M.
Fearghail, at Heritage days, 10/10/2021,
at 3:22 PM. Photograph by Mrs. Appalachian Irishman.
Introduction
- Setting the Scene
The weather yesterday
(Saturday, 11/5/2022) was T-shirt warm, cloudy, and rainy off and on.
Bravely, I donned the same Georgia T-shirt, as in the photograph. My
outdoor activity included hauling trash and recycling. A few folks
saw me wearing my Georgia T-shirt. No one commented. Afterward,
before the game, I talked briefly with folks outside, in a next door
neighbor's yard. They were having a “yard sale.” (I offered to
buy their yard, but they were only selling the stuff that was in
their yard.) One tall and wiry feller, who looked to be about my age,
“warned” that he'd get his shotgun out of his van, to “shoot”
me! We had a little fun. They know that Tennessee is still my
second favorite college football team.
Mrs. Appalachian Irishman
had shopped for groceries and household items. She'd visited with her
folks, nearby. She returned home – just after the game had started,
at 3:30 PM (“govrmint” time).
Rankings
as of Games Through Saturday, 10/29/2022
Before the game, the
college football top three rankings were as follows, through games
played as of Saturday, 10/29/2022.
AP Poll (via NCAA AP Poll, through games as of 10/29/2022):
#1 Georgia (8-0, 1528 points)
#2 tie between Ohio State and Tennessee (both
8-0, both 1500 points)Coaches Poll (via USA
Today Coaches Poll, through games as of 10/29/2022):
#1 Georgia (8-0, 1552 points)
#2 Ohio State (8-0, 1505 points)
#3 Tennessee (8-0, 1455 points)
Georgia continued to be
ranked #1 in both polls – appropriately.
As a side note,
on Saturday, 10/29/2022, my wife and I had taken our '12 Nissan
Sentra (her car) and our '06 Nissan Frontier (my truck) to get oil
changes, at the same time. A gentleman, a year or so older than me,
was at the Service
Street location also. He wore his Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirt
(on a warm day). He and I talked awhile, after my wife left in the
car. (Ladies first on oil changes.) The gentleman's last name is
Yankee, but he is not a Yankee! He was born in Ohio. His wife and he
had lived in Florida. They had “half-backed” to live in
Tennessee. Mr. Yankee and I spoke on sports, “poly-tics,” and
Christianity. He's a brother in Christ. I wished his wife and he well
– and Ohio State well, unless against Georgia or Tennessee!
College Football Playoff
(CFP) - via NCAA
College Football CFP through games as of Saturday, 10/29/2022:
#1 Tennessee 8-0
#2 Ohio State 8-0
#3 Georgia 8-0
I understood why Ohio
State was #2 in the AP, Coaches, and CFP polls. Why, in the CFP
poll, did Tennessee rank #1 and Georgia rank #3?
In their first eight
games, Tennessee had beaten five ranked teams (Pittsburgh,
Florida, LSU, Alabama, and Kentucky) – while Georgia had beaten
only one ranked team (Oregon). That's probably why the CFP poll
ranked as it did, on 10/29/2022.
As a side note, in
their first eight games, Tennessee had averaged 49(.38) points per
game on offense and allowed an average of 21 points per game against
them on defense. Georgia had averaged 41(.75) offensive points
per game and allowed on average 10(.5) points per game against them.
The Game
The rain that had poured,
briefly, here, had started and continued to pour, in Athens, Georgia,
after halftime. The rain had stopped near the end of the game.
Watching the game on TV,
my glib Irish tongue rained out in eloquence – as I reacted and
commented at frequent occasions! During the game, however, Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman admitted, finally, that she wanted Tennessee to
win. She likes Georgia, but she supports Tennessee. (She has a
master's degree from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.) She
did not wear one of her orange Tennessee T-shirts, however.
I curbed my glib tongue,
once my “long-suffering” wife admitted -- finally, after three
years – that she likes Tennessee better than Georgia, in college
football. After all, it's just a college football game.
Her feelings probably come
from the days when the Tennessee Lady Vols, under Pat Summitt, and
the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, under Andy Landers (or “Ann Landers,”
as I'd called him), were intense women's college basketball rivals. I
still favor the Tennessee Lady Vols over any other women's college
basketball team, dear! My allegiance is to Georgia college football
only! I can parse the distinction between college football and
women's college basketball.
Before the game, I had
predicted that Georgia would win by 10 to 14 points. Georgia won
by 14 points. The box score, by quarter and final score, below, is
from NCAA
11/5/2022: Tennessee (8-1) 13 - Final - Georgia (9-0) 27.
Quarter: 1 2 3 4 Final
TN 3 3 0 7 13
GA 14 10 3 0 27
The Vols got their only
touchdown of the game, with four minutes and 15 seconds left in the
fourth quarter. At 2:42 left in the game, the Dawgs took over on
downs, at the Vols' 39 yard line. After three running plays, Georgia
had advanced to the Tennessee 25 yard line. Instead of kicking a
field goal, the Dawgs took a victory kneel formation and won the
game.
As the adage goes,
“offenses win games, but defenses win championships.” Both
teams have great offenses. Tennessee has a good defense. Georgia has
a great defense. Georgia won by having the stronger defense. The home
field advantage (12th man) certainly helped. Nice try, Vols! Great
win, Dawgs!
Reply to
Four Vol Fans
To the “long-suffering”
Mrs. Appalachian Irishman, I'm glad that you
“came out,” yesterday, that you remain a Vols football fan. As
you know, in 2019, I relegated the Vols to be my second favorite
college football team, when I promoted the Dawgs to my favorite team.
I am not a “fan” or “fanatic” (extremely enthusiastic)
about any sports team. As I have written, in several articles that
mention college football, I had decided that Saturdays are much more
enjoyable, as a follower of Georgia football. I don't have enough
decades left in life, to await the return of the Vols to their former
greatness.
Okay, the Vols are doing
well this year. I'm happy for them! I have written, however, about
the Vols' “coaching carousel,” since Phillip Fulmer – most
recently on 9/18/2022
and 10/19/2022.
I wonder when Josh Heupel,
who is doing well as the Vols' current head coach, will leave the
Vols and return to his alma mater, to coach for the Oklahoma Sooners.
This article is my prediction that he will – in a few years.
On Friday, 11/4/2022, I
received a text from a former work colleague, which expressed
the desire to see the Vols beat the Dawgs, the next day. I haven't
replied yet. I thought about replying, after the game yesterday. I
may reply tomorrow. Fridays were casual days at the office. Before I
retired, I often wore my Georgia football T-shirt on Fridays. My
colleague wore Tennessee football T-shirts. We enjoyed the humor in
the rivalry. We are both Christians, so the ongoing rivalry is
temporal.
After the game, I saw a
post by a friend from my hometown. He used explicit and
colorful metaphors to deride folks, who were born and raised in
Tennessee, but who support a football team in another state – such
as I do. This paragraph is my reply to him. What is my reply? “Yawn.
Laughter. Your reasoning is subjective and inflamed by the Vols' loss
to Georgia. You are welcome to keep your opinionated anger to
yourself. I suggest that you stop drinking so much orange Kool-Aid.
Your eyes look a little blurry! Do you have enough decades left in
life, to await the Vols' return to greatness? Yes, they are doing
well enough this year, but why are you angry and why am I happy? I
don't throw a hissy fit when Georgia loses. Where are your
priorities? I still love you, in Christ.”
Finally, a good friend
emailed several of us today, on the Vols' loss yesterday. A sentence
in his email included his humor on the loss: “The Vols were
kidnapped, and a bunch of look-alikes took their place for the
Georgia game.” My friend's
email made several serious points. I liked his humorous point (cited)
the best! He wasn't mad. He knows that I follow Georgia first then
Tennessee – in college football.
By the Way
- “Govrmint” Time Ended!
Getting of the mundane
topic of college football, I had “so much fun” – setting back
an hour 14 different time pieces – early this morning. Whew! At
least we are off “govrmint” time finally!
Starting tomorrow, Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman will be able to leave for work, with a little
bit of early morning light forming – instead of driving to work in
full darkness. For early risers, this is better – and safer.
The addendum
to my 3/19/2022 article cited a valid source, to prove that –
if “govrmint” time were year-round – then the sun would not
rise until 8:47 AM, from January 1 through January 11 – of any
given year. The addendum includes: “Do you want school-aged
children arriving at school in the dark? Do you want to work almost
an hour before the sun rises? I did not think so!”
I'm glad to be done with
“govrmint” time once again – until next spring.
Conclusion
College football season is
enjoyable. It's drawing near the end. Three games remain in the
regular season. The “thousands” of bowl games will start. The
College Football Playoff will determine the national championship
team. As a Dawgs follower first, I enjoy Saturdays better that I
would – if I were a Vols follower first. (The Vols are my second
favorite team, y'all!)
I hope that my hometown
friend knows the Good Lord personally. He may. His post of yesterday
contained colorful adjectives that my glib Irish tongue prefers not
to use (except in rare moments of anger or frustration). The Good
Lord forgives my tongue, after I apologize to him. I also apologize
to others who may hear me, but it's usually me talking with myself,
when only God hears me.
Now that I have this
sports article finished, my mind shifts to my third article, in the
Christian Evidences series. I plan to write -- in answer to the
question “Does God exist?” – that the teleological argument,
alone, proves that He does.
My mind dwells on more
profound thoughts – not on college football. I hope that yours does
also.
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