Nothing But Iron: Say No to Fresno September 21, 2008 by Steven R. Lagman, M.D., C.A.S.W. I just ordered my NCAA football rules book, because it is obvious that I do not understand football. When I get it, I will read the section that defines pass completion and the one explaining fumbles and the one that explains regional geographic differences in perceptions of completions and fumbles. I think, based on what I saw last Saturday, that a pass is not complete until the receiver catches the ball and then supplies the quarterback with a signed, notarized receipt, in triplicate. That was pretty much all that was missing when the Bulldogs were awarded possession after a Pat Hill’s challenge reversed DeAndre Levy’s apparent fumble recovery. I suppose the other possibility is outright cheating, but that would be wack . . . or is it spelled WAC? For Fresno State, the officiating controversy, not to mention Wisconsin’s narrow margin of escape, means that Bulldogs Stadium is about as likely to see a Beatles reunion concert as it is another ranked team. I still think it was good that the Badgers went there. In a time when so much is done wrong in college football, Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema did it right. Though I was not impressed with the consistency of Wisconsin’s performance, I was impressed with a road win over a pretty good team. I say pretty good, because the Bulldogs contributed with game-turning mistakes, like missed field goals. Great teams don’t squander opportunities like Fresno State did. I like how the Badgers toughed it out in the last minutes of the game with Allan Evridge cramped up on the sidelines. Had Wisconsin folded I had this title ready to go: Dog Days of Bummer. I am thrilled to be able to spare you from that. I was even less impressed with the television coverage. You would think this was the decisive battle in the Iraq War, the way they overdramatized it, but I suppose it’s not flashy to tell it like it is: The team that wins gets a win and the team that loses gets a loss. Sure, because FS plays mostly feeble WAC competition it will be hard for the Bulldogs to get a BCS (the C is silent) game, but then again, nobody east of Pine Flat Lake (see Google Maps, like I did) could give a spit if the Bulldogs get a BCS game. So the victory was a less-than-elegant, but it was good experience for a team that is learning the role of contender. Contender for what will be defined in the coming weeks. Wisconsin’s offense seemed bothered by the noise of 42,000. Could it be that adding 60,000 voices to that next week in Ann Arbor will be an issue? OSU comes to the Camp the following week. I could imagine, with the Big Two’s spiraling credibility the Badgers will have to win both games by several touchdowns just to keep from falling out of the Top 25. It seems now that beating Michigan and OSU (not Ohio University, which is just about as good), may not be the greatest of UW’s conference challenges, especially with road games at Iowa and Michigan State. I’m sorry. That’s all the time we have. I must leave my keyboard to go pack for the Pack. Dallas visits Lambeau Field almost as often as Carl Sagan goes to church, so I am ready to welcome the Boys with clenched fists and a soon-to-be-hoarse voice. They are loaded with offensive weapons, some more offensive that others, so it might not matter what I do. The forecast calls for a high of 14 (wind chill minus 8) and a 60% chance of snow, but enough about my fantasies . . . _______________ Nothing But Iron is an amateur sports column. There was no time for proofreading. The author does not regret this at all. ©2008 DrTM Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.