If You're Not a Hog Fan, You Probably Don't Care
I would have blogged about the Arkansas/Florida game yesterday, but I needed a day to get over my heartbreak. And truthfully, I’m not quite over it yet. I sit here with tears brimming in my little brown eyes. I cannot believe we came so close and managed not to win that game.
And yet, I knew we would play them close. There’s a feeling in the air, is there not, Hog fans? I’ve been reading and comparing stats and praying since our final game last season. I just knew something like this was around the corner. Even when our defense got thrashed by Georgia a mere four weekends ago, and people wanted to write off our entire season as a dismal failure, I did not lose hope.
I will not blame this loss on the two back-to-back fifteen yard penalties that even Gary Danielson said were baseless and unjustifiable (which is a miracle of heaven in itself), even though I do believe they contributed to the loss. However, I will say that those SEC officials (the EXACT same officials who made the game changing and highly contested “Excessive Celebration” call against UGA a few weekends ago) should be held accountable for their actions. Perhaps they should attend some training on what is/is not pass interference. Or possibly, they should be reintroduced to the rule books on blocking until the whistle blows. I also have some other, more unsavory suggestions, but I will rise above mentioning them here.
The point is that we had a host of opportunities to win this game. We failed to capitalize on four Florida turnovers. We missed two end-zone catches. We missed two field goals. I could go on, but my poor heart can’t take it.
I am optimistic at this point because we should win out our schedule. I am proud of how we played and I know that with just a few small adjustments, we can beat any team on any given Saturday. And that gives me something to look forward to.
Yours truly,
Devastated but hopeful Hog fan
And yet, I knew we would play them close. There’s a feeling in the air, is there not, Hog fans? I’ve been reading and comparing stats and praying since our final game last season. I just knew something like this was around the corner. Even when our defense got thrashed by Georgia a mere four weekends ago, and people wanted to write off our entire season as a dismal failure, I did not lose hope.
I will not blame this loss on the two back-to-back fifteen yard penalties that even Gary Danielson said were baseless and unjustifiable (which is a miracle of heaven in itself), even though I do believe they contributed to the loss. However, I will say that those SEC officials (the EXACT same officials who made the game changing and highly contested “Excessive Celebration” call against UGA a few weekends ago) should be held accountable for their actions. Perhaps they should attend some training on what is/is not pass interference. Or possibly, they should be reintroduced to the rule books on blocking until the whistle blows. I also have some other, more unsavory suggestions, but I will rise above mentioning them here.
The point is that we had a host of opportunities to win this game. We failed to capitalize on four Florida turnovers. We missed two end-zone catches. We missed two field goals. I could go on, but my poor heart can’t take it.
I am optimistic at this point because we should win out our schedule. I am proud of how we played and I know that with just a few small adjustments, we can beat any team on any given Saturday. And that gives me something to look forward to.
Yours truly,
Devastated but hopeful Hog fan
Micah,
ReplyDeleteI was at the Swamp and I can tell you we shared the scit out of Florida. Their fans even said they were fortunate to win. I told the guys I was with that I want the Hogs to be the team with the mindset of "no matter how bad we play, we are going to drive the ball down the field and win!" I got sick of Florida fans saying "good game". I want to be the one issuing that type condolence. I truly believe that it is coming now that we have a coaching staff that can concentrate on football and not manipulation and medaling.
GO HOGS!!!
Dad
"Any Given Saturday" should totally be the title of a movie. You might want to get on that.
ReplyDeleteYour dad did not write shared the scit. I am dying of laughter.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm sorry for your loss.
Also, still dying of laughter.
My heart broke for my husband and the Razorbacks. He told me the other day that they're suspending the officiating crew from that game though... Almost makes you want a rematch :-D
ReplyDelete