Fifty-Fifty from Fifty Five

I went one for two from fifty-five yards last weekend. No, I wasn’t doing the kicking. I was the one doing the agonizing as the opponents of my teams lined up with exactly 55 yards between me and the jaws of defeat.

In the end, Texas Tech lost in the last seconds on a 55 yarder and the Tennessee Titans escaped thanks to a block of a kick from the same distance. In both cases, my team had to do a folderoo in order to be in such dire straits, tied to the railroad track with the inevitable train coming in the form of a swinging right leg.

The Red Faders and Titans led most of their game, but lost focus in the final quarter to let West Virginia and the Jacksonville Jaguars up off the mat. WVU pinned TT and the Jags missed sending the Titans to a fifth straight defeat by the margin of a six inch vertical leap by the very round Sammy Lee Hill, who managed to get his hand up and deflect a low kick with his arm pit. It was a win that almost felt like a loss as it was only in the last minute the Jags made their run to steal victory.

Is nobody holding up four fingers as we go into the fourth quarter anymore?

My only other win from my football teams was a nail biter by Vanderbilt over a Little Sisters of the Poor team, Charleston Southern. The Giants, last week’s best hope, were drilled by the Philly Eagles and look once again exposed.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised in a season when it looks like the NCAA National Championship game may be the Egg Bowl between the prides of Mississippi.

Long season, boys. Long season.