LIVE THOUGHTS WITH WHIT
Minnesota Golden Gophers hosting North Carolina Tarheels
Thursday 8/29/2024 6:00Pm Big FOX
Announcers: Jason Benetti and Brock Huard
What a guy Jason is for starters. The game kicks off in a couple of hours, but just a quick word on this man’s work. At the age of 40, he has been the voice of the White Sox for seven seasons (2016-2023), worked for ESPN from 2011-2022, has been employed by Fox Sports since 2022, and is the current play by play man for the Detroit Tigers, along with a few other professional ventures. He is calling a primetime Thursday night college football game on FOX. He’s 40. I personally have been a fan of his since I first heard him around 9-10 years ago. He narrates the games well with a trusting tone and exciting wonderment. Great job Jason.
I’m neutral on Brock Huard for now. Nothing comes directly to my mind, which is usually a good thing. Good luck tonight, Brock.
I’m antsy waiting for this game. It was about this time yesterday that I decided to fire this machine back up and get to posting. Two days ago, I hadn’t given the football season the first thought. Now, here I am. Ready to watch this sport that I’ve been watching as long as I can remember. Dreaming of being Jake the Snake, Ricky Williams, Rashard Casey, Scott Frost, Kenny Kelley or Michael freakin Vick. These are some of the names that I would dream of being while playing backyard football every day as a youngster. Clearly, I was a big fan of the dual threat QB. Manning was slow, well both of them, but specifically Peyton. Amazing arm, but his slow feet always made him look like an old man when he played for UT. He never beat Florida. Maybe if he was faster. Let’s move back onto this game.
Minnesota and North Carolina. Pj Fleck vs Mack Brown. Young gun vs the senior, more proven National Title winner.
4:24Pm Severe weather in Minnesota. Hopefully this won’t get delayed. Hopefully it gets played and heck, I’ll take some wind and rain, why not. Benefits the home team in my opinion.
5:41 PM–19 minutes from scheduled kick off and FOX just announced that the game is delayed at least one hour. Somehow, I knew this would happen haha. Oh well, Arkansas is up 7-0 early. It’s a beautiful evening here, Minneapolis can keep that severe weather.
Crowd in Little Rock looks sparse 7 minutes into the first quarter. Several sections have maybe 100 people sitting in them. Where is the Arkansas faithful? I know where one of them is. He passed on not too long ago. An avid Arkansas fan who went to everything from volleyball, to baseball, to basketball, and of course football. His first name was Wright, and he was one of the most ‘alWright’ people that I’ve ever met. Arkansas fans, along with everyone who knew him, will miss him. #22 for Arkansas, Jackson can’t be stopped. Pine Bluff simply cannot tackle him one on one.
6:58Pm Arkansas is up Like 40-0 so that’s off for the night, but my featured game is coming on.
Jason Benetti and Huard just set the stage nicely. Properly giving Mack Brown his props for his “near 50 year career.” Amazing. The stadium is rocking. The mass of maroon and gold showed up in full form and voice. Loud music, smoke in the tunnel, a fireball, and out run the fierce looking home team looking confident as ever led by sweater and tie wearing PJ Fleck.
Sideline reporter chimes in just before kick: Transfer here, transfer there, he’s here, he’s there, blah blah blah…who besides Bud Eliot can keep up with this. I’ll learn the players as the season goes on. Let’s watch some football!
Gophers QB Max Grosmer is beginning his final college season with his new team. Big offensive line for the Gophers. Big and senior led. Gophers wearing gold jerseys with maroon numbers and maroon pants and gold helmets.
Max Johnson is now the QB for UNC after multiple other college stops. Carolina wearing white jerseys with Carolina blue numbers, Carolina blue pants, and the same color blue helmets.
Kole Knueppel is our referee just in case I need to disagree with him.
Mack Brown gambled and went for it on 4th down 4 minutes into the game around midfield failed to convert it. Max Johnson’s throw flew to high and it aimlessly fell out of bounds. I like the call. On the road, early in the game, momentum is at stake, anyone’s to claim…Minnesota defense holds steady once again. It’s wayyyy early into this game, but this defense and crowd are both exactly what they are supposed to look like.
Gopher ball. 0-0 1st quarter 10:50. Carolina clever with the run blitz and #28 on the corner with a big 1v1 tackle!!! Let’s go DB! I’m Single High Sports for a reason. Gopher punt and a lucky one. 56 yard roller down inside the 5. Gopher special teams and defense at their finest so far.
Commercial. I’m scanning other scores, and I came across UCF. Made me wonder if one of my favorite DB’s, Quadric Bullard was still playing and sure enough, he is. The 6’0 cornerback is a senior now and returning from a season ending injury last year. Box score says he has two tackles. He’s all heart. Every play. Worth watching…
Max Johnson throwing from his own end zone nearly threw a pic at his own 20. Lucky. Punt back to midfield somehow. “Not how they drew it up” paraphrasing Benetti.
Good tackling so far by both teams.
- 3:41 1st Q. Commercial.
Boppy Petrino, LEGEND, is back at Arkansas. First half Arkansas had 7 possessions. They score 7 TD’s. welcome back Bobby P.
Shout out to the Gopher faithful. Weather looks mild now, but sweet Christmas that rain and wind earlier (they showed a replay) looked gnarly. Jim Cantori should’ve been out there flexing his quads against the wind and shouting into a microphone. We’ve got a goal to go..
Gophers are threatening. Weird 2nd down call there. Hb gut on second and goal from the 7. Stuffed. 3rd and goal from the 9, hb sweep? What the shit is that? And on 4th they doinked the FG from the 11 yard line. Serves them right for those play calls but how the hell can you miss that? “That’s one of those 99.9 pct things you just don’t see happen.” Huard. UNC ball. Threw a pick, waived off by a penalty, then big run up the middle for 18. All of this happened in a span of about 3 ½ real minutes after nothing happened the entire quarter. End of quarter. 0-0. Thirsty.
#28 for Carolina is just bouncing off Gopher tacklers. Give the defense credit, this running back is a dog.
And goal Carolina. Max Johnson may have just scored. Scrambled to his left and lunged forward. Ruled td, replay looks good enough for me. TD! Big Bad Brad Johnson (Max’s dad) high fiving in the stands. He was better than his son. Dude was a tree with a cannon on Madden. 7-0. UNC
North Carolina is solid on defense. Couple of these guys look like pro talent for sure. #5 stands out.
8:37 2nd quarter. Max Johnson threw pick deep down field and the Gopher DB nearly ‘housed’ it. Down inside the 10! Good hands #5! Give your team a chance. Help this stifled offense. And goal from the 6. Better play calls better be incoming, or the Gopher OC should be gone. #24 up the gut for a 6 yard TD run! Tremendous blocking by the giants up front. 7-7. Same play call as they did the previous time from the 7 but lost 2 that time. Blocking makes the difference. Also, UNC expected pass. “We got ourselves a football game!”
8:20 PM. Is it halftime yet? I’m usually asleep in the next 30 minutes. I guess the summer of hibernation is over and the sleepless nights of football fans begins. Late night American Football, early morning Arsenal football. At least that’s not until Saturday at 5:30am.
Utah up 28-0 near halftime. Watched the pre flyover by three F-35 lighting II as they circled over my house 14 miles south of the stadium. Circled 5-6 times before they kicked in into high gear and deafened the 55,000 + Ute fans situated in Rice-Eccles, before heading back north to Hill Air Force Base. All three pilots are Utah alumni. Cam Rising still QB. How old is he now?
1st and Goal Gophers! Tush push TD on 2nd and goal. Max Brosmer gets the credit but the Tight end, #87, put his 250lb body mass into the backside of Brosmer and bulldozed his teammate across the goal line. It’s a logical play. Looks like it should be against the rules, but hey if its allowed, “Carry on chaps.” 14-7 Home team. 0:55 to go in the half.
HALF. UNC with 28 passing yards. Three yards and a cloud of dust…I’ll take it. RB #24 for the gophers has 74 yards and a TD.
2nd half underway. Carolina has the ball. Need improvement from the QB position this half. Center with back-to-back poor snaps. 3rd down pass completed for a first down.
Minnesota defense swarms and lot of times are in the right position, but they don’t always close the deal and tackle the man. I’m being picky. They are solid overall. FG attempt for UNC. 29 yarder from the left hash drilled. 14-10 Gophers. 6:34 left in 3rd.
Good punt from the Gophers. Another special teams play. 57 yard ‘field flipper.’ Defense and special teams that’s what Gophers do. 4:55 left in 3rd.
#28 for Carolina is tough as nails. Bouncing, spinning, fighting for every inch. Pacheco type energy.
Max Johnson gets his left leg rolled into and his knee bent a funny way as he crumpled to the ground. Tv went to commercial while he was down grasping the area around the knee. His Super Bowl winning father in the stands observing stoically. Back from commercial and Max is being carted off. His mother with her head in her hands next to his father. Both concerned. Mother is shedding tears. So much love and pain goes into this sport and all athletics for that matter. But this is a contact sport. You must count the cost when committing to such a violent sport. And parents, to watch their children go through the tough hits and injuries takes its toll. I don’t know from experience, but it has to. Tough to watch college kids get hurt. Hope he is ok. I’d go on longer, but UNC is back moving the ball.
New QB #15 Connor Harrell for UNC. Field GOAL good for the HEELS. 14-13. Home team. End of 3rd. heading to the 4th. And it’s tight.
Rain coming down steady but not heavy. Crowd is still jumping, energy is buzzing. Is it a school night? Hell no. Its Labor Day weekend. Last weekend at the lake for some.
Commercial. Update on scores: Utah up 42-0 going into the 4th. Everybody else that should’ve won tonight did. This is the best game on!
Carolina with a “brilliant play”- Benetti. A special teams player hustled down the sideline, dove towards the endzone, and swatted the bounding ball out of bounds downing the punt and pinning the Gophers inside their two yard line. 11:45
Pending Turnover…and I think it is after seeing the initial replay. Brosmer took a hard hit directly on his ball carrying arm and lost it just before his knee touched down. This fumble should stand. And it DOES. North Carolina ball inside the 25 yard line!! Game is heating up. 11:08
Gopher D needs to hold strong….FUMBLE, who got it? Everybody piled on the loose ball I had no chance of seeing. Ref says Carolina. That was almost wild. FG GOOD for the HEELS. 16-14. 9:05.
Gopher defense did their job and didn’t surrender an inch, and almost recovered the 3rd down fumble. Time to show something on offense. Something I’d like to pass along to the Gopher head coach– Hey Fleck, they are going to make you complete some passes. Stop with this constant gut running business. They know it’s coming, and #5 on that Carolina D Line is hungry.
On cue, #5 with a sack!!! He’s elite.
Broken tackle by two Carolina DBs. Caught short of the sticks, but after the broken tackle gains 16. Gophers moving. #5 again! Plugging the gap and blowing up the running back. Throw it over him coach!
3rd and 4. 6:27 left in the game. First down! Brosmer scrambles across the 50 and passed the first down marker before getting tackled hard.
5:25 left in the game. What just happened? Well, a short completion from Brosmer to his receiver on the hitch. He breaks the tackle and begins running downfield. After taking two steps he fumbled. The ball bounces straight up to a Gopher and he runs another 10 yards. FIRST Down. Wow!
4:21 3rd and goal for Minnesota. Shotgun. Bad thow on the swing pass to #24 incomplete. FG attempt. Missed from 27 earlier. This one is 30. Dead center of the field and dead center through the uprights. 17-16 Home team. This is a Minnesota home football game. I was driving through Boulder back in 2021 during a Colorado home game against these very PJ Fleck led Gophers. Game was in its late stages. Minnesota was up 30-0 on the road. Competition wasn’t very tough that day in Boulder, but the point remains the same, they can play defense.
UNC big 33 yard play on a triple option pass play. Reminds me of plays we used to run in pick-up football. 2:00 left.
10:09PM out here in the high desert. What a great first game of the season!
Clock is ticking and… Fleck just took a timeout as I typed that. Carolina is in FG range—about the 27 yard line. 3rd and 5. Big stop Gophers. Do not hold the receiver. I mean it. They will call it.
QB run for a loss of two. Big stop! Timeout home team. FG attempt to take the lead incoming. 1:48 left.
45 yard attempt. Left hash. Kicker sneaks it inside the right upright. Cold blooded. 20/21 for his career. Damn good. 19-17 Carolina.
Brosmer is 10/18 for 129 for the game. Time to step up on this last drive.
Deep ball downfield, pass interference. Ball at the 40. 90 seconds left.
Back-to-back completions from Brosmer puts the Gophers inside the Carolina 40. 50 seconds left. #24 for the Gophers, on the next play, ran like hell to get inside the 20 but it was called back due to a hold. 44 secs left.
First down Minnesota. 9 seconds left on the 29 ½ of Carolina. Need 6 yards here. They got two on a conservative run up the middle. Game comes down to this next play. 19-17. 4 secs left. Gopher Kicker, Kesich, paces around during the timeout. 47 yard attempt just right of center of the field. Timeout Mack Brown. “Stew in it kid. You wont get this easy.” Perhaps Mack Brown in his thoughts.
Snap good. Hold Good. Kick…faded to the right and missed by a fair margin. Gophers go down and the Tarheels get a well-earned win. Brown to reporter at the end “Hate it for him” referring to Kesich missing the FG. “Both teams deserved to win this one.”
Final thoughts before I close this fun night…Minnesota needs help with their lack of passing game. What will North Carolina be without Max Johnson? #Jahvaree Ritzie, #5 for Carolina defense was the best player on the field.
Fun night of football. Thanks for reading along.
Find the humor and keep on moving.
Whit W.