Let's say you're Jake Locker, Washington's 20-year-old sophomore quarterback. Your team is down by 7 to BYU with just a few minutes left in the game. You engineer an epic, 18-play drive and plunge into the end zone with two seconds left for what seems to be a game-tying touchdown. In a moment of relief and sheer exhilaration, you spring to your feet, toss the ball into the air over your shoulder and celebrate with your teammates. Then comes the ultimate buzzkill: the refs flag you for excessive celebration, pushing the PAT back an extra 15 yards. The kick is blocked, and your team loses by a point. 
Outrageous, right? Your coach will undoubtedly come to your defense, ripping the refs for making a petty, ticky-tack call that decided the game. Not Ty Willingham, UW's stoic, mild-mannered top Dawg. As my former colleague Steve Kelley put it his Seattle Times column, Willingham was "remarkably composed" in the post-game press conference: "It really should be a no-call. But it's one that they have to call when they see it."
Show a little spine, Ty. Seattle fans like to see a coach stand up for his team. Lou Piniella's heartfelt tirades won the hearts and minds of players and fans alike during Lou's legendary run with the M's. And his emotional fire rubbed off on his players -- at least during the regular season (the 2001 M's racked up a record 116 wins). Dispassionate obsequience to refs who make stupid calls isn't exactly going to fire up the troops.
More Pac-10 musings:
Cal looks scary good. Putting up 66 points on the road in the Pac-10 is no easy feat, even against this year's league doormat, Washington State.
SC will annihilate Ohio State on Saturday. The Buckeyes made Ohio QB Boo Jackson look like Bo Jackson for three quarters on Saturday before finally waking up to edge past an inferior opponent at home. There's no room for error against the Trojans in LA.
Root for UCLA to knock off BYU in Provo to spare the world of another Hawaii-esque BCS bid. BYU just might run the table in the Mountain West, so the Bruins may be the only team that can prevent another Sugar Bowl slaughter.
ASU's offense is clicking. The return of tailback Keegan Herring alongside Euless Trinity alum Dmitri Nance gives the Devils a one-two backfield punch that will help open up the passing game for Rudy Carpenter. A legit running game is absolutely essential for the Devils to compete with Moreno and Co. in two weeks.
2 comments:
I'm with you on Cal. I'm wondering whether the Pac 10 can challenge the SEC this year. I guess we'll find out at Sun Devil Stadium soon.
Good stuff.
The BYU/Washington celebration call is the worst call since the Oregon/OU fiasco a couple of years ago. Absolutely amazing. Seeing Ty Willingham lose is almost worth it, though. I read where he won't talk to the beat writer for the SPI or one of those papers up there.
Remember, Cal looked like this to start last season and wound up going 7-6. Watch it happen again.
Prediction: USC 38, Ohio State 17. The game won't be as close as that score, either.
And as far as the conference strength goes, check the top 13 in the AP poll: five apiece from the SEC and Big 12. The discussion begins and ends with those leagues.
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