Ladies and Gentlemen, Football is Here

After nearly three grueling summer months of attempting to follow international soccer, women’s basketball, and major league baseball (okay the interest in baseball was actually genuine), I felt a little giddy last night when I turned on ESPN and was finally able to watch two universities battling it out on the gridiron. It’s not that baseball is a snooze, I actually spend countless hours following it, but nothing brings greater excitement than watching college football with friends and family. Maybe, it’s the sports nerd inside of me, but I’ve always felt that things were going to be okay in the world whenever I was placed in front of a television set or inside of a stadium with a college football game in progress.

On the surface, last night was supposed to be one of those times, where football played by student-athletes, brought an incredible amount of excitement to television viewers like myself, as two top-25 programs Oregon and Boise State teed off on opening night. In most instances, it would have appeared on ESPN Instant Classics that following day, as both schools had the offensive pedigree and skilled coaches to produce a high-scoring/high-quality grudge-match. However, the game, which Boise State won 19-8, failed to match the billing for a variety of reasons.

To begin with the actual contest was a severe disappointment, as both teams combined for five turnovers, six fumbles, and 133 penalty yards. Not exactly the staple of great offensive football, as the turnover-riddled teams combined for just over 500 yards of total offense. For reference, Oregon averaged 485 total yards a game last season. On Thursday, they garnered 152 yards and just six first downs.

To make matters worse, the big stars failed to even show up. Sports Illustrated cover boy and potential Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiah Masoli proved to be a huge disappointment, as the dual-threat quarterback completed just 51.9% of his passes and collected merely 135 yards of total offense.

But even though both teams were disappointing on the field, the extracurricular activities which occurred following the game were even more embarrassing to Oregon and the rest of the Pac-10. In the closing moments, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who had a particularly disappointing performance with -5 rushing yards on eight carries, lost his cool and punched Boise State’s Byron Hout just below the chin before being restrained by police and team staff in order to keep from going after fans. While it’s understandable to be frustrated after a loss, there is not excuse for his psychotic breakdown, where he nearly pulled a Ron Artest vintage 2004.

But even though Oregon proved to be underwhelming, there is still plenty of reason for Los Angeles-based college football fans such as myself to be excited for the first fall Saturday of the season. First off, both local teams, USC and UCLA, are kicking off their seasons at home with thousands of screaming fans to be draped in their school colors. While the competition may be somewhat underwhelming, San Jose State and San Diego State have never been confused as west coast juggernauts, the games should be quite intriguing for a few reasons.

In regards to the Trojans, Pete Carroll’s bunch has plenty of new faces being inserted into the lineup, which could make for an interesting season opener. The obvious newcomer is freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, whose debut has been so highly anticipated for the past few months, that you’d think he is the second-coming of John Elway. He actually very-well may be.

But even without Barkley, there are many things for Trojan fans to be on the lookout for. The team is starting 6’5″ wideout David Ausberry, who is extremely talented yet has not received much playing time in the past, opposite preseason all-American Damian Williams. At running back, Carroll has pledged to get Joe McKnight, who averaged over 7 yards per carry last season, more touches. On the defensive side, the Trojans will have plenty of new faces after the departures of some of the most talented linebackers and defensive linemen in school. Oh, and, don’t forget that there is this Taylor Mays guy who is pretty good too.

But even with all the interest in Southern California surrounding the Trojans, there are still plenty of reasons to turn on one’s television set at 4:30 to watch the game taking place in Pasadena. I find it so fascinating, because as a USC fan, I can’t help but wonder whether the Bruins could be as bad as they were in 2008. In Rick Neuheisel’s first year, the Bruins, who went 4-8, were absolutely atrocious on both sides of the ball, as they averaged just over two touchdowns a game, while giving up nearly 30 points a game. Two of their wins came against the Washington schools, who won a combined two games, and their other victories came against Tennessee and Stanford, who were both under .500 for the year.

With a new quarterback in Kevin Prince and a more experienced roster, it’ll be interesting to watch the progression of Slick Rick’s bunch. It’s hard to imagine they could be any worse.

But after last night’s Oregon-Boise State debacle, where I seriously felt like watching the other futbol, anything somewhat interesting coming from the world of college football will be greatly appreciated by this lonesome blogger.