This time of year does hold a certain kind of magic.
The last week of August and first of September is a time when schools resume, when the leaves begin to change, when the temperatures begin to go down, and when college and pro football begin again.
That final weekend in August is a time for barbecues, soaking in that summer heat one last time, and turning on the tube and seeing those familiar uniforms and helmets and stadiums and fans. The first week of college ball has already provided several interesting events and moments; “Beanie” Wells getting injured in a meaningless win for Ohio St., UCLA winning a Rose Bowl thriller on Labor Day, East Carolina beating Virginia Tech with Beamer Ball, and the usual week one slaughters from top teams facing overmatched teams. But week two is just as interesting as it is the first week of the college season where it is only part one of America’s weekends of football.
East Carolina dominates West Virginia 24-3 to open year with two wins over Big East
Most thought that Skip Holtz and East Carolina’s late win over Virginia Tech last week was a fluke considering they scored the winning touchdown on a blocked punt return. This past weekend, they silenced those critics with a 24-3 stomping of eighth-ranked West Virginia; a team yours truly believed would make a run at the national title a month ago.
Jonathan Williams lead the way for the Pirates with two scores and 69 yards rushing on 17 attempts. The Pirates were out-gained on the ground by West Virginia 179-143, but the Pirates’ yards were more workman-like and thus helped them keep control of the ball eleven minutes more than the Mountaineers.
Patrick Pinkney lead the Pirate charge going 22/28 for 236 yards passing throwing a thirteen yard score to Alex Taylor with 47 seconds left in the first half giving E.C. a 17-3 halftime leading and taking away all of the game’s momentum.
The entire second half turned into one long nightmare for Bill Stewert and the Mountaineers as they were out-toughed, and just plain dominated by a team most didn’t think would stand a chance against them a few weeks ago.
That team just picked up their second straight win against a Big East team and could be a team that dominates Conference USA this year.
BYU win marred by questionable late penalty
The fifteenth-ranked BYU Cougars and Washington Huskies engaged in a great back and forth football game that had all the drama a person could ask for in a close game between a ranked and non-ranked team. However one call disrupted all of the fun.
Huskie quarterback Jake Locker had just ran in a three-yard touchdown making the score 28-27 BYU with two seconds to play with the extra-point on the way. After the touchdown, Locker threw the ball up in the air somewhat and was called for excessive celebration as members of the offense mobbed him in the end zone. The penalty moved the extra-point try back 15 yards. That extra-point was blocked by the Cougars giving them a 28-27 victory they had to sweat profusely about.
The penalty in my opinion was unwarranted as I’m aware of what the ref’s are supposed to look for with this specific part of the celebration penalty and in this case it didn’t fit in my opinion. The penalty didn’t cost the Huskies the game as they still had to make the extra-point that was blocked, but they shouldn’t have had to attempt it from the 17.
Penalty withstanding, the game itself was one of the better ones of the first two weeks with four lead changes, touchdowns in every quarter from both teams and enough suspense late to make the dramatic and controversial finish seem almost tragic instead of anything else.
Favre’s Jets debut goes according to plan with 20-14 win
On Sunday the eyes of the football world were in Miami for Brett Favre’s regular season debut in a New York Jets uniform. Those words still seem a bit weird and surreal to type, but reality is reality, and the reality in this game was Favre and the Jets won 20-14 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.
Favre went 15/22 passing for 194 yards and two touchdowns with the second being stereotypically Favre-like as he scrambled, was hit as he threw one almost straight up in the air landing in the end-zone and in coverage in the hands of Chansi Stuckey. And by the way, his first was a fifty-six yard bomb to Jericho Cotchery on Favre’s fourth pass attempt of the game.
Thomas Jones helped preserve the Jets’ lead late with a 101 yards rushing on 22 attempts and a third quarter touchdown that gave the Jets a 20-7 lead they wouldn’t lose.
Rodgers helps Packers to Monday Night win with solid debut
On Monday, the eyes of the football world were on Lambeau Field as Aaron Rodgers made his first career start as a Green Bay Packer. With the start, Rodgers was the first quarterback since 1992 to start as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers that didn’t wear the number 4 and wasn’t named Brett Favre.
Rodgers made the most of his first start going 18/22 through the air for 178 yards and a Favre-like touchdown pass. Rodgers added the game-clinching touchdown on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 6:03 to play.
The Vikings played gamely and kept it close with Adrian Peterson leading the way with 103 yards rushing on 19 attempts and a touchdown with around two minutes to play that gave the game its final score of 24-19.
In the end, this was Rodgers’ night as he momentarily silenced critics that figured him for dead before he even stepped on the field and took the first little step in his journey towards acceptance in a city filled with football history hoping to, in some way, add his name to it. As far as debuts go, this was one of the better ones and was more than most could’ve hoped for out of number 12.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The other beautiful thing that happens around this time of the year (obviously) is the return of pro football. But more than just another season beginning, it’s the week where all those off season trades, releases, the injuries and retirements all come full circle and we have to face them and re-adapt to what all these teams now look like. But it is still something beautiful because it is the beginning of a new season and the definitive sign that not only is fall here, but a certain aspect of American life, it’s pastime for the last forty years if you will, has returned and we have four months to bathe in it with all the hoopla, craziness, controversy, and majesty that goes along with it year after year.
