Just What the Doctor Ordered

When this year's CSU-Pueblo schedule was analyzed it was clear the key to the season would be a gigantic three game gauntlet. Games on the road versus Chadron State and Nebraska-Kearney coupled with a national television date against Colorado Mines would determine if this season would be a great one, a good one or a disappointing one. As we all know now this season has the chance to be that great one. Mission Accomplished. But as the Bush Administration failed to realize, the Thunderwolves know the really hard work is only beginning. The first leg in the rest of the season began with a date with an underachieving Colorado Mesa on Saturday night. The Pack opened the game just fine with the defense forcing an early punt. Thunderwolves QB Ross Dausin and the rest of the offense went to work carving through the physical Mavericks for an early 7-0 lead. It was a calming feeling getting off to a great start. But it would only last long enough for the teams to line up for the ensuing kickoff. If there is an achilles heel to this year's Thunderwolves ball club it is kickoff return coverage. It reared itself again as Maverick Jordan Price raced 100 yards to tie the game at 7-7. On their next possession more unease filled the stadium as sure-footed placekicker missed a 40-yard field goal attempt. The next possession ended with a punt. Then Domonique Lewis burst through to sack Dausin to end the next series to create doubt that hasn't truly been felt at home this season. Following the sack Mesa's offense put together its only real good drive of the game marching 53 yards in 11 plays before stalling out. Caleb Pavy missed from 44 yards and the game stayed tied at 7-7. The Pack answered with a brilliant drive that mixed run and pass capped off by Dausin hitting Roger Pfannenschmid in the back of the endzone for a 14-7 Thunderwolves lead. A Jon Bailey interception return to the Mavericks seven had the Pack poised to increase the lead but inexplicably Dausin floated a third down and goal pass into the endzone that was picked off by Maverick Travis McRae. The Thunderwolves went to the locker room with nearly double the numbers of Mesa in every key statistical category yet only led 14-7. CSU-P punted on its initial second half possession to only add more fear to the 6737 fans in attendance. That is when Josh Costa decided to take matters into his own hands picking off Maverick QB Steve Romero near midfield and returning the ball 39 yards to set up first and goal. Jamaal Johnson then went to work out of the "Wild Pack" formation hitting Pfannenschmid for big Bubba's second TD reception of the game. A botched fake field goal would give a little life support to Mesa but the Thunderwolves defense held them in check the rest of the game. Major would add two more field goals to finalize it at 27-7. The Pack had survived the first of four opponents quasi playoff games. Mesa was jacked up for this one. They hit hard. They also did their fair share of jaw jacking the first three quarters. But in the end their mouths were left to gasp for air as CSU-Pueblo pounded them into submission. Thunderwolves head coach John Wristen had told me earlier in the week that this was the game that he feared. But then again he most likely will tell me again this week is the one he truly fears. And you know what? I will believe him because it is the next potential "land mine" on their schedule as the Pack travels to the other Las Vegas for a battle with unpredictable New Mexico Highlands.
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----------MIGHTY MEISNER-----All American candidate Lee Meisner seemed to take the Mavericks smack talking personally as he raised his quiet intensity to register 15 tackles. It was a struggle early on this season for the senior middle linebacker just to get loose let alone play at his customary high level. But as this season continues onward and upward Meisner is seemingly oblivious to whatever pain he is feeling and continues to raise his game in the stone cold silence he always has. It should also be noted that fellow inside linebacker Buster Thede played a fantastic game filling in for injured Damon Schiele. The junior from Pomona in Arvada delivered several crunching hits in recording 12 tackles on the night.
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----------WILD PACK ANYONE-----During last night's broadcast of Thunderwolves football I tried out a new way of describing the formation in which the Pack lines up without a QB and direct snaps the ball to a running back. It is commonly called the "wildcat" formation and has been used in one variation or another for over 100 years. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat_formation ) Jeremy Capo contacted me early last week with his idea that the formation should be called the "Wild Pack" formation here at CSU-Pueblo. I liked the idea but immediately told Capo that my partner Joe Cervi would hate it. But I decided to go with it anyway without discussing it with him. Oh man, if looks could kill! Needless to say we had a spirited conversation about it on the air for a few plays that followed. Later in the broadcast I more or less relented and went back to calling it the "wildcat" formation. But according to my facebook fan page poll the public likes the new title of "Wild Pack." All you Facebookers can continue to way in on the Jim Brooks Fan Page. As for the others feel free to leave your comments right here in the Brooksy Blog comments section.
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----------TEBOW TIME-----For three and a half quarters the Broncos-Dolphins game was a cure for insomnia. I should know. I passed out cold right here in this chair I am writing at about midway through the third quarter. I awoke to the Broncos recovering an onside kick setting them up for a potential "miracle" finish by the former Gator in front of a crowd that was mostly cheering every move he made. It is painfully obvious Tebow at this point in his young career doesn't possess the skill set needed to win consistently in todays NFL. But for this day, in this game, against a brutal Dolphins squad, Tebow had that special quality that very few of us will ever know or possess. The reactions alone of all those grown men running and jumping around celebrating the victory speaks volumes in my mind. Next week I will be sure to get my nap in before the game starts.
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----------SPILLED KOOL AID-----Previously in this blog I told you I was convinced Centennial had the goods to go deep in the 3A playoffs. Now they are in the fight for their postseason lives after dropping a 41-26 decision at Palmer Ridge Friday night. The Bulldogs started fast leading 7-0 after the first quarter. The teams went to the locker room tied at 14-14 but Centennial failed to answer the second half bell as Palmer Ridge scored 24 unanswered points before the Bulldogs could respond. As it has in the past few seasons the Bulldogs defense in particular against the run let them down. Centennial will most likely have to win next week versus 1-4 Classical Academy and then again in the season finale on the road against number one ranked Canon City.
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----------BEST TWO OF THREE-----The World Series so far has been pretty darn good. For the most part the pitching has been outstanding. Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols provided much needed muscle slugging three home runs in game three to erase somewhat the stain he left by not facing the media following his error that enabled the winning run to get into scoring position. I am sticking with my prediction of St Louis in six.
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----------PROGRAM REMINDERS-----The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite is Wednesday at Buffalo Wild Wings at 7pm. As always you can listen to the show while enjoying wings and a cold Miller Lite over the BWW's in house sound system. We would love to have you join us. If you cant be sure to tune in on 590KCSJ-AM or www.590kcsj.com . Our next broadcast of Thunderwolves football is Saturday night from Las Vegas, New Mexico as the Pack takes on New Mexico Highlands. Pregame show is at 530pm and kickoff at 600pm. Our CNM television game this week is South vs Fountain-Fort Carson. Broadcast premier is set for next Saturday at 1000am. Prime time premier is Sunday evening at 600pm.

Momentous Win

Late in our broadcast of CSU-Pueblo's 27-14 victory on the road vs Nebraska Kearney I spent some time trying to capture just the right word to describe the Thunderwolves win. It was bigger than big. Huge didn't quite do it justice. Monumental? Perhaps. My good friend big George Schanze called it epic. At first I thought that's it. But upon further review I have settled upon momentous--Of utmost importance; of outstanding significance or consequence: a momentous occasion. That was it. The word my mind searched for but couldn't produce in a timely fashion. How important? In simple terms it gives the Thunderwolves the outright lead in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with four games to go all against opponents they will be considerable favorites over. Of significance is the CSU-P if it wins out will at the very least host a NCAA division II playoff game in mid or late November. D2 playoffs now consist of a 24-team field divided into four regions or pods of six teams each. The top two in each region receive a bye and host second round games. Seeds three and four from each region host first round games. CSU-Pueblo will most likely be ranked 9th when this weeks poll comes out and it is not far fetched to believe they could make it to the top five if they win out in convincing fashion. Of course long standing bias against the RMAC in those "smoke filled" rooms of the selection committee may knock them back a peg or two but there is no way in my mind they can be kept out of at worst a four seed. This rosey scenario and outlook pose a certain problem for John Wristen and his staff as they must somehow convey the importance of not letting down against opponents that are no way near the caliber of UN-Kearney, Chadron State or Mines. A single loss in the next four games will erase all of these possibilities and could very well leave them on the outside looking in. One need look no further than last season when Kearney was left out of playoff field despite sharing the RMAC crown and owning only two losses both of which were in overtime. Step one will be at home Saturday night versus Colorado Mesa. Kickoff at 6pm.
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----------DEFENSE REWARDED-----Early the fourth quarter of yesterday's battle Kearney had taken a 14-10 lead and CSU-P's offense responded with a dismal three and out. The Lopers took over at their own 20 and picked up eight easy yards on first down. It was second and two and things seemed to be bordering on desparation on the road and in a hostile environment for the Thunderwolves. UNK QB Jake Spitzlberger was poised and determined to deliver a dagger to the hearts of Pack players and fans. But sophomore cornerback Stephan Dickens stepped in and made the first of four CSU-P fourth quarter interceptions. It was at this point the offense responded with the go ahead drive. It opened with an interference call, was aided by a bonehead personal foul penalty but was ultimately defined by the Thunderwolves staple....punishing runs. J.B. Mathews capped off with a knifing two yard run to put the Pack back in front. On the next series senior LB Lee Meisner forced Spitzlberger out of bounds short of a first down forcing a Loper punt. Again the offense would respond but this time it was through the air as Josh Sandoval made one of those circus catches he seems to make look oh so routine for 27 yards to the UNK 26 yard line which helped lead to a Kyle Major 41 yard field goal to make the score 20-14. On the next possession again it was Meisner who stepped up picking off Spitzlberger and returning it inside the Loper 15 yard line. But a personal foul penalty for a chop block moved the ball back toward midfield. A holding penalty on offense ultimately led to the Thunderwolves punting the football back to Spitzlberger and company. The fourth ranked Lopers had the ball back in the hands of their shifty play maker and 3:12 still on the clock for what surely the faithful partisans and perhaps an announcer or two thought would be the inevitable heroic game winning drive. That thought was short lived as again Dickens worked his magic picking off Spitzlberger at the Loper 44. But this time he wasn't content to fall down with the ball instead he made a brilliant return to the house to seal the deal and the celebration began in earnest across the way for the gang of Thunderwolves fans and their marching band who made the seven hour pilgrimage to Kearney. Fittingly the "Fort Morgan Flash" Jon Bailey would send the Loper partisans to the exits with the fourth pick of the quarter and setting off gatorade baths for Coach Wristen and his staff. Hopefully someone smarter than I videotaped the players and coaches singing with the fans and marching band after the win. I was too busy soaking it all in trying to pick out Joe Cervi searching for Wristen for our post game interview on KCSJ.
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----------ANYBODY NERVOUS------Through the years I have had the pleasure (and pain sometimes) of witnessing wild and emotional finishes to many a football game. South made many runs at titles during the early part of this century. Central came close a couple of years back. County lost to Alamosa in a state title game. If you go way back I was a young pup doing color alongside Barclay and the late Sandy Clark as Centennial won a state title in 1987 at Dutch Clark Stadium. Of course what could possibly duplicate the fantastic finish Trent Thompson and the Central Wildcats gave the opportunity call on CNM Sports a couple years back. But never in any of those broadcasts was I as nervous and on edge than I was on Saturday in Kearney. Judging by the texts and facebook posts that both Joe and I were receiving you the fans were, too. You know what? That is a great thing to have. Somehow, someway this feeling needs to continue on into December. I have been a vocal critic of the apathy Pueblo fans have toward many of the events including football games at CSU-P. The same city that will fill 13,000 or so seats at Dutch Clark for two high school games has trouble filling 6000 at the Thunderbowl. Sure they will at least buy the tickets for the big TV extravaganza which is great but then they left in droves when it got a bit nippy. Okay it was miserable but I think you get my point. Forgive me for preaching here but this team is on the cusp of something very, very special. A raucus, passionate crowd for the final three home games is a just reward for this band of brothers that has delivered so much. Remember, this is the final year for a group of four year seniors that started this whole ball rolling. It will be emotional indeed on November 12th for that final regular season home game and in my mind this city owes them a tremendous debt of gratitude that can be repaid by showing up. Not just on that day but for all three.
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----------CANNON FIRE-----I just finished watching the replay of our CNM broadcast of the Cannon Game and once again it was somewhat sad to see all those Eagle fans looking on at the end (those that stuck around) shaking their collective heads in disgust. There was a tremendous sense of resignation and anticipation this would be the year the paint thinner would be put to use and nice shiny new coat of "gold" paint would be applied to the big gun. It was going to be a coronation. They said hey we are 5-1. They said we are bigger and stronger this year. They said we have play makers on offense. They said South is banged up and beset by injuries. They said it's a weak argument to say South had played a far tougher schedule. In the end, they would all be saying what the heck just happened to us. This was not at the end of the game. This was about five minutes into the second quarter when the Colts put up their fourth touchdown of the night. In the final analysis it was a heavy dose of inspired line play led by senior Jesse Gribble that spelled doom for the Eagles. It followed an all too familiar script for the Eagles. This wasn't the first time in the past 10 years it was going to be different up front. Head coach, Paul Andrada, hoping to cash in on perhaps his only chance at this game, preached to anybody who would listen that they were ready to not only match South in the trenches but they were ready to be better. South would have none of it wreaking havoc the entire first half. To its credit Andrada's Eagles came out smoking in the second half and put up a quick score. It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that a potential third quarter pass that fell inches short of a touchdown might have turned this game on its head. Instead the pass fell incomplete and the brute force of Brandon Castro running up 183 yards on 30 carries would slowly take the air out of any chances the Eagles had. Now South has won 15 in a row and as it always does the conversation will turn on whether this game should be played. But I give you 13,000 reasons why it will continue to go on. As long as South doesn't jump to 5A it will continue. Sooner or later, things will change and this city will begin to grow again. To my way of looking at it there is tremendous growth potential on the city's northeastern quadrant. Someday, it's gonna happen. East will get the job done. The problem is they always have to wait 365 days to get another shot.
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----------PROGRAM REMINDER------The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite is Wednesday night at Buffalo Wild Wings. We take to the air at 7:06 pm on 590KCSJ-AM and www.590kcsj.com. But what coach Wristen, Joe and myself really want (as well as BWW of course) is for you to show up in person. Wear your Thunderwolves colors. You can hear the show on the restaurants sound system while enjoying the dinner and a nice cold Miller Lite or beverage of your choice. Plus, with all those screens you wont miss one single pitch of game one of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and CSU-P women's basketball coach, Kip Drown's, St Louis Cardinals.

It is here. Gameday has finally arrived for the 2011 edition of the Cannon Game. Two games every year bring out the same question asked to me over and over. So who's gonna win? It is no secret I am a South Alum and at times have accused of being too much of a "fan" in the booth for the Black and White. I beg to differ on most accounts as I think I call it pretty fair except on those occasions I offer to sing the fight song for Joe Cervi and our viewing audience at the end of another Colts victory. With that said one of the more amazing things about my 30 year broadcast career is the fact that I have never been in the booth calling the game, doing color or sideline reports when East has won the Cannon Game. Of course at first glance this seems impossible. East had a nice four-year run from 1993-1996. The Eagles also won five straight from 1978-1982. Well in '81 and '82 I was just cutting my teeth in the field and was assigned to doing live reports of Pueblo County football. 1992 was my last full season doing high school broadcasts on the radio before my industry imposed hiatus (I refused to work for free LOL). So in years '93 to '96 I was nowhere to be found on the airwaves. 1997 was my first year doing play-by-play for Channel 19 which just so happens to be the first year of South's current 14-game winning streak. Most years during this span it was pretty much a given that South would win the game. Hell there was even talk of doing away with the series alltogether. But starting under David Ramirez and now with Paul Andrada at the helm there is a renewal of Eagle pride. Part of this is because of the drop to 3A where East has been able to experience something that South football fans have become used to and that is success. And the old saying is success breeds success. Last season East narrowly missed a playoff berth. This year they are right in the thick of it again at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the 3A South-Central League. South on the other hand has fallen on hard times. They wont make the playoffs this year. They are beat up both mentally and physically. Sure they do get a handful of players back this week for this game but will that be enough. Now that we have covered all the background here is how I see the game unfolding. In years past East had to rely on going around or over the top of South. The past two seasons East had closed the size gap with the Colts but this year it is my opinion they have closed the pure physical and toughness gap. Eagles possess a dynamic playmaker in Rico Ramirez. South in some ways is still a mystery on offense going into this game. Quarterback Branden Mondragon is back in the fold although his true health is perhaps iffy at best. Branden Castro is a good strong runner. Clayton Smith is a potential gamebreaker if given enough touches. On defense South played a fantastic game last week at Cheyenne Mountain and probably should have won the game against the 6-0 Indians. I see this game unfolding as a slugfest. East must not be tempted into trying to trick the Colts. They must be patient early and then take their shots with Ramirez down the field. South on the other hand must be willing to take some shots down the field to loosen up the Eagle defense. I envision sophomore Garrett Krage coming up big on a deep slant/post pattern. QB Mondragon must come up big when this/these moments occur. Being a Colt means I give them an automatic seven points. My prediction is South in overtime 21-20. The difference will be the Colts converting/stopping a two-point play in overtime.

Pound That Rock

To the untrained eye Thursday nights 23-6 win by CSU-P over Mines might not have been a thing of beauty. To a football coach there is no such thing as winning ugly. All that matters is one more to the good side of the ledger. The Thunderwolves dont run the spread offense that is so much in vogue these days in college football. However they do something that very few college programs do these days and that is line up and pound the rock. Mines came into the game rated 6th versus the run nationally allowing less than 60 yards per game. 243 yards later and the Pack had laid waste to that lofty ranking. Perhaps what is more impressive right now is the balance the Thunderwolves show on offense. QB Ross Dausin bounced back after his "benching" a week ago vs Fort Lewis. His gorgeous little touch pass to J.B. Mathews was nothing short of sensational hitting the freshman in stride up the near sideline for a critical first half touchdown. As for Mathews it was just another day at the office for the budding superstar finishing with 116 yards on just 1o carries as well as hauling in three passes for 110 yards. And oh by the way Jesse Lewis rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries. Lost but by no means forgotten was another incredible night on defense for the 11th ranked Thunderwolves. All this sets up the big showdown Saturday on the road in Kearney Nebraska for most likely the RMAC crown and probable 1st round home game in the NCAA playoffs in November. The Lopers struggled mightily vs Chadron State before coming from behind to register a 20-13 win.
. --------RANKINGS-------CSU-P will most likely remain 11th in the AFCA poll coming out Monday. Every team in the top 10 won this week. In the D2.com poll the Thunderwolves will most likely move to number 14 up two spots from last week. Number 11 Albany State and number 14 Central Missouri both lost.
. --------BULLDOGS-------Centennial Bulldogs continue to impress me more and more each time I see them play. And now with the addition of Luis Ramirez this team is a definite threat to not only make the postseason but in my mind they have the makeup to go deep in 3A. As the weather gets colder teams that pound the rock get hotter. Quarterback Ben Tillman runs the triple option very well with tailback Brian Niccoli on the edge. Tillman is a bruiser listed at 5-10 215 but is probably closer to 230. But dont let that size fool you. He has quick feet and deceptive straight ahead speed and recently has shown a decent passing touch. For the Bulldogs to contend for what would be their fourth state title (1946,1987,1992) they will have to continue to get better defensively. Two games loom large on the schedule. In week eight the 'dogs travel to face one-loss Palmer Ridge. Should they win that game then the week ten matchup at Canon City could be for the league title.
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-------CANNON GAME-------Friday night the big gun will be up for grabs as South will look to make it 15 straight over East in front of an expected sellout crowd at Dutch Clark Stadium. Now all things point toward this finally being the year. Head coach Paul Andrada has instilled a borderline cockiness in this group who currently sit at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in second place in the South-Central League standings. A 27-7 loss on the road to Lewis Palmer is the only blemish to this point. Since that loss they have bounced back to win two straight. East still has very legitimate shot at a league title with a game looming in two weeks vs Canon City. South on the other hand is reeling following another tough loss at Cheyenne Mountain. Injuries have decimated them but slowly but surely they are starting to get a few missing links back. South's schedule has been a back breaker to this point with their only win coming against 5A Doherty in the final 30 seconds. There will be no post season for South so this will pretty much define their season. Everyone loves an underdog but I think in this case three fourths of this city will be pulling for the boys in "gold."
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---------TEBOW TIME--------Before this season began I was on record thinking Tim Tebow's time would begin in early December once the Broncos fell out of playoff contention. But thanks to a couple tough early losses and a leaky defense coupled with an absolute horrible first half by Kyle Orton vs the Chargers the Tebow experiment starts now. Trailing 26-10 to public enemy number one Phillip Rivers the former Florida Gator went to work with his legs. It is painfully obvious Tebow cannot hit the broadside of a barn with his throwing arm. But it is even more painfully obvious that Kyle Orton is terminally mediocre at best. I have often joked about the former Iowa Hawkeye's choice of vehicles he drives. You know its nice and warm and fuzzy that drives a fuel efficient hybrid. But to be great in football you want a quarterback that drives a Ferrari. Now sometimes you have spectacular crashes but it beats watching a Toyota Prius putzing around the gridiron. I have a feeling even if you gave Orton the keys to such a machine he would be that guy driving 65 in the fast lane down I-25 with all of fans passing him on the right telling him he is number one.
--------WALLBANGERS--------It was 1982 when the Milwaukee Brewers were last in the postseason losing to the Cardinals in the World Series. That team mashed the baseball and featured a slugger who was little paunchy to put it nicely. Gorman Thomas was to that team what Prince Fielder is to this group of Brewers. Fielder will be gone after this season due to the Brewers "small market" status in todays top heavy world of major league baseball. But this guy is special. He still says his dream is to win the World Series and sign a 10 year deal with the Brew Crew. But when he leaves after this season to play for the Angels, Cubs, Cardinals or Dodgers dont hold it against him. I for one hope these guys win it if for no other reason than to see Bernie Brewer slide into that cold one out behind the wall as well as seeing those highly entertaining sausages race in late October.
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-------PROGRAM REMINDERS--------Cannon Game will be broadcast live Friday night on Comcast 19. Pregame show gets underway at 630pm followed by kickoff at 700pm. CSU-Pueblo's game with Nebraska-Kearney will kickoff at 12 noon MST. Pregame show at 11:30am on 590KCSJ-AM and www.590kcsj.com . If you aren't near a radio or computer but own a smart phone you are still in luck. Download the free app at www.iheartradio.com .

And Then There Were Two

Late in the third quarter of yesterday's 38-28 CSU-P victory over Chadron State it really hit me. This team, this program, these players all truly belonged on the big stage. Sure there had been victories the past two years against this same Chadron State team. Who could forget last years improbable goal line stand in overtime. And then the wild celebration after Kyle Major's game winner. All that was slightly tempered with the following weeks loss at Mines and then the quick strike blitz Nebraska Kearney inflicted the week after that. The Thunderwolves would win out after that and set the stage for this year. At West Texas it looked like blowout city after falling behind 10-0 to the Buffalos. CSU-P would somehow right the ship and pull out a dramatic fourth quarter win. Against Adams State the defense was outstanding and the offense just good enough to put up a crucial drive for three much needed insurance points in their 20-11 win in Alamosa. All that really wouldnt matter if this four year old program didnt take care of business against Chadron State. And to show you how far CSU-P has come it was consensus amongst all of us media types to say the Thunderwolves were slight favorites to go into the Eagles nest and do something that no other established college program had done since 1997. You see it was Homecoming yesterday in Chadron. 100 years of football history to be celebrated. Revenge was going to be extracted from this upstart program that dare come in two years ago and snap a 28 game home conference winning streak. Revenge for what they interpreted was "home cookin" on ruling those qb sneaks short of the goal line in overtime last year. The trap had been set. All that was left was to send this bunch of Thunderwolves back to the middle of the RMAC pack where it belonged. The first half was a seesaw affair that seemed destined to be tied at the break. Up stepped Jesse Lewis and 70 yards later CSU-P was in business in the redzone. Head coach John Wristen didn't settle for the sure three points and dialed up a little pass over the middle to Josh Sandoval that seemed to just make the field goal a bit easier. But the former East Eagle seemed to have eyes in the back of his head put on a little "spinorama" move that would make Peter Forsberg proud getting the sophomore into the endzone for a 21-14 lead. CSU-P would take the second half kickoff and drive it smartly down the field but the drive stalled and Major was called upon to do his magic and he delivered a 50yd field goal. Chadron looked up for the challenge and quickly cut the margin to 24-21. They had done it. Now surely these pretenders to the throne would cough up the lead. It was the exact opposite. This was winning time. This is when you drive down the opponents throat on the road and take the life out of the crowd. And that's exactly what the Thunderwolves did. Facing a crucial 3rd and eight QB Ross Dausin (18-20-0 272yds , 2tds) calmly hit Marcial Williamson for 16 yards and a first down. This set up a play that Wristen had talked about during the days leading up to the season, more explosive plays from the passing game. On 1st and ten from their own 48 the time had arrived. Dausin calmly delivered a deep strike over the middle to Jared Sperber who raced to the Eagles 4yd line. Freshman running back J.B. Mathews would score from one yard out on 3rd down to complete the quick seven play drive. It was the answer Chadron didn't want to hear to make the score 31-21 with 4:39 left in the third quarter. The Eagles would try to mount an answer drive of their own but somehow the home team was called for holding and the drive stalled out around midfield. Again Dausin would make them pay first hitting Matthews for 36 yards on another well executed screen pass to get the ball down to the 22. A couple of Lewis runs set up a first and goal at the seven. Da'Quan Cartwright then made a beautiful catch in the back of the endzone to push the lead to 38-21. Chadron would get another score with 5:41 to play to make the partisans somewhat interested again but interceptions by Lee Meisner and the "playmaker" Josh Costa sealed the 38-28 victory. The Thunderwolves confirmed and validated what my partner Joe Cervi, assistant coach Dale Cresswell and I agreed on before the game. This team not only looks like it belongs with Chadron State it plays like it belongs as well. Now the Thunderwolves must turn their attention to the two mentioned in my headline. CSU-P is a combined 0-6 versus this week's opponent Colorado Mines and next week against Nebraska Kearney. Last season the Pack went into these two games with an identical 5-0 record before losing a heartbreaker on the road to the Orediggers before falling to the Lopers at the Thunderbowl. To get where they want to go CSU-P will have to win at least one if not both of these next two games. But this year is different. This Thunderwolves team is not a pretender to the throne. They have proven they do belong.
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------------SPOTLIGHT ON THURSDAY----CBS Sports comes to town Thursday evening for their game of the week. Formerly known as the CBS College Sports Network, it can be found at Channel 412 on Comcast and 613 on Direct TV. Altitude Sports will also pick up the feed of this game. Just a few "seats" are in play for the game but general admission for standing room as well as "bowl area seating" in the north endzone is still a great option to be at the big event. Kickoff is set for 6:06pm.
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------------RANKINGS SHUFFLE------CSU-P has moved to 11th in the moste recent AFCA Coaches poll released Monday morning. Number one NW Missouri State dropped to seven this week after their loss Saturday. Other teams ahead of the Pack last week that lost were number three Sherman and number 4 Valdosta State who come in this week right behind CSU-P. Number 12 also dropped behind falling all the way to 23rd after losing Saturday. RMAC rival and Oct 15th opponent Nebraska Kearney jumped three spots to number four with their convincing win at Adams State. Take care of business this Thursday and CSU-P will travel to Kearney for what will surely be the headline game of the day in Division II.
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------------BELL GAME---------What an amazing crowd Friday night at Dutch Clark Stadium Centennial kept the Victory Bell with its 51-22 win over Central. Pueblo City Schools athletic director Rick Macias made the decision to make available extra tickets to make it 6000 total for each school. As I had mentioned in a previous blog too many empty seats are seen each year at the big game despite it being declared a sellout. This was due in part because of all the so-called "freebies" that had to be accounted for. Macias rolled the dice and it worked out great. Also give credit to the Pueblo Police Department for the way routed traffic out of the stadium at the conclusion of the game. Sure it helped that the game was a blowout but still traffic flowed amazingly well. As for the game Centennial displayed it will be a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season.
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-----------PROGRAM REMINDERS--------The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite will take place this week only on Tuesday night at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Northgate shopping center. We go on the air at 706pm on 590KCSJ-AM and as always at www.590kcsj.com . If you do plan to join us live at BWW you will be able to hear the program while dining in the restaurant. Thursdays game broadcast will get underway at 530pm followed by kickoff scheduled for 606pm.

Just When You Think You Have Seen it All

Being a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan I have become accustomed to painful ways to see a promising season go up in flames. People often ask me Red Sox? Why them? My earliest childhood memory is of watching Carl Yaztremski hold the bat way over his head. I loved the character etched in his face. I loved the Green Monster in left field. Hell I had my own green monster in my front yard. Big tall trees, I mean really tall trees. Dont ask me what kind of tree they were but they were tall. And they were skinny. How tall you ask? Taller than telephone poles thats how tall. And as a youngster I peppered those trees with wiffle ball after wiffle ball. I would take that outside pitch over the moster or off it just like Yaz did. Or I would turn around and hit from the right side and imagine myself as Rico Petrocelli launching majestic fly balls over my Green Monster. Now I am too young to remember all the particulars of the '67 series. I knew the Cardinals had some guy named Gibson. And the Sox lost in seven but I remember people saying it was the impossible dream year. Then there was 1972 which by chance was a strike season. Boston went into the final series of the year against Detroit needing to win two out of three from the Tigers to win the pennant. They only got one out of three. Both teams finished with 70 losses. But Detroit finished with 86 wins to Boston's 85. Shouldn't Boston be allowed to make up that one game you ask? Nope. That's the rules they adopted when the 1972 strike ended. 1975 was an awesome season. Chants of Luis, Luis, Luis echoed throughout Red Sox nation for the loveable cuban Luis Tiant and his funky delivery. Who can forget Bernie Carbo's three run blast to tie it in the eighth of game six. Then of course Carlton Fisk standing at home plate directing a ball fair in one of the top five home runs in baseball history to beat the Reds in game six. But of course the Big Red Machine behind Joe Morgan's bloop single would win it all in game seven. 1978 saw Bucky "Freakin" Dent win it with a corked bat hitting one over the Monster in the "extra game" playoff. 1982 Boston raced to seven game lead at the all-star break but saw Milwaukee's Harvey's Wallbangers race from behind to win the pennant. 1986 and Bill Buckner. Enough said. 1988 and 1990 being swept away by the awesome Oakland A's in the League Championship Series. The rest of the 90s are a blur but promising teams turned out to be more bust than promise. 2003 and Aaron Boone hitting it out of the park to win an epic seven-game series for the Yankees. Of course all of this was erased and then some in 2004 with first the magical come from behind LCS win over the Yankees and then sweeping away the Cardinals. 2007 was a walk in the park in destroying the Rockies and provided validation that Boston was no longer that team in baseball lore that couldn't get it done. But that all changed this September. I remember sitting in a bar in Canyon Texas the night before CSU-P's big season opener with West Texas A&M and the Yankees and Red Sox engaged in another epic battle. Boston won that night and had reclaimed first place in the division. It was August 31st. September would be fun watching these two juggernaughts battle it out for the division title. September 1st saw the Thunderwolves win in dramatic fashion. It also saw Boston lose to the Yankees in a 4hr 20 minute epic that saw Boston pitchers deliver over 200 pitches in losing 4-2. The Red Sox never recovered. They never won back to back games in September. They lost on every Wednesday in the month as we did the John Wristen Show. In the span of two pivotal three minute periods the baseball ground shook. The Yankees were somehow ahead 7-0 despite throwing out every single AA and AAA pitching prospect they could find. The Rays were who we thought they were, a team with great young pitching but a suspect lineup that couldnt produce runs on a consistent basis. But then the "vaunted" Yankees farm club pitching imploded as I expected they would do about six innings earlier. In three minutes it went from 7-0 to 7-6. Somehow the Yankees put out the fire and we went to the ninth where a .190 hitter hits one out of the park to tie it....then the tenth....and eleventh. Meanwhile in Baltimore play resumed after a lengthy rain delay. And as they had done all night they couldnt take advantage of a glorious scoring chance in the eighth. Then again in the 9th with runners on 1st and 3rd no outs but failed to score again. No problem right? Johnathan Papelbon would have the ball in the bottom of the 9th. Yankees get lead off man on in Tampa to start the 12th. Papelbon retires first hitter he faces. Yankees now with runners on 1st and 3rd no out. They gotta score right? Papelbon retires second hitter. Two outs. One more out and Red Sox win and the we all watch Yankees score that one run they need then somehow get three outs and we all get ready to face the Rangers. Uh oh. Double down the line for the Orioles while at same time watching on my computer screen the Yankees manage to get runner tagged out at third base on ground ball! Are you kidding me? Last night a triple play with the bases loaded and tonight you do this Yankees? Are you kidding me? Drama building. Hoping against hope you pray Papelbon throws a split finger to end this thing. Dont groove that arrogant fastball thigh high over the middle outside of the plate that has hit me hard to the gap written all over it. No such luck. Papelbon is who he is. Tie game. Yankees make final two outs of 12th. Then came those three minutes that would decide five hours of baseball. Papelbon finally throws a splitter but he leaves it up and its ripped to left field. No problem because Carl Crawford is playing in. He's gonna make the catch..........oh my god he missed it! Game over! Meanwhile while this is happening B.J. Upton strikes out to start the bottom of 12th. But you see it was part of the script. ESPN needed time to switch the national audience over to Tampa. Up steps Evan Longoria. He looks lost on two offspeed pitches and the count runs 2-2. But then on the next pitch Yankees jouneyman 34 year old pitcher Scott Proctor misses his location by at least a foot and Longoria sends the inside fastball that was supposed to be off the plate outside over the fence in left. ( http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_09_28_nyamlb_tbamlb_1&mode=gameday ) Oh and did I mention that one of the quirks about Tropicanna Field is the height of the fence down the line in left? Yeah its about four feet high instead of 10feet the rest of the way around the outfield. You cant make up this stuff. Three minutes over....five hour games over.....162 game season over......Red Sox fans nightmare just beginning..........AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Special Special Teams

At first glance for those who weren't there CSU-P's 47-0 thrashing of Fort Lewis probably were left thinking what a great night for the offense finally. Not that they played poorly but this night belonged to the special teams. Former East Eagle standout Josh Sandoval found himself in the doghouse following a first half fumble on an otherwise great punt return. In fact on the next return he was a spectator as Jamaal Johnson got the return assignment. But the sophomore flanker came back strong on his next opportunity late in the third quarter. Taking in the ball around his own 20 (yours truly and joe e cervi not agreeing with the official mark) Sandoval split two would be tacklers right off the bat. Then another elusive move at the 30 and he was off and running toward midfield. Running through heavy traffic at that point he managed to slip another couple of would be tacklers. Thats when the dominoes started to fall as the downfield blocking was textbook and "Beetle" as he is affectionately known as raced in for the at this point official 77 yard punt return touchdown. Sandoval also hauled in six passes for 105 yards to earn Pueblo Bank & Trust player of the game honors on our 590KCSJ-AM broadcast. Another "special" moment was turned in by the punt block unit on the first play of the second quarter. This unit was pivotal in the upset win at West Texas A&M and once again came up big against Fort Lewis. Junior Anthony Marshall has been working hard just to try and earn playing time along side the deep and fast defensive front for the Thunderwolves. But instead of sulk he continues to come up big when called upon playing special teams. Marshall raced in, leaped over the punt protection in the backfield and blocked Skyhawk punter Frank Atherton's attempt. But the California transfer wasn't done. He pounced on the ball in the endzone to score the touchdown to put CSU-P up 17-0. Junior outside linebacker Jason Campbell also joined the block party by dispatching of a late first half field goal attempt to preserve the shutout. Its the second straight game in which a field goal attempt was blocked to help preserve whitewashings. And finally there is senior placekicker Kyle Major who has managed to put the boring back into field goals. The guy is automatic this year with exception to the missed 60 yard attempt in the first quarter at Adams State last week. Major converted on four more field goals to give him 12 makes on the year. He was also stayed perfect on PATs knocking five more home. Here is the value I place on Major. Imagine Adam's State with him on their squad. Yesterday they would have pulled out the win at Chadron State and last week against CSU-P they would have broke on top early 3-0. Who knows what scoring first in that game would have meant for the Grizzlies.
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--------DEFENSE, DEFENSE!-------Besides pitching another shutout the defense scored again with Stephan Dickens picking off a pass at his own 43 yard line and racing 57 yards down the sideline to score. Many thought, including me, that this unit might be the achilles heal of the team but so far the cornerbacks are proving to be a strength. Another player who came up large last night was inside linebacker Damon Schiele put on a hitting clinic with several crushing tackles in the middle of the field.
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--------DOGHOUSE--------Junior quarterback Ross Dausin was having a decent night distributing the ball to several different receivers throughout the first half. But all that good work seemed to come undone late in the first half. While scrambling away from the pass rush he found himself wrapped up by a Skyhawk defender. But instead eating the ball Dausin tried a desperation heave which sailed behind him. It was correctly ruled a backwards pass or lateral and Fort Lewis fell on the live ball at the 19. Special teams bailed out the San Antonio TX native by blocking a field goal attempt. Junior signal caller Troy Graham took over for the final snap of the first half and then played well into the fourth quarter with Dausin on the bench. Make know mistake about it Dausin will be the starter next week at Chadron State. He cant afford to make mistakes like that the rest of the way and expect the Thunderwolves to be successful against the meat of the schedule coming up. I expect him to bounce back nicely.
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-------NO MOVEMENT------Last week was upset Saturday in Division II. Call this past weekend the return to normalcy. The coaches poll (CSU-P 14th) saw nobody ranked above the Thunderwolves lose. In fact only four teams in the top 25 lost yesterday and one of those was number 24 Bemidji State lost 26-23 to number 11 Minnesota Duluth. In a bit of a shocker number 16 Texas A&M -Kingsville lost its second straight this time to Midwestern State 44-38.
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-------CENTRAL COLLAPSE-----Friday night we at CNM Sports witnessed one of the most astonishing turnarounds ever in a high school football contest. Cental raced out to a 28-7 lead over number one ranked Vista Ridge. But that was all she wrote as the Wolves scored late in the first half to cut it to 28-14 at halftime. They then scored 36 more unanswered to stay undefeated and keep rights to their number on ranking. Despite the crushing second half defeat enough good things were displayed by the Wildcats to give hope of a great battle to retake the Victory Bell this week against Centennial who won big 34-0 over Coronado.
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-------SPEAKING OF--------We at CNM Sports will provide live coverage of the Bell Game Friday night with the pregame show starting at 630pm on Comcast 19. Myself along with Joe Cervi and Kevin Millis will bring you the call of the game sure to be sellout with a crowd of around 13000 expected. With that said it is still disturbing to me so see so many empty seats on the edges of the grand old stadium. In years past I have been told this is because the district must factor in all the "free passes" floating around town for teachers, coaches and administration. If this is still the case it is high time something is done about it. My solution is to make this "perk" cost as much as the general public pays. Now I would still provide them with the opportunity to get in on the game. But they would have to pay the admission plus do so a week in advance so that the district can make all potential seats be in play for the big game. This event deserves that slackers shouldnt be expected to be let in free of charge on gameday.
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-------PROGRAM REMINDER------The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite will be on as usual this week from Buffalo Wildwings in the Northgate shopping center. We take to the air at 706pm and sign off at 800pm. The show can be heard on the restaurants sound system so make it a point to come on out and join us for dinner and a nice cold beverage. As always the show can be heard on 590KCSJ-AM and on the internet at www.590kcsj.com .
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-------IHeartRadio--------This weekend we will be on the road in Chadron Nebraska for the "next" big game on the Thunderwolves schedule. Kickoff is scheduled for 130pm MST with the pregame show at 100pm on KCSJ. Now if you are not by your computer or listening to the radio you still have a way of hearing the game. Download the IHeartRadio app for your smart phone so you dont miss a minute of the action. It's free and can be found by going to www.iheartradio.com

New Stadium, Same Result

It had all the makings of a wonderful celebration. A brand spanking new stadium with new features that make the Thunderbowl look antiquated. A parade was scheduled to celebrate the brand new opening of Rex Field and the opening of the RMAC season. Even a late afternoon September thunderstorm couldn't dampen the mood of the faithful throng of Adams State fans sporting their newly minted "neuter the dogs" t-shirts. The rain stopped and the clouds parted. Brilliant sunshine bathed the stadium before kickoff. The celebration would be complete with a long fireworks show to follow the planned victory by the home team. It was all in place. So perfect. All that was left was to play and win the game. CSU-Pueblo had other ideas. This group of road warriors had already broken the hearts of close to 9,000 West Texans earlier this young season. On this night they would do the same to close to 4000 San Luis Valley residents. Early on however it looked like it just might be the Grizzlies night after an early Thunderwolves drive stalled and Kyle Major missed a 60-yard field goal attempt. Adams State drove it smartly down the field but CSU-P's defense as it would do most of the night came up big in the redzone. Then what would be a sign of things to come happened for the home crowd as disappointment settled in as Grizzly kicker David Van Voris shanked a 27-yard field goal attempt. Shortly thereafter the Thunderwolves took advantage of a fumbled punt and took over at Adams 40yd line. From there it took CSU-P four plays to score on a beautiful 17-yard fade pass to the left corner from Ross Dausin to Paul Browning. Early in the second quarter the Thunderwolves were poised to extend their lead following a nifty punt return deep into Grizzly territory. On the first play to follow however Dausin was sacked and fumbled. The Grizzlies returned the gift to the Twolves 35 yard line. But as it did so well all night the the defense stiffened in the redzone and Adams State settled for a 21-yard Van Voris field goal. CSU-P responded with a brilliant 90 yard drive highlighted by runs of 29 by Jesse Lewis, 11 by Jamaal Johnson and 21 by freshman J.B. Matthews. Then on 3rd and goal from the four Dausin went into Broncos and former Florida Gator Tim Tebow mode as he executed a play action fake into the line and QB draw fake and executed the copycat jump pass to perfection to TE Roger Phannenschmid to push the lead to 14-3. Adams State responded with a great drive of their own but again stalled out deep inside the redzone late in the first half as twolve corner Mark Sterling picked off Grizzly QB Trevor Eggleston in the endzone. Early in the second half after taking over on downs following another failed drive into Thunderwolves territory by Adams State CSU-P drove smartly down the field aided by two personal foul penalties on the same play by the imploding Grizzlies. Major capped it off the six minute drive with a chip shot 25-yard field goal. Adams State responded with a meat grinder of a drive moving 60 yards in 14 plays capped off by bruiser tailback Terjean Saffold's 5-yard TD run. The Grizzles resorted to some "trickeration" on the extra point as they spread the field instead of lining up in kick formation. A direct snap to the holder James Ackel resulted in him blasting his way into the endzone for the two-point conversion to make it 17-11 with 11:54 still to play. This is the spot in the game where normal teams might fold up and give in to the home teams grand plan of celebrating the inevitable come from behind win. But Lewis and the Thunderwolves line would have none of that as the senior all american candidate ripped off one of his patented sprints down the sideline picking up 45 yards to set up a tough 44 yard field goal that Major drilled to make it 20-11. Safety Jon Bailey snuffed out a Grizzly threat intercepting Eggleston in the endzone with 5:08 to play. Sterling would seal it with his second pick with 2:10 to play. Lewis added insult to injury for the still seated home crowd as he ripped off a 48 yard run to insure the clock would run out. The Thunderwolves celebrated in front of the Adams State faithful who settled in for a painfully long 20 minute plus firewords show.
........................New Diggs----The newly renovated Rex Field is a gem of a small college stadium. One of the features are dorms attached to the stadium pressbox and curving around the northeast corner of the complex. Dean's List and Honor Roll students get first shot each year for a spot in the building. The third floor of the stadium features a restaurant/snackbar open to patrons before the game and students on a regular basis. In the north endzone the scoreboard is complete with a video board. The playing surface is the in vogue field turf similar to the surface at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl. The press box is a beauty with nice open rooms with huge glass windows which make viewing and calling the game as easy as can be. Now it must be pointed out that a combination of private funds, student fees and government grants were used to finance the new digs. The Thunderbowl on the other hand was built with private funds. With that said however with a personal bias calling the games this would be the first thing to change in Pueblo.
.......................Glitch City------The opening of the newly remodeled Rex Field wasnt without major problems. Statistics were slow and in some cases inaccurate due to an unexpected event. The main computer was literally "crushed" at a recent volleyball match on campus. The substitute unit suffered the dreaded "computer glitch" early on. A revised box is now available at the official Adams State athletics web site http://ascgrizzlies.com/stats/fb2011/03ascfb.htm#GAME.PLY . The new third floor restaurant also was plagued by long lines and overwhelmed employees who didn't give the appearance of any sense of urgency. But as usual the sports information department and KSPK's Paul Richards were magnificent in the help they provided.
.........................Burn One Down for Me-------Western New Mexico's trip to Fort Lewis Friday was marred by a fire which incinerated one of the team buses just outside Durango. There were no injuries luckily but all the players equipment went up in flames along with the bus. But the good people of Durango and Fort Lewis College came to the rescue gathering up all the extra equipment they could spare. Also a team van made the return trip to Silver City to bring back everything left behind. RMAC commissioner also chipped in by using a contact in Denver to round of over 60 pairs of cleats for the WNM players. Gametime was pushed back to 230pm. The Mustangs made it a fairy tale ending by defeating the Skyhawks 26-17. In other results around the RMAC New Mexico Highlands went into Golden and upset Mines 40-34. Kearney continued to roll blasting Mesa 52-10. Chadron held on and defeated Western State in Gunnison 15-7.
.........................Upset City-------West Texas A&M bounced back from their opening defeat at home to CSU-P by defeating No. 4 ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville 42-21. The game was played in front of a Lone Star Conference record crowd of 24,000 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. No 1 ranked Minnesota Duluth fell to Wayne State-Nebraska 7-0. No 2 Abilene Christian fell to No 9 North Alabama 23-17. No 7 St Cloud fell to Winona State 29-16. No 8 Albany State fell to No 10 Valdosta State 30-27. No 14 Grand Valley fell to Indianapolis 34-33. No 23 Carson-Newman fell to Lenoir-Rhyne 20-7. Based on these results expect some major reshuffling of the polls this week.
.........................Program Reminders------The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite takes place this Wednesday at Buffalo Wild Wings at 7pm. We would love to have you in attendance. The show can be heard over in the restaurant while you enjoy dinner and a cold one. But as always you can tune in on 590KCSJ-AM or www.590kcsj.com . It is Homecoming this week on the CSU-P campus. This weeks opponent is Fort Lewis College with kickoff scheduled for 6pm Saturday night. The new and improved Friends of Football/Alumni Association tailgate starts at 4pm. As always you can choose to get there early and do your own tailgate thing. We will be on the air at 530pm with the pregame show on 590KCSJ-AM and www.590kcsj.com . Be sure to download the IHeartRadio App for your smartphone so you never miss a minute of the action.

Tonight I am gonna record my thoughts on the Broncos-Raiders game. Without further ado lets get this practice of "at the moment" commentary going.........................................................................
Coin Toss----Broncos get first chance to take lead in this game. Figure its gonna be very important to get on top in this game coming off last year's debacle in Denver............Early on Orton looks sharp but then again he is always sharp between the 20s.............The Broncos are struggling running the football. 3rd and 15 is no way to make a living.................Great hit by the rookie Von Miller! Fumble!!!! F*&% the Raiders I utter and Lora Li laughs.........Here we go, Orton in the red zone.........I hate 3-0 leads.............Defense playing fast. I like what I see so far..........Holding? Really? Come on! If you're gonna call that one you gotta call those stiffs in silver and black for the headlocks.............Here we go again, 3rd and 15...........Damn it! I guess the Thunderwolves aren't the only squad that can block punts....................I love refs. Come on guys that's the second time you have called off a penalty...............................Sounds like the Mile High of old plus the Raiders are about as disciplined as the Raiders of old.....................Great play McFadden but only made possible by Champ slipping.................Great time for end of quarter, Broncos defense on its heels with this big man downhill running game...............3rd and six, you gotta stop them here....oh come on thats the only way this stiff of a quarterback can beat you. Where's the spy?................Have another donut you fat ugly Raiders fans celebrating the first touchdown of the game. Okay donkeys down 7-3. Confidence level? About where it was going into the night which is about 30 percent. Raiders defense is young. They dont have that shutdown cornerback Asomugha anymore. Perhaps Orton can hit something down the field. It is obvious the running game wont be there on consistent basis. Still think Moreno can break a big one however...........Run a play QUICK!!!! yep! It's a fumble!. Now have to suffer thru this commercial break knowing the Raiders are gonna be in great shape. So much for that Moreno thought!................Here comes the rain.......Really Dilfer. Was it that great a deal to throw the challenge flag so quickly. Hell I was throwing it in my living room right away!.................Field goal not such an automatic thing with this rain coming down..............Lora Li laughing loudly at Brian Dawkins celebrating that big hit........Wow another 5 yards and that baby hooks out of the uprights. Uh oh here we go. Boys, boys, boys settle down. There is a reason this game has been on Monday night more than any other rivalry in history of the series............NORTH AND SOUTH McGahee!!!!!.......OMG Orton looking like Tebow. 1st Down!!!..............What a little punk arguing that holding call.................First of all Dilfer it was holding or illegal contact but that would have been ticky tack. Secondly when you grab the receivers bicep before the ball gets there that is by definition interference.......Dejavu all over again. 3rd and 15 is no way to make a living...............Shut up Dilfer. God its a good thing this guy had a great defense that moment in time with the Ravens. What do these bigshot network execs see in some of these guys. I mean its Monday Night Football and we are stuck listening to this stiff all night?............Man I thought Champ blew out his groin there................Guy looks like Eddie Mac with speed in that number 87 jersey............Crap! Who's the penalty on? Time to pull up NFL.com......Its against the Broncos. Great bait job by the Raider there..............Brad Nessler great line "of course we have another flag"...........That's a good make-up call. We'll take it!.............Brandon Lloyd is a stud................Nice jinx job by Nessler commenting on how sharp Orton has been on this drive..........No no no! You gotta punt it here. Perhaps the timeout will allow Fox to come to his senses. Play field position here!...........Okay I will give Dilfer credit there. That was a great line about comparing his driver to that ill advised kick........I am resigned now to the fact that decision by Fox to try the field goal is the turning point of this game. I fully believe Raiders will take full advantage of this field position...........Good call. Bronco clearly had his helmut and facemask. McFadden is a stud........Just checked Facebook and see where Thunderwolves QB Ross Dausin is pulling for Raiders. Ross this just in. You gotta know your geography........Defensive holding? Are you kidding me? WTF! Raiders are the most cheating franchise in the history of football and you call us for defensive holding on a running play?............Big 3rd down here. Hold em to field goal and then go down and get one on other end. That would be huge!...............Wow Brian Dawkins can fly! It's only fitting that Dilfer blew the call.......Okay step one complete holding them to field goal. Now to get a score on other end. Tell you what. Plenty of time to get seven if we had those two timeouts Orton burned earlier..........BIFF!!!!! Best ever right there ladies and gentlemen........okay touchdown out of the question now. Still can get three...........Challenge that! he came down on the line! Nope. Wishful thinking..........Record setter coming up. Lets see if they are smart enough to set up for 63 yarder. MONEY!!!! Good news is he is my kicker on my fantasy team!..................It's at this moment in time your mind starts to wander and you break out in a sweat knowing the Red Sox lead is down to three games in the wild card..............Allright 3rd and long, do something Broncos to give us some kind of hope. IN---COM----PLETE!.......YEAH BABY! Love seeing that number 87 Eric Decker. That changes things in a big hurry. But quickly plays tricks on me wondering what will Orton do to screw up this good feeling LOL...............Love the camera shaking like the old days of Mile High Stadium!............You have got to make that tackle!..............Oh god this Raider running game is starting to take its toll...........ah but there is always hope. Coaches at any level will always outsmart themselves with stupid calls like that reverse...............okay. another 3rd and long. gotta stop em here. Nice! Raiders use there second timeout. It goes without saying that could come back to haunt them.......This guy has got to be the greatest punter in the history of the game despite that last return.........Come on Eddie. You're better than that.........See! That's what I'm talking about.......The Raiders and there fans are idiots. Always have been. Always will be. What a dumb play..............Oh come on McGahee. Well so much for this possession. Another drop. Wait are we gonna get another personal foul? Yep! Do I need to say it again.........Nice! Make sure you pick up your lingerie on the field you Raiders defenders.........Oh god. Now comes the realization Orton is in the redzone............I know I am crazy and it makes no sense but I have told people that I would run Tebow out there on any 1st and goal. Orton has got to be one of the worst all-time red zone quarterbacks in the history of the NFL..............16-13 feels like 23-13 to me. They all but gift wrapped that touchdown for the Broncos yet Orton just cannot get it done down there. Never has. Doubt that he ever will on consistent basis.............Dang it! Never a real chance to get that fumble......Tell you what, Broncos are laying the wood here in this second half. 3rd and long, here we go...................Its always a good security blanket knowing Jason Campbell is the Raiders QB.........Gotta luv this Decker kid. But again deep sigh knowing this is all between the 20s. Take a shot right here Orton............OMG!!!!!!! He just has to fulfil his identity doesnt he!...........BALLGAME! And just like that there go our hopes........Cant wait to here this post game presser by Orton.................Raiders version of the Bush push there.............Turn em loose. Raiders defensive front built for this kind of moment............NFL Films moment there. Maybe that turns the tide of this fiasco. Lloyd is a lucky man..........Big time hold there. Can Orton make a play? I think so. It is between the 20s..............Nice pass there on 2nd and 19 Orton. Here come the boo birds.............Most intelligent thing Dilfer has said all night relating to Orton's plight. "I've been there" he said describing his career of always facing adversity because of his poor play. Okay I embellished it a bit there but lets face it. Nobody has profited more from playing QB so bad yet being so lucky to have played for a team with one of the top five defenses of all time.........Did you see that ref there. He was reaching for his flag but couldnt find it. He then realized "I better not throw it"..................Like I said Lechler is the greatest punter of all-time. My apologies to the Ray Guy family...........You know you can complain about the officiating all you want but so far every holding call against the Broncos has been warranted........Thinking the best thing that can happen here is have this drive stall out quickly and get the field goal out of the way.............Check that LOL. But it is the red zone again......3rd and four and I am resigned to the field goal............Oh I feel foolish now. Yes! Orton can produce a touchdown in the red zone..........You have to remember Fox burned that timeout down there when Raiders had first down and goal from the one................Better to gain 10 yards than have 2nd and one.............Ballgame. Okay that might be the third or fourth time I said that tonight.......Victory formation for the Raiders........Okay time to put a bow on this blog. In the final analysis it comes down to turnovers 90 percent of the time it seems in the NFL. When you include the blocked punt the Broncos gave the ball to Oakland four times which produced 20 points. Also the stupid personal foul penalty at end of first half gave Raiders the chance to hit the 63 yard field goal. Kyle Orton as usual had a great statistical night under heavy pressure. But for the exception of the last drive he fails in the red zone all too often. And of course his bonehead fumble with no one around him and a sure touchdown at the end of the pass he didnt get off will forever be remembered as the play that cost the Broncos the ball game. The way this game was lost overshadows the way the Raiders won the game, an old fashioned powerful ground game. That and a powerful defensive front which drew countless holding penalties and put tremendous heat on Orton all night long. In defeat the Broncos do have a new cult hero. Eric Decker's 90 yard punt return for an early 3rd quarter touchdown injected life and hope into an otherwise dreary outlook. Sure its not as brutal as last years 59-14 loss but this game stings just a bit more since it was the home opener and ruins the chance to open the season 2-0 with last years doormat Cincinnati Bengals coming to Mile High next Sunday. Time to hit the shower and try to sleep this one off. Hope you enjoyed this venture into on the spot commentary of Broncos football.

Defense Rules

In the modern game of football everybody it seems loves a sexy offense. Fans love offense. They love the razzle dazzle, the spread offenses and the fireworks that go with them. But make no mistake about it the ticket to wins in the truly big games will come down to the defenses ability to stop people. Last night in their 41-0 pasting of NW Oklahoma the CSU-P Thunderwolves defense took a giant step forward in preparing for RMAC Conference battles which begin next Saturday night at Adams State. All it takes is a glance at the RMAC scoreboard to realize what the unit is up against down the road. Conference favorite Nebraska Kearney put up 65 points and 624 yards in their win yesterday over Northeastern State. This coming after gaining a staggering 700 yards in last week's 41-20 win at Wayne State. Thunderwolves other chief rival Colorado Mines gained 673 yards in their 55-7 walloping of South Dakota Mines. Despite losing 49-42 to Angelo State yesterday Chadron State proved they are also explosive on offense. It must be noted that each of the opponents in these games may be suspect but it still points out the need for a defense capable of slowing down offenses. Last night the Thunderwolves pitched a shutout in relatively easy fashion. Coming off last week's performance it was imperative they do one very important thing.....tackle better! And that they did. One other thing was pretty apparent as the twolves played a step faster on their home turf. Head coach John Wristen wants his teams to fly to the football on every single play. The other key is getting a better push up the field with their interior lineman. Both were visibly better against the youthful Rangers. Defensive end Corey Orth continues to impress applying constant pressure on quarterbacks. I thought his counterpart Grant Jansen played better this week as well. Middle linebacker Lee Meisner got in the act with an interception. Cornerbacks Mark Sterling (interception) and Stephan Dickens are always a threat to take interceptions to the house. Dickens also was used on a rare corner blitz that worked beautifully. Next week it will be imperative for the unit to keep things settled down early against the hungry Grizzlies in Alamosa. Then the offense get back to their roots and run the football to control the game. It is a winning formula for next week as well as in future RMAC battles against their already bitter rivals.........................................
TAILGATE SUCCESS----Friends of Football and the Alumni are to be saluted for the decision to move their combined party closer to the gates and onto the lawn just outside the stadium. It is always better to enjoy lunch and a cold one where its cooler and without dust blowing into your eyes..................................................................................................................................................................
STUDENT SECTION-----Last week at West Texas A&M many of the players took note of the rowdy student section with genuine envy. They challenged their own fellow students at CSU-P to match the Buffalo's student fan intensity thru social media as well as face to face in the dorms and on campus. Mission accomplished! They were rowdy and came "painted and dressed" for the occasion. Also a shout out to the marching band for a good pregame and halftime performance...................................................................................................................................................
BIG RIGS-----Also of note was the number of RV's that made the trip to the upper parking lots at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl. They arrived early and stayed late to enjoy the event. It just feels good pulling into the parking lot two and half hours before kickoff seeing those monsters with bbq's going and big ol' flags waving in the breeze.................................................
PROGRAM REMINDERS-----Take note that next week's kickoff from Adams State is at 7pm. Joe and I will be on the air at 630pm with the pregame on 590KCSJ-AM and www.590kcsj.com . Would also love to see a nice crowd out at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday night at 7pm for The John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite. The show can be heard throughout the restaurant while you enjoy dinner and a cold one. Show as always heard on KCSJ and www.kcsj.com ................................................................................................................................................
I HEART RADIO-----although we love people in the stands with those big ol' headphones on listening our play-by-play coverage of Thunderwolves action there is another less obvious way. Just download the free app at www.iheartradio.com to your smartphone. Get yourself a little earbud and you will be right there in the booth with us. Also comes in handy when you are anywhere that is not near a radio or computer.