Could That Have Been Any Better?

Tony Washington
IS The Hulk!

Mariota and the rest of the Ducks refuted
the popular myth among the FSU Rank that
Oregon was soft.

"Hello Mr. Winston. My name is Chris Seisay.
I'm the redshirt freshman cornerback you
were planning to pick on today."
From the Oregonian: No Florida State receiver eclipsed 100 yards. [Top FSU receiver Rashaad] Greene, mostly covered by [Tony] Hill but occasionally Seisay, had six catches for 59 yards. The longest Florida State completion was 29 yards. 

Winston crushed.







Running Back Thomas Tyner had a phenomenal game.
He came back from injuries to run for 124 yards and 2 TD's.
He and . . . . .
 

4th string RB Keni Benoit, who mopped up
in the fourth quarter, both wore Florida State
players like capes as they showcased Oregon's speed.

 

Ahh, that's a shame.
Charles Nelson's cape fell off.

There is so much to say about this game, one could write volumes. Yet all that comes to my mind is,

"Wow".
"Holy Moly".
"Did you see that?!?"

I'm wanting to get into Florida State's mind, a sad and scary place indeed. In the weeks before the game, Coach Jimbo, Jameis and the rest of the gang all kept yammerin' and yakkin'.  "29 points" this, "Undefeated" that, and "We've been here before."

I got the feeling they were hoping someone would say, "OK you've done enough already. Here's your Rose Bowl trophy."

While they were puffing their chests and saying all the right things at Disneyland and leading up to the game, I just had this feeling that they looked across at Oregon, thought about how they had been pulling rabbits out all season to preserve their win streak. And . . . .

They knew.

They knew it in the back of their minds.

It was over. All over.

They weren't facing the second and third best ACC teams. This wasn't a paper Notre Dame. This was a stratosphere of a next level. A heavyweight. A killer of giant killers.

Victory cigars on
the SI cover to
counteract its
voodooness.

After the game, I lit my victory cigar (Thank you, big brother, for sending them.), rounded up my posse and headed out through the neighborhood to wave the colors, play the fight song via iTunes through a bluetooth speaker and shout "GO DUCKS!" to anyone listening.

We stopped at Oregonian sports writer Ken Goe's house. And Goe made an interesting observation as he was hooking up his garden hose to spray us out of his yard. 

The grandboys with
Ken Goe, who refused
to sign a release for
this picture.

He said, "At halftime, Florida State had Oregon right where they wanted them." Down by only 5. They had just picked Mariota for only his third time. They would receive the ball first in the second half. Momentum was clearly on their side.

It was time for the Seminoles to take charge and pull out another trademark comeback win. They must have felt really good coming out of the tunnel for the second half.

What was different this time? Oregon's defense is a truly unheralded juggernaut in the second half of games. Also, Oregon's offensive pace routinely has a devastating effect on opposing defenses as the game goes on.

As the game went on, Florida State saw what they couldn't believe; felt what they couldn't admit. Not only was the game slipping away from them, it was free falling.

This was a score off of FSU's second turnover in the third quarter. What was fascinating was it was Oregon's second play of that series. The time from the
whistle ending the first play to the snap on this play? 12 seconds. FSU, to a man,
insisted after the game that Oregon's super fast pace had no impact on them. But on this play, they thought it was going to be another screen pass to the wideout. Oregon made it look that way and had been doing that play all day. But just as importantly,
they did not give FSU time to think and plan for other options. They had no time to communicate. 

Oregon's defense forced a turnover. Oregon's offense scored. Winston yelled at his teammates. Oregon forced another turnover. Oregon scored. Winston yelled at his coach. Jimbo refuted whether it was actual "yelling". But we know this, whatever it was, Winston was losing it, emotionally, literally, every way.


Winston: "Oh my! Oh Dear! Auntie Em, it's a twister, it's a TWISTER! Help. Help. 
 OH, JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!!!!"

FUMBLLLLLE!!

FUMBLLLLLE!!

INTERCEPTIOOOOON!!

FUMBLLLLLE!!

Is it still Christmas? Because Florida State just keeps giving us gifts!!!

WHATEVER JAMEIS . . . .
Then came the after-party. The Oregonian's John Canzano wrote a great piece that measured the difference between the two Heisman quarterbacks. I got tired of hearing people say how they were "similar". They couldn't be more different.

That was obvious enough in the game. It became crystal clear in the post-game interviews. The following is an excerpt from the article showing Jameis Winston in total denial that Oregon had "honestly" beaten them.

 But here's what Winston said: "This game could have went either way, if you want to be -- if everybody in this room just want to be real with themselves, this game could have went either way. We turned the ball over a lot. We beat ourself. Just be real with yourself right now. We beat ourself."

"Tonight was unfortunate," Winston said. "It wasn't just they were stopping us. Their offense did great. Their defense was great. But we were never stopped at all." [I'm . . . . . I'm speechless.]
"It was never over," he said. "Honestly, it was never over. We just got beat, turned the ball over too many times. But it still ain't over. We can go play again, honest."
[And then when Winston looked at the crowd and noticed everybody just slack jawed and staring at him, he added, "29 WINS!"]

Here is the video of the post game interview if you can't believe he actually said that, or his grammar was that poor. In this video they cut to Coach Gumbo and asked him one question about whether or not Oregon's pace had any impact on his team. Again, total denial. I highly suggest he reviews the film and sees it for himself. They were not making plays on the Ducks because they were not given enough time to read and react.



SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!
OREGON DID WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!?
You've probably seen this already as it has gone viral. Because he was busy beating Alabama, Ohio State's coach Urban Meyer hadn't yet heard the final score of Oregon's win over FSU . . .

FUN FACT
This is the first true official NCAA top division playoff national football championship.
In 1939, the NCAA held it's first official national basketball championship.
The players: Ohio State vs. Oregon. Oregon won that game 46-33. Sounds like a pretty good football score too.

ONE FIRST THOUGHT ON THE NEXT STEP
This is a new experience in college football. And the Ducks and Buckeyes have to figure out some new guidelines as they are the first teams to win a bowl to only prepare for another bowl.
Case in point. Did you see all the Duck players passing around the Rose Bowl trophy and kissing it like moms on a new baby?

Thomas Tyner

100 Rose Bowls before, who cared? But they got a bigger game in a week. And this is the cold and flu season!

Am I the only one who worried about them germing up that thing?

More important wisdom later.
--KB

I know you are, but 29 . . . I know you are, but 29 . . .

I've got a new drinking game for y'all to play.
Google Florida State, Oregon, Rose Bowl, Jameis Winston, etc. Search through all the media -- blogs, articles, videos . . . Every time a player, coach, reporter or blogger from Florida State utters "29 wins", take a drink. They say "undefeated" less often, so take two drinks.

You'll be drunk in half an hour. A couple of lines I found . . .

"I really don't understand that," FSU sophomore cornerback Jalen Ramsey said [on being 9-point underdogs to the Ducks]. "We're the ones who won 29 in a row. What are we scared of?"
Take a drink.

"The only undefeated team in the country," [FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher] frequently reminds questioners.

Take two drinks.

 

The following article from the Orlando Sentinel explains how FSU is needing to reach deep to find some extra inspiration to prepare them for the Rose Bowl. False self-pity appears to be the go-to motivation.
 

FSU relaxed for Rose Bowl, using role as underdog and villain for motivation

By Brendan Sonnone

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jameis Winston shook hands with Mickey Mouse, posed for a picture alongside Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and then, as he has so many times before, found himself surrounded by dozens of reporters.

Marcus Mariota poses with a silly cartoony character
and Mickey Mouse.

All the while, Winston could only think of one thing.

 

 "The main thing I'm trying to do is get me a smoked turkey leg, put some hot sauce on that bad boy and eat it," Winston said Saturday at Disney California Adventure Park. "I'm hungry."

[Are you gonna pay for it this time?]
 

No. 3 FSU (13-0) faces No. 2 Oregon (12-1) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, with the winner advancing to the national championship. For some, the magnitude of this stage could spark nerve. But for Winston, along with his teammates, there is comfort in familiarity.

 

Winston, coach Jimbo Fisher and several other FSU players spoke to media members for the first time since arriving in California. While this is a different set of players, a different season and a different opponent, FSU is no stranger to playing big games in the Rose Bowl.

 

"Just being in California again, the kids knowing what to expect, how the routine of things is going to go, any time you can do something a second time definitively helps," said Fisher, who guided FSU to a win over Auburn in the Rose Bowl last season to claim the third national title in school history. "The more you're in those atmosphere and environments, it's critical."

 

Fisher points to last season's experience playing in the title game in Rose Bowl Stadium, as well as playing in the Orange Bowl the previous season, as reasons he expects his team to be unfazed by outside distractions this week.

 

"Learning on how to adapt to media on a media day, practice on a practice day, how to get ready for the game; the more often you're in those situations, the better you handle them," Fisher said. "And we've been in them quite a few times.

 [Oh by the way, Oregon has played in the Rose Bowl before. Nearly the entire coaching staff had the experience of playing in the National Championship. Half these players were in the BCS Fiesta Bowl. Nearly all of them played in last year's Holiday Bowl.
So ya, they also know how to follow the itinerary and set their alarm clocks, meet in the lobby at a certain time and remember where the buses are parked to go to Disneyland.  What exactly is the big deal, Jimbo?]
 

"It's business as usual. They're mature, they know what it takes, and they've proven it 29 games in a row." [Take a drink.]

 

However, two aspects of the Rose Bowl will be different for FSU this season. First, the Seminoles enter the game as the underdog, with some oddsmakers favoring Oregon by as much as 9.5 points when the betting line first came out. It is the first time FSU has been an underdog in 50 games, according to ESPN.

 

Second, FSU has become detested by what seems like a majority of college football fans. In the span of their 29-game win streak, [Just in case you didn't catch it the first time, this Orlando reporter mentioned it again. Take a drink.] the Seminoles have become villains in the eyes of numerous fan bases. Part of that is a product of winning.
Yes it's true. Haters are hating Florida State simply because they win.
\/
\/
\/



And that is why the Indian cries.

But FSU has also been portrayed as a program that will win at all costs. Winston, who was accused of sexual assault but not charged, is the poster child for the criticism.



"Leave the poor kid alone.
He's a victim, just like me."

 "That's having a chip on our shoulder," Winston said. "When you haven't lost a game in a long time, you can get bored. The fact that so many people are motivating you to not get a loss, we need it."

Balancing fun - like spending the day at Disneyland - along with game preparation and media obligations can be a challenge. But FSU is in familiar territory and, as Winston puts it, has enough motivation to remain focused. [So playing Oregon isn't motivation enough for them? I must say, for the sake of sparing them from their boredom, these bastards really need a good beating.]

 

"Last year, I think we just shocked everybody with how we beat everybody and pulled off that national championship game," Winston said. "This year, everyone came prepared to put a [loss] in our column. We did it; another [undefeated] regular season, another ACC championship. [He apparently didn't actually say it, but it was implied. Split the difference, take one drink.]
 

"And we're not done yet." Ya. We'll see about that.

More later,
--KB

 

And We Thought USC was Bad!

This is just a quick post to make you aware of another most excellent post. Dom Pruett of SB Nation's 'Addicted to Quack' tells us that of all the lame, disgusting things we may have heard about Florida State, they are even worse.

His story tells me that the Ducks have more than an opportunity, they have a downright duty to rid the nation of Winston and Florida State. The Bowl Selection Committee and the NCAA would owe Oregon a huge debt of gratitude to do what they were too weak to do -- knock these crimiNOLES out of the picture.

Here is the intro to his funny article, Why You Should Hate: Florida State Edition.
You could write a goddamn thesis paper on all the reasons Florida State deserves your hatred. I couldn't have dreamt up a better team to write one of these pieces for. This is the pinnacle right here, folks. There isn't an NFL team as dysfunctional and putrid as the Seminoles. They are the Floyd Mayweather of college football. Because of that, I say thank you to Florida State and their odious football program.

And here is the link to the whole article.

Even their horse, Renegade, appears to stink up the field.
What do they feed that poor animal?!?

More later,
--KB

Mariota Christmas to All

Before I look back at this year's Heisman trophy winner, it is only right that I take a moment to talk about the first and only other Heisman winner from the state of Oregon, OSU's Terry Baker.

Why? Because Oregon State did something really classy. They took out this half page ad in the Oregonian to reach across the valley and pay classy respect to their chief rival.

So in kind, I will take this time to honor their winner, Terry Baker.

Terry Baker won the Heisman Trophy in 1962 after an incredible year of not only throwing 2,476 yards and 23 touchdowns, but rushing for an additional 1503 yards and 15 TD's.

The first player to win the award west of Texas, Baker is also still the only player to win the Heisman in football AND play in the Final Four in basketball.

One of his more memorable--

OK that's enough.

DOES CHARACTER COUNT? (Mariota's, not mine.)
This time it most certainly does. In fact all three Heisman candidates were considered people of outstanding character.

ESPN opened this story with the following line:
 You can exhale now, America. This Heisman Trophy winner you can bring home to Mom.

Humble. Selfless. Genuine. Incredible.
Fans from Hawaii to Oregon can feel
nothing but pride for identifying with
Marcus Mariota.

Through the middle of the season, Mariota was given the stupid label of being "Too nice." Reporters and bloggers across the country repeated the simplistic phrase with no substance. I don't know what they were looking for.

But I do know that when Mariota lost his only game this year at home to the Wildcats, he didn't throw his towel over his head and run to the locker room. He certainly did not flip off the opposing bench.

He walked halfway across the field, found some kids, kneeled down and started signing autographs.

Then he came out next week and every week after that and absolutely annihilated every foe that stood in his way, including those same Wildcats.

Too nice? Whatever.

It's just refreshing to see when honor, respect and decency come with winning AND losing. It's nice to see when athletic dominance doesn't have to go hand-in-hand with a-holeness.

I don't know exactly when the Heisman became just a trophy for the best stats and most wins. The selection process became boring when you could just add up the number of ESPN highlights for each candidate and pick the winner. Perhaps it was always that way.


Badger and Tide fans, you too should feel nothing but
envy that you didn't have Marcus Mariota.

Make no mistake, Mariota had all of those skill and highlight boxes checked for his own self. But unlike three of the last four . . . uh, "winners" in Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston, nobody felt like they needed to take a hot soapy shower after voting for him.

WE THE STATE OF FLORIDA,
FIND JAMEIS WINSTON "AWESOME"!
The Florida State Judge (which, to me, still suggests a judge that went to Florida State) determined that he could not find Jameis Winston in violation of the FSU Conduct Code that strongly discourages the raping of women because he felt the accuser's testimony was no more convincing than the accused.

Could that be because the victim's burden to prove that she was raped was made more difficult because Winston did not have to answer any questions? And further, Winston's two buddies who were also in the apartment, including the one that allegedly filmed this mutually consented tender moment of love making, did not have to testify. They didn't even have to show up.

The accuser and her attorneys were permitted to ask Winston questions in written format. And he was permitted to not answer a single one.

Here are two excerpts from this ESPN article:
Under FSU's student conduct rules, Winston wasn't required to answer any or all questions during the Dec. 2-3 hearing. Instead, Winston read from a prepared five-page statement as his opening statement, and then referred to it again when questioned by Harding on the second day. Winston then cited the rule that permitted him not to answer questions: "From the Rule 6C2R-3.004(6)(d) of the Florida State Student Code of Conduct I'm not going to answer."
Harding then asked him: "And so you're not going to answer any additional questions?"
"Yes, Your Honor," Winston responded

Sunday, after Harding cleared Winston, the accuser's attorneys, Kerr and John Clune, issued a statement, saying: "Of the four people in that apartment only one, our client, testified, and she answered any and all questions about what happened. The three football players, Jameis Winston, Chris Casher, and Ronald Darby, all refused to testify and answer questions and somehow Jameis Winston still wins."

Well of course he wins. The woman failed to prove that Winston was lying when he didn't say anything. Oh sure, he had a 5-page prepared written statement; but it was certainly washed, spun, and rinsed by his lawyers.

But still, the people of the State of Florida are satisfied that justice was served. Jameis Winston gets to play football.

Stay classy, FSU.



Yes Virginia, there IS an
Oregon Heisman Trophy winner.

Wishing all of you the happiest of holidays, the Merriest Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza; and for those who celebrate Festavus, you were always a disappointment to our family.

--KB

While Ducks play Buffs, Seminoles play all of us.

Lunch at Autzen. Saturday at 1:30. Buffalo Burgers.
Colorado has lost 23 consecutive road games. But don't let that fool you. They've lost some very close games.
They've lost six games in a row. But two were in overtime.
Statistically they're average, but not terrible. Out of 105 teams, they rank about 120th in scoring defense. But they try hard.
They'll lose to the Ducks, but not without putting up some sort of a fight. You know, like a wiggling salmon in a grizzly bear's mouth.

It'll be a successful day if Oregon just gets the win and stays healthy. Center Hroniss Grasu is out for at least this game with a slight leg injury. Tight end Pharoah Brown is out for at least this season with a clean torn off leg.
Mariota should just unleash to track champion Devon Allen about five times in the endzone, then retire to the sidelines before he trips on a dent in the turf and thrashes his knee. Thank goodness SI so far hasn't decided to put him on their wicked cover for the fourth time.

Pleeeeeze just staaaay healthy stay healthy stay healthy
stayhealthy stayhealthy stayhealthy stayhealthy stayhealthy.

Oregon is currently #2. Alabama leaped over them. Florida State slipped to 3rd because in nearly every game, they've had to come from behind to beat the girl scouts they play.

There's another problem with Florida State . . . .
FLORIDA SHAME UNIVERSITY

DEAR FLORIDA STATE,
 WE REQUEST THAT YOU STOP USING OUR NAME FOR YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM. IT'S NOT ABOUT INDIAN DISCRIMINATION. WE'RE JUST EMBARRASSED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR QUARTERBACK.
SINCERELY,
SEMINOLE INDIAN NATION

FSU QB Jameis Winston was accused of sexual assault nearly two years ago. Two of his friends who were at the scene of the alleged crime were given a hearing in May. Winston was not. One friend was cleared, while the other was given one year probation for filming the alleged assault without the alleged victim's permission.

So there's a film of Winston assaulting the victim? No. It was deleted before investigators could see it.

Winston's hearing had been scheduled for November 17th to discuss four charges against him. I'm getting my info from The Sporting News Story, "Shame of Jameis Winston and Florida State: Football above all else".
Here they say,
Winston is accused of four violations of the code of conduct; two considered "sexual misconduct" and two "endangerment." Punishment for any or a combination of the four ranges from probation to expulsion.
There's also the very real possibility that Winston could be charged with the lesser of the four violations — sexual misconduct defined as "conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile and offensive environment for another person" — and still play the remainder of this season

A letter of reprimand might be the hammer of justice in that case. The idea was he would have that hearing in front of a former Florida State Supreme Court judge (which wouldn't surprise me at all if that meant a Supreme Court judge who graduated from Florida State). The judge would then take up to 10 days to decide, or more if needed for "additional consideration of evidence and deliberation".

In any event, that would still leave time for a decision that allows suspending him from future games including their game against Florida on November 29th, the ACC Championship December 6th, the final College Football Playoff selection on December 7th, and of course the playoff and champion games to follow.

Guess what? His lawyer asked for an extension because he hadn't gone through all of the evidence yet. Here was Florida State's chance to say that two years was plenty enough time, and the matter at hand was more important than football.

Guess what? Free Shoes University granted the extension and set the new date for December 1st. That means that a decision doesn't have to be handed down until December 11th at the earliest, long after the regular season is over and the four playoff teams have been selected.

Life is good for the Winstonator.

But wait, there's more! Don't forget about the appellate process after the decision has been made which can be scheduled who-knows-how-long into the future. To sum it up, Jameis Winston is going to play every game whether he's a rapist or not. Florida State is seeing to that.

To make this a bigger pile of BS, this alleged crime -- although plenty bad enough -- isn't the only thing he's being investigated for. In his October 30th game against Louisville, Winston had a bad first half. A TERRIBLE first half. Two interceptions and less than 50% of passes completed -- one of his worst halves ever. Florida State trailed 21-0 going into the locker room.

One Winston fan was happy about it though. A high school classmate and family friend of Winston's bet a whopping $5500 that his buddy's Seminoles would trail in that first half. He won $5000. And magically, Winston improved tremendously in the second half and won the game.

The question to ask here isn't "Did Winston actually sexually assault that woman?" or "Did Winston shave points in a game?"  And the question isn't "What is Florida State's position in all of this?" We know that answer already. FSU has no shame.

The question I have is "Where is the NCAA?" Why aren't they outraged? The NCAA, who gave Joe Paterno the death penalty -- he literally died from their sanctions -- when they stripped Penn State of hundreds of wins. This same NCAA who stripped Ohio State of an entire season of wins including a Sugar Bowl victory when they determined the great QB Terrelle Pryor had sold football memorabilia and driven several nice cars that he didn't buy. Why aren't they raising any kind of concern over how these "investigations" are being conducted.

The part that leaves a bad taste is that those wins by Penn State and Ohio State, including bowl wins, were vacated. The trophy didn't go to the losing team. It was just taken away, forever to be a blank spot in the history books.

These investigations on Jameis Winston won't amount to anything until months or years after this season is over, long after he has bolted to the NFL. And yet why doesn't the NCAA see the hand writing on the wall that this could end badly? Why are they not upset that the first College Football Playoff -- their first attempt at making us forget all about the BCS -- could end with vacated wins? The chances are disturbingly high that a Winston-quarterbacked FSU team could make a mockery out of their inaugural new playoff system.

How does that affect the other three teams? What does that do for the #5 team sitting on the outside while Winston plays?

It seems to me that the NCAA president Mark Emmert would very much want to avoid "vacates" (Vacancies? Vacations?) of major bowl games including and especially THE Championship Game. It smashes the remainder of college football's already dented credibility.

[CLICK HERE FOR A TOUCHING LETTER ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY MARK EMMERT]

Why doesn't he see the train wreck coming and order FSU to hurry up instead of delaying these investigations? Or better yet, why doesn't he tell FSU and other teams that players cannot play while investigations are under way for certain heinous crimes? 

Which crimes? Off the top of my head, sexual assault and fixed gambling come to mind as two pretty good examples.

If December turns to January and Winston is still playing football, the shame belongs to the whole system.

Colorado at Oregon game time: Saturday, 1:30 pm on the Pac-12 Network.
If you still don't get the Pac-12 Network, drive to your nearby television channel provider. Ask to speak to the supervisor and KICK THE BASTARD IN THE NUTS!!!

--kb