How can people be this dumb?

Corruption...deception...smoke-filled rooms....billions in wasted tax dollars. After all that, how can the voting public be this damn dumb?

Hawkeyes

Next up for the Cats is the Iowa Hawkeyes. Based in Iowa City, the University of Iowa is a fine educational institution of which I know nothing except one of my neighbor's kids goes there. And the little nebbish has never gotten me tickets to see a game at Kinnick Stadium, so to hell with her and the school too.

The Hawkeyes are very dependent on star QB Drew Tate. Tate was out last week with a hand injury, but is probable for the NU game. But as we all know, thumb injuries are tricky and Tate could struggle against the Cats. Iowa's surprising loss to Indiana tells the Fish Head they're vulnerable, and a break out game by CJ Bacher should put the Cats in the W column.

Tea

A new-found friend in a South American country was kind enough to give me a gift of mate tea. Mate is a traditional drink in some countries, generally shared amongst a group. The tea is steeped directly in hot water (no tea bags) and is drank from a hollowed-out gourd using special straws called bombillas. Interestingly, the tea has several interesting properties which Americans should pay attention to. And, surprisingly it tastes pretty good with a little Knob Creek :-)

A moral victory

The Wildcats played tough, and made the Fish Head look smart by covering the line. But a loss is still a loss, and this was number 6 in a row. Time for everyone to make alternate plans for bowl season.

The windy, wet conditions suppressed both offenses. The NU defense played well, limiting Michigan to 17 points and keeping QB Henne and RB Hart generally in check. Unfortunately, the offense continued its mistake-prone ways with 2 fumbles and 3 INTs and a measly production of 3 points.

Next up for the Cats is the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa looks vulnerable with 3 conference losses including a cliffhanger at Indiana (yes Indiana still plays football). If starter Drew Tate is still out, the Cats have a good opportunity to break into the conference win column.

The Big House

The Wildcats travel to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House. The #2 ranked and undefeated Wolverines have both potent offense and defense, and have defeated strong Notre Dame, Iowa, and Wisconsin teams.

Michigan will be missing star receiver Mario Manningham, while Northwestern is missing defensive leader Nick Roach. Northwestern's offense woke up last week against MSU, as CJ Bacher returned from injury and ignited the air attack.

The official betting line is NU gets +30. While Michigan is a strong team, the Fish Head says take NU and the 30 points. On the big assumption that Bacher can have another big game and avoid the Michigan rush, NU should be able to score sufficient points to cover the line (but not win the game).

La cabeza de los pescados ha aterrizado

Quote of the Day

"Don't panic we still have a 4 TD lead."

Setting a record

The Wildcats set the NCAA record for allowing the largest comeback in 1-A football in a dis-spiriting loss to the Michigan State Spartans. The offense, guided by returning pre-season starting QB CJ Bacher, caught fire and built leads of 24-3 (at the half) and 38-3 (third quarter). But it was all downhill from there as the Spartans scored 38 un-answered points including the game-winning FG with 13 seconds on the clock.

I was unable to attend the game but listened to the live telecast on WGN Radio over the globe-shrinking Internet. Imagine my horror as the Cats squandered their massive lead. Two key picks, a blocked punt, a failure on third and one. It was a veritable litany of small failures which added up to a complete meltdown. And to add injury to insult, key LB and defensive leader Nick Roach left the game with an unspecified leg injury which was subsequently documented as a season-ending broken leg.

The mission now is to build on the positives from this loss and get ready for the Wolverines. Bacher's first start was good but Michigan has a much stouter defense and he'll need to be ready. But the appearance of the both the passing and running game bodes well and perhaps one of the upcoming powerhouses is vulnerable. If not, see you at Dyche for the Illini game!

Calling in some new plays

Hey Pat, its Tom. Lemme give you some advice. Those QB draws? Not so much. 20 per game? Let's trim that back to two or three. And that thing QB's do where they throw the ball in the air? Let's try some of that. What's that you say? Gotta protect the ball? Yea no kidding man, but when you got freshmen QBs that's gonna happen so let's have them air it out some. Now how about that running game? Maybe you could have the O-Line try some blocking and stuff and let's get Tyrell some yards. Stacking the box? Of course they're stacking the box Pat, remember we just talked about throwing the ball? Try to keep up! So these Spartans are not so hot, Pat. A little airball, a little running game, give the defense a little rest on the sidelines, we can beat 'em Pat. What? My head looks like a giant mouse grew out the top? Dammit Pat, stay on message! Block. Run the RBs. Pass the ball. Win the game. And then come out here for a Heineken and a brat...

Have you seen this man?

<- Have you seen this man? More importantly have you seen his offensive coordinator (no pun intended)? Or have you seen his playbook? ->

Other football news

The Hurricanes acted like Hurricanes do - thuggish and criminal.
Urban Meyer lost his run as #2 after losing to Auburn.
USC looked very beatable.
Vandy and Indiana (what????) pulled off improbable upsets.

Offensive futility

Offensive futility could refer to the complete and total ineffectiveness of the offense, or, it could refer to the fact that the level of futility was so complete as to be offensive. You pick which sounds good to you. But either way, the Cats offense did...nothing. Facing the Boilermakers poorly ranked defense, the Wildcats managed ten points in a 31-10 defeat. And the 10 points is the high point.

Brewer was 7-11 for 58 yards, and added 20 rushes for 30 yards (not a typo). Thus giving Brewer twice as many rushing attempts as 2005 Offensive Freshman of the Year, Tyrell Sutton. There may be a logic there, but it escapes me (visit Hail To Purple for a funny cartoon). While Sutton had a respectable 82 yards total, 54 yards came on one spectacular run in the third quarter, meaning he averaged less than 3 yards per carry otherwise. The futil-light of the day was the botched field goal sequence which after two delay of game penalties was transformed from a scoring opportunity to a punt.

On the other side of the field, the Cats defense was effective against the run but was lit up by Purdue qb Curtis Painter who was 35 of 49 for 431 yards. Painter was blessed with excellent protection as the Cats managed only two sacks (one a spectacular safety blitz) and little pressure.

The big news from the game may be the news I didn't see, as I left the game early in disgust (plus I really really wanted some more tailgate beers). According to the box score, CJ Bacher got some reps and I assume that was during mop up duty. So perhaps the futile Brewer will be heading to a well-deserved rest time.

Final line

The final line for the Purdue game is Purdue giving 7 1/2. Considering how many points the Cats defense has been giving up, and Purdue's offensive stats....I'd take Purdue and give the points. This has been a very depressing season! Unless, of course, you are heavily medicated like these guys are.

Purdue Tailgate

If you see anything as wretched as this poor loser, I'd recommend you move your car to a different section of the lot.

A flying 180

The Chicago Tribune ran this article today about the general mess at Airbus. Delays in the A380 launch. $6B in lost profits. Questions about its ability to compete with Boeing's 787. Rumors about thousands of layoffs and plant closings. Turmoil in the executive suite. Boeing has booked triple the new orders that Airbus has.

A total 180? Yes indeedy. 5 years ago Boeing looked like roadkill after being run over by the Bus and suffering self-inflicted wounds. Cancellation of the Sonic Cruiser. Industrial espionage and $1B in lost government business. Outstripped at the orderpad by surging Airbus sales. Turmoil in the executive suite.

An amazing turn of fates for sure. And good news for the US, as Boeing is the largest exporter in the US. However, unlike much of its past fleet of planes, the critical 787 program is extensively sourced around the globe for key subassemblies, and, makes use of break through technology such as the carbon fiber composite fuselage which requires complex new manufacturing techniques. Click here for how the story could turn out.

Next up...

For the Cats is the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue University is based in West Lafeyette, Indiana, but has campuses throughout the state.

Purdue is coming off consecutive beatings by Notre Dame and Iowa, so they will be loaded for bear at Dyche Stadium. Conversely, the Wildcats have lost to Nevada, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Purdue has a reasonably good offense and a reasonably bad defense. Unfortunately, that plays to the Cats failings, as we have a poor offense and a reasonably poor defense. Look for Purdue to score a lot of points and the Cats to continue to score too few - early line is Boilermakers giving 11.

Players to watch for Purdue are qb Curtis Painter and rb Jaycen Taylor. For the Cats, we'll see if Brewer gets the start after his last miserable outing or if we see Kafka or even Bacher; and whether or not Tyrell Sutton is back to 100%.

I'll be partying in the West lot if anyone cares to join me, and Go Cats!

Badgers Crush the Cats

As predicted, the Badgers crushed the Cats in a brutal rout which could have been even worse. The Badgers rolled up 310 yards of total offense in the first half, but the Cats escaped to the locker room down only 17-9. Three Wiscy turnovers prevented a veritable avalanche of points.

Wiscy poured on the points in the second half, with the final score at 41-9. While Wiscy under-performed my predicted score, they did cover the spread by more than a few, and NU continued its new tradition of throwing touchdown passes to the opposing teams cornerbacks.

Wiscy game

My apologies to my many readers for the dearth of posts this week. I was traveling on business and guzzling expensive liquor on the company's dime took precedence over blogging.

The Wildcats face the Wiscy Badgers at Camp Randall on Saturday at 11 AM. Fish Head's prediction is Wiscy 55, NU 3. Take Wiscy and give the 21 points, its a sucker bet for sure. Its quite possible that Bucky the Badger will die from celebration exhaustion tomorrow.

The game will be carried on ESPN360 (available free if you can break into a dorm and get on the NU network) and on WGN Radio.

Those poor bastards in Ohio

I watched Meet the Press this morning. I know nothing about the two individuals running for the Senate in Ohio, but after watching them alternate between bickering with each other and mindlessly blustering at the moderator, I feel very sorry for the electorate of that fine state. My recommendation to the people of Ohio is to throw them both in the Cuyahoga River and watch them burn, baby, burn.

Shortages

Maybe we could loan them an iceberg from Alaska....or did they all melt from global warming?

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Earth stood still. Stopped spinning on its axis. And the Illini won a football game, beating the MSU Spartans 23-20 on a last second field goal. As if the Earth standing still and stopping its rotation was not enough, there was also the sight of the Illini planting their flag at midfield and causing a mini-riot. For sure, there is no bigger news than that except this.

What I watched yesterday

Northwestern at Penn State. This one was ugly, a 33-7 pasting in front of 108,000 fans at Happy Valley. The defense gave up too many long tosses to an inexperienced QB, and the offense was hapless. The tough goal line stand right before the half gave me heart, but the Lions poured it on in the third quarter.

The final score did not really reflect how bad the beating was, as Penn State beat us in every phase of the game:

• Net yards rushing, 233 to 81
• Net yards passing, 295 to 157
• Third down conversions, 9 of 17 to 1 of 13
• Sacks, 3 to 0

Like I said, it was ugly. Andrew Brewer got his first start, and he had 17 of the team's 28 rushes. Yes that's right, the team that has Tyrell Sutton and Terrell Jordan in the backfield, rushes the QB 17 times. Now in fairness, many of those were on pass plays due to pressure or Brewer's inability to throw the ball, but still. I am not sure what it takes for the coaches and O-line to begin smashing the ball up the middle like they should be.

My DVR begged me to erase this one. And my wallet was happy that I didn't take the points.

Purdue at Notre Dame. A satisfying win by the golden domers, 35-21. Brady Quinn had a superlative day, finishing 29 of 38 for 318 yards, and Darius Walker had his best game of the year. But most satisfying of all was the brilliantly executed fake field goal with Jeff Samardzija running to the left, untouched into the end zone. Take that, Joe Tiller! I'll have to check with my brother and see if he gave 13.5 or 14.5 on this one, since the line was 14...