Fresno State 11/5/11

I don't know what to say! I am almost speechless! I know that is hard to imagine that I am speechless, but 3 straight wins is incredible! Our latest win over the spear chucker's was just amazing! Our guys played with so much heart and determination. Makes me want to stand up and pound my chest! There are so many positive things going on right now and I really think that the players really believe in each other. Everyone stepped up and did their part. I am very proud of them all. Wow! Before I know it the Battle of the Bone will be right in front of me. I do not like Fresno State. They stole our mascot name and they associated our Bulldog in their graveyard. Has anyone told them that we are the one and only Bulldog. I hope we kick these no good Shih Tzu's down to the cellar of the MWC. No offense to Shih Tzu owners, but these guys don't even deserve to be in the same classification as the all mighty Bulldogs! I am not looking forward to this week. I really dislike road games that I am not going to. Not only is the week long, but the day of the game is even longer.

I spoke with Matt everyday this week. He said that the director of the FCA for Northwest Louisiana contacted him to see if he would introduce Matt Stover at the dinner that he was going to speak at in Ruston on November, 7th. Matt said he would and would be honored. He had to come up with a 3 to 5 minute speech about Matt Stover and his accomplishments at Tech, in the NFL and how he has reached out to him with guidance on the field and in life. This was really cool! Matt did have to get permission from CD as he would have to miss practice that Monday night as they started preparation for Ole Miss. CD told him absolutely you can do this! Matt was really stoked, but knew his main focus was on Fresno State. Overall he said he is kicking the ball good in warm ups and with the team. They work everyday on the snap timing and the placement of the ball. Anytime there is any deviation then the ball is not going to be where his foot is and this can cause all sorts of problems. That is why they say practice makes perfect!

For whatever reason his back has still been stiff during the day so they are going to try to get him good and stretched before he boards the plane for the long flight to Fresno. He said that he and Colby have a ton of finance homework to do and that should pass a lot of the time. He said the team has so much focus right now and they know they are so close to their golden ticket. They understand that they cannot look back at the past and cannot look forward to the future. They have to deal with what is in front of them today. In my opinion we have a very special group of guys on this team. I told Matt before he got on the plane good luck and always be 1 for 1. I don't worry about his mental toughness. He developed that all on his own. Oh no! Saturday is here and have 16 hours until kickoff. How am I going to juggle this at home tailgate thing all day? I guess I am going to have to drink a lot of water so I can dilute some of these adult beverages. Pacing myself will be very important today. Maybe I need to start a 1000 piece puzzle!

Not! Thank goodness the time changes tomorrow and we get an extra hour. I will need all of the help I can get. The OSU/KSU has been a good game. The Tide and LSPOO are giving the kickers of the world bad kicking JuJu! Where is 9:30 at? This is torture for me! I got my camera out so I could test taking pictures of the screen. This did not work. I was hoping I could just take pictures of Matt on the screen like I was at a home game and the crowd would tell me if it was good our not. I decided that I was going to try the closet approach on FG's & PAT's. My wife and I would be watching the game in separate rooms and if I went to her closet that by her reaction I would know if it was good. I know I am crazy and I will look back at this as one of the stupider superstitious things I have done. Oh well if it works then I am ok with it. It is 9:30 and the team is on the screen. I am ready for some Bulldog football! FSU kicks off and we go 3 and out and punt. Not the start I was looking for. FSU goes 3 and out and punts. Ok, we are now back to square one.

Tech takes the ball and after a quick first down and a 45 yard bomb to QP Tech scores. In the closet I go and the PAT is good. Matt kicks off and FSU runs 4 plays and punts, Tech runs 3 plays and punts. Now back to FSU and they run 3 plays and punt. The defense is playing lights out. Tech takes the ball and runs 5 plays with a MW 22 yard pass to QP for a TD. Off to the closet I go as the PAT is good. It is too early to feel good, but I have a good feeling! No U of H this time! The first quarter comes to an end with Tech up 14 - 0. We start the 2nd quarter as Tech runs 5 plays and Matt sets up for a 26 yard FG. They give me time to get in place and it is good. Tech is up 17 - 0. Hoo Ya! FSU you takes the kickoff and runs 8 plays and scores. Tech still leads 17 - 7. Did this really just happen? Alright it is our time. Tech runs 5 plays and LC scampers 53 yards for a TD. The PAT is good and Tech is up 24 - 7. I need a quick adult beverage and a drawer check. I have a good feeling, but I am still a nervous wreck!

FSU takes the kickoff and runs 5 plays and punts. Then it is CC throwing 75 yards to MW for a TD! Are you kidding me? The PAT is good and Tech is up 31 - 7. Happy Dance! Matt kicks off and FSU fumbles and we recover. My dogs think I ma nuts! We go 3 and out and Matt comes in for a 48 yard FG. I run to the closet and Janet said it was right. I fell to my knees. I know kickers don't make everything, but I want a perfect game for Matt. I need to gain my composure. Janet said he looked like he did not strike it well and it just stayed right the whole time. Maybe I need to stand on the patio instead of the closet! FSU takes over and runs 8 plays. They fail on 4th down and we take over on downs! Defense! Way to go! Tech takes over and runs 4 plays and Matt comes in for a 40 yard FG. I made my way slowly to the closet and Janet started clapping and screaming yes! I knew it was good! I told her not to yell so loud as the neighbors were going to think something else was going on. I was so glad that Matt came back after the miss and drilled the 40 yard FG. The 2nd quarter comes to an end with Tech up 34 - 7. I am worn out and need to slow down on my adult beverage intake!

 Wow! This is so awesome! I have been here and have done this before with the U of H game, but I feel really good about where we are at. Tech kicks off and we hold FSU to a 3 and out. Looking good so far! Tech comes out hot and after 7 plays CC hits RC on a 6 yard pass and Tech scores. I got brave this time and stayed put in my big brown chair as Matt connects with the PAT. Now we need to go for the kill. FSU goes on to score 2 more TD's and Tech wins 41 - 21. I am dancing on the patio! The dogs are confused and the Bulldogs have won another road game. How cool is this? I don't know what to say! I know it is late, but I am going to celebrate. I have an extra hour to play with tomorrow! Matt calls his mom after the game and he was pumped. He was so glad they beat Fresno State. They worked hard all week and everything paid off. He said he caught his 48 yard FG a little thin and it kept pushing right. He was disappointed that he missed, but wanted to celebrate the win with the team. He said the plane ride would be a whole lot sweeter with this huge win. He said when FSU fumbled the ball on his kickoff that he went into the pile and this FSU player kept punching him. The ref grabbed the guy and said he is the kicker, what do you think you are accomplishing? Matt thought that was pretty funny! I am sure there are things that go on in a pile that is pretty crazy. It was time to get on the bus so he had to go. All I can say is WOW! It will be a while before I can go to sleep. I am so proud of all of these guys. I don't have anything bad to say about the play calling except that we need to play with the same intensity in all 4 quarters.

I don't care if we score 60 points we need to be in attack mode. La Tech Football is on the rise and we need to keep our foot down and do not let them get up. I am so stoked! Great win Bulldogs! I hope next week goes by fast. I am going to be working in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Then we will head over to Mississippi late Friday.  It is going to be a long drive, but I am looking forward to whooping up on some SEC butt! Ole Piss has lost their last 12 SEC games and their coach is gone at the end of the year. No better time than to beat these black bears. Black bear? I was reading up on their traditions and their mascot is a black bear that they named Rebel in 2010. What is up with that? I thought you wore a flag! The other thing that is strange is that they say the University of Mississippi is buildings, trees and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion and personality. One is physical and the other is spiritual. One is tangible and the other is intangible. Sounds like to me that someone was smoking some funny stuff when they came up with this weirdness. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? I will leave my excitement for next week here. For all of those traveling to Oxford please be safe in your travels. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions on the coaches and their coaching abilities are only mine and no one else's. Many thanks to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. Don't forget to listen to J Ford and Chris Keagle with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!