14th Week Recap

• Texas 49 Texas A&M 9 - Total Longhorn domination. Sorry Aggiepete.

• Arkansas 31 LSU 30 - Hey, It happens. If it's any consolation 31-30 was same score of the Ole Miss - Florida game... and we came back. LSU can too, Luisleon. Go Tigers!

• USC 38 ND 3 - Total beat down and embarrassment of ND. Way to Go Trojans!

• Florida 45 FSU 15 - Ditto above. Just replace ND with FSU and Trojans with Gators.

Rivalry Week Upcoming Games

The upcoming games for the 14th week of the season --Rivalry Week-- for the principal blog participants are:

• Thursday November 27: 8 PM ET Texas A&M at Texas ESPN: OK, Aggies, it's time to man up and beat your hated Longhorned rivals one more time. Just like last year. And the year before. If only to honor the memory of your legendary coach, Bear Bryant, you must rise from the dust at College Station, travel to Austin, and reclaim your past glory. OK, if not for The Bear, then for the sake of clearing up any silly BS, I mean, BCS confusion, GET THE STUPID HORNS OUT-OF-OUR-WAY!!!

• Friday November 28: 2: 30 PM ET LSU at Arkansas CBS. OK, Luisleon, make us proud. Finish the regular season in a blaze of glory. Go up in the standings and make us look better :)

• Saturday November 29:

• 3:30 PM ET Florida at Florida State ABC - The Fraxedas Clan will not be traveling to enemy territory at Doak Campbell Stadium (Bobby Bowden Field?) in Tallahassee. We'll be watching at home, tailgating on left over turkey and fixings. Very, very dangerous game, by the way.

• 8:00 PM ET Notre Dame at USC ESPN. Note: Victor will be at this game with his son, Jose, introducing him to the USC/ND Rivalry. See "Repost" below of "Greatest Game Ever Played"

Other Games of Note:

• Saturday, 3:30 PM Auburn at Alabama

• Saturday, 8:00 PM Oklahoma at Oklahoma State ABC

Iowa and Georgetown are done. Good luck to all bloggers and, all Gators repeat after me: Go Gators! Roll Tide! And, for Heaven's Sake, Man Up Aggies!!!

The Greatest Game Ever Played - Repost!!!!!

In honor of The Trojans playing Notre Dame this weekend, I have taken the liberty of "re-posting" one of the best stories ever posted on this blog. It is Victor Cueto's account of his first college football game which he attended with his older brother, Jose, and Andy Katnik. It is truly a memorable story and it is definitely worth re-reading. It means a great deal to me because, although I did not get to spend much time with Andy Katnik, I always felt Andy was a kindred soul. I understood his love and passion for the Trojans and knew it was the same as my love and passion for the Gators. Although Notre Dame is not even a shadow of it's former self, USC - ND is one of the great historic rivalries in college football. So here is Victor's great post:

• As requested... It was the fall of 1974. My brother, Jose, was a Sophomore at USC. He had spent his Freshman year at UC San Diego in La Jolla, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. At any rate, after his 1st year in college, he had a change of heart and, most important, he had his big buddy, Andy Katnik (who later would become our brother-in-law after his marriage to our sister, Annie) tugging him towards "The University" as he called it. Jos would visit Andy there and he had the urge to join him in L.A. The inevitable happened and Jos joined Andy at SC. I was just a Junior in high school and, once Jos stepped onto the SC campus, everything changed. We were Notre Dame fans since childhood due to the Catholic upbringing and, since we were raised in the Mid-West, we were inside the "sphere of influence" that a place like ND has/had. We rooted for them, even after we moved to California. We had many friends who were associated with either SC or UCLA; but, we were from Michigan, so we either rooted for the Wolverines (which at that time and place was like rooting for Australia in rugby) or for Notre Dame (which was the dreaded enemy of the Trojans). At any rate, Jos kept telling me about the Trojans and what a great team they had and how he was going to invite me up to a game...but, it had to be the right game. I waited all season long when the call came. Jos said, "I am saving you a ticket for the SC/ND game." He said it was the biggest game of the year and he wanted to invite me up for the game. Well, the occasion came. It was Thanksgiving Weekend. On the even # years, SC hosted the Irish. It was the last game of the year, even scheduled after the cross-town rivalry game against UCLA. I always thought that was amazing that they had to play such difficult games back-to-back every other year. But, what the heck. I went up to the game. Jos, Andy and all their buddies had the routine down pat. They knew exactly where to go and what to do. Regardless of the sea of humanity on the Sc campus, in Exposition Park, or around the Coliseum, they knew where to go and, believe me, for the first time in such a circumstance, it was comforting because at 16 years old, that can be very intimidating. Well, we made our way into the grand Coliseum, where the Olympics were held in 1932 (they were held there again in 1984). SC had been playing there home games there since 1923. The ivy hanging from the walls let everyone know the place had been there for a long, long time. The pageantry was cool, although unknown to me at the time. Jos would give me tidbits every now and they but he pretty much let me soak it in. I still had a liking for ND due to my childhood, but, once I saw Jos and Andy and how intense they were, I realized that the ND collar that I had in my youth was being stripped away. Cardinal and Gold all the way. The student section, which is where we were seated, started to do a chant, which I later came to know as a "So Cal Spellout". The cheer spells out Southern California, letter by letter, then it stops abruptly, and the students yell out the word "Southern" and they delay and crescendo into the "California". It is hard to describe, but, if you are in attendance (or if you know anybody who has attended "The University") no description is necessary. Suffice to say, it is way cool. Much has been written about the game. The Irish racing to a 24-0 lead just before the half. The amazing comeback (final score: 55-24). The magnitude of the inter-sectional rivalry). What I remember most are the following: The SC yell leader kept reminding the students over the loudspeaker that SC had come back before. Not to worry. We can come back. I was worried. But, Jos and Andy stood firm. "Don't worry"..."we can come back". I was worried. I could not believe that SC could come back against such a strong ND team which was loaded with talent and came into the game with only 1 or 2 losses (this was no slouch team). Ara Parsegian, the legendary Irish coach, was roaming the sidelines for goodness sakes!!! He would not allow a comeback from such a lead. Lo and behold, SC scored a touchdown (which seemed meaningless at the time) right before halftime. They went for 2 and missed. Halftime score: Irish 24, SC 6. It was a wipeout in the making. Anthony Davis returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. We stood and went crazy. I still remember Jos and Andy jumping half-way to the sky. Once he broke containment, we could see he was going to go all the way. We stood and went bananas!!!!! Could it be. Can we come back. History recalls that we went on to stage a miraculous comeback...probably the best in history. But, at the time, SC was still a little bit out of sync. We missed the 2 point try (again), so we were still behind: ND 24, SC 12. Still a large deficit against the powerful ND. On the ensuing kickoff, a reserve linebacker playing on special teams, David Lewis, hurled his body at the ND return man and leveled him with a ferocious hit!! Down he went at the 12 yard-line. Since we were still standing from the excitement of Davis' kick return. We never sat down again! Play after play. Score after score. ND could do nothing right and SC could do nothing wrong. Fumbles and interceptions by ND were converted by scores by SC. The scoreboard could not keep up and broke!! If you count the score just before halftime, the 35 points in the 3rd quarter, and the 14 we tacked on in the first part of the 4th quarter, SC scored an amazing 55 points in 17 and 1/2 minutes!!!!!!! Not against Oregon State. Not against Stanford. This was Notre Dame, the most storied program in history. Sports Illustrated called it the "California Earthquake". Never had a team scored 24 unanswered points to be immediately followed by 55 unanswered points by the opposition. Even Traveler, the SC mascot which is a beautiful white horse with a "Trojan" riding atop the stallion (which appears out of the Coliseum tunnel after every score) could not muster the strength to come out after so many scores in such rapid succession. The aftermath was draining. We were so excited, but, yet drained. It was exhausting. Almost as if we had played in the actual game. We were tired. Horse. Almost unable to walk.... But, we were high as a kite! We had just witnessed a spectacular game. Jos commented to me..."not bad for you first college game". There is so much more; but, time is short. The rest will be served with a cold beer. Jos and Andy in their glory. That is what I love most... Love to all!!!!!! Victor

Cuban Rudy: Javier Estopinan

Some time ago I told Victor that "Rudy" was one of my favorite movies. In typical Trojan fashion he shot back, "There's nothing special or unique about Notre Dame's Rudy! Every College Team has it's Rudy!" As usual, Victor was right. Yesterday was senior day at The Swamp. All the graduating seniors and their families received emotional special recognition before the game. But Urban Meyer saved a glorious moment during the game for Javier Estopinan, who is from Miami and a son of Cuban parents. Estopinan, a defensive lineman for the Gators, suffered a series of devastating injuries which required three knee reconstructions over the past several years and have kept him off the field for most of his college career. He has not even been listed on the depth chart since early in 2006. He missed the last eight games of the 06 season and the National Championship game. But he hung in with the team, attending team meetings, doing everything he could for the Gators. He is also an excellent student who graduated with honors and is already working on his master's degree at UF. Shortly after the first team was pulled from the field, Urban Meyer gave Estopinan a golden moment he will remember for the rest of his life. Florida had racked up a quick 49 points and the Gators were ready to score once more from the one yard line. Suddenly number 93 struts in from the Gator sideline and everybody around me starts asking, "Who is that?" "Who's 93?" Everyone starts searching their programs furiously. A white haired professor sitting in front of me turns around and says, "That's one of my students, Javier Estopinan. He's a real nice kid. He told me Urban Meyer promised him something special today and I think this is it!" We all watch as Number 93 lines up next to our third string QB John Brantley. Long count. The ball is snapped and Brantley hands off to Number 93. Number 93 freezes for a moment, almost as if he didn't know what to do. Then he veers right, runs over a Citadel linebacker, and into the endzone. Touchdown! Standing ovation from an emotional crowd! Estopinan, as quoted in the Miami Herald: ''It was awesome,'' Estopinan said. 'There was no other feeling. If you watch the play again, I almost froze for a little bit, and then I started going again. It was real special." Javier Estopinan, Cuban Rudy.

13th Week Recap

• Ole Miss 31 LSU 13 - Gang, Ole Miss is for real. They put the hurt on the Gators at The Swamp back in September and now they beat LSU in Death Valley. Houston Nutt has a lot to be proud of. That "Wild Rebel" (Formerly 'Wild Hog') formation should not be taken lightly. It works. It works so well the Gators used it this Saturday, (Now newly dubbed the "Wild Gator.") It was fun to watch. Sorry about that Luisleon. You guys should try the "Wild Tiger." ...After you get a new quarterback.

• Iowa 55 Minnesota 0 - Man, Hawkeye Ted, Iowa is romping stomping back! You guys seriously spanked Minnesota last night. As I was coming out of The Swamp yesterday afternoon (before your game against Minnesota), I ran into a guy proudly wearing a Hawkeye cap. I shook his hand and personally thanked him for taking Penn State out of our way. A bunch of Gators around me did the same, yelled, "Go Hawks!!!" and wished your Hawkeyes well against Minn. I guess it worked. You guys went crazy against a bowl bound Minnesota team. I love College Football!

• Florida 70 Citadel 19 - It was a beautiful day at The Swamp. Perfect football weather. Although The Citadel played their hearts out and fought valiantly, it was over early in the first quarter. It truly was a scrimmage. The Gator first team was taken out early in the second quarter and the Gator Rudy's got to play most of the game. There's a heartwarming "Rudy" story I will post separately under "Cuban Rudy".

Victor Son's Water Polo Team --Foothill-- Reaches Finals!!!!!

Victor's son's (Jose) Foothill's Water Polo Team has made it to the pinnacle of water polo by reaching the CIF Southern Section Division I Finals. The match-up is between the top 2 teams in Southern California, Foothill and El Toro. The match will be held tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 8 p.m. (Pacific) at the Woolett Swim Complex in Irvine, located between Culver and Jeffrey on Walnut (much closer to Culver); South of the 5 Fwy. Parking is going to be a bear as, at virtually the same time, the Division II final, pitting Mater Dei against Servite, will, also, be held at Woolett!

For the semi-finals this past Wednesday night, we parked on the other side of the park and walked in as the front (main) parking lot is too small to accommodate all attending.

Let me know if you are planning on going. Parking and tickets will be a problem. We plan on getting there at least 30 minutes before the game.

Note: A little history...Foothill and El Toro played just 2 weeks ago in their league final. FHS prevailed in a thriller, 11-10, in double overtime. More history...although I am not sure, Foothill has made it to the water polo finals a coupe of times over their long and illustrious history, however, I do not believe they have won. Can they break through? We will see. VMC

GO KNIGHTS!!!

Indeed, Victor there is other life outside College Football. Congratulations Knights!!! Go forth and bring home a trophy!

13th Week Upcoming Games

The Upcoming Games for the 13th Week of the Season for the principal blog participants are:

• 1:30 PM ET Citadel @ Florida

• 3:30 PM ET Ole Miss @ LSU - CBS

• 7:03 PM ET Iowa @ Minnesota - Big Ten Network

• USC and Texas A&M are Idle. Georgetown is done.

• Other Game of note. In fact, only game of note: 8:00 PM ET Texas Tech @ Oklahoma - ABC

Good luck to all blog participants!

From: Chris Fowler@ESPN

• "The Trojans, in fact, would be favored over all potential BCS opponents. OU would be a 2½-point underdog to USC, Texas Tech a 4-point dog, and Texas 5½ points. One of the most evenly matched title games would be USC and Florida, with the Gators a 1½-point underdog."

I bet there's more than a couple family members out there who would say this is guy knows what he is talking about! I'll take the underdog role in a title game ;-)

12th Week Recap

Here's The Recap for the 12th week of the season for the principal blog participants:

• Fordham 17 Georgetown 0 - Fordham opened up a 10-0 lead at the half and added another score in the third quarter en route to a 17-0 win over Georgetown in front of 2,758 fans at Jack Coffey Field Saturday afternoon. Willy, your Hoyas need to show more consistency. They got cocky after last week's resounding victory. You need to take them to school. Better luck next week!

• Iowa 22 Purdue 17 - In yet another nail-biting episode, the Hawkeyes watched a desperation pass from Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter sail over everyone's head for an incompletion as time expired, giving Iowa its seventh win on the season. Congratulations Hawkeye Ted!

• Baylor 41 Texas A&M 21 - With a couple of long passes and some nifty pitches, Robert Griffin helped lead Baylor to a rare victory over Texas A&M that ensured the turnover-plagued Aggies a losing season. Griffin threw touchdown passes of 31 and 55 yards and Jacoby Jones ran for two scores after taking late pitches from Griffin in Baylor's 41-21 victory Saturday. It was only the second time the Bears won in their last 23 meetings against Texas A&M. Sorry about that, Aggiepete. Big 12 is rockin' as you predicted, though. Some real razzle-dazzle teams.

• LSU 40 Troy 31 - Concho, Luisleon, you had me scared to death! I was driving back from The Swamp last night, catching up on late games on the radio, and I hear that LSU is down 28 points! I immediately called LL and not only did our dear Cuban Cajun not know the score. He didn't even know who LSU was playing. You've given up on your Tigers, man! What happened to my team win or lose??? I've got to rally you back to Geaux Tiger frenzy. You guys had a heroic comeback. The biggest comeback in LSU history! And you missed it!!! LSU rallied from 28 points down to beat Troy. The Trojans led 31-3 midway through the third quarter before the Tigers came storming back for the largest comeback in school history, outscoring Troy 30-0 in the fourth. Way to defend the honor of the SEC. Geaux Tigers!

• SC 45 Stanford 23 - After a sluggish first half by Southern California, it looked as if there could be another Stanford stunner.Then the Trojans took control of the trenches and the game to put last year's shocking loss to the Cardinal to rest. Stafon Johnson ran for two second-half touchdowns and C.J. Gable also scored twice to help No. 6 USC overcome an early deficit and deal a dose of revenge to Stanford with a crushing victory Saturday. USC head coach Pete Carroll remains undefeated against Pac-10 foes who beat him the previous year, moving to 9-0 in such games. Even more impressive is Carroll's November record at USC which moved to 26-0. Congratulations Trojans!

• Florida 56 South Carolina 6 - Florida played well. Hope we keep it up.

A few words from the old ball coach, on playing UF yesterday

"This team is a lot better than the one two years ago (that won the national championship)," Spurrier said after the game. "I said they had a chance (in '06) because they won all the close ones. This team that they have now is a lot stronger than that one, in my opinion."