Sooners surge past Huskies in Fiesta, 48-20

Glendale, AZ  - The second part of our Bowl trip turned out as anticipated with Oklahoma (12-2) shutting down UConn's running game lead by Jordan Todman and letting the Huskies (8-5) struggle on the arm of Zach Frazer as the Sooners eventually took charge in the second half adding to their 20-10 half time lead. It was not a pretty game, but give the Huskies credit for their efforts hitting hard and scoring on defense and special teams to put points on the board. We knew they didn't belong in a BCS game not even making this year's Top 25 , but that's the way college football is going today.  We were not so disappointed in the Huskies performance as we saw what was to be expected, but more disappointed in the powers that be ( Bowl committees, NCAA, ESPN, college presidents, and conference commissioners) who allow greed, contracts, and poor game pairings  really screw up the college football bowl season. 

     Oklahoma's no-huddle, hurry-up offense paid off on its first possession on an 8-yard TD pass from Landry Jones to his TE James Hanna.  UConn responded with a drive to the OU 19 where former HC Randy Edsall should have gone for the sure three on Dave Teggart's leg, but instead the Huskies came up short on fourth and inches.  Nice try, but get the points first.  With :24 left in the period, DeMarco Murray scored on a three-yard run to increase the sooner lead, 14-0.

     UConn QB Dwayne Gratz gave the Husky faithful some hope as he picked off a Jones' pass and returned it 45 yards to cut the score in half with Teggart's PAT, 14-7.  The Sooners took back three on its next possession with Jimmy Stevens' 42-yard FG,  and did the same on its next possession   with a 25-yarder.  Aside form Gratz's INT, the Huskies could not stop the Sooners from scoring.  With :26 left in the half, the UConn O got on the board with Teggart's 37-yard FG.

     The Sooners got the second half kickoff and surprisingly went three and out.  Had the Huskies made some necessary adjustments to get them back into their first-ever BCS game?  Not on offense.  They punted away and put OU on their own 20.  From 59 yards away, Jones connected with Cameron Kenny and the speedster put the Boomer Sooners back up, 27-10.  Evidently not on defense did the Huskies make adequate adjustments either.  The game was sealed by CB James Fleming of the Sooners on the next series when he picked off Frazer's pass and returned it 55 yards for another Oklahoma score to put the Sooner Schooner out in front, 34-10.  Leave it to UConn's special teams though to finally do something...special.  Robbie Frey took the ensuing kickoff at his own five, and sped down the left sideline leaving Sooners in his wake for a 95-yard TD return.  At least the Huskies showed signs that they weren't giving up.  Trailing 34-17, the UConn D forced a three and out.  The next possession ended in another scoring drive as the OU defense could bend but not break to allow a Teggart  FG of 38 yards.    UConn could possibly make this somewhat respectable now trailing 38-20 with 5:04 left in the third period, but with now passing game to challenge the Big 12 champs, they were spinning their wheels.  OU scored two more times in the final period to make the score 48-20. 

    Regretfully, we got what we expected when the teams for the bowl games were announced.  Funny thing, aside from teh Rose Bowl, any other games we may have picked could have been just a disappointing.  We had a great season overall that finished with two bowl games that were mismatches to begin with.  I'm ready to start firing up a bowl committee similar to what the NCAA does with selection basketball pairings!  Who's with me?  I'm looking for fans to make the selections, not people with power like the ones they have now who don't know what the heck they're doing.

Extra Points: Spent New Year's Day at Buffalo Wild Wings anticipating some bowl excitement.  We made the appetizers, wings, desserts, and beer last for several hours and they hit the spot as Eric and I took up a good booth for the Penn State- Florida game in particular.  What a long, disappointing bowl day on the tube.  Northwestern came back to make the Ticket City Bowl interesting despite injured QB Dan Persa not playing  as well as their best RB,  but no one really cared about Northwestern-Texas Tech any way.  The Cotton Bowl's now available since Jerry Jones move the game to his new digs, so someone decided to add another game to the Bowl list.  This game deserved to be played one night the week before Christmas any way.    Michigan State-Alabama started and once The Tide took a 14-0 lead, these Spartans didn't act anything like the 300 that held off 10,000 at Thermopolyae in the movie I watched the night before.  If these "Spartans"  had guarded that pass, democracy wouldn't exist today.  Rose Bowl?  12-1?  When was the last time MSU ever played in a New Year's Bowl?  They should have been there proving to the world that they deserved better, but instead they folded up their tents ready to go home early. Why?  Because they thought they deserved better?  Get over it and play football!  Michigan started off strong offensively against Mississippi State, but RichRod's system tends to believe that a team doesn't have to play defense.  Instead it believes in letting the other team score at will so U of M can get the ball back.  That strategy wasn't working.  As a matter of fact, RichRod isn't working any more either.  Pitt?  No way do they hire an ex-WVU guy, especially with his track record.  They look bad enough now hiring and firing Mike Haywood after what he's been accused of.  PSU looked to drive down field for  a winning touchdown trailing by six until the Gators picked off walk-on Matt McGloin's pass in the waning minutes and ran it back for a TD to win,  37-24.  Urban Meyer retired with a smile on his face.  JoePa can't wait until next year.  Demoted PSU QB Matt Bolden now wants to transfer.  Here's a kid who started as a frosh who was given every chance to win, but just didn't have it early in a young career.  Quitter!  He should be happy to have been given the original starting nod.  He'd have been riding the bench from the get-go if he had started at any other FBS school.  His team started to play and win some games more decisively once he stood on the sidelines after he suffered a concussion.  We attended the PSU-Illinois game early this year and left very unimpressed.  Besides, no one goes to PSU to learn to play QB.  LBS, offensive linemen, and RBs learn and grow at PSU, but if you want to learn the finer skills of playing QB, you don't play that position there.  We missed the best game of the day, The Rose Bowl,as we decided we couldn't eat any more wings or stomach any more lousy New Year's Day games as we knew we were on our way to the one with the widest point spread.  We knew what we were about to see. We yearn for the good old days when we could watch teams in the Top Ten play in the Cotton, sugar, Rose and Orange Bowls all on New Year's Day, but the big money makers screwed all that up for college football fans across the country.

In Glendale, they have it rigged to rip off anybody coming without a parking pass.  This is the wide-open spaces, but they put a premium on parking.  All signs off Highway 101 indicated colored parking spaces for pre-paid lots.  We traveled around and found general parking for $30!  It had to be at least a three-mile walk to the stadium which looked so close in the flatland, but was yet so far.  I traveled around looking for a better deal since we had time.  All the local strip malls had "No Parking for event " signs at their entrances, and local police were out in force.  Eventually at a convenience store, we saw the big orange signs selling parking passes.  I stopped in and asked.  "50 bucks!"  For parking out here in the desert?  No way, I was contemplating the $30 walk three-mile hike I saw earlier.  I asked where else I could find general parking.  The attendant selling the tickets was nice enough to show me a map saying that the lots marked "G" were being designated this particular day as general parking.  A least I could see that they were on the outskirts on the grounds of the stadium.  I headed over to 93rd Ave ( I couldn't believe there was a street number that high where we were) and found a lot not only a short walk to the stadium, but "only" for $20.  Be careful when you go to U. of Phoenix Stadium.  They get you on the parking tickets.

Eric and I hung around the outside festivities with a big screen overhead showing the Rose Bowl which was at the half.  All the concessionaire's were out.  The designated ticket exchange spot for anybody with extras was packed with sellers, but very few takers.  A buyer could have held up a $10 bill to auction to the lowest seller and gotten whatever he wanted to pay.  Most of the bowl games are now Buyers' markets for tickets.  This is the one thing that may be the cause for eventually improving the ruin of bowl games. 

Once inside the stadium with the retractable roof closed, I'd have to say it is probably the nicest pro football stadium I've ever been to.  It was nice, clean, colorfully decorated, comfortable - a very nice arena to watch a game in.  All the people working there were very friendly.  This year alone, I attended games at the Linc in Philly, Fedex Field,  The New Meadowlands, and Qualcomm.  This was the best even thinking back to games attended in Pittsburgh, Houston, Tampa, and a few others.  The only thing that didn't work well in the stadium were the acoustics.  The bands' performances from the stands in the far end zone from us were somewhat muffled. 

Before the game, College Football Hall of Fame inductees were introduced to the crowd.  Once again, we saw former All-American LB Chet Moeller of Navy honored as we had when we attended Navy-SMU in Annapolis this year. Disabled Veterans from Arizona, Oklahoma, and Connecticut were honored representing all those from those states before the game.  The Arizona Vet in a wheel chair looked like such a young kid.  The Oklahoma Marine walked with a replacement leg.   Retired Arizona Cardinal QB Curt Warner did the coin toss.  A Bald Eagle was released to soar over the giant American flag covering the playing surface during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner". The Glee Club from the US Military Academy at West Point sang the National Anthem.  The pre-game ceremonies were beautiful.  it was all downhill from there as the game we anticipated began to form right before our eyes. 

We got back to our hotel at 11:30 pm and put in for a wake up call at 4:45 am to catch our morning flight through Detroit to get home.  A young female UConn fan was congratulating Oklahoma fans waiting on the security line at the airport the next morning.  She said packages back in Connecticut were going for three nights at $4,000!  She said few could afford that, of course, and she made her own arrangements as did we.  With my frequent flyer and hotel points programs, I'm lucky enough to get free airline tickets, free hotels, and a discounted rental car to save a lot of money.  Otherwise, we could never do this.  I book early before the teams are announced, and take the good with the bad when we have to.  The games were bad, but I still enjoy the experience.  With the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, and Fiesta Bowls behind us ( along with eight others), it's on to the Orange Bowl next year, and the BCS Championship the year after!  I'm already predicting a Big East-ACC match-up at the Orange next year which will probably be similar to this year's games (Does TCU start in the Big East next year?  Graduation may hit them hard any way).  However, it pays off as it guarantees tickets to the FBS Championship the year after.  I better start saving for that parking space now!