Chapter 6

We truly lost a good one this week. T will be deeply missed, and never forgotten. There was something special about T; he had a swagger to him, a vibe that you just wanted to be around. He was a pure golden man, and loved to talk basketball. His way of saying hello to me was “How bout Porzingis, what about the Thunder.” On a Sunday, there was a good chance you would see him at the Korner, watching the games. In week 3 of the NFL season, T started Keelan Cole over Calvin Ridley in fantasy football for me. Keelan Cole is on the Jaguars, my favorite team, and posted a stat line of 5 catches for 40 yards. Not bad! Calvin Ridley had a stat line of 7 catches for 146 yards and THREE touchdowns! Sorry on that one, love ya T! We laughed off the moment, and he kept teasing me because Cole is my dude. That was the kind of person he was. He was soft spoken, and I never seen him upset. He laughed and laughed, and made everyone feel better. May you rest in peace, my friend.

It is impossible to transition to the blog. T was one of my brother’s best friends, and I got to know him well. In two of my lowest moments, he created normalcy for me. He got my mind off things and gave me a good laugh. I just wanted to show appreciation to him, even though words can’t describe how shocked and saddened I am. But, one thing I learned from his actions was to smile while you are here.

The recap.

Notre Dame -21 vs. Pitt – Miss. Notre Dame 19 Pitt 14.
Penn State -13 vs. Michigan State. Miss. Michigan State 21 Penn State 17.
UCF -4.5 at Memphis – Miss. UCF 31 Memphis 30.
LSU +7.5 vs. Georgia – HIT! LSU 36 Georgia 16.
Hawaii +11 at BYU – Miss. BYU 49 Hawaii 23.
Chargers -1 at Browns – HIT! Chargers 38 Browns 14.
Colts +3 at Jets – Miss. Jets 42 Colts 34.
Redskins Panthers over 44.5 – Miss. Redskins 23 Panthers 17 (40).
Ouch, 2-6 last week!
Kowals Korner YTD = 19-22.

**Friday Night … Knicks!**

Knicks +2.5 at Nets – As noted, T was a huge NBA fan. The Knicks are the local team, so we frequently talked about them. They are sort of playing a road game, in Brooklyn versus the Nets. The Knicks are the Kings of New York. I worry about this young team on the road, but they just have a short bus ride to another borough. Both teams play with great pace, so while the talent is not quite there, this should be a great game to watch. The Nets are not a deep team, but they are top heavy. Dinwiddie and LeVert are two of the most underrated players in the league. I do not think they are enough though to overcome the likes of Hardaway Jr., Ntilikina, and the rest of their supporting cast. Expect points, and a Knicks dub.
Knicks 113 Nets 109

**Saturday Slate**

#6 Michigan -7 at #24 Michigan State – Michigan is starting to play like the team many believed they would be this season. Last week they routed #15 Wisconsin, behind running the ball, and playing swarming defense. Michigan’s athletes were too much for Wisconsin, who is built similar to Michigan State. Michigan State is riding high, upsetting Penn State last week. I believe they come back to Earth this week. Their offense is below average, and I can see Michigan feasting on them. I would be surprised if Michigan State can mustard up more than twenty points against this defense. Michigan will go in to East Lansing and physically wear down State.
Michigan 24 Michigan State 14.

#2 Ohio State -12.5 at Purdue – Purdue is coming off of three straight victories led by an explosive offense. After two straight road games, they will host #2 Ohio State, in primetime 7:30pm. Ohio State has the talent to match up with anyone, but last two victories they were challenged. The box score shows them winning on average by 19.5 in the last two, but that is thanks to a dominant fourth quarter. Coach Urban Meyer is known for having the best conditioned football team, and it has shown as of late. Purdue will score early, but I don’t think they will be able to keep up with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins’ and the boys.
Ohio State 49 Purdue 31.

#12 Oregon +3 at #25 Washington State – Oregon will play its fourth ranked opponent in a row. They have one loss on the year, versus at the time #7 Stanford. If you watched that game, you would remember Oregon choking badly with costly fumbles. They could easily be 7-0 and in the National Championship hunt. Washington State reminds me of Rutgers football in the Schiano era. Leach has risen this program to good heights, and the fans will come out for this marquee matchup. After being battle tested, I believe Oregon can handle the crowd at Wazzu. Their one loss versus Stanford was a learning experience, and they ace this exam Saturday night.
Oregon 31 Washington State 27.

**Sunday Funday**

Chelsea -130 vs. Manchester United – There’s a London football game this weekend you say right? Well this futbol match at 7:30 in London is the most important game in the city. These two talented clubs are trending in opposite directions. Chelsea struggled last year, but they have regained their form with a new manager. United on the other hand, they are self-destructing. It seems as if their manager is alienating himself from the team. United will “park the bus” meaning they will defend, defend, and defend for 90 minutes hoping for a 0-0 draw. Chelsea has too much talent to get shut out at home. Chelsea strikes in the second half.
Chelsea 1 United 0.

Chargers Titans under 45.5 – Speaking of the London Football game, I can see a boring one. This is a 9:30am eastern kick off; meaning it is an 8:30am kickoff to the Titans and a 6:30am kickoff to the Chargers. Teams try and get to the London game on a Thursday, to give their bodies time to adjust, but this still might be too early for these players to have their tea. The Titans already play a possession style of game, running the ball and relying on defense, while the Chargers host a good defense themselves. The weather also calls for cloudy with rain, a typical London day. In an era where points are plentiful, this should be a drag.
Chargers 20 Titans 14.

Redskins -1.5 vs. Cowboys – Wow. The Cowboys beat down my Jaguars this past weekend. They broke my spirit from that game. Dak was running the show, and they were clicking everywhere. That being said, the Cowboys are 0-3 on the road this season. They come in with confidence, but quietly the Redskins have been a very good team. Both teams know they are right in this division race, and both will put a high priority on this game. Ultimately, I want the home team led by veteran Alex Smith. This is a classic “let down” scenario for Dallas. They are coming off their best win and they now travel on the road, in the division.
Redskins 24 Cowboys 20.

There ya have it.
Goose