Pinch me I must be dreaming...

Before the game on Saturday, Corey Leonard told the Herald, "Come Saturday it's just us versus them and we'll see who wants it more." Well I guess ARKANSAS STATE wanted it more as they pulled the upset against Texas A&M on Saturday by a score of 18-14.

Leonard threw to Kevin Jones for a 15 yard touchdown to make the score 15-14 with 7:10 left in the 4th quarter. A 37-yard field goal by Josh Arauco and an interception by Ben Owens sealed the upset over the Aggies.

Leonard finished the night 15-28 for 161 and a TD through the air and 86 yards on 18 carries as ASU picked up its first win as the newly appointed Red Wolves.



Reggie Arnold came through in a big way for the Red Wolves with a 145 yards on 21 carries. After giving up two rushing touchdowns in the first half, the defense of Arkansas State stepped up mentally and physically to slow down the rushing attack of Goodson who finished the night with a 122 yards and 2 TDs.

But the player of the game, besides Corey Leonard, goes to Arauco who made four field goals on the night. (37, 28, 25, 37) Last season, Arauco was 4 of 7 from 30-39 yards out with an overall percentage of 65.2 on the year. He has definitely showed a vast improvement over the off season.

Do not call this a fluke. Do not call this a miracle. Arkansas State simply outplayed the Aggies. They had 421 yards compared to A&Ms 301. Aggie quarterback McGee threw two interceptions. Leonard threw NONE. In fact, ASU turned it over only one time on a Leonard fumble. ASU scored 15 unanswered points in the second half to come back from a 14-3 deficit. I don't know what Coach Roberts said in the locker room at half time but it must have had the quality of a "Friday Night Lights" or even a "Waterboy." OK so it probably was little better than "Remember that one time when Bobby Boucher showed up at half time and the Mud Dogs won!" but whatever it was it surely sparked the ASU defense to finish one of the biggest upsets in school history!

Arkansas State definitely did better than other Sun Belt School on opening weekend. LA Lafayette, FAU, FIU, LA Monroe, and North Texas were all blown out by their opponents.

This is the first time that ASU has beaten A&M (1-3) and it could not have come a better time. Maybe the change from Indian to Red Wolves sparked the motivation to make this inaugural season one to remember. Time will only tell. Next week we have Texas Southern so be sure to make the five minute walk to watch your Red Wolves take the field for the first time in the 2008 season.

Stats from www.rivals.com

First night in the bowling league

The competition looked fierce as me and my teammate Jason walked into the bowling alley on Thursday night. We had no idea of what we were about to get ourselves into. Here were 30 to 40 year-old-men hurling the ball with more accuracy and spin then I have ever seen and me and Jason knew we might be a little over our heads with this one.

But none the less Jason and I promptly got our lanes and patiently awaited the start of the night. Before we began a small group of people from our local ministry came and became a cheering squad for us. Maybe it was the pressure to perform or the nervousness of the first match but I just couldn't get into any rhythm. My highest score was a measly 139. That was the first game and the rest just went down hill from there.

Hopefully things can only get better from here. Basically, from what I understand, you can compete against your average. So since tonight we had a low average it should be easier as the season progresses. I really need to improve on picking up spares. I left so many open frames tonight that could have help my team.

Here's to next week.

Quiet Strength

I don't usually read that much but this summer I was without cable so I found myself reading for purely entertainment purposes. Scary right? Anyways one of the books that I came across was Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy of the Colts.

Quiet Strength tells the story of Tony and his life as a head coach, a player, and a family man. It is very interesting read that any one following the NFL or sports should pick up. It is also describes Tony's faith and how much of an impact his faith has had on his career and personal life.

Told by Tony himself the writing may not be exactly top-notch which makes it an easy read for almost anybody. I really enjoyed getting an inside look on his life and career.

One of the most memorable part of the book is Tony describing the pain that he and his family went through when their son committed suicide. How the city of Tampa, former players and teammates, church members, etc surrounded the Dungy family during their time of mourn. This is such a good read, I highly suggest it.

The Come Back Kid

"Everyone's tired after January." Those were the words of one ESPN columnist shortly after Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers retired earlier this year. The question of Brett coming back was up in the air at the time and most people speculated that the 40 something veteran would return for the fall season. And true to form, Favre does make a comeback. But as a NY Jet!? Im still skeptical of this so called come back.

First, can you really come back if you declared your retirement during the off season but return the very next season? This isn't like when Michael Jordan returned to play for the Washington Wizards. Its more or less a Free Agent pick up then a "coming back."

Second, how will the Madden curse affect Favre this season? Vince Young more or less broke the curse when he appeared on the cover by not being injured. But it still looms over the heads of players such as McNabb and others who were plagued by the curse of the Madden cover. So what is going to happen to Favre? Will having to photoshop a Jets jersey over the Packer jersey affect the curse? Its tough to say. No one has ever switched teams after being plastered on the infamous game (at least that I know of) so its tough to say.

Finally, how will Favre respond to the New York environment? It took Eli nearly four years and a Super Bowl championship for the press and fans to get off his back? Remember at the beginning of last year, people wanted him fired? So will Favre be able to make the cut? Its going to be a difficult task taking a bottom of the cellar team to the top but I think if anyone can do it, its Favre. I mean he's like a legend and this is his comeback year?!

Skip Caray passes at 68

In what seems to just add insult to injury for the Atlanta Braves, longtime broadcaster Skip Caray passes away in his home in Atlanta on Sunday.

The Braves who are just having a pitiful season this year with a plague of injuries, slumps, and everything else that could go wrong with a franchise are trying to recover from the news of a passing of a long time friend in Skip Caray. The Braves as of Tuesday are ten games behind the first place Phillies.

According to a press release released by the Braves, "This season marked the 33rd year Caray had been calling names for the Atlanta Braves, a majority of which were for TBS, which gave Caray a national audience and fan base. Caray is son of Harry Carry, the former Chicago Cubs Hall - of - Fame play-by-play announcer.

Caray is survived by another Braves announcer Chip Caray who, let's be honest, is not quite as good as his father or grandfather. I can't quite put my finger on what is different from Chip but I just don't think any one can ever live to up to the likes of "Holy Cow!" His calls are just a little less enthusiastic.

Hartwig to compete in 2008 Olympics

Joining the Americans in the Olympics this year is former ASU track athlete Jeff Hartwig. This is will be Hartwig’s second appearance in the Olympics after competing in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

During the press conference, the soon to be 41-year-old recalled the opening ceremonies from the 1996 Olympics and how he and the rest of the athletes stood in the southern humidity for nearly four hours at Fulton County Stadium before ever entering the stadium that the Olympics were being held at.

“To cut down the amount of traffic, they had us wait at Fulton County for nearly four hours and because the host team is the last team to be introduce, and we were all in our full gear, it was extremely hot,” Hartwig said. “I think this year I am just going to skip the opening ceremonies.”

Hartwig tried to explain the amount of dedication and work that an athlete must go through for the Olympics.

“For me it’s a like a life long dedication. I’m constantly away from family and home,” Hartwig said. “I don’t have a regular schedule. Every day is a work day.”

According to www.asuindians.com, Hartwig leaves for China Aug. 6 and will reside at the U.S. pre-Olympic camp at Dalian, China. From there he will leave for the Olympic Village in Beijing several days before the pole-vaulting competition begins Aug. 20.