A Weekend to September

September is a wonderful time of the year for me.  The weather begins its transition from the sultry heat of summer to the crispness of fall.  You have the stretch run of the Major League Baseball season in conjunction with the start of the NCAA and NFL football seasons.  And my youngest son, Spencer, celebrates his birthday in September as well.  What could be better? Here is a look at the weekend that was in the world of MLB, NCAA, and NFL.

*The University of Louisiana-Monroe shocked the world defeating #8 Arkansas in OT, 34-31.  Kolton Browning was 42-68 passing for 412 yards and 3 TDs and scored the winning TD on a fourth and one from the 16 yard line in overtime.   The turning point for Arkansas came when All-SEC QB Tyler Wilson was knocked out the game with a head injury.  You would have to expect that this ends any hope the Razorbacks had of competing for the crystal football.  Oh yeah, ULM plays Auburn next and if you saw Auburn play against Mississippi State this weekend, the Tigers should be on upset alert.

*Kansas St. opened up a can butt-kick on Miami.  That just goes to show that you can never underestimate a Bill Snyder coached team.  Wow, how the U has lost its swagger?  Those falls from grace tend to have the hardest landings.  At the pace things are going  at the U, don't be surprised if head coach Al Golden's seat starts to get warm.

*Texas A & M and Missouri both got rude welcomes to the SEC.  One can't help but question whether A & M really expected to get away with the billboard in Gainesville and all that trash talk?  It looked as if they might early in the game but the Gators finally found their footing and were able to pull ahead of the Aggies.  And Missouri hung in well with Georgia for three quarters but the Bulldogs' physical defense proved too much for MIZZOU to handle, even without several key starters being out due to suspension.

*Take note of this name.  Maxwell Smith.  It is probably only know by University of Kentucky football fans and his family but the sophomore QB has been sick in the first two games of the season.  He is 65-89 passing for 634 yards, 6 TDs and no interceptions.  Watch out SEC, this Cat is for real. 

*The Pac 12 was looking to make a statement against the Big 10 (which has twelve teams) and the Big 12 (which has ten teams).  On a day that former Kentucky coach Rick Brooks and his 1962 Oregon St. Beaver teammates were honored for their Liberty Bowl victory that year, the 2012 edition of the Beavers laid the wood to #13 Wisconsin.  It is not often a team can play as physical with Wisconsin as OSU did.  Also, UCLA defeated #16 Nebraska.  And for all of you West Virginia and Michigan fans, Rich Rodriguez is back with a vengeance.  Arizona and Rich Rod flexed their muscles against #18 Oklahoma State beating the Cowpokes 59-38. 

*Savannah State's  athletic director is pimping out his team to get big pay days and his coach and players are not happy about that. His team has lost 139-0 the last two weeks and it could have been worse if not for the mercy of a weather situation forcing the game against Florida State to end in the third quarter.

*How bad do you feel for Penn State kicker Sam Ficken?.  The  young man was 1/5 on field goal attempts, including a potential game winner as time expired.  He also missed an extra point as the Nittany Lions lost to Virginia 17-16.  We all knew things were going to be tough for Bill O'Brien and his players but the way they have lost their first two games has been absolutely brutal.

*It doesn't get much better than baseball in September.  In a great baseball city like Baltimore, the fans there have not had much to cheer about in the past fifteen years.  But this year is different.  The Orioles went  toe-to-toe with the Yankees, splitting a four game series and remaining just one game back.

*How impressive have the Braves and their pitching been this September?  The Braves have already won seven games in nine days this September (it took them 17 games to do that last year).  They are winning the games they were losing last year.  And Dan Uggla has responded to his brief time riding some pine.  He had six hits over the weekend against the Mets, including a homer.

*The Nationals finally shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg, after his performance was being affected by his lack of focus. Strasburg only went three innings Friday night because he got shelled by the Marlins.  On Saturday, a day when it looked as if the Nats were folding the tent and possibly allowing Atlanta back into the race, they staged an unlikely rally to win in extra innings.

*The Saints received great news late in the day on Friday.  Jonathan Vilma and the rest of the players suspended for their part in Bountygate are vindicated and eligible to play this season.  Looks like they will need them on the field as soon as possible.  New Orleans gave up 40 points to Washington and rookie QB Robert Griffin III.

*Speaking of RG3, he looked for real in his debut.  He threw for 320 yards and 2 TDs.  The other heralded rookie, Indianapolis Colt starting QB Andrew Luck, had an eerily similar pro debut  to Peyton Manning.  Luck threw for 309 yards and 1 TD but did have 3 INTs.  (Manning threw for 302, 1 TD, and 3INT in his debut in 1998).

*Adrian Peterson is apparently healthy.  He ran for 84 yards on 17 carries and had 2 TDs.  Of course, I listened to the fantasy experts and kept him on the bench this week.  Great coaching on my part!

*Apparently the Jets offense is not as screwed up as the meaningless preseason made everyone believe.  Mark Sanchez looked like he had some confidence and he ran the offense in such a way that one would never have known there had been so much preseason drama.

*In what very well could be an NFC Championship matchup game, the 49ers defeated the Packers in what could prove to be a significant game.  If the two teams finish tied for the best record in the conference, then home field will be in San Francisco.  I think the Niners will find it much more difficult to beat the Pack in Lambeau in January.

*Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning.  The wily veteran led his new team, the Denver Broncos, to a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Peyton's final numbers were 19-26 for 253 yards and 2 TDs (numbers 400 and 401 of his illustrious career).

*Four former Kentucky Wildcats had nice games on Sunday.  Wesley Woodyard (10 tackles, 1 sack) and Jacob Tamme (5 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD) came up in Denver's win.  Randall Cobb (9 rec, 77 yds, 75 yd punt return for a TD) was used as an H-back in many formations but the he was not able to help the Pack defeat San Fran.  Stevie Johnson (4 rec, 55 yds, 1TD) proved to be Buffalo's go to guy once again in a blowout loss to the Jets.

*Couple of get well wishes.  Brandon McCarthy, a pitcher for the Oakland A's who took a line drive off his head last Wednesday, had to have emergency brain surgery.  He is in stable condition and has been up and moving around but he is not completely out of the woods yet.  And Tulane safety, Devon Walker,  broke his neck on Saturday and had to have emergency procedures performed on the field.  He was taken to an area hospital and is now in stable condition.  Doctors say it is too early to tell if the young man will be paralyzed.  Here's wishing both players a speedy recovery.