(In the best PA announcer voice one can muster) Bloggers, are you ready for some FOOTB-AHHHHH-LL?!?! Well I am; especially NCAA football. This past weekend my good pal Chase Peck, the Murray State News sports editor and good buddy friend Tommy Dillard, Tommy's cohort photographer and my friend Elaine Kight and I skipped a few classes to go to the "Derby City," Louisville or Looeyville or Looahville or Luhvul or maybe even Lewis-ville, to see our Murray State Racers take on the Cardinals of U of L in a sold out Papa John's stadium. It's one of those games where a Division I-A team expects a big win and the Division I-AA school expects to receive a check with a lot of zeros on it. Unlike the mammoth Appalachian State vs. Michigan upset, the Racers got just what they expected when playing a top ten school in the nation, a head thumpin', pulverizing 73-10 loss and a $300,000 check. I should mention that in 1932 the Racers beat the Cards 105-0.

Sure every Cardinal drive but one ended in a touchdown (and the one was a field goal), sure the Cards' Heisman Trophy hopeful Brohm threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns, and sure by the fourth quarter the crowd began getting frustrated because the Cards third stringers refused to throw the ball to show some mercy on the young thoroughbreds, but it wasn't all bad, was it?

Surprisingly enough, the answer is no. The Racers young offensive team executed some great plays and gave some promise of a decent Ohio Valley Conference team. In fact the freshman quarterback, Ehrhardt, completed 12 of 20 passes against one of the most hostile teams in college football; something that could be frightening to our SEMO Redhawk rivals.

At MSU there is a great football tradition. Whenever the Racers score a touchdown the Racer band plays the fight song and the booming voice of Paul Radtke comes over the PA system saying, "Clear the track for Racer 1." At that point in the fight song the drum line takes over during a rhythmic racer cheer while a thoroughbred runs around the track at a full gallop. So hopefully we can clear the track several times this year! GO RACERS!

Possible Discussion Questions:

Are you ready for some FOOT-BAHHHH-LL?

NFL or NCAA? What is your favorite team?

Does your alma mater have a neat touchdown tradition?

Is the Michigan/Appalachian State game the biggest upset in college football history?

What is your favorite football snack?