gonna start with a brief (i hope) chat about motivation for a football game. obviously it's a huge topic, and rightfully so, during bowl season. but i feel like it's very misunderstood. just because a team isn't fired up to play a particular game doesn't mean they're not going to play hard on the field. with some exceptions, mostly at the NFL level, guys play hard. you gotta. you don't, and you're gonna get hurt. because the guy trying to knock you on your ass doesn't care how motivated you are.
where the lack of motivation shows up is in practice and film study. if you're not interested in the upcoming game, you may not be paying full attention during the week. where that manifests itself in the game is things like turnovers and penalties. and stuff that will show up when you watch film of that game. maybe a missed block or a missed assignment on defense that led to a big play.
this concludes smitty's discussion on motivation.
Fenway Bowl
ah, the annual "yankee stadium got a bowl game, so we wanted one" game. whoop-de-friggin-do.
talk about a huge motivational edge. UNC started the season with such promise, winning on the road at minnesota. then, after beating a couple of scrubs, they gave up 70 (SEVENTY!!) at home to JMU. that started a 4-game losing streak. they bounced back with 3 straight wins to become bowl-eligible, then promptly lost their last 2, to BC and NC St. the shitshow led to mack brown getting fired. and imagine the distraction that followed when they hired some washed up NFL coach who was so bad that the patriots(!) fired him. AND... he's dating a chick a lot of them want to fuck. do you really think they're focused on the uconn huskies?
ok, the obvious... it's a bowl game for uconn!! joe fagnano (or joey fags, as nobody except smitty calls him) had a solid year, averaging 8.1 yards/att with 18 TDs and only 4 INTs. and they have two very good RBs in robinson (6.8/carry) and edwards (5.9). edwards really came on late in the season. his last 4 games, he had 50 carries for 399 yards (8 yards/carry, for the mathematically-disinclined).
very important stat... uconn was 1-0 in massachusetts this year, while UNC was 0-1. they lost at boston college 11/23 and, for their troubles, get to come right back to beantown.
ok, one more note in regards to motivation... they're expecting game-time weather to be 36 degrees and rain. talk about miserable. so you are UNC... finishing up a crap season... some teams get to go south, but you gotta play in THAT weather. i can personally attest to how much that sucks. back in my playing days, we finished our season at Assumption (middle of massachusetts). we entered the game at 1-7. it was in the low 40s and rained the entire game. now, i hope the field at fenway is better than that field we played on. it was so muddy, that if you got into a 3-point stance in some spots, your hand sunk right through to the concrete or whatever the hell was underneath that field. anyway, late in the game, it was so bad that us benchwarmers were hoping we DIDN'T get put into the game. we were just trying to find spots on the sideline where we wouldn't sink into the mud. sure enough, last possession of the game, they put in ol' smitty. great. 3 plays, absolutely soaked, for nothing. since it was the last game, most guys just left their socks and jocks in the locker room after the game. felt kinda bad for whoever had to clean that up.
oh, right, uconn.
uconn (ML) 5 to win 6
where the lack of motivation shows up is in practice and film study. if you're not interested in the upcoming game, you may not be paying full attention during the week. where that manifests itself in the game is things like turnovers and penalties. and stuff that will show up when you watch film of that game. maybe a missed block or a missed assignment on defense that led to a big play.
this concludes smitty's discussion on motivation.
Fenway Bowl
ah, the annual "yankee stadium got a bowl game, so we wanted one" game. whoop-de-friggin-do.
talk about a huge motivational edge. UNC started the season with such promise, winning on the road at minnesota. then, after beating a couple of scrubs, they gave up 70 (SEVENTY!!) at home to JMU. that started a 4-game losing streak. they bounced back with 3 straight wins to become bowl-eligible, then promptly lost their last 2, to BC and NC St. the shitshow led to mack brown getting fired. and imagine the distraction that followed when they hired some washed up NFL coach who was so bad that the patriots(!) fired him. AND... he's dating a chick a lot of them want to fuck. do you really think they're focused on the uconn huskies?
ok, the obvious... it's a bowl game for uconn!! joe fagnano (or joey fags, as nobody except smitty calls him) had a solid year, averaging 8.1 yards/att with 18 TDs and only 4 INTs. and they have two very good RBs in robinson (6.8/carry) and edwards (5.9). edwards really came on late in the season. his last 4 games, he had 50 carries for 399 yards (8 yards/carry, for the mathematically-disinclined).
very important stat... uconn was 1-0 in massachusetts this year, while UNC was 0-1. they lost at boston college 11/23 and, for their troubles, get to come right back to beantown.
ok, one more note in regards to motivation... they're expecting game-time weather to be 36 degrees and rain. talk about miserable. so you are UNC... finishing up a crap season... some teams get to go south, but you gotta play in THAT weather. i can personally attest to how much that sucks. back in my playing days, we finished our season at Assumption (middle of massachusetts). we entered the game at 1-7. it was in the low 40s and rained the entire game. now, i hope the field at fenway is better than that field we played on. it was so muddy, that if you got into a 3-point stance in some spots, your hand sunk right through to the concrete or whatever the hell was underneath that field. anyway, late in the game, it was so bad that us benchwarmers were hoping we DIDN'T get put into the game. we were just trying to find spots on the sideline where we wouldn't sink into the mud. sure enough, last possession of the game, they put in ol' smitty. great. 3 plays, absolutely soaked, for nothing. since it was the last game, most guys just left their socks and jocks in the locker room after the game. felt kinda bad for whoever had to clean that up.
oh, right, uconn.
uconn (ML) 5 to win 6
