Thanksgiving

Chloe and I were at the lake for Thanksgiving.

We spent time with family.

We watched football (on Friday we cheered for Texas A&M...thought they might pull-off the upset).

We walked barefoot through the mud and cold water on the lakeshore.

We couldn't go into the cabin until our feet were clean again, so we played fetch on the deck for a little while.

We played cribbage. Actually that was more me than Chloe, although I'm sure she wanted to play too.

We walked across the street to see the beautiful homes being built, and dreamed of someday living in one with a big backyard out in the country somewhere. The big backyard part of the dream was more Chloe's than mine. But I really wouldn't mind a big backyard.

We ate turkey. And yams. And mashed potatoes and gravy. And fruit salad. And some sort of strange broccoli dish. And apple pie for dessert. Yes, both of us. (spoiled rotten little mutt)

We tried to eat a turkey bone, but mom took it away too quickly. That was actually more Chloe than me. I don't eat turkey bones.

We took a long walk down to the falls and our neighbors mistakenly identified Chloe as a beagle. Silly people. All that turkey must have gone to their heads. It's obvious she's a bassett/black lab mix.

We took another long walk down to the Pines to buy a postcard to send to a friend far-far away. My friend, not Chloe's. Though I'm sure Chloe would like him just as much as I do and they would instantly be friends.

We slept.

We didn't want to come home. But we had a great time and will enjoy the memories.

(We look forward to going back up to the lake for Christmas!!)

Fresno State 42, USC 50

(I stole the blue font from an article in the Fresno Bee this morning...shhhhhhh don't tell!)
By the way...the blue section is filled with a bit more "football jargon" than the pink below it, so if you're not a big football fan, you might just want to skip right on down to the pink. :-)

Four interceptions, two in the end zone.

One fumble at the Bulldogs' 15-yard line, which allowed the Trojans to take a 50-42 lead with 3:06 left in the game.

"You turn the ball over five times, you don't expect it to be that close against a team of that caliber," Pinegar said.

And yet, there the Bulldogs were.

Their (the Bulldogs) 21-13 halftime lead was whittled away in a 21-point Trojans spurt during a 3-minute span early in the third quarter, and Fresno State kept crawling back.

Twice, USC extended its lead to double digits in the second half.

Both times, Fresno State answered with touchdowns to force the sellout crowd of 90,007 fans — an estimated 20,000 wearing Bulldogs red — to cling to their seats.

"It went back and forth. We had our shots," Hill said. "They played hard all night."

Pinegar threw touchdown passes of 1 yard to Jermaine Jamison and 14 yards to Joe Fernandez in the first half as the Bulldogs became the first visitor to the Coliseum to lead the Trojans at halftime in 43 games.

Pinegar's 20-yard touchdown pass to Paul Williams cut USC's lead to 34-28 midway through the third quarter.

Then, Pinegar's 6-yard touchdown pass to Fernandez got the Bulldogs back within (6 points) 41-35 with 9:59 left in the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, Marcus McCauley jarred the ball loose from Bush, and Jason Huss recovered at the Trojans' 18.

Fresno State running back Wendell Mathis, who ran 23 times for 109 yards against one of the nation's leading run defenses, sliced through the left side on the next play for an 18-yard touchdown and a 42-41 lead with 9:47 remaining.

USC forged back ahead with LenDale White's 2-yard touchdown run and Mario Danelo's 26-yard field goal for a 50-42 lead with 3:06 left in the game.

First down, Fresno State, at the Bulldogs' 28.

First, the Bulldogs converted a fourth-and-6 at the Bulldogs' 32 when Pinegar swung an 8-yard pass to Matt Rivera.

Pinegar followed with a 5-yard pass to Fernandez at the Bulldogs' 45, then watched Rivera rumble 30 yards on a screen pass to the Trojans' 25.

First down, 1:37 left in the game. Already, the Bulldogs' defense was getting ready to make an overtime stand, just as it did to beat Virginia in the MPC Computers Bowl last season.

"I really thought we were going to pull it out just like the Virginia game," middle linebacker Dwayne Andrews said. "I just had a feeling."

Pinegar took the snap and scanned the field. He saw Paul Williams streaking toward the middle of the end zone.

"I tried to get the ball over the top," said Pinegar, who got hit in the legs as he unleashed his 45th and final pass attempt.

"I just didn't get enough on it."

USC safety Darnell Bing cut in front of Williams and intercepted the ball, running it back 40 yards.

"That's all she wrote," Hill said.


Man that was a good game...

Here's what I wrote about it last night:

Well, it's just about midnight here in Fresno and the big game is over...did you watch it? I'm so tired...I think I'm going to turn in right now. That was the most emotionally exhausting game I've ever sat through. Seriously! It wore me out...haha.

I thought we were going to pull off that "W", and I was on my edge of my seat or standing and jumping up and down and yelling for most of the game...

...like when we scored first and were up 7-0!

...and then when the first half ended and we were up 21-13!!

...and then again when we went ahead in the fourth quarter 42-41!!!

So exciting!

The play that ended the game for us was late in the fourth quarter.

We were down by 8 and on the USC 25 (or about there) with just over a minute left in the game. One touchdown and the two point conversion to tie the game would put us into OT with the number one team in the country. Paul Pinegar stepped back from the snap and threw a beautiful pass right into the end zone...and right into the hands of USC for interception number four of the night.

Augh!!

We were so close!

After that, USC took two knees, and with them another "W" for themselves.

But man, you have to have so much respect for Fresno State football right now, for keeping themselves on the board and right up there with USC for the whole game (despite the four (or was it five?) turnovers)...

It seemed as though (except for a few minutes at the start of the second half when USC had 21 unanswered points) every time USC scored, we would answer back with a touchdown of our own.

Way to go 'Dogs! I'm so proud of those guys. Some people say that in football a moral victory isn't as great as a real "W"... But heck, give those boys some credit!

Can't wait to see where we are on the rankings tomorrow morning!

(#16) Fresno State vs (#1) USC

So...the big game is this Saturday night...and I'm not going. I can't believe it. The biggest game Fresno State has played in about the last five or six (or maybe ten) years and I don't have tickets! What kind of a fan-alum am I? Well, I had tickets, but ah...that's a long story. So anyway, it's not a home game or it would no doubt be sold out...we never have a problem selling-out games. I decided the other day that I just had to be there, so I was looking around online to find tickets and one site (thanks again, Abe!) showed a price range of anywhere from $89 to over $1k. Yeah right! Oh well. There's always tv...I guess. It's not even close to the same, but at least it's something. :-)

You're wondering why I'm so dramatic over a football game, I know. Besides the fact that I just love football in general, you have to understand the situation. You see, the game is Fresno State vs USC. The last time we played USC (Freedom Bowl '92), we won. Crazy to even think about that now! I know, I know...we're facing a completely different team than we did back then. And I can guess what you're thinking--Fresno State will be lucky to still be standing at the end of the first quarter, much less win the game itself. But come on...give us a little credit. Do you even know what Fresno State's upset record with big-name great-record schools is? Me neither. But if you find out, let me know. hehe. I think a "W" is definitely possible though. I mean, anything is possible...

So I'll be seated on the couch this Saturday night watching the Fox Sports Network from 6:58pm (that would be PST) until the last second of the game ticks off the clock...feel free to call and celebrate with me when our little ol' #16 school knocks off the big name #1.

Oh come on...a girl can hope, right?

And in the meantime...here's an article to tell you a bit more about the showdown. Happy reading....and "Goooooooooooooo Dogs!"