So much football, so little time!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I think I watched as much football this past weekend as was humanly possible... I was home for 4 days, and I think there was a game on the entire time I was there. I love rivalry week! However, I think I am the only person in the state of South Carolina who didn't care one way or the other about the Clemson-Carolina game. My mom's side of the family is diehard Clemson, while my dad's side of the family is diehard Carolina. I grew up in a Citadel house, though, so I never really favored either. Of course, I did watch the game, and since I have come to just adore Dabo, I was pleased to see a Clemson win.

While the Clemson game was on, my dad and I flipped back and forth to the first round I-AA playoff game between Appalachian State and SC State. I know I'm supposed to support the SoCon even when my teams aren't in the playoffs, but I just have such a problem cheering for App. I can't do it. Plus, I think SC State's coach is just precious and always so jolly looking (I'm seeing a trend here... ha!), so I was hoping the bulldogs would pull an amazing upset. It looked like they had a chance for a while, but they just couldn't hold on. I guess I have to be a good SoCon fan and be an App fan for the rest of the playoffs now. I just don't like the sound of that!

Verrrry nice little weekend

This was my first weekend in a LONG time when I had nothing to work on for school. Absolutely nothing, and it was glorious. Between Nov 13 and Nov 20, I had turned in over 80 pages of papers, and I was ready to not have any work to do until finals in a couple of weeks. Of course, I made work for myself, but I didn't HAVE to do anything. I cleaned my whole house, rearranged my bedroom, did about 8 million loads of laundry, grocery shopped, read a book (that's the real shocker right there), got my oil changed, and got 2 brand new shiny tires on my car (Happy birthday, Dad... I'm broke, you're paying for those tires you suggested I get). Oh, and I watched a couple of football games. Pretty ugly games, as a matter of fact.

The Furman-Wofford game was on tv, so I got to watch my Paladins get trampled 35-10. I really have nothing to say, other than it was ugly, and my upstairs neighbor probably now thinks I have Tourette's. Oh well. It was the end of a disappointing season for Furman, but from what I hear, it could also be the beginning of a new era for Furman football. I'll just leave it at that.

Meanwhile, The Citadel was playing at Florida. It was on Pay-per-View, but when I tried to order it before the game started, it said it was too early to order it. Then, when the game had started, it didn't even give me the option of ordering it. Thus, I went to my last resort, the ESPN game tracker. I kinda wish I hadn't. Although I had no sound to tell me what was going on, the score said plenty. 49-6 at the half, and 70-19 total. Granted, it wasn't just Florida--it was #3 in the country Florida--but it's still painful to see that. Normally in these "money games", The Citadel does well in the first half but sputters out in the 2nd since they don't have nearly the depth as bigger teams do. I was at least glad to see them pull out some good plays in the 2nd half. Like Furman, this was the end of a disappointing season, but it's always a tough road in the SoCon. I expect the program will only go up from here.

Rainy little Saturday

I love football in the rain. I don't know why, but ever since the Furman-Wofford game in 2002 (now referred to as Mud Bowl '02), where it poured and poured and poured, I just love to see games played in the rain--and mud. However, I generally like to be prepared for the rain and have a way to get home other than on foot if it rains.... no such luck on Saturday. As I headed out to walk to the stadium for the Citadel-ETSU game, I remembered the forecasts for rain, so I went to grab a raincoat. Oh wait, do I own a rain coat? Nope. Refusing to be that person that has the umbrella blocking everyone's view of the game and looking up at the beautiful sky, I decided to chance it. Well, I clearly made the wrong decision (I'm seeing a frightening trend here...), as it rained pretty much throughout the whole second half. I don't leave football games early, especially if it's a close game, so I pretty much got soaked... and then had to walk home in the rain too. It was so worth it though, as the second half was really exciting. I'll spare you the play-by-play, but there were lots of great plays, lots of turnovers, and a last-minute Bulldog win! I was so excited for the guys for their homecoming win. It was a great final home game for the seinors. Next week they're headed to the Swamp, so I'm not so optimistic, but perhaps the rainy game prepared them for the swamp-like conditions? ;)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the state, Furman suffered a loss to conference rival Georgia Southern. I forgot it was on TV and didn't record it, but apparently I should be glad I didn't get to see any of it. Furman really needed to win out to maintain playoff hopes, so I think post-season play is pretty much out of the question now. I hate it for them, as what I've been hearing is that the problems on Saturday were not quality of play, but of play-calling. Lots of people are starting to talk about Furman's need for a new coach, but I'll stay out of that one... at least in writing. The Paladins will play at Wofford next week, and although the playoffs aren't in reach anymore, I'd love to see them get one more win.

Oh, the irony...

Not a whole lot to report about this past weekend's football. Furman had an open week, and The Citadel suffered a heartbreaking loss at Wofford. The SoCon is known for close games and exciting finishes, but I'd love to see the bulldogs end up on top after these "SoCon Finishes". I hope Homecoming this weekend will have a better outcome.

Anyway, on to the irony. I love my dog, as you all got a glimpse of Wednesday in class. However, as I was in class telling you all about how wonderful shelter dogs are, Champ was at home tearing his way out of his crate. He has (well, had...) a nice, expensive travel crate that is made out of a durable canvas. It was perfect for traveling on the weekends because it folded up and fit easily into my car. Champ never really had any problems being in there (he'd go in there on his own to take naps sometimes), but I guess I've been leaving him home alone a little more than he liked lately so he decided to rebel. He just ripped a huge hole in the front of the crate and escaped. I got home and thought it was really cute how Champ greeted me at the door... until I realized he should have been in his crate. Luckily, he really does ok loose in the house by himself, so it wasn't a big problem.

I left him out in the house on Thursday, and on Friday I went to buy a new crate. Stupidly, I shelled out another $120 for the SAME exact crate. Afterall, the holidays are coming up, and I really loved how easy it was to travel with that crate. Plus, Champ gets a little apprehensive in metal cages after his shelter days, so I would hate to bring any of that back. Well, needless to say, getting another canvas crate was a bad decision. I left him crated for a couple of hours on Saturday morning, and he was there to greet me at the door again when I got home. I wanted to be angry, but the only one I could blame was myself. So I guess I'll be shopping for another crate this week... but I've wised up and will go for a tradtional crate this time. I'll be accepting donations in class on Wednesday for anyone who would like to contribute to the cause. ;)

Heartbreaking little Saturday

If you've ever met my dad, you know that he loves all things Citadel, and he is an especially big fan of Citadel football. We've had season tickets ever since I can remember, and he rarely misses a game. This season he decided he wanted to bring some friends down for a game so that they could get a glimpse into one of his favorite things. In fact, he went all out, buying a suite for the Georgia Southern game so that he and his friends could enjoy the game from the best seats in the house. We had a full house in the suite with my parents, about 6 other couples, my sister, and a friend of hers. The food was excellent (never thought I'd say that abut Aramark, but oh well), and we all had a great time. I just wish the game had turned out differently.

The Bulldogs got of to a great start, with the defense scoring first on a safety. A touchdown a few minutes later put them up 9-0. Georgia Southern answered with a touchdown quickly, and then both teams scored again before the half, leaving a half time score of 16-14 in favor of The Citadel. The teams answered each other's scores throughout the second half, ending regulation tied at 24. The teams battled it out through three overtimes before Georgia Southern ultimately came on out top, 44-41. It was a hard-fought game for the Bulldogs, and I hated to see them lose another one. I don't know many people on the team anymore, but it's hard to see the ones I do know look so disappointed after such a hard game. I know they worked so hard and wanted the win so badly. They're still on the quest for win #450, and I hope to see them make that milestone this season, either at Wofford next week or at their next home game, which just happens to be Homecoming.

Furman traveled to Samford on Saturday and also played a close game, barely edging out the (other) Bulldogs 28-27 after blocking the potentially game-tying PAT late in the 4th quarter. The Paladins have an open week next week, and with The Citadel away, I'll have the weekend to just relax at home... or more likely tackle the massive amounts of work I have due in the next couple of weeks! It's starting not to sound like such a nice little Saturday afterall!

Surprise!

Back in June, my two best friends decided that they were going to train to run a half marathon in October. At first, I definitely had my doubts. One of them, Jessie, runs regularly, but I've never known her to run more than a 10k (not that that's anything to take lightly!). The other, Reggie, was a 6'1", 275 lb offensive lineman who had never run beyond what was required for practice. However, they definitely surprised me with their commitment to training, so I decided to surprise them by going to Greenville for the race on Saturday. The race was at 8am, and since I wasn't able to drive up on Friday night, I left Charleston at 4:15am to get there in time. It was SO worth the early wakeup call, though. They were so surprised to see me and very thankful that I was there to support them.

I have never been to any big races before, as I'm clearly not a runner, but the event was really neat. There was a kids' run, a 5k, half marathon, and full marathon. All of the runs started outside the Greenville Drive baseball stadium, and the finish line was right behind home plate. After the start, I went into the stadium to watch runners from the shorter races finish. It was so cool to watch people cross that finish line. There were kids and grandparents, the clearly experienced runners and not-so-experienced walkers, and lots of groups of friends, all of whom were so excited about their accomplishments. And the support from everyone was amazing. Everyone got to the finish line met with applause, cheers, and smiling faces to greet them.

Just before the 2 hour mark, I saw Reggie enter the stadium and come around the field towards the finish line. His goal had been to finish within 2 hours, and he crossed the line in an hour and 58 minutes! He hung around the finish line to meet Jessie when she finished not too much later. I have never been so proud of my friends. I mean seriously... a half marathon... that's amazing. I was so happy I got to be there to see it, and it was a truly inspirational day. Blogger doesn't want to let me add pictures, but you can see my album from the event here.

On the football front, both "my" teams had tough days this week. The Citadel lost at Samford, and I just hate it for the guys. Their next win will be the program's 450th win, and I would love to see them reach that mileston Saturday at home in front of their own fans. Furman lost a tough one at Appalachian State, too. It was close most of the game, and in the 4th quarter the Paladins were within a touchdown. However, App scored one more touchdown, and my Furman boys just couldn't get it done in time. Not a good weekend for me in football, but I'm looking for a pair of wins next Saturday!

A Bittersweet Win

Well, Saturday was the day I'd been waiting for all season... Furman vs. The Citadel. I drove up on Saturday morning in time to tailgate with friends for a while before meeting my parents (diehard Citadel fans) for lunch at the Citadel alumni tailgate. My purple "FU" shirt didn't go over too well, but they were all gracious hosts... and the barbeque was delicious! When I went into the game, I found out that one of my best friends had made a suprise trip to the game during her fall break. She's in grad school in St. Louis, so she doesn't make her way back here often. It was a wondeful surprise!

I knew going into this week that if both teams brought their "A-game" it was going to be anyone's game. This has been especially true in recent years, making for some pretty exciting football. I could tell early on that the bulldogs had not brought their A-game, and the paladins definitely had. Furman had built up a pretty sizeable lead by the 4th quarter, and although they made quite an effort, The Citadel just never caught up. Of course, I was thrilled for a Furman win, especially after last year's crazy game that ended up in a loss for the paladins. However, it really was pretty bittersweet. Because I'm a few years out of Furman and I tutored athletes at The Citadel for a while, I know more Citadel players than Furman players these days. Seeing such disappointment on the bulldog players' faces almost made me wish the game had turned out differently. I always enjoy some good banter/smack talk with Citadel players in the weeks before the game, and I was excited to finally have my bragging rights back... but I can't even bring myself to gloat this time.

Furman moved up to #18 (or #19, depending on which poll you see), and The Citadel is out of the top 25 on all polls. Regardless, the bulldogs have a great team with the potential to finish the season stong, and I look forward to the remaining home games and seeing how the season turns out. Next week Furman is at Appalachian (fresh after an upset... lord help us!), and The Citadel will travel to Samford. I'm taking the weekend off from football, but I do have some top secret plans that should be a lot of fun... more on that next week!

Homecoming!

Let me start off by saying that Furman beat Western this weekend, and The Citadel lost to Elon... but football was really not my top priority this weekend. I did enjoy the Furman game, but I had an absolute blast with my friends at homecoming. I went to dinner with some of my sorority sisters on Friday night, which was wonderful. I felt a little behind the curve since they are all married and one has a baby, but it really was like nothing had changed. Such a good time.

Saturday was a LONG day, as we started tailgating around 10:30am. One of my best friends is a Furman football player, and he and some of the other "retirees" have quite the elaborate tailgating set-up. Furman is not a big tailgating place (technically it's a dry campus, even for tailgating... technically), but these guys had a big tent, grill, and a big tv and satellite dish. We watched the Oklahoma-Texas game and enjoyed a few unauthorized beverages as tons of people stopped by. We did make it inside the stadium for some of the game, and then we tailgated for a while after the game. We were actually some of the last people to leave around 9pm because we were having such a great time catching up. Again, it was like no time had passed since we had all been together. I wish I could be there with them every weekend.

I will actually get to see some of them again this weekend when I go back for the Furman-Citadel game. This is my favorite game of the season every years, and I am so very excited. The last few years have been really close games between these two teams, and I don't think Saturday will be any different. I just hope it's not a down-to-the-wire or overtime game... those stress me out too much! I don't want it to be a blowout for either team, either, so I guess I'm hard to please! Regardless of how the game goes, though, I am sure it will be a good time. I am just ready to get back to Greenville and Paladin Stadium!

Pretty Disappointing Little Saturday

Not a good weekend for my teams. Furman absolutely had their butts handed to them by Elon (31-10), and The Citadel did not fare any better against App State (47-21). I must say, I was more prepared for the Citadel loss than the Furman loss, but I was more impressed with the Bulldogs’ performance. Elon typically has not been a huge contender in the SoCon, but they’ve been surprising the last couple of years. I just wasn’t expecting them to run all over us like this... literally. Furman’s defense could not stop Elon’s run at all, but Elon sure did stop ours! Elon had 231 yards on the ground compared to Furman’s 78. And the turnovers... holy cow, the turnovers were out of control. I feel like every few minutes there was a fumble or interception. That’s not the kind of football I’m used to seeing from a Furman team. I think what disappointed me most was that it was like the team just rolled over and gave up after a while. They didn’t even fight for the win, and that’s disappointing. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, faced a back-to-back-to-back national championship team and fought hard the whole game. They may have been outplayed, but as I watched the game on tv I could see that they were playing with everything they had until it was over. Props to the Citadel team for their effort!

The Bulldogs get the pleasure of taking on Elon this week. Good luck, guys. That is definitely not a team to take lightly! I will have to miss this game because it’s Homecoming at Furman, so I will be in Greenville for my first Furman game of the season and I couldn’t be any more excited! While it’s nice to be able to just walk down the street on Saturdays and see The Citadel play, I have missed my boys in purple. In the words of former Furman President Dr. John E. Johns, “FU ALL THE TIME!”

Defender of the Biscuit?!?!

As a student of sport management and someone who plans to one day work in the field, I understand the importance of sports organizations selling sponsorships. It’s a huge revenue stream for them, and often a lifeline. We see a ton of it in professional sports, but sponsorships are creeping into college sports more and more. I first started noticing it in “big time” college programs, and mostly on television broadcasts—bowl game titles, logos projected onto a court/field, halftime shows sponsored by whoever, etc. This season, though, The Citadel athletic department must be trying to finance half the stadium renovation with sponsorships, and I think it’s a little out of control.

I think getting sponsors for promotions is great. Jones Ford has sponsored a couple of promotions at Citadel football games this season, but is it really necessary for every Citadel first down to be announced as a “Jones Ford First Down”? Or for every timeout to be “brought to you by CSS Copy Services”? (This gets especially annoying when teams start burning timeouts back-to-back!) The Citadel has even sold the red zone, so that every time the Bulldogs progress into the red zone, the announcers uses some clever line to recognize whoever wrote the check, not the players who actually got the ball there.

What really gets me is sponsors for the player of the game awards. For example, the defensive player of the game award is sponsored by Bojangles and for whatever reason is named the Defender of the Biscuit award (which coincidentally went to our class’s own Kevin McCaskill this week... Congrats, Kevin!). But Defender of the Biscuit? Come on, at that point it’s not even about the player anymore. It’s clearly more about Bojangles than the player, and that’s a shame. Why can’t it be just the Bojangles Defensive Player of the Game? There are ways to sell sponsorships and not totally sell your team out. Bottom line... I say if you need sponsors to fund your program, put their logo on the scoreboard, in the program, or even on the field if you need to. Let them sponsor the gameday promotion and recognize them for that. But until the Jones Ford staff is ready to go on the field and get their “Jones Ford First Down” themselves, let’s leave the action on the field alone and let the players be recognized for what they’re doing.

By the way, The Citadel and Furman both won this weekend, which I fully expected them to do (Western Carolina won ONE game last season, and Chattanooga hasn’t beaten Furman since Terrell Owens played for them!). The Bulldogs took out Western Carolina 34-14, and receiver Andre Roberts set a new school record for career receptions along the way. Meanwhile in Greenville, the Paladins put a 35-10 hurting on UT-Chattanooga, thanks in part to a spectacular game from the tight ends. On Saturday, The Citadel will travel to Appalachian State, and the Paladins will be on the road at Elon. Both should be good games, but since I will be traveling for the following 3 weekends, I won’t be going anywhere this weekend. Good luck to all my boys!

Nice little week in the FCS

If you look at this week's FCS Coaches' Top 25 poll, you will notice something different at the top--the absence of Appalachian state! The Mountaineers were knocked off by #5 James Madison and are now sitting in the lowly #4 spot. Nothing makes me happier than to see App State sliding down in the polls. Granted, they're still ahead of both of the teams I really support, but the fact that they're not "perfect" anymore just makes me smile. I think my true disdain for App began after Furman's 2002 loss to them because good ol' Bobby Lamb decided to go for two after a touchdown that had already given us the lead (read about it here). As if having to watch Derrick Black literally snatch our win out of the air and carry it into the endzone wasn't enough, the ridicule from Appalachian State fans in the parking lot was ridiculous. I have never heard such vulgar things in all my life. Ever since then, though, anyone who beats App is okay in my book. Of course, I'd love for Furman to be the team to do it, but I'll take an App State loss any way I can get it. Thanks, James Madison.

Meanwhile, Furman's win over #6 Delaware moved us up 6 spots to #17 on the Coaches' Poll. The Citadel dropped 2 spots to #24 after beating Princeton, although the Sports Network Poll has them all the way up at #13 and Furman at #16. This is definitely a better-than-usual Citadel team, but I'm not sure that beating Princeton should have pushed them up that far in the rankings. The Coaches' Poll reflects what I think, that beating a top 10 team should mean more than beating a team that has no scholarships and doesn't participate in post-season play, so I'll take it.

I wish the Furman-Delaware game had been on tv so I could see it for myself, but I hear it was a great game. I hope the 2 Furman games I'll get to this season will be just as exciting. The Citadel-Princeton game wasn't spectacular, but it was a win. I was a little worried during the first half, but whatever Coach Higgins said to them during halftime worked! Much improved second half from the Bulldogs. They've got Western Carolina this week, which shouldn't be too tough. The Paladins take on Chattanooga at home this week, and it's a tv game so I'll actually get to see it for once! Another 2-game Saturday... sounds like a pretty nice little Saturday to me!

Bring It On? Really?

This past weekend Furman played at Colgate and The Citadel had a "bye" week, so I didn't get to go to any games. The Furman game wasn't on tv, and with no internet at home, I couldn't even listen to the internet broadcast. I didn't know much about Colgate, so I didn't know whether to expect a win or to hope for one. It really didn't matter because Furman pulled out the win, 42-21, bringing us to 2-1 on the season. The win also helped the Paladins break into the FCS Sports Network poll at #24. The Citadel is at #21 in that same poll, so congrats to both teams!

So what did I do with all of my extra free time this weekend? I sat around watched the ABC Family marathon of the Bring It On series of movies. That's right... Bring It On, Bring it On Again, Bring It On: All or Nothing, and Bring It On: In It to Win It all in 24 hours. There. I said it. I watched cheerleading movies all weekend. And I don't know why, but I liked it. I do know, however, that I like football much better than cheerleading movies, so I'm excited to get back to that on Saturday. The Citadel takes on Princeton at home, and my Furman boys will host Delaware. I wish I could afford another trip to Greenville this weekend, but alas I'll be in Charleston spending my Saturday at Johnson-Hagood again. Details next week!

Hottest Day Ever

I got back late last night from a pretty HOT little Saturday in the upstate. Our office closed early on Friday, so I drove up to Greenville that afternoon to spend some long overdue time with some good friends from college. I don't make the trip to Greenville nearly enough, but I always have a great time with great people when I do!

My parents were driving up from Rock Hill for the game at Clemson, so they met me in Greenville and I rode to the stadium with them. (Free parking... check. Free ticket... check.) It was a hot one in Clemson, and after the trek from the parking lot to the stadium, we were already drenched with sweat. Not a cute look, but I guess football isn't supposed to be glamorous! And it's not cheap, either, as we dropped $22 on bottled water and ice on the way into the stadium. (Well, I guess I should say my dad dropped $22. Free refreshments... check.) Too bad I probably sweat out everything I drank during the game!

It was a pretty good game, though, despite The Citadel losing 45-17. Better kicking would have made the game a lot closer, but I was still impressed with the Bulldogs' play. I couldn't see much of what happened near one endzone, but we had a great view of a couple of awesome Clemson fumbles and Citadel recoveries from where we sat, as well as an Andre Roberts touchdown. Roberts had a great game, especially against Clemson. I will be surprised if he doesn't get SoCon Player of the Week honors. QB Bart Blanchard also had a good game, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table this season.

Furman was on the road this week at Virginia Tech. It wasn't on tv, so I have no idea how my Paladins played, except that they lost 24-7. Coach Lamb's post-game comments seem to indicate they played well, especially on defense. Furman held VaTech to only 3 points in the first half but just couldn't seem to get points on the board. BUT they did lose by fewer points than The Citadel, which after winning by more points than the Bulldogs last week, still puts Furman ahead of The Citadel in my book. Okay, I know that's not logical at all, but it works for me so we're just gonna go with it! :)

Next week The Citadel has an off week, and Furman is playing at Colgate...which is apparently somewhere in New York. I clearly will not be travelling for that one, so I'll have to settle for being a fan from my couch for the weekend with no free meals or free football. What a shame ;)

Opening Weekend

The first weekend of the season was one characterized by blowouts by my teams. I had fun Friday night watching Rock Hill High play at Wando, even though RH isn't really "my" team (they're actually my high school's big rival, but they became my team by default when my mom became principal). RH won 26-0, and watching the social dynamics at a high school football game made me extremely thankful for my 20's. :)

Saturday was pretty exciting, since not only was it the first game of the season, but it was also The Citadel's first game in the newly renovated stadium. You'd have thought my dad was a kid on Christmas. He couldn't wait to get to the stadium and check everything out--and have his picture taken with the new, HUGE bulldog statue. We had access to one of the new luxury suites for the game because someone my parents know wasn't going to be using his tickets that day. I'd really rather sit down closer to the field, but it was nice to see "how the other half lives" for the day! The game itself wasn't terribly exciting, as you could probably guess from the 54-7 final score. However, it was nice to see some of the freshmen get a chance to step up and make some big plays so early in the season. Freshmen Asheton Jordan and Luke Caldwell even scored their first collegiate touchdowns in the first game. Asheton's performance earned him the SoCon's Freshman of the Week Award, and junior Andre Roberts was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his punt returns, including a 64-yard return for a touchdown.


While I was up in the suite enjoying some great food and beverages, my Furman boys were taking the field in Greenville against Mars Hill. I recorded the game and still haven't had a chance to watch it all, but I was impressed with what I did see. Or rather, I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be! Now I love Furman football, but this probably isn't going to be "our year" so I didn't have high hopes for our performance. The new starting QB Jordan Sorrells had big shoes to fill in my eyes, and what I've seen so far of the game gives me a little more confidence in him. Hopefully I'll have some time this week to watch the rest of the game and see how we did filling the vacancy that Jerome Felton left in our ground game. In the end, Furman also wins big (62-14), but unfortunately with one casualty. Junior WR RJ Webb, who was out part of the 2007 season and all of spring practice with a knee injury, tore his ACL in the game and is out for the season. He will definitely be missed, but I think we've got a good group of receivers who will step up.

Next up: Furman @ Virginia Tech and The Citadel @ Clemson. Furman and The Citadel are playing Bowl Subdivision teams who were upset in the opening week by East Carolina and Alabama, respectively. If either the Paladins or the Bulldogs had a prayer in the first place, it's surely diminished by the anger of VT and Clemson over their opening week losses. If Hanna doesn't ruin my plans, I'll be at Clemson for the Citadel game. Good luck to both teams... I just hope they make it out alive! ;)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Finally. It's college football season. To me, there are two real seasons in a year--Football Season and The Rest of the Year--so the end of August is a super exciting time for me. Just about every Saturday for the next few months, I will be somewhere for a college football game. While many of you other football fans out there support some of the larger schools, I actually prefer watching the smaller schools' teams play. I just love I-AA (or what is it now? Championship Division?) football, particularly the SoCon. I grew up a Citadel fan, as my dad is an alum, and that's just how I was raised. Day trips to Charleston on Saturdays in the fall were a way of life. I'm sure he just LOVED it when I jumped ship to attend one of The Citadel's biggest conference rivals, Furman University, and became an avid Paladin football fan. Needless to say, the smack talk in my family gets a little intense... and I love it!

I will never not love Furman football, but I actually go to more Citadel games than FU games since I'm living here now (not to mention my parents pay for my ticket, and I can usually get at least one free meal out of the weekend too!). I think I'll be in Greenville a few weekends this season for Furman games, but the rest of my Saturdays will be spent at the newly renovated Johnson Hagood Stadium, hopefully watching the Bulldogs get some good wins--except against my Paladins, of course!

This weekend The Citadel is taking on Webber International, a team they beat last year by a score of 76-0. Let's face it, that's not really an incredibly entertaining game to watch, so I hope it's at least a little closer this time. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the first game of the season, especially in the new stadium! Furman is playing Mars Hill at the same time, but it's on tv, so I'll record it and watch it Sunday. I think I'm going to see some high school football this weekend too. My mom is a high school principal, and her school's team is playing at Wando on Friday night, so they're coming down here early for that. I'll probably meet them out there for a little HS football action and just make it a 3-game weekend--doesn't get much better than that!

My plan is to use this space to talk about the games I am able to attend (or tivo in many cases), maybe share some fun stories, and post a few pictures. I can't promise to stick solely to the football, but I promise to bring something interesting from my weekend adventures. So welcome, and whether you're a football fan or not, I hope you have yourself a Pretty Nice Little Saturday!