Working hard to get my fill,
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin anything to roll the dice,
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
(chorus)
Dont stop believin
Hold on to the feelin
Streetlight people whoa oh WHOOOOOAAAA…..
Well, I admit it. I stopped believin’ yesterday, a few times actually. When it was 24-7 and the team showed little chance of slowing them down, I stopped believin’. And even when we made it interesting, only to see SMU drive down for a field goal in the 4th to make it 27-13, again, I stopped believin’. Good thing those on the field never gave up.
But, I KNOW I’m not alone here! Come on. Fans left the building when it looked hopeless at Martin, only to come back when the game went to OT. It’s OK to admit it. I sure do.
But whatever the case, I think that’s what yesterday is all about. We can chew on the numbers and point out how this one felt “flukish” with a capital F or whatever else. We can wring our hands over the yardage discrepancy (504-276). We can say that we might have been bailed out on that fourth down on the final drive of the game, when pass interference was called on a somewhat-questionable situation. But with this team, with this season, why even do that? Why should this team even be judged on the stats? We know the deck is stacked, talent-wise, and most weeks are going to be a struggle on both sides of the ball. We know we’re young and beat up already, in a lot of key areas, and a QB situation that is still far from settled. We know the upper classmen weren’t exactly super-hot-n-sexy to the rest of the PAC-10, hence the five BCS offers to the 38 players Wulff inherited that are still on the roster. WE KNOW ALL THAT. The thing to take from yesterday is, more than any other stat or fact to over-analyze like you are pretending to be an unpaid analyst for ESPN.com? They didn’t quit. Even when Jim Walden was screaming on the radio in the first half that you could switch SMU jerseys for Hawaii jerseys and wouldn’t notice any difference between the teams, they didn’t quit. When Walden was screaming that Marshall Lobbestael looked “lost” or was “melting down” in the third quarter and saying that it was time for Jeff Tuel, they didn’t quit. They could have, and last year they would have, but they didn’t.
Someone in comments suggested that it’s going to be a bumpy ride the rest of the season, that even with the win we still have serious deficiencies. I don’t think that’s news to anyone who is following this team closely, is it? Of course we know it’s going to be a struggle every week. But even when they are outclassed on the field in terms of talent and speed, at least we’ve gotten over a hump after yesterday. Sure, it’s a mole hill compared to Mt. Everest, I mean beating the Ponies isn’t the same as shocking USC…..but it IS still a hump they have gotten over. They didn’t give up, they never stopped believin’, and they found a way to win. It speaks very well for the future of this program, and maybe as soon as next year, when you see them selling out for themselves, each other and for their coaches.
That’s all for now. ENJOY THIS WIN, ENJOY YOUR SUNDAY, and GO COUGS!
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