Late night lamentations...

Setting aside whether or not TA McLendon actually scored--it's irrelevant, really--the fact of the matter is this: the referee closest to the play, with the best angle and the jurisdiction to make the call, was convinced that McLendon scored. He signaled touchdown. How another member of the officiating crew, with a more difficult angle on the play, could even attempt to think that what he saw was conclusive enough to overrule the TD call is incomprehensible. Utterly incomprehensible. That crew chief Jim Knight sided with the official who said McLendon was down even though the official with the best angle was adamant that TA got in the endzone ... wow. That's all I got. I think I've seen everything now. It's always refreshing when we discover a new way to lose to Carolina. Eureka!

Some quick notes before I completely erase this one from memory:

-- Horrid red zone playcalling. QB draw?! Huh? Yeah, they never saw it comin'...

-- Not enough plays made on defense. Poorest effort of the year--bad tackling, blown coverages, letting a slow-ass white boy fullback roll up 7 yards-per-carry. No freakin' turnovers forced again.

-- Solid outing for Jay Davis. He finished 22-28 for 273 and an INT that wasn't really his fault (it was tipped). Still, Davis doesn't see the field well, and he can hold the ball for too long (and he is very much not a playmaker). Needs to look off the coverage better, as well as find his outlets. He should be throwing a lot more swing passes to the RBs, especially with Bobby Washington and Darrell Blackman out there. If nothing's doing down field, look to those guys for a short completion and yards after the catch.

-- Kenan Stadium: nice locale, but has seats that are way too close to field level. We were in the fifth row and still were obstructed by players standing on the sideline. That ain't right ... in fact, it sucks. Tailgating = pathetic.

-- Can't say enough about TA. He's a monster when he's healthy. I only wish he could have gotten 30+ carries like last week...

-- Good bounce back performance by Deraney after going 0-2 on chipshot FGs last week.

-- Carolina still sucks. Bunting for lifetime extension!

Tony Haynes: Too Bizarre to Believe. I'll say.


Elsewhere...

Texas Tech 70, Nebraska 10. I laugh in your general direction, Huskers. Fire Solich!!!111 These 9-win seasons simply won't do!!!111 If the Huskers ever win 9 games under Bill Callahan, I'll eat my hat. Up 42-10 after three quarters, the Red Raiders rolled up four meaningless-yet-hilarious TDs in the 4th quarter. Man that's funny.

Boomer Sooner 12, Texas 0. This one wasn't so much embarrassing or heartbreaking as it was disappointing for Longhorns fans. This is the most vulnerable defense that Oklahoma has fielded in years, and yet the Longhorns couldn't muster anything. Stoops has got yer number, Mack, and he ain't losing it any time soon.

LSU 24, Florida 21. Seems like the Gators have lost more than their share of heartbreakers under Ron Zook; I really feel sorry for those guys. Big win for LSU. Big big BIG.

ECU 27, Tulane 25. The twelve people in attendance tried to tear down a goalpost, but they just didn't have the manpower.

Georgia Tech 20, Maryland 7. The strangeness that is Georgia Tech continues. I've never seen a more erratic team from week to week. Holding Maryland to 81 total yards is amazing, especially since it happened in College Park. The Fridge has got issues at QB, that's for sure.

Wisconsin 24, tOSU 13. Holy crap--two L's in a row? Indeed, it is apparent that tOSU was a pseudo-top ten team all along. They're lacking at QB and RB, and we all know that's the heart of their offense. They can't be successful throwing the ball extensively. The Badgers exposed the Buckeyes for what they are--non-factors in the Big Ten.

Ole Miss 31, South Carolina 28. Okay, so for some reason I find Ole Miss' season to be high comedy. Can't wait to see what the FireDavidCutcliffe.com guys have to say after this one, but I'm sure it'll be along the lines of "yeah, we won, but not because of anything Coach Cutcliffe did." In a strange and downright stupid move, Cutcliffe decided to rotate three quarterbacks against the Gamecocks. The gimmick worked--this time. Hard to imagine any of those QBs being able to develop a rhythm when they're being taken in and out on every play; we'll see how this goes in the Rebels' subsequent games. Says a lot, I might add, that Ole Miss had to resort to something like this.

UVA 30, Clemson 10. Tigers are 1-4. Rock on, Tammy B!

UCLA 37, Arizona 17. In the words of the Sea Captain, "yarr, she blows."

Hello? Up-and-coming MAC? Where'd you guys go?