Thoughts on the game..

The Citadel

it's hard to give a general summary of the game, as is evident from the varying sentiments of several Sunday headlines:

"A&M isn't intimidating in opener"
San Antonio Express-News

"Aggies victory far from dominating"
San Antonio Express-News

"Aggies too much for The Citadel"
Charleston.net

"Aggies open by hammering The Citadel"
Austin American-Statesman

"Aggies drop the ball but pickup win"
Star Telegram

"Aggies handle The Citadel in opener"
Dallas Morning News

"A&M flashes potential in opening rout"
Houston Chronicle

"Aggies put away The Citadel"
The Eagle

...but we're gonna try anyway.

Some things never change:

• Stephen McGee still has a dangerous fetish for helmet-to-helmet contact


• Marquis Carpenter is still using his patented defensive technique of "flap arms to pump up crowd, give up 15-yd pass"


• Despite all the technological advances and additions made to Kyle Field, the freshmen on 3rd Deck continue to follow the echo instead of the Yell Leaders and band and when singing the War Hymn..causing them to be horribly off


• Coach Fran continued to woo voters for the coveted Least Excited Person in Kyle Field award


• "Uncover!" Nazis still abound..


• Revielle VII is still a hilarious/depressing example for the effects of purebreeding. I give 3-1 odds on the mascot corporal suffering a herniated disc by the end of the season, from all the time spent bent over muzzling Rev

Then again, some things do:

• Apparently a cold front passed through Hell on Saturday night, Heisman hopeful (..just me?), Chad Schroeder, dropped TWO very catchable passes


• the new 12th Man TV system is, for a lack of eloquence, fucking awesome


• look for true freshman Michael Goodson to overtake backfield relic, Courtney Lewis, for the starting spot by October (assuming Goodson can learn to protect the damn ball)

Remaining Thoughts:

Mark Dodge proved to be more than a neatly packaged 9/11 story for lazy sports reporters. Dodge consistently delivered crushing hits throughout the night, including a tackle for loss on a crucial 4th down.

Michael Goodson, as mentioned above, looked plain nasty...until fumbling...twice. When Goodson finally masters the art of the tuck, the kid will be ridiculous.

Although the final score was a respectable victory, nearly half of the 32 pts separating the Ags and the Bulldogs as time expired were neatly wrapped gifts from the Citadel. The horrendous execution displayed by A&M on both sides of the ball will not be enough to overcome a legitamate D-IA opponent.



Next Week: ULA-LA (yes, we're playing perennial powerhouse ooo-la-la, big whoop wanna fight about it?)