Dennis Franchione era. In absolute terms that sounds quite good. However, relative to his other years, the progress of the program has been miniscule compared to expectations when Coach Fran took the reins in 2003 from RC Slocum.
A&M's 2006 9-4 record featured an undefeated road slate that included a 12-7 victory over arch-rival Texas in Austin, but the four losses -- to Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nebraska and to Cal in the Holiday Bowl -- show how far this program still needs to go to be considered elite. This came off a 5-6 record in 2005, a 7-5 record in 2004 and a sad 4-8 in 2003 (which um, featured a 77-0 drubbing at the hands of OU). To be fair, Coach Fran inherited a program in serious trouble. By 2002, RC Slocum had not only lost the recruiting wars to Mack Brown at Texas, but also ancillary and tertiary battles with Bob Stoops at OU, Nick Saban at LSU and assorted out-of-state raiders for talent (Florida State, Miami, and Big Ten schools like Purdue come to mind).
Despite the university's size and reputation, its athletic program was in fact not organized at a level equal to Texas, OU or LSU. The arrival of athletic director Bill Byrne in 2002 helped put A&M on track to at least compete in the college sports "arms race" -- raising funds and building facilities that would attract students.
On the other hand, A&M sits in the most talent-rich state in college football, a state so deep in talent that it essentially fills the rosters of not only nine Division 1-A in-state schools (TCU, Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, UTEP, SMU, UofH, and North Texas), but also those of universities in its neighboring states (Oklahoma's four senior captains all hail from the Lone Star State) and also provides key contributors to other major powers. That doesn't even take into account numerous Division 1-AA, II and III schools that load up on Tejanos.
In retrospect, I don't think Aggie fans expected Franchione to land a bevy of 5-star kids to the program, but they also expected him to assemble talent to provide a credible threat to the existing Big XII powers. And in Texas, you can rebuild quickly even if there is a mass influx to other schools or other states.
To date, that has not happened. To his credit, Franchione's 2006 squad brings over some firepower into 2007. Quarterback Stephen McGee leads an offense that includes sophomore tailback Michael Goodson and junior wrecking ball/ life-sized rampaging carnival of death Jorvorskie Lane. Optimism is also high thanks to defensive coordinator Gary Darnell, who in a rougish and outcast sort of way is gradually returning defensive pride to Aggieland.
It is in this environment of high expectations, strained patience and expectations fed by the sweet vapidity of summer that the Aggies open against Div. 1-AA Montana State on Sept. 1. Montana State appears to be a traditional 1-AA cupcake. However, last year, these Bobcats came into Boulder and beat up on Colorado 19-10. I don't think that will happen at Kyle Field down in College Station, but I sure do hope Coach Fran really did explain the dangers of overlooking these guys to the team.
Tomorrow our focus swings back again to the Hilltop, Georgetown University.
A&M's 2006 9-4 record featured an undefeated road slate that included a 12-7 victory over arch-rival Texas in Austin, but the four losses -- to Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nebraska and to Cal in the Holiday Bowl -- show how far this program still needs to go to be considered elite. This came off a 5-6 record in 2005, a 7-5 record in 2004 and a sad 4-8 in 2003 (which um, featured a 77-0 drubbing at the hands of OU). To be fair, Coach Fran inherited a program in serious trouble. By 2002, RC Slocum had not only lost the recruiting wars to Mack Brown at Texas, but also ancillary and tertiary battles with Bob Stoops at OU, Nick Saban at LSU and assorted out-of-state raiders for talent (Florida State, Miami, and Big Ten schools like Purdue come to mind).
Despite the university's size and reputation, its athletic program was in fact not organized at a level equal to Texas, OU or LSU. The arrival of athletic director Bill Byrne in 2002 helped put A&M on track to at least compete in the college sports "arms race" -- raising funds and building facilities that would attract students.
On the other hand, A&M sits in the most talent-rich state in college football, a state so deep in talent that it essentially fills the rosters of not only nine Division 1-A in-state schools (TCU, Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, UTEP, SMU, UofH, and North Texas), but also those of universities in its neighboring states (Oklahoma's four senior captains all hail from the Lone Star State) and also provides key contributors to other major powers. That doesn't even take into account numerous Division 1-AA, II and III schools that load up on Tejanos.
In retrospect, I don't think Aggie fans expected Franchione to land a bevy of 5-star kids to the program, but they also expected him to assemble talent to provide a credible threat to the existing Big XII powers. And in Texas, you can rebuild quickly even if there is a mass influx to other schools or other states.
To date, that has not happened. To his credit, Franchione's 2006 squad brings over some firepower into 2007. Quarterback Stephen McGee leads an offense that includes sophomore tailback Michael Goodson and junior wrecking ball/ life-sized rampaging carnival of death Jorvorskie Lane. Optimism is also high thanks to defensive coordinator Gary Darnell, who in a rougish and outcast sort of way is gradually returning defensive pride to Aggieland.
It is in this environment of high expectations, strained patience and expectations fed by the sweet vapidity of summer that the Aggies open against Div. 1-AA Montana State on Sept. 1. Montana State appears to be a traditional 1-AA cupcake. However, last year, these Bobcats came into Boulder and beat up on Colorado 19-10. I don't think that will happen at Kyle Field down in College Station, but I sure do hope Coach Fran really did explain the dangers of overlooking these guys to the team.
Tomorrow our focus swings back again to the Hilltop, Georgetown University.
Monday, August 27, 2007
What Rocks They Are...
For those of you unaware of Georgetown's football history, Jon Reagan's (B'84) excellent website covers the entirety of GU's gridiron history, which, believe it or not, includes a 1940 trip to the Orange Bowl. Indeed, The Hoyas nickname stems directly from a football tradition, not a basketball one.
This year's squad enters the season after a 2-9 campaign under new head coach Kevin Kelly. As The Hoya's preview of the season notes, Coach Kelly is successfully recruiting talent in the football powerhouse states. An interesting new tradition is the issuing of the #35 by the football team. The jersey honors Tom Eacobacci (C'96), a former football player who died during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Last year, Alex Buzbee wore the 35. This year, Stephen Smith, one of the Hoyas' linebackers, will don #35.
This year's squad enters the season after a 2-9 campaign under new head coach Kevin Kelly. As The Hoya's preview of the season notes, Coach Kelly is successfully recruiting talent in the football powerhouse states. An interesting new tradition is the issuing of the #35 by the football team. The jersey honors Tom Eacobacci (C'96), a former football player who died during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Last year, Alex Buzbee wore the 35. This year, Stephen Smith, one of the Hoyas' linebackers, will don #35.
All of your powers, none of your weaknesses...An Introduction
Welcome to Forming at the North End, a college football blog managed by a huge college football fan from Texas, who, incidentally, attended a school better known for its international relations curriculum and basketball program than its Division 1-AA Patriot League football program.
I am what is termed in the popular vernacular as a "daywalker," that means that I did not attend the school whose team I primarily root for in college football. To clarify, this does not (and indeed never did) mean I root against my beloved Hoyas in basketball. In fact, if Texas A&M were ever to face off against Georgetown in a venue like the NCAA Tournament -- which indeed almost happened had the Aggies advanced to the Final Four this past season, I would root for my alma mater. It is highly unlikely that the two teams would ever face off on the gridiron.
Being a Daywalker sounds a bit tawdry. However, I am not alone (although not as menacing as a "We are Legion" kind of numerous), and actually some of the sport's best commentators are daywalkers. For example, the author of one of the finest books on the mania that pervades the sport is a daywalker.
With the introductions complete, here is the format of Forming at the North End. First, I will talk about A&M's upcoming opponent. Then, in addition, I will blog about Georgetown's upcoming opponent.
This week's first Aggie game will be a showdown against Div.1-AA Montana State, who in last year's opener, tagged Big 12 resident Colorado with a 19-10 defeat but then later fell to a Division II squad.
This week's Hoyas opener is an away tilt at Stony Brook. A real treat for Hoya fans and alums are a trio of games against Ivy League programs -- a 15 Sept. home game against Yale, a 29 Sept. home game against Cornell and a 6 oct. game against Penn in Philadelphia.
I look forward to sharing my insights with you, and indeed, having your feedback.
See you tomorrow!
I am what is termed in the popular vernacular as a "daywalker," that means that I did not attend the school whose team I primarily root for in college football. To clarify, this does not (and indeed never did) mean I root against my beloved Hoyas in basketball. In fact, if Texas A&M were ever to face off against Georgetown in a venue like the NCAA Tournament -- which indeed almost happened had the Aggies advanced to the Final Four this past season, I would root for my alma mater. It is highly unlikely that the two teams would ever face off on the gridiron.
Being a Daywalker sounds a bit tawdry. However, I am not alone (although not as menacing as a "We are Legion" kind of numerous), and actually some of the sport's best commentators are daywalkers. For example, the author of one of the finest books on the mania that pervades the sport is a daywalker.
With the introductions complete, here is the format of Forming at the North End. First, I will talk about A&M's upcoming opponent. Then, in addition, I will blog about Georgetown's upcoming opponent.
This week's first Aggie game will be a showdown against Div.1-AA Montana State, who in last year's opener, tagged Big 12 resident Colorado with a 19-10 defeat but then later fell to a Division II squad.
This week's Hoyas opener is an away tilt at Stony Brook. A real treat for Hoya fans and alums are a trio of games against Ivy League programs -- a 15 Sept. home game against Yale, a 29 Sept. home game against Cornell and a 6 oct. game against Penn in Philadelphia.
I look forward to sharing my insights with you, and indeed, having your feedback.
See you tomorrow!
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