It’s this time of the year that people start to regret things. They regret Christmas purchases, New Year’s Eve activities, and not returning those lame gifts within the 14 day return window (what am I going to do with double knit waterproof reversible trousers?).
I have a few different regrets.
I regret not being at the Sun Bowl. I missed a piece of Beaver history. Matt Moore set the record for most passes being thrown without an interception in school history. I don’t know if the term “Who’s laughing now?” even does Moore justice here. Dude must have more mental discipline than Mr. Miyagi. On top of breaking that record he was accountable for 356 yards passing and five touchdowns in the bowl game leaving Mel Kiper impressed – something even Bill Swancutt couldn’t do.
Props to Matt. He turned this season around and passed for more than 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns and broke the record for most consecutive passes without an interception. I’m sure there is a spot for him in the NFL. But now that he broke that record I’m no longer his biggest critic, Terrence Bryant is. Rumor has it he is breaking down Moore’s game film trying to find 14 passes that don’t count.
I regret having the something in common with the Missouri football team – doubting how much guts Mike Riley has. Missouri and I aren’t alone. The over-under on how many people who knew that Riley had the stones to trust his players, go for two and the win is probably 100 – and I’m taking the under.
I’m glad Riley has trust in his players and allowed them to make that decision. It was a win-win situation for everyone. The players got one last shot to prove they had the guts, muscle and pride to gain two yards. The game in El Paso was easily one of the best bowls of the season. The coaching staff showed that they trusted the 11 guys on the field to gain two yards. And on top of all of that, it shows the country, full of recruits, that this team isn’t going to always be boring and play for overtime.
I know the Missouri coach is standing in front of his bathroom mirror looking like Dennis Green. Gary Pinkel is screaming “The Beavers are who we thought they were, except the size of Mike Riley’s stones!” Better luck next time Mizzou.
Props to the Beavers for beating the Tigers on first down giving no room for controversey, see “fifth down” on Wikipedia. It’s not all bad for the Tigers because they were involved in a gift exchange during the fourth quarter. The Tigers gave up a comfortable two touchdown lead in exchange for a big fat “L” in return. This comeback win by the Beavers only cements the fact that Missouri and misery sound so much alike.
While I’m pronouncing myself as the poet of propaganda for Beaver football I regret not believing in this team from the start. Maybe I was too quick to write this team off back in October. Hindsight is 20/20 and when I look back at it, it doesn’t seem that bad. Sure a 2-3 start seemed atrocious, and two of those losses were blowouts, but look at where those teams ended up. Both of those teams that beat OSU finished the regular season in the top 20. California stomped Texas A&M in its bowl game and Boise State upset Oklahoma in the craziest bowl game ever.
So in the end I regret waiting so long to say this but, props to the team, its coaches, players and everyone involved for pulling out a great win and finishing up a great season. You deserve all of the accolades you receive.
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