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Memo to Gary Patterson:&#160 All is forgiven.

at Arlington Heights 57, Paschal 7
UBuffalo 13, at Northern Illinois 31
LSU 3, at Auburn 7
Oklahoma 33, at Oregon 34
at TCU 12, Texas Tech 3
at Dallas 27, Washington 10

Can’t tell you anything about the UBuffalo game except the final score.&#160 Which was a loss for Turner Gill’s team, as I expected.&#160 They covered the spread, though, so we’ll consider it a victory of sorts.

…

For the first five minutes of the game, Paschal gave Arlington Heights all it could handle, and then some.&#160 From the opening kickoff until 7:00 remained in the first period when the Panthers scored, Heights could do nothing right, and Paschal could do nothing wrong.&#160 Even when Paschal tried to fumble away the opportunity, Heights was right there with a personal foul or some other penalty to give the momentum right back.&#160 After the Panther touchdown, things weren’t looking all that good.&#160 Paschal was flat-out kicking Heights’ ass.

Then Paschal had to kick off.

Probably the turning point in the game.

Remember this name:&#160 Donnell Dickerson.

If this young man is wowing college football crowds a few years from now, you heard it here first:&#160 The kid is a stud.

Granted, it was Paschal.&#160 Granted, Paschal isn’t very good – there are probably a couple of middle schools that would give ’em a helluva fight.

But anytime you average&#160 30 yards a carry, I figure you’re doing something&#160 right.

Dickerson’s final line: 11 carries, 333 yards.&#160 Two of his carries – a 92-yarder and a 57-yarder the very next time he touched the ball – were the exact same play:&#160 a run through a huge hole off right tackle, and then just outrun all the coverage on the way to the end zone.

In the second half, after the game had already been decided, Coach Duke Christian let Dickerson play quarterback for a couple of series.&#160 Whereupon Dickerson showed off a frickin’ howitzer&#160 of an arm.

You read it here first, PFWers:&#160 This kid could be the poor man’s Vinnie Young.

…

The good news is that Bo Pelini’s defense only allowed Auburn 7 points.

The bad&#160 news is that Les Miles’ offense only scored 3.

LSU had a chance to win on the final play of the game, but JaMarcus Russell’s pass to Early Doucet at the 10 was followed with a vicious&#160 hit by Auburn defensive back Eric Brock at the 4, ending the game.

Now, having said all that, I am going to sound a familiar theme:&#160 Eleven-on-eighteen still isn’t fair.

LSU had a critical pass-interference penalty, as well as the drive it would have continued, overruled by a review zebra’s determination that the ball was tipped, thus negating the PI penalty.&#160 Never mind that the PI came before&#160 the ball was tipped, which would’ve given LSU the ball with first-and-goal.&#160 Did anyone check the replay zebra for mint julep breath?

…

And if LSU thought it&#160 got shafted, Oklahoma got it three times as bad.

Scene:&#160 Oregon has just scored, but OU still leads, 33-27, with 1:09 to play.&#160 Oregon attempts the obligatory onside kick.

First blunder by the Pac-10&#160 (read:&#160 homer) zebras working the game:&#160 An Oregon player (Brian Paysinger) touches the ball before it’s traveled the requisite 10 yards.&#160 Illegal procedure, OU should have the ball at that spot, or at the very least have Oregon re-kick from five yards back.

Nothing gets called.

Second blunder:&#160 Allen Patrick of OU recovers the onside kick.&#160 And the ball gets awarded to Oregon.

And the third&#160 fuck-up in a row by the homer zebras occurs on the next play:&#160 A pass-interference call on Darien Williams gave the ball to Oregon on OU’s 23.&#160 Oregon scored the winning touchdown on the next play.

Just one small, almost trivial, thing:&#160 The pass was tipped before any contact took place, and replays showed it.

Now, it’s customary for the visiting team to supply officials from its conference for the game.&#160 The Pac-10, apparently, never got that memo.

Makes one almost wonder if this is the Pac-10’s way of sticking it back to the Big XII for USC giving last year’s national championship to TU.

…

Dallas’ win over the Deadskins was hardly inspirational.&#160 The defense did what it had to do – shut down a team in its second game under a new offense – and Bledsoe, while adequate, wasn’t spectacular, save for one 40-yard touchdown pass to Terry Glenn.

And a special-teams breakdown cost the Cowboys a 100-yard kickoff return by “Rock” Cartwright, which gave Parcells a pretty severe case of indigestion the rest of the night.

Moreover, Widdle Terri Owens broke his ring finger, and expects to miss 2-4 weeks.&#160 (At least, that’s what they’re saying&#160 – but don’t let that fool you.&#160 You & I both&#160 know he’s gonna play against the Beagles.&#160 Bank on that.)

…

One play epitomized TCU’s effort against Texas Tech.

Late in the fourth quarter, Tech driving.&#160 Graham Harrell launches a pass down the right sideline for receiver Robert Johnson.

Enter TCU safety Marvin White.

Ball & Johnson get there simultaneously.&#160 White gets there a fraction of a nanosecond later.

BOOM!!!

Marvin White separated Robert Johnson’s helmet from his body.&#160 Damned near with Johnson’s head still inside.

Jeff Ballard wasn’t all that great – he kept overthrowing his receivers pretty much all evening – but he was able to move the ball just enough to allow Chris Manfredini to kick four medium-range field goals to account for TCU’s points, and the TCU defense made it stand up.

Tech fans (the stadium was about half-full with ’em) were all with their little “guns up” sign before and during the game.&#160 I’d say that RightAboutNow&#153, at least one of those guns are stuck tight to the forehead.&#160 In the shape of an L, if you know what I mean.

Gary Patterson, I have, in this space, ripped you royally for being in over your head as a Division I NCAA coach.&#160 I now officially stand corrected, and retract it all.

You’re a damned good coach, sir, and I’d just as soon you stay at TCU for a spell.

This week:&#160 4-2 (UBuffalo covered the spread).&#160 Overall:&#160 12-5 (they covered last week, too).

The PFW will return on Friday.&#160 Maybe.&#160 At least three of my teams are down this weekend, and maybe more.

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