The All Day Saturday Live Blog: Week 4

Starting nine minutes past noon. I’m good.

East Carolina starts by forcing a three and out, but a muffed punt squanders some of the field position; Iowa’s in the red zone on their second possession in the first five minutes of their game against Pittsburgh, thanks to a LeSean McCoy fumble.

Pitt holds, and Iowa makes its field goal. Ohio State’s just scored to go up on Troy early.

Iowa’s only given up eight points all year, and they were to Maine, Florida International, and Iowa State. So they’ve barely been tested.

Wait, Terrelle Pryor’s starting? Apparently, yeah: he had that first TD pass for the Buckeyes.

East Carolina’s up 7-0 on NC State. And we learn that NC State hasn’t scored against an FBS school since November. Eeek.

Another punt for the Wolfpack; it’s their third, and this one’s a touchback. Their drives have gone punt, punt, interception returned for a TD, punt.

Pitt’s backup quarterback, Greg Cross, makes people miss on a 17-yard jaunt to the end zone. It’s 7-3, Panthers.

NC State’s got the ball on the East Carolina half of the field, and a first-down post route gets them into field goal range; another pass takes them to the edge of the red zone.

State’s struggling to punch it in. Third and eight from the 11, a scramble, a throw, but no first down. So Tom O’Brien’s team will go for it.

Russell Wilson runs on a designed draw, and gets a first down and to the one.

Then, of course, a fumble, and a ten-yard loss.

Pam Ward makes a cogent point: Iowa’s away shirt and Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys are barely different. You know, except for the Hawkeye logo being swapped for the Steelers’ iconic one.

Pitt converts a third down to end the first quarter.

NC State, in for six. The stadium gets loud, and Andre Brown gets the kudos for a great job getting open for Russell Wilson as the pocket disintegrated.

East Carolina has a third and five in suddenly hostile Raleigh, and the talented Mr. Irving, State’s redshirt sophomore linebacker, Nate, bats the pass away. The Wolfpack get good field position.

Troy’s kicked a field goal to make it 7-3 in Columbus.

Remember that NC State field position? It dissolved into a three and out.

Touchdown, Alabama, on the ground. Arkansas, not looking good.

An ECU third down turns into a touchdown to Davon Drew, who just sort of shrugs off any feeble attempts to tackle him on a long run after the catch.

Here comes East Carolina, moving the ball well. They have a third and one at about midfield, and Norman Whitley slices through the line to get it.

Nate Irving’s up on a trainer’s table. Uh-oh.

Commercial for the final game at this Yankee Stadium; good job by the team to let fans have their piece of the day on the field, too. It’s a great sports weekend, with a great slate of college football today, the Ryder Cup going on, possible clinchers in baseball, the last game at Yankee Stadium, and a couple of excellent NFL matchups tomorrow.

Pitt’s up 14-3 and punting from its own end zone.

Alabama just scored again. 14-0 in Fayetteville.

Russell Wilson with an expertly thrown spiral to the dirt on third down, and East Carolina will probably have the last possession of the half.

If Iowa’s going to stay close in this one, it’s going to take more good play from Shonn Greene, who just broke loose for 32 yards up the sideline. Iowa’s passing game isn’t looking healthy.

Patrick Pinkney throws a pick, and a Pirates wideout rips it out of the DB’s hands. Net gain of about twenty yards, and that play’s a crushing one.

I flip to the Arkansas-Alabama game, carried by Raycom Sports here in Gainesville, and I see two awesome things: one, the national scoreboard is brought to us by Woodmen of the World, and, two, Casey Dick fires a strike right to Javier Arenas.

Unfortunately, he’s wearing the wrong shirt, and takes it to the house to make it a lot to zilch, Alabama. (Okay, it’s 21-0.)

Troy’s just scored to keep it close in Columbus; it’s 14-10, Ohio State.

Harrison Beck enters the game for NC State and immediately completes it deep for some 30 yards. The change-of-pace quarterback might work here.

Pitt’s got a 14-10 lead, too, with 1:14 left in the half.

Pam Ward: “Saturday night, two of the top teams in the SEC meet. That’s tonight.” She’s fantastic.

It’s halftime in Raleigh, and the score’s East Carolina 14, NC State 7; at Heinz Field, it’s Pittsburgh 14, Iowa 10 at the half.

And now, it’s Ohio State 14, Troy 10 at the half.

Alabama’s all over Arkansas; it’s 35-7.

The Infinite Mystery of Raycom Sports: the yellow line just jerked mid-play.

Nice, low-scoring football games today, folks. Well, except in Happy Valley, where Penn State is woodshedding Temple. The Nittany Lions are up 31 at the half.

The University of Alabama commercial uses the tagline “Crimson Is…” and features much feathered male hair. So it’s as perfect for that school as possible.

Iowa has a linebacker named Pat Angerer and a picture that matches. Wow.

Jake Christensen comes back in the game for the Hawkeyes, and he’s instantly more effective than he was in the first half, with a nice throw on a bootleg.

Iowa, going for it from midfield on fourth and one, gets a delay of game penalty. Was there really a time when Kirk Ferentz was considered a great coach?

NC State’s just scored on a pretty throw by Wilson, and the game in Raleigh is tied at 14.

Troy has the ball in Ohio State territory; East Carolina just crossed the 50 on some gutty running after the catch by Jamar Bryant.

Norman Whitley, running free. He scores, and the Wolfpack crowd is muted. East Carolina’s up by 7 again with a four-play drive.

A quite strange shot of a running pool in the NC State facilities. Really, people think there isn’t a lot of money floating around in college athletics?

Russell Wilson with a brilliant scramble and a spot-on throw across his body and across the field, but the receiver lets it bounce through his hands.

Troy didn’t score the time before, but they’ve got the ball and are moving now.

It’s not the furthest west Georgia’s ever gone for a game — the Dawgs have gone to Hawaii for a bowl game — but this trip to Tempe is the first time many of the players have been out of the Eastern Time Zone. That’s going to affect them.

Georgia Tech’s up 31-0 on Mississippi State. I’m going to say this does not bode well for the Auburn team that could only muster a field goal against the ‘Dogs.

And Jake Christensen is doing good things in relief: he scrambles in and makes it 17-14, Iowa, at Heinz Field, as the break-in update tells me.

Russell Wilson is playing very, very well.

LeSean McCoy, doing the same on passes from Bill Stull, who Ray Bentley has problems comparing to Donovan McNabb not because of racial differences, but because he can’t remember McNabb’s name.

Then, a flea-flicker! It glances off a receiver’s hands, and Pitt will have to keep chipping away instead.

Patrick Pinkney has really been good in the second half for East Carolina, and he’s going to need another good drive to put away NC State; the Wolfpack got another field goal to make it 21-17, and that’s the score entering the fourth quarter.

Pitt scores and is up 21-17.

An ESPN cut-in shows me that it’s a Pryor-to-Robiskie TD in Columbus that put tOSU up by 11. Pryor’s showing some nice touch on deep throws today.

Ohio State gets a TD to make it 21-10. I don’t think Columbus is exhaling until they see the score on SportsCenter tonight, though.

Iowa hits a field goal, and it’s 21-20 in Pittsburgh; in Raleigh, NC State has just gotten a four-down goal line stand to keep the Pirates from increasing their lead.

East Carolina gets their own big stop, and NC State will be punting from within their own 20, still down 21-17. This hasn’t been a scoring orgy, but it’s been a good, solid football game.

Central Michigan and Purdue are tussling; it’s 17-17 in that one.

Norman Whitley takes it inside the Wolfpack 10 for East Carolina. A running game is a nice development for the gritty Pirates, who aren’t quite a consistently good offense.

Patrick Pinkney rollout left: no gain on second and goal. Patrick Pinkney rollout right: incomplete pass on third and goal. The Pirates will settle for the field goal and a 24-17 lead.

Pitt, third and four, a screen pass, and the ball is swatted rudely to the turf. An absolutely awful play call there; Pitt will punt, and it’s a 60-yarder that goes for a touchback.

Ohio State’s up 28-10 now. Crisis averted. Purdue’s back on top of Central Michigan, too, at 24-17.

I’m not entirely sure either team deserves to win this Pitt-Iowa game.

NC State will have four shots from the five with two minutes left on the clock. I’m probably going to be changing locations after this one, so there might be a couple of minutes of lull.

There’s either an incompletion or a TD! No catch, says the ref; yes, catch, the replay demonstrates. Another great throw by Russell Wilson there.

NC State gets their TD confirmed, and will kick for the tie.

It’s in. It’s 24-24. And East Carolina will have just under 90 seconds to change that.

Pinkney throws for a first down, but there’s a holding flag, one of the few in this game. NC State’s waving towels from the bench.

Pinkney waits about three weeks and evades half of central North Carolina on the second first down, but there’s only 22 seconds left on the clock.

Overtime looms as Pinkney gets away from another tackler, but his receiver can’t catch it, and it’s going to be third and 20. Nothing doing there, either, and after a punt that will be one of the longest in ECU history, we’re playing bonus football in Raleigh.

ECU’s on offense first, and they’ve notched one first down.

Purdue’s up 30-25 on Central Michigan with about a minute left.

Pinkney has time, is blindsided, and fumbles. NC State picks it up and will be able to win with a field goal.

Then the Wolfpack lose yardage on first down. Then a Wolfpack runner breaks right, gets a first down, and will give NC State a great chance to win.

Andre Brown, on that first down, straining, churning, reaching, scoring.

The final in Raleigh is the death knell for East Carolina’s BCS hopes: NC State 30, East Carolina 24, in overtime.

And now, to Rocky Top, for Tennessee-Florida.

I’m switching locales. Be back soon.

CBS opens by calling Tim Tebow a “phenomenon.” This bodes well for those who want to be covered in slobber by the end of the first quarter. I could deal with that not being the case.

At least we get Verne Lundquist calling Neyland Stadium an “ancient facility.” The Orange Crush comes on the field with the opening of the T, and the Gators come on to a cascade of boos.

“Just your average Saturday afternoon,” Verne says. How wonderful it is.

Stat of the day so far: in its last two games against Florida, Tennessee has no rushes long than six yards.

Cute little game with the cards, there, boys.

Brandon James bobbles the kickoff, then repents by bringing it back to the Tennessee side of the 50.

First snap is a run by Percy Harvin for a couple of yards. Emmanuel Moody quadruples his rushing total this season on one carry, picking up a first down with a slice up the middle; then, Moody matches his season total for carries in the first two minutes with a two-yard first down carry.

Tebow will pass on second down, and he misses Riley Cooper badly.

A shovel pass on third down to Aaron Hernandez nets nine and moves the sticks.

Tebow gets hit in the backfield after a fake reverse. The facemask penalty on Tennessee is going to negate that, though, and Florida’s got first and goal three minutes into this game.

Tebow keeps it, gets a few yards on first down. On second, he keeps it on a fake pitch, and gets stood up at the one or two. Neyland gets loud for this third and goal play.

I swear to God: I said jump pass a second before the snap.

And it is a jump pass to Aaron Hernandez for the touchdown. Jonathan Phillips puts the extra point between the uprights, and it’s 7-0, Gators.

Miami and Texas A&M will be tied at 7 after a UM extra point.

Tennessee gets nine on its first first down, but nothing on second down. There’s some fisticuffs, and a flag comes out; it’s a personal foul on Tennessee, and it’s now third and 15.

Two enormous hits: Crompton gets nailed on a backside blitz, and Janoris Jenkins forces a fumble on the throw to the flat. UF picks it up, and they’ll start their drive from just outside the 20.

Tebow skies one over Harvin in the end zone on first down, then Urban Meyer gets nailed for a sideline interference penalty to back the Gators up to a second and 15.

The screen to Louis Murphy gets about negative four yards; it’s third and 19.

Tebow gets pressured, escapes the pocket, then flicks a flip of a pass to Kestahn Moore to get seven yards. Just a great improvisational play, one we’ll see on ESPN tonight.

Jonathan Phillips puts in the field goal, and it’s 10-0. Florida’s out of the blocks early in this one, something that didn’t happen against either Hawai’i or Miami.

Speaking of: the ‘Canes force a punt and will have decent field position on their second drive.

Sweet play in the Michigan State-Notre Dame game, a fake end-around to a deep throw, but Brian Hoyer can’t quite hit his receiver.

A nine-yard rush by Arian Foster, and it’s the longest one in three years in this series for the Vols. Good poodle-type (read: hanging on the ankles) tackle by Joe Haden.

A good throw after a run for a first down gets about eight, but Brandon Spikes snares the second-down rusher for a loss of one; on third down, Crompton throws to a covered receiver on play-action, and he’s lucky it’s only deflected and not intercepted.

Brandon James is apparently coated in Vaseline or something. A totally effortless, shimmying, shaking return for James, and this is turning into a landslide. It’s 17-0, Florida, and we’re still in the first quarter.

The return for Tennessee gets to the 25, and Foster gets a couple on the ground; same concept in a trick formation on second down and it’ll be third and five.

Crompton converts with a nice pass, then gets another with a good pass to FSU transfer Brandon Warren. Flags fly on the subsequent first down, and the offsides on UF wipes out the yards on the screen to Warren.

Foster, on first and five, goes left and gets nothing.

The Gerald Jones at QB formation gives Tennessee a first down and a good gain on a sneak; Spikes’ shoestring tackle may have saved some points there.

Another first down on a first down pass; this is looking like the Florida defense of 2007, after looking more like the defense of 2006 for two possessions.

Montario Hardesty gets about eight on a first-down carry, and the Vols will switch sides with a lot of confidence in their offense.

At the end of one in Knoxville, it’s Florida 17, Tennessee 0.

I’m apparently watching WGFL, “The Gator Station for the Gator Nation.” Neat.

Hardesty bounces off a blocker and gets a few yards on second and one; it’s a first down in the red zone for the Volunteers.

Upset alert in Columbia, where Mizzou’s only up 27-21 on Buffalo, and the Bulls, who, mind you, are probably best known for doing absolutely nothing at the FBS level, have the ball. Blame three turnovers for the closeness of that one.

Nothing doing on first down for UT. Spikes gets his fifth tackle of the day.

Five-yard neutral zone infraction on Florida makes it second and five, but the toss right to Foster gets a couple of inches, if that.

Crompton hits Luke Stocker across the middle, and though he’s stopped short on his first effort, the fourth or so gets the Vols a first down with room between the chains and the football.

Arian Foster attempts to leap over the goal line from the three. Uh, no.

On second and goal, a miscue by Crompton, who drops the ball after hitting the blocking back in the hip, then kicks it. Of course, Florida recovers, and Tennessee’s still scoreless.

This is getting sort of ugly.

Tebow stands in the end zone to start this drive in the shotgun, and he’ll keep it and get one. In this situation in 2007, there was a long play-action pass.

On second down, a gain of about six for Tebow on the ground. Tebow calls timeout as time dwindles before the third and three.

CBS is pushing their college fantasy football pretty hard.

Tebow keeps it and gets about four yards.

Fulmer told CBS yesterday that his team had no leadership, apparently. That would be a bit troubling for me.

The option to Harvin got five on first down; on second down, he gets, as Verne wonderfully puts it, “keelhauled” after seven or eight on another option pitch.

An illegal shift penalty turns first and ten into first and 15, and the option on that first down gets perfectly covered, making it second and 18. Timeout before it, though.

After UF’s blistering start to this game, their offense has sputtered a bit.

Moody goes up the middle for five. A late flag, but the two unsportsmanlike penalties offset, and it’ll be third and 13.

On that down, Tebow rifles one to Harvin, who finds a chasm in Tennessee’s zone coverage and racks up about 12 yards after the catch; a facemask tacks on another 15 yards.

Moody for two on first down; Harvin for five on second.

Pressure forces a wobbly lob to Carl Moore, who almost pulls it down.

UF will go for it, and there’s a false start, but the replay’s iffy. Phillips will kick, and it’s true from the 40.

It’s now a 20-point lead for UF with under five minutes to go in the half.

Short kick plus decent return gets the Vols to the 39; Foster finds a crease for six on first down, then, after a delay of game, Jones does some work to get a first down.

On that first down, Ryan Stamper stops Jones; second down, and Crompton gets hit and throws the ball off of Carlos Dunlap’s helmet, incomplete.

Third down, incomplete, but a pass interference call moves the chains.

Short gain of three on first down, then a pick on second down.

That pick gets explained by an “illegal participation” penalty and Gary Danielson imitating Moses Malone in calling the UF defense a four-four-four.

Then Crompton throws one to the sound guy to the right, missing a double-covered man and ignoring single coverage to his left.

Finally, on third down, he turns left, and hits senior Josh Briscoe, who takes it down to the 5. Tennessee will have a good shot at the end zone when the game returns after a timeout.

Hardesty plunges off the left and gets three. 45 seconds and ticking now, and on second down, Hardesty is stuffed. Tennessee will use its timeout, and they will probably have to throw to ensure enough time for at least a field goal try.

Empty backfield for UT, and the pass to the middle is tipped by Ahmad Black.

Now, on fourth and goal, Tennessee’s going for it. It’s picked by Janoris Jenkins.

Rocky Top is deathly silent but for the shouts of Florida faithful.

Fulmer: “I wanted to get the daggone touchdown,” of the fourth down call; then, “We believe we can win this game.”

We come back for the second half and Verne informs us that a lot of the Vol fans have left. The returner makes those still there jump out of their seats with a wriggling return to get good field position.

First down’s a short run; the second down throw is to nothing in particular and bounces off a Gator helmet; third down is a sack.

Brandon James inexplicably calls for a fair catch at the 8.

Nothing worthwhile on first or second for UF, and Tebow goes right for a loss on third down.

The punt’s very good, and a flag at the end is a block in the back, putting Tennessee further back than the spot they had on the first drive.

Tennessee gets a false start to make it first and 15, then five on first down. Then, a great run by Foster is called back for holding, and he gets only a few on the run to the left on second and 20.

Third and 17, and Tennessee should be throwing; Crompton drops back, finds no one, and is tackled after a scramble for four or five.

On the punt, James fakes the pitch to Harvin, then worms his way across the 50.

Tebow comes out and fires a dart to Riley Cooper for five. Moody gains about nine on a handoff from the spread, and I’m dangerously close to issuing a mea culpa for things I wrote this week.

Chris Rainey gets his first carry, and picks up five or six.

Hey, look, a third and one, and Tebow’s carrying, and he’s picking up the first down. Go figure.

The spread is wearing down this Tennessee team on this drive. Harvin for four, then Tebow with a carry for one on second and six.

Tebow, off his back foot, avoiding the blitz, and a great throw on target to Harvin in the front left side of the end zone.

Gary: “Uh oh, he’s learning.”

Tennessee gets saved from a three and out by a pass interference penalty on Jenkins, then capitalizes with a throw in front of human kindling Jacques Rickerson that gets about 25 yards.

Some runs by Tennessee capped by a 12-yard scramble by Crompton, who gets popped into Kentucky by Joe Haden. More short runs and it’s third and six for Tennessee at the 11. Crompton waits, throws, hits Luke Stocker, and Stocker fights and gets in for the touchdown.

Replay is going to check whether his knee was down first; it clearly is, and the ball should be at about the two-foot line.

Time runs out on the third quarter with Crompton blithely unaware and the score Florida 27, Tennessee 0.

This has not been a really good game.

And to the three-quarter-yard line we go.

First and goal: no dice. Second and goal: Crompton rolls left and gets it on his second effort. And Tennessee’s going for two, because, as Gary tells us, “Eight times three is 24, and you add a field goal…”

The ball is tipped and falls incomplete at the line, so the score is Florida 27, Tennessee 6.

There’s absolutely no drama here, and the fans barely sound alive.

A short kick, and Tate Casey will return. Some room for Moody on first down; he gets eight. Harvin gets a first down on the next carry. Moody again, for five or six. Rainey, left, for three.

It’s a thresher of sorts, with Tebow being the big scythe to follow it; he hammers through the middle for a first down on third and one.

Miami’s up huge on Texas A&M, by the way: it’s 41-10 there.

A deep throw to Cooper draws a pass interference penalty; then, Moody, again, for a first down.

Tebow throws one past the checkerboard. With 10:18 left, UF calls timeout, and this game has a can-we-get-it-over-now feel to it, even from this Florida fan.

The Gators fail to put it in the end zone, and Phillips will take and make his third field goal of the day. It’s Florida 30, Tennessee 6, and pharmacists selling Ambien in Knoxville out of luck after this one.

John Jones is the injured Gator after a kickoff return.

Then, after a good pass to Gerald Jones, holding on the first down, and Phil Fulmer’s hat adds a few stripes as he stretches it and frets.

Jonathan Crompton with a Tebow-esque play, throwing while falling, completing to Foster for whatever makes this third and two.

How very close to a great play that was: Markihe Anderson pulls the ball from a Vol’s chest on a twenty-yard throw. The “Gator Bait” cheer descends from the stands in Neyland.

Fourth down is a near-pick, and the ball goes over on downs.

Two runs up the middle, and Tebow’s strike to Louis Murphy gets a foot in on a box-out sort of play down the sideline; it’s reviewed, and the ref confirms “it was a good catch.”

Tebow’s throw right on first down is rather underwhelming, but Rainey makes that memory evaporate by squeezing through two holes about a foot or two wide.

Florida’s final timeout is called. The CBS cameras pan over Neyland and see stands that look like a perversion of their classic checkerboard end zone.

UF grinds inexorably toward the end zone, Rainey left, Tebow right, into a cameraman on the sidelines. The little pat on the head he gives will be replayed a few times.

UF will go for it on fourth and nine instead of kicking a field goal, and Rainey will get just a couple. The Vols will take over at their 10.

A run by Foster for one, and a near-fumble on second down, and a near-interception on third and two. Tennessee punts and it goes out of bounds just past the 50.

Tebow will kneel and start chomping; another knee, and time will tick down as the field is flooded by grinning Gators and demoralized Volunteers. This one was never in doubt after the first fumble in the first quarter.

Brandon James is the CBS player of the game, and should be, for slithering for field position all day and a touchdown in the first quarter. About the only mistake the Gators made was James’ bobble on the opening kickoff; from there, it was a dominant performance from a stifling defense and an offense that looks like death by a thousand cuts with serious ball control chops.

The final from Knoxville: Florida 30, Tennessee 6.

It didn’t even feel that close.

For my four readers: I won’t be live again for a while, because I’m about to go play some real-life football, but I’ll be back for some of the night’s action.

Also: Boise State’s 37-32 win over Oregon just went final.

I think it’s safe to say I could never have played college football after that flag football game. I’m even more sore than Chris Todd will be after this game.

LSU has been, save the odd fluke pass from Todd, dominant in this quarter. Good defense gets a pick on a fourth and one, there, and the Bayou Bengals waste no time in getting into War Eagle territory.

Jarrett Lee, another laser to Brandon LaFell.

Then, the halfback pass by Keiland Williams! Touchdown!

Les Miles’ grapefruits are engorged tonight.

Auburn’s slowly working their way down the field; nibbles and bites and third-down conversions, but Todd throws another pick. And considering how LSU’s moving the ball, it’s looking like Auburn’s going to need more than dribs and drabs.

Wake Forest 12, Florida State 3 is the final from Tallahassee.

Colt David ignores my pleas for a fake and notches a 32-yarder and puts LSU up, 20-14.

Big Auburn pass play gets the War Eagle train down to the red zone.

A great throw to Robert Dunn in the corner of the end zone, and just like that, Auburn’s up 21-20 and Jordan-Hare is going insane.

Andrew Hatch looks like he’s on Mars. Unfortunately for LSU, Jarrett Lee looks little better on a poor throw well beyond his receiver on second and 11.

Third and 11 will be made harder is Demetrius Byrd is off the field; Lee fires one to the chain gang, and LSU will punt with about five and a half minutes remaining.

And Auburn’s trying to give it back in turn, with a run for nothing, then a pass to the waterboy, setting up third and ten. Ben Tate is nowhere near a first down, and LSU will have about four minutes from the time the ball gets to the returner’s hands.

Jordan-Hare is full of hate right now. Good run for Williams on first down.

Screen to Jared Mitchell moves the sticks.

Another nice play to get the Bayou Bengals to about the 30; then, Charles Scott rams through the middle and over the yellow line.

Andrew Hatch, still unsure what state he’s in. It’s going to be a very hostile one in a few minutes, as Brandon LaFell makes a great move around the corner on a duck from Lee and scores.

They go for two and the throw to the corner of the endzone isn’t quite there. So it’s LSU 26, Auburn 21, and the Tigers have three timeouts to go the length of the field and get it into the end zone.

Auburn’s got 51 seconds and a spot just across the 50, thanks to a couple of decent plays and a roughing the passer penalty, and then a fierce rush from the left side and a sack that erases the penalty entirely.

Auburn gets to fourth and 25, and it’s complete, but not long enough. Auburn will lose, but not for lack of trying from Chris Todd.

“We thought that it would be a fistfight in the ditch,” says Mike Patrick. “And it was.”

So it was, the sort of game that takes every ounce of soul and heart the players can muster and forces them to sweat it out over three hours in the deep Southern heat of the night; this one wasn’t the classic last year’s Les Miles ball-brained call produced, or the defensive gems of earlier this decade, but there was nothing disappointing about the second half of this one.

Now, to Arizona State-Georgia. It’s 24-10 in favor of the Dawgs, and Georgia returns from a commercial with a naked bootleg by Matthew Stafford that gets them all the way down to the 4.

Three straight runs, and no touchdown, but the last one’s up for review.

Georgia will not get a TD, but they get the kick, and it’s 27-10.

Uh, stuff happened. Then the game ended at Georgia 27, Arizona State 10.

I started this at 12:09 this morning; I end it at 11:31 tonight.

Farewell, and come back for The Hangover Cure tomorrow.

Posted in College Football, Live Blogs