A Knight's a Knight!

I've been writing a post about the end of college football season (minus bowl games, of course) for the past week & a half and just haven't had time to finish/publish it.  The post obviously highlighted- who am I kidding? It focused on- Rutgers and their devastating loss to Louisville on that mis-read route.

To be honest, I was all ready to bang pots and pans like I was welcoming a new year and write about Rutgers beating Louisville/becoming Big East Champions.  I was literally on the edge of my seat all day, anxiously awaiting the 7:30 kickoff.  I wore red, black and white to work that day to showcase my support for the Scarlet Knights (though Louisville, unfortunately sports the same color scheme- they don't rock it quite as well). And although my viewing situation was less than ideal- I obviously was dying to be at High Point Solutions Stadium with 52,000 of my closest friends and fellow crazed Rutgers fans- I was excited to be watching the game in the comfort of my home with my family, wearing Rutgers attire, wrapped in a Rutgers blanket, and with my cold one in an RU coozie! 

I never would have said this out loud prior or during the game, but I thought beating Louisville would have been a sure thing, especially with their quarterback having a broken wrist and sprained ankle, and then when Rutgers scored a beautiful touchdown on their first play on offense, I mean, come onnnn!!!! 

Not only would a win have been a repeat of 2006 when Rutgers beat Louisville 28-25 also on a Thursday night in November; a win would have meant that Rutgers would be BIG EAST CHAMPIONS for the first time ever.  So you can imagine the huge disappointed I (and every other Rutgers fan) felt after that mis-read route landed the ball in the arms of a Louisville player, with no black uniforms within 5-10 yards of him solidifying RU's third loss of the season. Disappointment.  Devastation. You name it.

But even with the devastating loss, Rutgers had a fantastic season under new Coach Kyle Flood, starting the season 7-0, finishing the season 9-3, and sharing the BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE!  Kyle Flood was named Big East Coach of the Year (another shared title), and the Scarlet Knights are heading to the Russel Brand Athletic Bowl in Orlando, Florida to take on Virgina Tech.  Rutgers Scarlet Knights and their fans have lots to be proud of and I for one, will always take pride in being an alumni of such a great school.  The mantra continues.....

KEEP CHOPPING!

Today, nearly 2 weeks later I am no longer dwelling on Rutgers' loss to Louisville, but Army's loss to Navy for the 11th year in a row.  As much as I grew up rooting for the Scarlet Knights, I've been cheering for the Black Knights as well- my dad was a cadet and graduated from West Point.  Sadly though, I have never attended America's Game- Army vs Navy- one of the biggest rivalry games in college football, which is literally held in our backyard at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.  (I'll be moving that up close to the top of the Bucket List soon.)

I did not get the opportunity to watch the entire game, but knew Army was holding their own and making it a game for the Midshipmen.  But then in those final few minutes, it took a turn that was all-too-familiar for the Cadets.  Navy had taken the lead late in the 4th quarter and Army had gotten the ball back with enough time to march down the field and into the end zone for a game-winning score.  Except, once on Navy's 14 yard line on a first down, Senior QB Trent Steelman tried to hand off the ball to fullback Larry Dixon, but instead the ball came loose, fell to the ground and wound up in the arms of a Midshipman.  Again,  Disappointment.  Devastation. You name it.

We all might have felt sorry for Trent Steelman after seeing him noticeably upset after that play and ultimately losing to Navy throughout his Army career, but to say my heart was breaking for him and that I wanted to cry too is just scratching the surface.  [It also doesn't hurt that Trent Steelman is so darn sexyyy! ;)]

I can't believe how CBS handle the situation to boot.  The poor guy was clearly devastated that not only is his college football career over, but it ended with a fumble and a loss to their biggest rival, whom he has never beaten.  You can't take the camera off of him for a second?  Maybe scan the crowd or show Navy's excitement, anything?  My goodness CBS, where was your class?

My heart was breaking for him as he cried singing his alma matter first, as Navy's coach came to say a few words to him, and as he walked off the field with a teammate's arm around him.  I have a lot of respect for Trent Steelman, playing football is a hobby to the cadets (and midshipmen).  Football comes second to serving our country and I respect them all for that. And no matter the outcome of the game, they're all heros!

This is an article about America's Game that I liked from the Washington post. 

Sidenote: A Freshman winning the Heisman?!!!!! Talk about pressure for the rest of his college career. Good luck JohnnyFootball. I personally wanted to see Te'o win the Heisman- a solely defensive player, who had an amazing season and is taking his team to the BCS Championship game.  Not to say the Texas A&M quarterback was not deserving of the trophy, but he has 3 more years to receive it, give someone else the honor.