4th and 1: Running Up the Score, Caleb King Suspended, Shaq Wilson Out…
Ah, debates about sportsmanship.
1st. There is a fine line between running up the score and just continuing to play the game. During his time at Florida, Steve Spurrier was accused of running up the score repeatedly. He may have been doing just that, but he also made some comments about allowing the backups to play. Those players rarely got a chance to get in and when they did Spurrier wanted to give them a chance to run the offense just like the starters did. He did not view it as running up the score; he saw it as given bench guys a chance to play.
Of course coaches have also said similar things and followed it up with “if they do not want us to keep scoring then they should stop us from doing so.” Football coaches have a certain attitude. They have to. At times it can blur the lines of sportsmanship. Allowing your backups to run plays is not necessarily running up the score. Going for two when there is no reason to is. That situation happened this past weekend.
Up 41-16 with less than five minutes left in the game, Wisconsin went for a two-point conversion. Bret Bielema says he did so because the conversion chart says to when you are up by 25. Why Bielema thought the Badgers needed the two points because they were suddenly in danger of a Minnesota comeback with only 4:26 left in the game is anyone’s guess. Bielema defending his decision is laughable. He was attempting to run up the score. He could have given an answer slightly similar to that one above and said “what better time than that situation to see if we can convert,” but instead he blamed the chart.
Gophers’ coach Tim Brewster was upset and he has every right to be. Sure Minnesota could have come back, but what was the likelihood of that happening based on how the game had gone up to that point? There is no real reason why Bielema needed to go for two. People will yell about a lack of sportsmanship and respect for an opponent. That is fine, argue about what you want, but really it just came down to one coach making a bad decision that ended up reflecting poorly on him and his team.
2nd. Georgia running back Caleb King has been suspended for two games after being arrested for failing to appear in court. The 11th Bulldog to be arrested this year, King – Georgia’s second leading rusher – will miss games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
King was scheduled to appear in court due to a speeding ticket he had received. It was the second offense for the junior. He had been previously cited for having a suspended license. People make mistakes and neither of King’s are shocking arrests, but everyone can learn what should be a simple lesson: if you are scheduled to appear in court, SHOW UP!
3rd. The good news is South Carolina upset top-ranked Alabama this past weekend. The bad news is the Gamecocks will likely be without linebacker Shaq Wilson for the rest of the season. Wilson had only played in one game this year after leading South Carolina in tackles in 2009. He injured his hamstring over the summer and it now looks like he will be unable to return from the injuries.
Wilson’s impact on the defense was felt in the one game he did appear in this season. He recovered two fumbles against Auburn.
4th. $152 million can buy you a lot of new toilets. The Rose Bowl will undergo renovations that include the addition of more restrooms. The number of luxury seats will also increase by about 2,000, a new scoreboard will be constructed, and there will be more concession stands. In addition, both UCLA and the Rose Bowl signed 30-year extensions to continue to use the venue.
And 1. Or “and 38” for Washington State players Jamal Atofau and Andre Barrington. Both were arrested after police found 38 marijuana plants in their house. Go big or go home seems to fit nicely here. Two other residents of the house were also arrested. Atofau has been suspended from the team and Barrington was already not part of the program this semester because he was academically ineligible.