OSU and Michigan Can Work Together

In my hometown newspaper on Friday, there was a touching story about a young man who was paralyzed in a horrific car accident Christmas Eve of 2007.  This young man was Brock Mealer, and his brother Elliot, who was also in the car that night, is the offensive lineman for the Wolverines.  Brock was just 13 credit hours away from graduating from Ohio State.  Even though the brothers went to rival schools, but colleges, and head football coaches, were able to help Brock during his recovery and provide him with great motivation and therapy.  I had heard this story before last year's match up between Michigan and Ohio State, and I remember crying during the whole thing.  What I failed to mention before was that Elliott's 17 year-old girlfriend, Hollis Richer, father, and mother were also in the car.  Elliott and his mother crawled out the window of the mangled car, the only two without life threatening injuries.  Hollis was dead beneath the vehicle, and their father was dead lying on top of Brock who was pinned by the twisted metal.  It gives me chills just thinking about this devastating night. No family should ever have to go through this disaster. I know I can't explain the story just how it went, so watch the video I have attached from an E:60 special that I had watched a year ago.  What this story doesn't mention is that Brock led his brother and the rest of the Wolverines onto the field for their season-opener against Connecticut, with the help of two canes and leg braces.  This is one of the most touching/sad/motivating stories one can hear. It goes to show that even two teams with the biggest rivalries, can pull together when needed to.

E:60 - Elliott Mealer

Joe Pa Returning for 2011

Coach Joe Paterno announced last Tuesday that he will be returning for another season at Penn State.  Joe Pa is going to be 84 on December 21 and will be back for his 46th season as major college football winningest coach.  I understand that he loves the sport and the athletes, but most of our grandparents don't even live to the age of 84, yet coach a major Division I football program. He is a great coach and one of the biggest symbols for Penn State, but when he is battling illness and having to cut back on in-season obligations, I think it should be time to call it quits. My dad made a good comparison the other day, saying Paterno is as bad as Brett Favre, and they both are messing around with retirement and just need to go.  I feel like a coach can only do some much with a program and being there 46 years should be enough! If I was the Athletic Director, I would think it was time for him to step down, see what another coach can do with the program, and give Paterno time to take care of himself.  Paterno has done more at one school than most coaches will ever do in a lifetime; he has nothing left to prove. Please only one more year Joe!

Joe Paterno Plans to Coach in 2011

Unnoticed Champs?

From my last post, I mentioned how Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin could all share a part of the Big Ten Title, so why haven't we heard anything about Wisconsin this year?!  I feel that Ohio State is ALWAYS being talked about, whether they are having a good year or not, and Michigan State started with a school record with consecutive wins, so I can see why those teams are being mentioned, but why not Wisconsin? I am not going to say I am a hardcore football fanatic, so there are some facts and teams that I am not all that aware of, but Wisconsin is 10-1 and I can't even name their starting quarterback.  They returned the league's offense player of the year in running back John Clay, but with a knee injury, he has sat out the last couple games. Wouldn't one think Wisconsin would struggle without him? No, they have been able to put up better numbers during his absence! I just don't get how a team can be leading the league and 7th in the nation in scoring and no one ever talks about them! I'm not saying I'm a Wisconsin fan by any means, but can't they get some credit every now and then!? They will have to prove themselves today when they play Northwestern, to see if they do deserve some of hype, but I feel they will come out victorious and be the unnoticed champs of the Big Ten.

Conference Championship

Three teams will all play Saturday for a chance to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten Championship.  Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State all enter Saturday's contests with records of 6-1 in the conference.  The race will start at noon on the 27th when the Buckeyes host rival Michigan, and when the Spartans travel to Penn State.  Wisconsin will battle against Northwestern at 2:30. I am really excited to see how this all pans out.  I feel that Northwestern is a team that can definitely pull the upset over Wisconsin, and Penn State will be a handful for Michigan State.  Even though Michigan has a terrible defense, its a huge rivalry, so I am hoping they come to play against Ohio State! I would love to see Ohio State and Wisconsin lose, but I can handle Michigan State sharing the title with Wisconsin.  

Scoring Touchdowns or Hitting Homeruns...

I'm not sure if everyone was aware of the Big Ten game that was played this past Saturday, but Northwestern and Illinois were able to play their game on Wrigley Field.  I hadn't been watching much television to keep up with the hype of the game, but after reading about the rule changes and recap of the game, I think it was a pretty cool setting. I found it very interesting that the most notable rule change was that all offensive series would be ran only towards the west end zone, or should I say the third base dugout.  I think this would be a great experience and definitely something the players will remember for a long time. The only downfall I see from this type of game, would be that the players might not be able to take the competition as serious as they should.  Its a different atmosphere and probably wouldn't feel like a real game day. Overall, it was a pretty neat idea even with all the crazy rules that had to be installed. Does anyone know if this is going to be a tradition!?

BCS Rankings

The Big Ten is having a great showing this year among other conference teams.  With the latest BCS rankings, the Big Ten had three teams in the Top 12, tying for the lead with other conferences.  Wisconsin is ranked 7th after putting 83 points on the board in their victory against Indiana on Saturday.  The 7th place ranking is the highest since 2006.  Ohio State remains at 9th after defeating Penn State and Michigan State dropped one spot to 12th even though they had a bye on Saturday.  Iowa had a tough loss against Northwestern, but still remains in the rankings at 20th. I'm especially excited to see other teams doing well in the Big Ten, because it seems that Ohio State is the only Big Ten team anyone ever talks about.

Heisman Watch

The week has come where no Big Ten football players are in the Top 5 for the 2010 Heisman Watch. Denard Robinson fell from being the #1 candidate early in the season to no longer being on the list.  This doesn't surprise me all that much. Robinson did have a very strong start at the beginning of the season, but has battled some injuries and poor perfomances lately.  Terrel Pryor was also in the mix of things in the beginning of the year, and is not in the Top 5 anymore.  I like seeing this; mainly because I can't stand Ohio State football and because I think Pryor isn't nearly as good as what people talk him up to be. Cameron Newton is the #1 candidate as of yesterday.  It will be interesting to see how the rest of his season turns out, and what happens with all the hype about his father soliciting money during his recruiting process.


2010 Heisman Watch

Basketball Game!?!

Michigan proved just how bad their defense is during Saturday's game, but Illinois didn't fair much better!  The final score: 67-65 in 3OT with Michigan coming out on top. I didn't have the chance to watch any games this past weekend, but when I saw this score, I thought for sure I had read a basketball score.  This was the highest scoring game in Big Ten history, which I can see why. I just don't get how the winningest team in college football can be that bad defensively. At least they have been making positive strides from the last couple seasons, and are actually winning some games this year. It will be interesting to see how the rest of their season ends, and what bowl game they will get to play in. Hopefully Denard Robinson can start making it through the entire game!

Michigan Beats Illinois 67-65 in 3OTs

Notre Dame Student

I know Notre Dame isn't part of the Big Ten Conference, but I felt that as football followers this story would be touching.  A 20-year-old junior Notre Dame student, Declan Sullivan, who was filming the football team's practice on Wednesday, was pronounced dead after the scissor lift he was standing on fell over due to large gusts of wind.  This is such a scary story to hear. I'm sure working for a Division I football team, any student would love to have that opportunity. I'm just not sure why anyone let him up on the lift with the wind gusts being so strong, but I am hoping the Sullivan family and school can make amends.


Attached is an article from ESPN:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish AD: Accident Followed Gust

Football Recap: October 30

Halloween weekend had a scary ending for some teams, but nice treats for others! Ohio State, Penn State, Illinois, and Northwestern had nice wins, but the game of the weekend, didn't exactly turn out like most had hoped. Iowa dominated Michigan State from the opening kick-off and handed the Spartans their first loss of the year with a 37-6 victory.  From my last post, I had pictures of Micah Hyde and Marcus Hyde, who I grew up playing baseball with when I was younger, and who both had their names being heard across the country on Saturday. Marcus didn't fare as well as he would have liked in his last game against Iowa, but was still one of the team leaders in tackles with 9. Micah on the other hand, only had 5 tackles, but returned an interception by Sash, into a touchdown. It was awesome! I acted like a little kid when it happened! It will be interesting to see what happens in the Conference the next couple weeks.

Above: Micah diving into the endzone on the interception return!