By GRAHAM MESSNER
For Public Opinion
The smorgasbord of pro and college football the past several days has been a dream come true for football fans.
Not only did you get to dine on turkey and mashed potatoes, but pigskin was definitely also on the menu Thursday with the three professional games and the exciting, last-minute field goal by Texas to beat rival Texas A&M, 27-25.
But the game I was really looking forward to was the Arkansas at LSU (No. 3 vs. No, 1) game that kicked off at 2:30 on Friday.
It looked like it was going to be a smoker when Arkansas jumped out to a 14-0 lead. But LSU quickly gained control and eventually won the game 41-17.
What started as a Roman candle of a game wound up being nothing more than a smoke bomb.
But what happened toward the end of the game is what I'll remember.
With about five minutes to go, LSU was driving and wound up kicking a 37-yard field goal for the last score of the game.
No big deal, right?
For Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, it was a very big deal.
After the kick cleared the uprights, Petrino could be seen having a hissy fit on the sidelines, pointing over at LSU coach Les Miles and yelling obscenities.
He was mad because he felt Miles was running up the score.
And, as many quality leaders of major universities usually do, you lead by example by acting like a punk 12-year-old who just got beat up fair and square and vows to come back with his big brother.
Then, as the two coaches met for a postgame handshake, Miles could be heard complimenting Petrino's team. Twice.
But the Arkansas coach more or less waved Miles off and continued on with his sad, bitter beer face. He was taking his ball and going home.
All this is occurring as the players from both teams shook hands, patted each other on the back and jogged off the field. Like men.
I have no dog in the hunt, and perhaps Miles rubs people the wrong way, but if I'm playing for a chance to compete in a championship game, I'm kicking that field goal as well. Being up 38-17 is three touchdowns, but it wasn't as if Arkansas had quit playing hard.
Stranger things have happened in college football than a team scoring 21 points in five minutes.
Is scoring that many times the likely scenario? No. But I'd rather be safe and get the extra three points than be sorry and risk the meltdown.
And you know what? Why is it that more and more people seem to blame everyone else for their own shortcomings?
Petrino was all about walking the sidelines with his chest puffed out when his team was up 14-0, but suddenly thin-skinned when his team sputtered. They were the No. 3 team in the nation for heaven's sake.
This wasn't a situation in which the score was 49-0 and Miles had his guys running trick plays and fly patterns.
If I had a son who was considering playing for Petrino at Arkansas, I'd cross that school off my child's list right then. I wouldn't want my son playing for someone who blames others who obviously were better prepared.
Now I sit here on a beautiful Saturday morning readying for another glorious helping of pigskin casserole.
Maybe I'll send Petrino an e-mail and see if he'll bring some whine ...
Things have gone too far for too long.
----------
Graham Messner is a free-lance writer and a former coach. He can be reached at graham@innernet.net.
Source: http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_19419549?source=rss_viewed
mlk mlk the big year the big year breast cancer walk breast cancer walk detroit tigers
No comments:
Post a Comment