It’s an outstanding day here in Utah. A perfect November Saturday. It’s nearing kickoff of Oregon and Iowa and there has yet to be a bunny’s breath of a breeze. It’s calm, blue skies, and 52 degrees on the patio where I’m set to watch this game. The warm sun on my shoulders and football on TV. A perfect day.

Now, before we get to Oregon and Iowa, let’s check in with a few scores.

NOON Game Update:

• Texas Tech is blanking BYU 26-0 in the 4th
• UGA is bullying Bully 38-17 in the 4th
• Indiana is in their closest game of the year so far only up three on Penn St.
  • 20-17 in the 4th. It’s gut-check time for IU. Are you elite or not? Everyone knows you are good to great, but are you elite? Win games like this to prove that you are.
• It’s just now 41-14 UGA

There are other games going at the moment, but I’d say these are the critical ones.

Oh, and Ohio St. They are drumming Purdue 24-3.

So that catches us up on the early games. It’s time for this one. Gritty Iowa hosting fast Oregon.

The Ducks are coming off of a bye and won their last game by 14 over Wisconsin. A game in which their QB, Dante Moore left injured from a blow to the face. I’m curious to see if he will play up to his potential against this tough-nosed Iowa D.

There is rain and stiff North wind currently in Iowa City. Something tells me that one team prefers that over the other. All that speed at DB won’t help the Ducks in a game like this.

Then again, Ducks love the cold and the water so this game may just be perfect for them. We will just have to watch along together.

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Oregon Freshman DB Aaron Flowers and Iowa Senior DB TJ Hall are the players to watch in the secondary for this one. I like both. Flowers could earn a spot on the “Fresh McNellies” Watchlist with a courageous effort today.

Flowers currently has 38 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PD, and 2 FF. The 6’0/ 200 Freshman is a playmaker. Perfect for a “Fresh McNelly” candidate.

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Iowa is wearing the home black and gold with white numbers and Oregon is wearing all white with green accents. The game kicks in three real time minutes.

It may be cold and wet in Iowa City, but in my neck of the woods, it’s bikini weather.

NOON SCORES FINAL

• Texas Tech 29- BYU 7
  • the 7 million Dollar defensive line was worth every penny Lubbock paid for it.
• Ohio St 34-10 over Purdue
• Indiana 27- Penn St 24
  • IU QB Mendoza threw a touchdown in the final minute to take the lead. Elite.
• Georgia 41- MSU 21
  • Bulldogs win

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Three Oregon offensive starters are out for this game. Two skill players and an offensive lineman. Will that slow down the Ducks?

The rain is driving in Kinnick Stadium as the Hawkeyes are set to receive the opening kick. Jenny Dell is looking stellar and delivering the relative information as chipper as ever while donning a stylish raincoat and hat. Jenny Dell is the standard.

The game has begun.

FIRST HALF

-A quick three and out for Iowa. The weather is certainly a factor as Iowa QB Mark Gronowski let the ball slip straight out of his hand on a short throw. Oregon nicked the punt and have great field position at the 50.

Dante Moore has thrown 19 TD’s this season and is third highest in completion percentage. It will be tough to be crisp in this game.

This is a game that the passing game most likely will not win but can certainly lose. Limit mistakes. Punts are not losses, which, incidentally, is exactly what the Ducks did after three downs. Nil- nil in the rain in Iowa.

-Texas A&M are in Columbia battling Mizzou and their True Freshman starting at QB. 0-0 so far.

-Auburn take on Vandy in Nashville in a few minutes. I’ll keep on eye on both and others during the commercials.

-HIGH SNAP on a punt. Iowa concedes a safety on a horrible snap that was uncatchable by the punter. The Punter played a bit dirty to prevent a touchdown and the officials did the best they could to get the call correct. It seems there should’ve been a harsher punishment for the blatant cheating, but nonetheless, it’s 2-0 and Oregon will get the ball.

The officials ruled “illegal kicking” for kicking the ball out of the endzone, but it was the “illegal batting” at the one-yard line that went uncalled that concerned me. The ball was on the one and the punter batted the ball into the endzone to prevent the Oregon player from recovering it. Then he booted it out of the endzone. Dirty from the Iowa player. Like Thierry Henry’s intentional handball against Northern Ireland type of dirty. We play on.

-I think I’d prefer the illegally batted ball be a penalty and to have awarded Oregon the ball at the one and allow them the chance to score a TD. That would’ve seemed fairer I guess considering that the opposing player intentionally cheated. I can’t stand crap like that.

IOWA INT! Big play by #8 in the endzone. With a burst of quickness, he flashed in front of the receiver and stole away the touchdown. BIG Play in this game. Deshaun Lee’s second INT of the season. 2-0 Ducks.

Iowa at the 20 with 5 Minutes to go at the first.

It’s a ground and pound kind of game so far as you’d expect. Both teams seem up for the challenge so far. 2-0 may end up being the final.

Like that Auburn/ MSU game that ended 3-2 a few years ago. A few? More like 20 at this point. A 3-2 final score. I watched every second inside a local gin joint with about 200 other drunks. It was the wildest 3-2 you could imagine. No one wanted to win. I think there were four or five field goals missed. “U.G.L.Y. You ugly. Yes, yes, that game was ugly.”

Whoops. Sorry about that. I’ve been watching too many Friday Night Light matchups lately and listening the energetic cheer squads. They may or may not have cheered something similar.

Hopefully, the offense gets something going. 2-0 will be difficult to watch.

• Texas A&M up 7-0 at the end of the 1st
• Auburn up 7-0 early

-Oregon running ball effectively on this drive. The Hawkeyes getting bullied at the line and missing tackles on the edge.

• TD OREGON! A Big run by the RB Hill….welp, shit. They are reviewing it.
  • And, after three minutes of waiting around, it is exactly that–a TOUCHDOWN.

What a power run by Hill. He would not be denied powering through multiple Hawkeye defenders. It’s 9-0 Ducks. They came to win a gritty game. There is more to this team than speed and flash.

-Iowa has punted, fumbled, and punted. Only room to improve.

-Two first downs so far for Iowa on this drive. So what? If one of them was controversial. They are moving the ball.

-BIG Play Iowa. 35 Yard pass play up the left. 1st and Goal Hawkeyes.

• TD IOWA: On 1st and Goal it was a simple throw and catch to the TE. As easy as you think it was. A simple father son type of catch that you’d see in the front yard of suburban homes. That’s about as easy and casual as the pass was. Oregon was sold out to stopping the run and forgot to cover the 6’5 behemoth. 9-7 Ducks.

This game needed a touchdown from the home side. Game on!

Nearing the end of the first half and Iowa will get the ball back at their own ten after a perfect directional punt by Oregon. Still 9-7.

Before the punt, Oregon hit on a nice 1st down pass play to start their drive, but it was called by for offensive pass interference. If that is what is being called OPI, then you could call it every play. Ridiculous.

Like this rain that is terrorizing the fans inside packed Kinnick Stadium. Ridiculous. It’s raining harder than at the start and the temperature is still hovering around the 40-degree mark. I love football. I hope these Iowa fans love it as much. I’m quite cozy in the present with a hot drink to my left. Delicious.

• Texas A&M up 7-0 near half
• Auburn up 14-3 on Vandy with four minutes to go in the half

90 seconds to go here and Oregon are driving. Now, inside the 39. The clock ticks…

-Poor clock management by Dan Lanning down the stretch led Oregon to a 46 yard field goal.

Twenty-five seconds were wasted when a catch was made at the 30 with 50 seconds to go. He had two timeouts but used none and took his time getting the next play in.

12-7 HALF.

“It’s fun to play in the rain.”- Dan Lanning.

It’s halftime and warm and dry in this garden.

-Let’s talk food. What to eat today? Those three eggs and sausage slices are long gone. Last week it was Italian. One of my favorites. What today? Burgers? Tacos? Wings? Steak?

I think Burgers. From where? 5 Guys is just about as good as it gets for me, but where else? In and Out? Legends? Or make it my damn self?

I’ll let it marinate and figure it out. Once this is over, I’ll be hungry that’s for sure.

Just watching this game makes me hungry for a hot bowl of bean less chili with Fritos and sour cream. The rain, the cold, the wind, November–it all screams a hot bowl of chili made the way God intended–without beans. One of the heartiest and soul rejuvenating food items to consume on a cold rainy day is a well-made bowl of chili.

Or Chicken and Gnocchi soup. Homemade or from Olive Garden–it’ll touch the soul and warm the heart. Yikes. I’m hungrier than I thought.

I’ll return to the food in a bit.

Let’s get focused on the returning football action.

Still, it rains and still it’s cold as the players return to the field. The warmth of the locker room a distant memory as the first blast of frigid air and icy droplets hit their skin. This is Midwest football in November.

SECOND HALF

Iowa Kicks off to Oregon. “We just gotta be better against the run.”- Iowa Head Coach Kurt Ferentz–141 so far surrendered on the ground.

-Ducks three and out to begin the half.

SCORES:

• Auburn leads Vandy 20-10
• A&M up 14-0 on Missouri

Iowa back on the field: Punt, fumble, punt, TD, punt so far.

Let’s not forget that the TD drive was aided by the sketchy fourth down spot early in the drive. The refs never even paused the game to think about it. Just moved on like it was clear as day. The Iowa QB was stopped a half yard shy and, I’ll add was on the ground, but the refs failed to whistle the play dead. The QB then flopped like a fish out of water and advanced across the first down line. Only then did the Head Linesman signal the play dead.

Let’s see if the Iowa offense can earn another score on this drive–

–Iowa + Stripes vs Ducks on this drive. It’s as if the referees feel the need to officiate this game in a way to help even the competitive advantage that heavily leans Oregon’s way. Several convenient flags and even more no-calls have been going the Hawkeyes way in this game. This drive included.

The Iowa offense, justified or otherwise, is inside the Oregon 30 and looking to strike. 7:28 to go in the 3rd.

• FUMBLE!! OREGON RECOVERED. BALL DON’T LIE!! Wait–here comes the review….They are looking for some way to let Iowa keep the ball, but this one will be tough to overturn. It’s as clear as the sky out my window….Review is going on 6 minutes now. After all of that–the call stands and Oregon gets the ball!!! BALL DON’T LIE! Stop the cheating.

The Ducks should be leading this game by double digits. We move on to the next play.

–I’m neither an Oregon fan nor an Iowa hater, but this game is turning me into both. Too many wrongs being done to Oregon and too many gifts being given to the home team. It’s just not a fair game and that is making it hard to watch.

-Oregon from the twelve.

–BURY THEM! Dante Moore rips a 50 yard run. This Duck team is bullying the Hawkeyes all over this field but especially in the trenches. 200 on the ground so far.

-FG DUCKS 15-7 45 Seconds to go in the 3rd.

Dante Morre tripped on his shoelace and fell down on 3rd and two inside the fifteen and lost about seven yards. A field goal was all that could be done to capitalize on the turnover.

So, do it again. Continue to bully this team. If the refs want to hand the home team everything and be this team’s caregiver, then so be it. If Iowa wins at this point, it wasn’t because they earned it. They shouldn’t even be in this game. Were it officiated fairly, I don’t believe Iowa have any points and I think Oregon would have about 24. 24-0 sounds about right.

Instead, it’s 15-7 and the Hawkeyes have the ball from their own 25.

–I’ve just verbalized this to those listening and so I’ll type it here. This has been the most difficult game to watch all season and it’s because of the cheating. I can’t stand it. It’s been blatant and consistent cheating for one side this entire game.

END OF the 3rd. 15-7 Ducks.

Perhaps I’m just hungry, but there could also be the chance that I’m exactly right. This is the worst officiated oblong football game I’ve watched this season.

If Iowa has the goods to win, then let them earn it. If not, then let the far, far superior team do what they do best and dominate.

I’m not sure what the spreads are in this game but there is pure ‘fuckery afoot.’

FOURTH QUARTER

-FG Iowa 15-10. 12:39 4th Quarter

-2 Minute Warning. Iowa in the redzone down 15-10.

• TD Iowa 16-15. How it was supposed to be from the beginning, I guess.

I hope the Ducks score in these final 90 seconds. With all my heart, I hope the Ducks win this game.

Iowa’s Punter cheated in the first quarter and cost the Ducks a touchdown and the refs, every single one of them have called this game as one sided as any game I’ve ever witnessed.

It’s pathetic, it’s putrid like pond scum. Gross. Pure rat poison for a football fan. Let’s see if justice can prevail in this farce of a game.

-Oregon with the ball at the 25.

Dan Lanning will regret not scoring a touchdown to end the half for sure. He blew it by not calling a timeout. Piss poor clock management and he knows it.

-Good gracious. This just hasn’t been fun–At all. Even if Oregon wins, this hasn’t been fun to watch. I hope it’s been fun for someone else.

• FG Good: Oregon. 18-16 with 2 seconds remaining.

The correct team is leading this game once again.

Look, I like a good rain game, a good 18-15 slop fest once in a while, but this game has been far from that. This sloppiness has been manufactured from the jump. It’s always about control.

FINAL

OREGON 18- IOWA 16

• A&M 38 – Missouri 17 FINAL
• Vandy 38- Auburn 30 in the 4th quarter.

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.