5:24- Big fourth down coming up for Air Force. We're in a commercial during an Air Force timeout. The game is on CBS Sports Network. This has to be the sports network that people are least likely to know exists. ESPN is the king (unfortunately). Fox Sports 1 is making a good effort. And the NBC Sports Network at least has the NHL.
5:26- Air Force converted. This offense is going to be really annoying to watch until we get a lead.
5:27- Touchdown Air Force.
5:28- The play by play guy reminds us that the only team Air Force has beaten this year is Colgate. We need to march right down the field and tie the game.
5:29- Gus Johnson is calling Texas Tech-Oklahoma. Texas Tech is up 7-0 in the first quarter. Hopefully it will be an exciting finish for Gus.
5:33- Tommy Rees just missed a throw on a roll out to the left. Why roll out an immobile quarterback to the left when he's a right handed thrower?
5:35- I predicted Corey Robinson's first touchdown last week against USC. I was a week early. Nice catch by the Admiral's son. He's going to be a good player.
5:36- Extra point is good and we're tied.
5:37- I flicked to Texas Tech-Oklahoma, which was in a commercial for the Big 12 conference. It mentioned 10 teams. I certainly don't like the Pac 12, but at least they know how to count, unlike some other numerically challenged conferences.
5:38- Florida State is pounding NC State. Florida State is currently number 2 in the BCS. I can't root for them to make it to the championship game. I can't root for Oregon (their uniforms are an affront to my eyes). I can't root for Alabama or Ohio State for obvious reasons. I don't want to root for any SEC teams, but I'm hoping for Missouri-Baylor (or Texas Tech).
5:42- Air Force is going to punt. I'd fake it. You're a terrible team near midfield with a fourth and short situation and a chance to take the lead.
5:43- Nope, they boot it away and T.J. Jones makes the fair catch.
5:46- Third and 1 for ND as we end the first quarter. Will we be able to run for a yard in the obvious running situation? I'm not anti-spread like some Notre Dame fans are, but this is one of those situations that makes me yearn for a fullback and the I-formation. John Madden liked running behind the lead blocker. Sometimes we bring a tight end in motion to use as a lead blocker, but everybody knows where the play is going. If you line up in the I, it doesn't give away where the play is going.
5:49- There's an NCAA commercial on that says they're always there for student athletes. If that's true, they need to do something about the shameful graduation rates at some universities.
5:50- It was third and 2, not third and 1. We went empty backfield and Rees made a nice throw to T.J. Jones for a big first down.
5:50- Will Fuller scores his first touchdown on a deep throw down the middle by Rees. We shouldn't trail for the rest of the game.
5:52- Highlights from the 2006 game at Air Force. That game was on the same channel, but it was even more obscure seven years ago (I think it was the CBS College Sports Network then). We didn't get it in the dorm, so we went to Hooters to watch it. I feel like we had a big group, but I can't remember who was there besides Jon, Wilhelm, and me.
5:58- Jon says Dennis and possibly Chris were there as well. Sounds about right. Their room and me. I was the honorary fifth roommate.
6:01- 49 days until Army-Navy. I would love to go to an Army-Navy game someday.
6:02- The cheapest tickets for Army-Navy for anything other than standing room on Stubhub are $120. I mean, I want to go to the game, but not that much. Air Force just kicked a field goal. It's time to make this a two-possession game.
6:06- George Atkinson takes the kickoff back to midfield. Let's run the ball down the field and get the defense some rest.
6:08- Forget getting the defense some rest. Three plays, touchdown. Ben Koyack makes the grab. Air Force can't stop Tommy Rees.
6:09- They're reviewing the play. This one is going to stand.
6:10- Aaron Taylor is talking about Tommy Rees knowing where the mismatches are. Um, Aaron, they're everywhere, we're playing Air Force.
6:11- 21-10. Let's get a stop, score another touchdown, and this one can be over by halftime.
6:13- I just started thinking about how we never play Navy in Annapolis and we never play Army in West Point, but we do play Air Force in their home stadium. Using the Notre Dame Football Database (one of my ten favorite websites), I find out that we last played at West Point in 1973. We've never played in Annapolis. And we've never played Air Force at a neutral site.
6:17- Further internet research reveals that Army's Michie Stadium holds 38,000, Air Force's Falcon Stadium holds 46,692, and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium holds 34,000. I'd be in favor of a game at Michie Stadium, but I guess I'd rather play them at Yankee Stadium.
6:19- They show the Cam McDaniel picture from last week.
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| Cam McDaniel is the most photogenic running back ever. |
6:21- Timeout as we get ready to go for it on fourth down. It's fourth and 5, but I like this call since we're on the Air Force 40.
6:22- Rees to Niklas for the fourth down conversion. Time to put this game away.
6:26- Big sack for Air Force. That makes it a 51 yard field goal, but it's no problem for Kyle Brindza after having a kick blocked earlier.
6:27- We have a quadruple Urkin going on with this game and the games on Fox, ESPN, and ESPN2, but Duke's up 13-10 on Virginia Tech in the fourth on ESPNU. I'm definitely rooting for Duke.
6:29- Virginia Tech converts a big fourth down. Come on, Duke. Get a stop.
6:31- We get a Seinfeld reference on the CBS Sports broadcast because the Rochell brothers are playing against each other in this game. It's been a long journey from Milan to Minsk.
6:34- Air Force is threatening to score before halftime. We're going to win this game, but we'll need to play better next week against Navy.
6:35- We recover an Air Force fumble with a minute to go. If Air Force had a prayer, they needed to score there. Let's see if Kelly wants to try to do something before halftime.
6:36- Nice run by Cam McDaniel, but just for seven yards, which means we're happy to go into halftime up 14. I'm going to take a little halftime break. I'll be back.
7:00- Air Force starts the second half at their own 25. We've been good in the third quarter this year. If we get a stop and score one more touchdown, Air Force will be taken completely out of their game plan.
7:04- Sack and near fumble. Jaylon Smith recovered it and had a touchdown. Let's see if he was really down.
7:05- Nope, it was a fumble. But it was ruled an imcomplete pass. Terrible call. The play is under review. We'll see how this is overturned. Do we get the touchdown?
7:07- There was definitely a whistle. Just a terrible call. We get the ball on our own 38. It should have been a touchdown. But that's the right call given the whistle (which never should have been blown).
7:09- It looks like we might run it a little more in the second half. First down for Cam McDaniel.
7:10- First run for freshman Tarean Folston. He should get some carries in the second half.
7:11- Tommy Rees to T.J. Jones for the touchdown. Game over. We should definitely get to see some Andrew Hendrix in this game. He needs the work.
7:14- Texas Tech just recovered an onside kick trailing by 4 in the third quarter.
7:16- After Clemson's victory over Maryland, UCLA-Oregon is on ESPN. Oregon's uniforms are less offensive than usual.
7:17- Touchdown UCLA! I would be so happy if Oregon lost. It's very early.
7:18- Texas Tech has scored the last 17 points and leads by three against Oklahoma.
7:19- They're singing Tommy Rees's praises. He's no Joe Montana or Brady Quinn, but he's had a very good career for Notre Dame. He's gotten the most out of his abilities. You can't ask for more than that. He will be missed next year (hopefully we'll be better, but I'll still miss Tommy Rees).
7:20- Nice tackle to Jaylon Smith on third down. I'm looking forward to the rest of his career. That dude can play.
7:22- I changed the channel as an Oklahoma was scoring a touchdown. Gus Johnson is excited.
7:24- They're talking about Danny Spond. He had a really good year last year. It's a shame he had to stop playing football, but it cleared the way for Jaylon Smith.
7:27- Two straight nice runs by Tarean Folston. Score a touchdown and let's get Andrew Hendrix into the game.
7:29- Tommy Rees tosses his fifth touchdown pass, which is a career high. Chris Brown catches this one. Tommy Rees doesn't need to take another snap today.
7:31- First check of South Carolina-Missouri. No score. Missouri is wearing ugly dark gray jerseys. They're the same color as the shirt I wear to work when I'm in a bad mood (I dress by mood).
7:32- I think Fox switched from Texas Tech-Oklahoma to World Series pregame coverage.
7:36- Andrew Hendrix is in. We'll see if the offense does anything for the rest of the game. It shouldn't matter, but it would be nice to see him lead the offense to a couple of scores.
7:39- Three plays with Hendrix, -1 yard. I'm trying to figure out if Texas Tech-Oklahoma has just disappeared from TV.
7:41- Twitter tells me the game is on Fox News. I had checked Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and FX. But I guess more people have Fox News than any of those channels, so that makes sense.
7:44- UCLA fails to convert a fourth and 2. They handed off out of the shotgun to a running back going sideways. I don't like the play call.
7:47- We stop Air Force on a fourth down attempt. Good field position. The game is over, but I really want to see Andrew Hendrix get the offense in the end zone.
7:48- Hendrix completes a 46 yard pass to Will Fuller. First and goal.
7:48- Hendrix scores a touchdown. Nice.
7:50- Texas Tech scores to make it 35-30 with 7:13 left.
7:51- Their two point conversion attempt fails. Oregon takes a 14-7 lead. Nuts.
7:58- Andrew Hendrix keeps it on a quarterback draw on third and 5 for a first down. I saw that one coming, but Air Force didn't.
7:59- UCLA's last win against Oregon was in 2007. They lost to us that year (when we were terrible).
8:06- The game's not over yet, but I'm breaking out a victory Guinness.
8:13- Fourth and 23 for Texas Tech, down by 8.
8:14- They didn't convert. Down goes Texas Tech. Baylor is our last hope for an undefeated team in the Big 12.
8:15- Speaking of Baylor, they're up 28-0 on Kansas. Unfortunately, Charlie Weis's second head coaching job isn't going to last long.
8:20- Final score: Notre Dame 45, Air Force 10. Go Irish! God bless everybody who serves and will serve in the Air Force.
8:25- First check of the World Series- Yadier Molina just drove in Matt Holliday to make it 2-0 in the bottom of the first. I'm rooting for the Cardinals. I guess I want a long series, but I will be traveling to Notre Dame for the Navy game the night of Game 7. I might have to get another hotel room in Chicago just in case.
8:32- Oregon misses a field goal. They're going to be tied with UCLA going into halftime. Come on, Bruins!
8:33- By the way, I've decided that UCLA is my second favorite FBS football school. If I ever worked for a university, obviously I'd work for Notre Dame. But my second choice would be UCLA. They're USC's other rival and I'd get to live in Los Angeles (which would mean I could go to Dodger games).
8:35- David Ortiz just grounded out. I'd be curious to know where he ranks on my friend John's list of least favorite players. My guess is he's pretty high, but behind Curt Schilling (but I could be wrong). Speaking of John, one of my girls is rooting for the Red Sox. She asked why I was rooting for the Cardinals and I said that I don't want my friend John to be miserable. I asked her if she wanted John to be miserable and she said yes.
8:39- I just finished my Guinness. I'm going to take a break for the duration of my next beer.
9:10- And I'm back. If you think the fact that it's October 26 means that I won't be drinking Summer Ale, you obviously don't know me well enough. The Cardinals still lead 2-0. UCLA and Oregon are still tied and Missouri still leads South Carolina 14-0. So I didn't miss much in the running diary except for Tim McCarver talking about Matt Holliday running hard or not running hard. It was very confusing.
9:13- The Red Sox have two on with two outs in the fourth.
9:17- Joe Kelly strikes out Daniel Nava to end the inning.
9:19- Right after Brent Musburger gets a little too excited about the throw Marcus Mariota made on a swing pass, Oregon scores to take the lead. Come on UCLA, hang in there.
9:25- John Jay singles, bases loaded, nobody out for the Cardinals in the bottom of the fourth.
9:28- Pete Kozma strikes out. Bases loaded, one out, Joe Kelly is up.
9:29- Joe Kelly pops out. The Red Sox are one out away from getting out of some big trouble.
9:30- Matt Carpenter pops out. As Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo would say, tremendous job in that scenario by Jake Peavy to get out of the inning without allowing a run. Still 2-0 Cardinals.
9:32- Touchdown Oregon. This one might be slipping away from UCLA.
9:37- First and third, nobody out for the Red Sox in the fifth.
9:40- Jake Peavy is on deck. Some guy with a horrendous beard might pinch hit.
9:41- J.D. Drew's brother strikes out for the first out. Mike Carp is the guy with the horrendous beard and he will pinch hit for Peavy.
9:44- Carp grounds into a fielder's choice, which scores a run. 2-1 Cardinals.
9:48- Jacoby Ellsbury strikes out to end the inning.
9:49- Oregon is up 35-14. Nuts. Ohio State is spanking Penn State. I don't like Penn State, but I really want Ohio State to lose.
9:51- South Carolina converts a fourth down to keep some hope alive against Missouri. 17-0 Missouri, early in the fourth quarter.
9:54- It's 2-1 Cardinals in the bottom of the fifth. The football games don't look that interesting right now. I'm taking another break. I'll be back in the 7th or 8th inning.
10:29- I decided to come back a little early because South Carolina has the ball, down 7, with 3:08 to play.
10:30- Bruce Ellington makes a nice catch for a first down for South Carolina.
10:31- A screen pass goes for another first down. It looks like this one is headed to overtime.
10:32- Three first downs on four plays for South Carolina.
10:32- Four first downs on five plays. First and goal at the one.
10:33- Touchdown South Carolina with 42 seconds to play. That was way too easy for South Carolina. There is still time for Missouri to keep this from going to overtime.
10:35- It's tied with two outs in the top of the 7th in the World Series.
10:36- Missouri is taking it to overtime. Matt Millen thinks it's a good idea. I'm inclined to disagree with Matt Millen.
10:41- I really really hate college overtime. In football, you have to earn good field position. Unless it's college football and a game goes to overtime.
10:43- Touchdown Missouri. I'm rooting for Missouri and college overtime is stupid, but I hope this game goes for a few overtimes.
10:44- Two on, nobody out for the Cardinals in the bottom of the seventh.
10:46- Big loss on first and goal for South Carolina. Second and goal from the 15.
10:47- Third and goal from the 15.
10:48- Connor Shaw's pass to the endzone falls incomplete in the end zone. Fourth and goal at the 15. Matt Millen says, "If you're going to make a play, now is the down to do it." Thanks, Matt. Quality analysis.
10:49- Touchdown Bruce Ellington on fourth and goal at the 15. At least this is going to be interesting.
10:50- Matt Holliday hits a two run double to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead with nobody out in the bottom of the 7th. Nice.
10:54- South Carolina has to settle for a field goal in the second overtime.
10:55- The kick is good. It's the first lead for South Carolina. It makes it easier to get a lead when you inexplicably get two possessions in a row. A touchdown wins it for Missouri.
10:56- Big run on the first play for Missouri. First and goal.
10:58- Third and goal for Missouri. Matt Millen explains intentional grounding. Thanks, Matt.
10:59- Missouri doinks a 24 yard field goal off the upright. Game over, South Carolina wins Oh well. I hate college overtime, but Missouri blew a 17-0 lead in the fourth. They have nothing to complain about.
11:03- Runners at the corners with two outs for John Jay.
11:05- John Jay flies out to center to end the 7th. I'm going to stop drinking. I want to stay up for Stanford-Oregon State and I have to go to mass in the morning. I'm taking the 8th inning off. I'll be back for the 9th.
11:46- Oregon State has a guy named Richard Mullaney. I'm definitely rooting for them against Stanford.
11:47- It's 4-4 in the top of the ninth. After blowing the save in the eighth, Trevor Rosenthal is back out for the ninth (he entered in a jam).
11:49- Easy inning for Rosenthal. Come on, Cardinals, win it in the bottom of the ninth.
11:54- They're talking about Trevor Rosenthal going back out to pitch the 10th. For the record, I'd be against that move. He's already thrown 20 pitches and you have games to play the next two days.
11:57- I missed it, but Stanford scored to take a 7-3 lead into halftime. Yadier Molina just hit a bloop single.
12:00- Koji Uehara is in to pitch for the Red Sox. Allen Craig pinch hits for the Cardinals with one out and Molina on first.
12:01- Craig doubles. Molina goes to third. One out. You walk the next hitter and set up the force at the plate.
12:02- They're pitching to John Jay with first base open and Pete Kozma on deck? What?
12:03- Wow.
12:04- That has to be the weirdest ending to a World Series game I've ever seen. Dustin Pedroia makes a really good play to get the second out at home. Saltalamacchia's throw gets away from Will Middlebrooks and Allen Craig trips over Middlebrooks. The throw easily beats Craig to the plate, but Craig is safe on obstruction.
Well, I went almost seven hours of running diary. A really weird ending to Game 3 of the World Series seems like a good place to end it.
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