I'm a huge football fan. I love smash-mouth football on every level. A game that ends with a 3-0 score is something I long for. Long for, if the defenses are really great throughout the entire game.
The Sun Bowl was not this. The Sun Bowl might as well be called "The Inept Bowl" this year.
My mother had a law partner in Midwest City, Okla. for about 15 years. He was a quiet, nerdy type of guy that no one would assume even thought about sports. He did think about sports, however—specifically the Sun Bowl. In fact, I was bowled over, pardon the pun, when he asked me if I was going to watch the game.
That was five years ago, and since then I have watched the Sun Bowl every year to see why he liked it so much. I mean, I can understand liking the Rose, Cotton, Orange, or Sugar bowls. Hell, even the Fiesta Bowl is considered a great bowl, now. Not as much in the '80s, but now it's annually pretty great contest.
So it is now, with a heavy heart, that I relinquish my fascination with the Sun Bowl. That's how bad this game was. I knew without OSU's star tailback, Jacquizz Rodgers, that the game might be slow, but I was not prepared for this.
Kick both of those teams out of the top 25. Also: make them relinquish all their victories this season. That's what Pitt and Oregon State deserve for making me watch a game of this nature.
There shouldn't be stats given out after this game. The trophy should be thrown into the ocean, and the Sun Bowl should be burned to the ground, and salt should be sowed into the ground so that no college bowl ever grows in the streets of El Paso again.
That's not hyperbole. This game was that bad. Almost "put-a-person-to-sleep" bad. The kind of game that makes me long for a playoff, not because it is the right thing for the sport, but because no one should have to watch a game this bad, that means, literally, nothing in the grand scheme of the season.
I felt like I was watching a game in 1897. Only Walter Camp was nowhere to be found. If he had been in El Paso this afternoon, however, he would have wondered why he ever invented a game this pointless and boring.
7 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Travis Rice 6 months ago
Sorry you had to endure a great defensive battle
Another 9 win season for my Beavs
Pac-10 4-0 and about to be 5-0!
Respect should come back to the Pac!
No one had OSU winning that game, and they pitched a shut-out. Yes boring, but great defensive showing after giving up 65 to Oregon.
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Joseph Bennett 6 months ago
Here Here Travis. After living through all of OSUs losing futility last century, I will take all the wins we can get.
Lets also remember that we once beat USC and O.J. by the score of 3-0. No one complained back then.
Joe
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Lindsey Hodges 6 months ago
I HAD OSU winning this game. Then my Dad got inside my head, and I flipped over to Pitt. To tell you the truth, I kinda hold a candle for the Beavs. Not just cause that's a great mascot, but cause they generally entertain me. Not today though. Travis, I know they won, but there were no real "winners" in this game.
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Travis Rice 6 months ago
I'd say a defensive shutout after giving up nearly 700 yards and 65 points in their previous game does make our defense winners.
But yes, even I was saying..."this game is boooooring" the entire 2nd half.
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Lindsey Hodges 6 months ago
I might be a little harsh on the game, but I like some offense in a bowl game. My favorite bowl game ever is OU-FSU from 2000. Defense was the name of the game in that Orange Bowl, with a 13-2 final score. The thing is, there was a touchdown in that game. and two field goals, and a safety. 15 combined points isn't a lot, but I'll take the technical shut out of the prolific Seminole O over OSU and Pitt's pillow fight any day.
Finally, I'll bet you agree with this, if Jacquizz Rodgers plays against Oregon we aren't having this discussion as OSU is in the Rose Bowl. If Rodgers played yesterday, OSU blows Pitt away with room to spare.
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Stephen Smith 6 months ago
In defense of the Beavers (which is tough for me since I'm a Duck) they actually won the game 9-0 (or 10-0 if you assume they'd have made the PAT). Reese scored just before the half, and the officials blew the call.
I agree though that it wasn't a classic "defensive battle." Moevao completed only 50 percent of his passes, and Pitt's QBs were below 33 percent. The Beavers converted on 3 of 17 third downs, and Pitt was 2 for 18. The defenses were good, but they were playing against totally incapable offenses.
It matters not, though. A "W" is a "W."
BTW, I also had the Beavers winning this game, and no, Oregon would have crushed OSU anyway. Quizz wasn't good for 27 more points.
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Paul Sievers 5 months ago
On behalf of the University of Pittsburgh I appologize.
I appologize for the officials that didn't call that TD a TD at the end of the first half.
I appologize for Bill Stull our quarterback, apparently Billy lost a bet with Hellen Keller and had to give her his spot in the lineup, that's the only way I can rationalize those throws.
I appologize for Matt Cavenaugh our offensive coordinator, though I would like to know where he buys his shrooms cause they must have been really strong.
I appologize for the announcers who apparently only knew one player on the field (McCoy) and by all acounts overplayed the whole "its windy" angle.
I appologize to LeSean McCoy, I'd leave for the NFL also after that crap.
I appologize to Oregon State, playing with out a quarterback and an offensive coordinator disrupts the whole competitive balance of the game, next time we will take full advantage of the rules.
I appolgoize to the general public, please judge our beloved university on what really matters.....our basketball team.
Thanks for listining.
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