“Okay. That horrible farce is over now. We can relax now and get back to sports…Meanwhile, I have a serious problem with the Play-offs. My boys failed miserably.” – Hunter S. Thompson HEY RUBE

We’re back ladies and gents. Welcome to an afternoon dose of sports to curb the workday boredom on this wonderful Friday before Christmas. I hope it’s to your liking on this day.

Live thoughts:

Welp…the Gasparilla Bowl is halfway through the second quarter, and the Hometown team is facing a daunting 24-0 deficit as the wolfpack from NC State are taking whatever they want from the Tigers.

Memphis is giving away far too much in the secondary. Wolfpack QB CJ Bailey has started the game a puny 5 for 11 passing so far, but the five completions have gone for 31, 27, 22, 21, and 18 yards. Big plays are killing the Hometown team at the present, but hey, there is far more game left to play.

It’s 77 and partly cloudy in Tampa and 62 and raining in the garden, which is almost Florida in December type of weather. Certainly, unusual here in the land of the Great Salt Sea but perfect weather for the day.

The coffee is fresh and so is the valley air. The latter being as fresh as seven day old gym socks. The Fuzzy doesn’t seem to mind as she snoozes two feet to my right in front of the floor to ceiling window here in the drop-down den….

–AND TOUCHDOWN Tigers! 24-7 with 4:59 to go in the first half. Brenden Lewis with a 28 yard connection to Jamari Hawkins. Don’t call it a comeback. Get a stop, get a score, and go into the halftime break with some positives to build upon in the second half. It’s that simple, it’s just not that easy. This game is far from complete. Go Tigers, GO!

–You know, Eric Church just doesn’t miss. Anyone else love the “Evangeline” album? “Hands of Time” playing at full volume post touchdown. “My gameday jersey will always be ‘hometown Tiger’ blue.” Church, of course says, ‘Carolina Blue,’ but I think he’d approve of the lyric change to reflect my personal fandom….

–4th and 3 from the Wolfpack 42 and NC State punts it away. Tigers take over with 3:24 remaining in the half from the 19. There’s the big stop, now it’s time for the score.

–Earlier this week we had a few other notable scores.

Montana bested South Dakota 52-22. Michael Wortham finished with 269 All-Purpose yards and three touchdowns to lead the Griz.

Meanwhile, Montana State polished off Stephen F. Austin 44-28, and this sets up a rematch between the two teams.

Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman will undoubtedly be buzzing as this is not only an in-state rivalry with history but also a National Semifinal game with the winner playing either Villanova or Illinois St who will be facing off in Philly at 5:30 after the Montana game concludes. Check it out at 2:00 tomorrow on ABC. GO GRIZ! Only up Michael Wortham!

—Welp…the Tigers were forced to punt and the Wolfpack needed all of three plays to score on another big pass play. This one went for forty yards. Brouch. That one will sting during the halftime break. 31-7.

–Other scores: Washington beat the brakes off of Boise State 38-10. Boise State threw 5 interceptions as a group. Tradon Bessinger can’t get there fast enough. The number one QB in Utah might start as a freshman by the looks of the current state of the Broncos passing attack.

For Washington, Demond Williams threw for 215 yards and an outstanding four touchdowns. He’s a Heisman finalist before his collegiate career concludes.

–Officially halftime in Tampa. 31-7. Yikes. I hope the Cuban food and bourbon were good, Tiger fans because that may be the highlight.

–Other Scores:

• Arkansas State 34 – Missouri State 28
  • Jacob Clark finished his long collegiate journey with 349 passing yards and four TD’s! What a final season!

–Later tonight, it is Alabama vs Oklahoma in Norman. I’m refusing to watch because either way, I won’t like the outcome. These matchups are as crooked as a good offensive inning in baseball.

My thought is that as long as someone else enjoys it, then that’s all that matters. I’ll keep my gripes to myself and keep on movin’.

Hey, my team is down 24 at the half, so I’m a tad snippy at the moment, perhaps. Hopefully, everyone enjoys these playoffs.

What else is happening?

–Well, College Ball should be fun tomorrow.

• St. Johns versus Kentucky in Atlanta at 10:30 CBS
• North Carolina vs Ohio State also in Atlanta 1:00 CBS
• The Hometown Tigers @ Mississippi State 2:00 on Espn2
• Houston vs Arkansas in Newark 3:30 CBS
• Auburn vs Purdue in Indianapolis 4:30 Peacock

That’s a stellar lineup of games to have on during the last Saturday before Christmas. Surely, there will be lots going on tomorrow. Parties, last minute gift shopping, spending time with loved ones, and other necessary Holiday traditions may be in store, but if you find yourself in eyesight of a TV, tune to CBS for the triple-header. You won’t go wrong with those stellar matchups.

–Arsenal will also be playing tomorrow at 1PM. I’ll be watching the Spanish language broadcast. Vamos, Artilleros!

So yeah, there will be plenty to watch if you are like me and uninterested in these shambolic college football playoff games.

–The Tigers are back in action. It’s 31-7. Can the Tigers mount a comeback? I seriously doubt it. GO Tigers, GO!

—

I decided to wait to post this until after the game went final which it just did. A completely scoreless second half where nothing of note happened. 31-7. Memphis finishes the season 8-5. How the hell Silverfield was offered a promotion after bungling this season is beyond me. Good luck at Arkansas Coach. Several passionate Hog lovers have told me they do not understand nor are they looking forward to this new hire. Nothing makes sense.

Next year, it’s Coach Huff to the rescue. A new team and a renewed vision will be welcomed in Memphis. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on that. Next season and the future in general always allows for hope. I hope for many good things in 2026. One of those being that Memphis goes unbeaten and makes the playoffs.

I can’t wait until September 12th in Boise. Be there, be proud, wear blue…Hometown Tiger Blue. Leave the Boise blue at home.

I’ll be back tomorrow.

Until then,

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.