Regardless of the Kirkster's opinion (and who is he anyway? I know he evidently is a college sports opinionator on ESPN), I am as proud as anyone could be of my old school, Northern Illinois University.
I was so positive the Big Boys (as represented by the Kirkster) were going to find a way to keep us out of one of the big games, that I was even sort of hoping Kent State might win the MAC championship game since they were ranked higher, #16, than NIU, #21. I figured it would be harder for the MAC to get locked out.
NEVER AN EASY ROAD FOR US
Was I ever shocked Sunday night to find out Northern was going to a BCS bowl, the Orange Bowl, to play Florida State.
It has never been easy for NIU in football. As a mid-major, one of the schools the Big Boys (BB) are trying to keep down so as not to have to share the money, you do not get the primo players. You have to hope the BBs overlook some talent. Then, if you start having any success at all, the BBs immediately grab up your coach and you have to start over.
Before the last two coaches "doerened" it to the BBs, we were fortunate to have a coach stick with us for an extended period, Joe Novak, and that is why we are at where we are now. Coach Kill built on Novak's program as we hope Doeren did as well. To me, you really don't know what a coach can do until he has been at the helm for at least three years and Doeren was with us for just two.
Granted, like the Kirkster said, we did lose to Iowa by one point (after leading most of the game) in the final minute of the game (I'm sure if we played them later in the season it would have been a victory. And then, the other two bigger teams we played, Army and Kansas, weren't very good either.
But, we also had two of the last three games against ranked teams, Toledo and Kent State and won both of them.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE 2003 SEASON
Maybe this makes up a little for the 2003 season when Northern went 10-2 and beat a ranked Maryland team, Iowa State and, best of all, even a ranked Alabama team and, because we didn't win the MAC, didn't go to a BCS bowl, or for that matter, not even to any sort of bowl game.
Proud to Be Representing the MAC in the Orange Bowl. --A Real Happy Dog
Being an account of some things I'm interested in, what I'm doing, and reflections on my past, especially music.
Listen to this man. Seven years of college, you know. Trying to reason with 2020 and, now, 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment