WE'RE NO. 1!!!

 

Texas teams suck. I've been holding that opinion for years, and the reality on the scoreboards keeps reinforcing my belief. Texas teams think they're hot shit early in the season by beating other limp-dick Texas teams and then when they're finally forced to play an out-of-state opponent that's not a total cupcake, they fold like dime-store tortillas on a rainy day. 

Case in point: the Texas Longhorns, the Lone Star State's best and brightest hope, opened their season against the PAC-12 pushover, Texas State, and then got lucky against an overrated Ohio State team, squeaking past them by a single point. That win got them ranked No. 1, and they then beat the beep-beep UTSA Roadrunners (are they even FBS?) followed by another squeaker - a three-point win over No. 14 Tennessee.   

Then yesterday, they fatefully crossed the Red River and got embarrassed by unranked Oklahoma. The fucking Oklahoma Sooners, man. The Georgia Bulldogs beat Oklahoma, 41-13. It's not hard, but the Longhorns QB, whichever Manning it is that's this year's model, threw an interception with 24 seconds remaining, and the Sooners kicked a game-winning FG. Unranked Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24. 

No. 1 no more. Yesterday's AP Poll dropped the Longhorns from No. 1 to No. 7 with no, as in zero, first-place votes. Even Miami, Notre Dame and Indiana got at least one first-place vote, but not a single one of the 61 AP Poll voters who picked Texas as No. 1 last week could get themselves to vote for the 'Horns this week. 

Meanwhile, as you surely know by now, the undefeated, 6-0 Georgia Bulldogs beat No. 6 Alabama on Saturday, 20-17, and, after five straight weeks at No. 2, are the new No. 1 team with 66 first-place ballots. Infuriatingly, the AP Poll kept Alabama (5-1) at No. 6  because, I don't know, roll Tide, I guess? 

With Texas now down at No. 7, No. 3 Notre Dame (6-0), No.4 Miami (5-0), and No. 5 Ohio (5-1) all move up one position to the new Nos. 2, 3, and 4. Old No. 7 Indiana (6-0) vaulted past No. 6 Alabama to the new No. 5. 

Rounding out the Top 10, BYU (5-0) and Ole Miss (4-1), Georgia's Week 10 opponent, remain at No. 8 and 9, respectively. Old No. 10 LSU (4-2) lost to unranked Kentucky (5-1) in OT and fell all the way down to No. 22. The new No. 10 is, ugh, Texas Tech (5-0), who didn't even play this week and boast "quality" wins against Abilene Christian, Houston, Sam Houston, Oregon State, and Colorado.  

The only other currently ranked team besides Ole Miss left on Georgia's schedule is No. 13 Missouri (5-1). The former No. 16 Florida Gators (4-2), Georgia's Week 9 opponent, lost to unranked South Carolina (Georgia's Week 12 opponent), 38-19, Saturday and fell out of the Top 25 entirely.

Next week, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (oh, how I like saying that!) plays unranked Auburn (3-2). The Bulldogs are 21½ point favorites but would be well advised to prepare well for the game because Auburn lives to upset highly ranked teams (just ask Alabama) and have always played Georgia tough. Still, you gotta like the Bulldogs' chances to win.

Patriots 45, Raiders 17

 

Oh, we're so fucking back, baby! Yesterday, the resurgent New England Patriots (3-2) crushed the Oakland Las Vegas Raiders, 45-17, in a demonstration of raw power    

The Patriots scored 17 points on their first three possessions. Running back Corey Kiner fumbled on the fourth possession, but then the Pats scored on five off their next six possessions until they ran the clock out on their final possession.

Drake Maye had 374 yards passing yards, most in the NFL yesterday, and 25 yards on the ground. He had 26 completions on 34 attempts for four TDs and no INTs.  He finished the game with a 150.9 QB rating, best on the day in the NFL. Yesterday, no one in the league was better than Maye.

As for his receivers, DeMario Douglas (65 yards) had two TDs, Kyle Williams (91 yards) had one, and Hunter Henry (44 yards) caught a TD pass, too. Rhamondre Stevenson led the Patriots with 64 yards on the ground and one TD, and Kiner finished with 52 yards despite the fumble. Drake Maye actually edged out TreVeyon Henderson in total rushing yards, 25 to 22, and ran in one TD himself.

Despite concerns about his recovery from an injury, former Georgia Bulldog Brock Bowers had 110 yards receiving for the Raiders yesterday, including a first-quarter TD. That's about all these is to say about "highlights" for Las Vegas. 

Buffalo has a Monday-night game tonight against the Rams, so the standings in the AFC East aren't meaningful until after they play. Which is to say, right at this moment, the Bills are 3-1 (.750) and the Pats are 3-2 (.600), so Buffalo's in first place. Should they win tonight, they'll still lead the division, but should they lose, they move into a 3-2 tie with New England and the Patriots will be in first place because they beat Buffalo last weekend and currently have the tie-breaker. So I guess we're all Matthew Stafford fans tonight, unless, of course, the Rams decide to finally put in the Mailman, former Bulldog QB Stetson Bennett IV, who's only seen very limited play so far this season.

Next weekend, the Patriots will host the New York Jets (2-3). The Patriots will win. The only former Bulldog playing for the Jets is wide receiver Arian Smith, who's out on injured reserve with a torn ACL. The Patriots are currently seven-point favorites.

Georgia 20, Alabama 17

 

I got some bones to pick. I got some things to say about this one. Matter of fact, I got a whole lot to say.

I'll start with a mea culpa. I was wrong. I thought that with Hurricane Isaias barreling over the State of Alabama yesterday, this game should have been rescheduled or relocated for the safety of both the fans and the players. I thought Alabama was maybe playing a game of chicken with the Georgia Bulldogs, who had to drive across two states during flash-flood conditions in order to play. I thought the Tide was hoping Georgia was going to decline to travel and forfeit the game, giving Alabama an easy win. 

As it turned out, despite my misgivings, the game went off fine despite the conditions. The Bulldogs arrived safely, and I heard no news stories about fans drowning in flash floods while driving to attend the game or being turned away due to road closures or other adverse conditions. The field didn't appear soggy, there were no slippery ball/wet ball miscues, and no rain delays. The only impact the weather seemed to have on the game, and this was infuriating, was just before the half, as Alabama was driving toward the Georgia end zone, local television here in the Atlanta region cut away to announce a tornado watch for nearby Butts County.

I was surprised, because I had thought that the hurricane had passed over Alabama hours ago, and Georgia was in the clear. It was alarming to learn a tornado had been confirmed within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.  

Now, by all means, a tornado watch is serious business and ABC was absolutely correct to cut in with a warning. They went to a split screen view, with the sound off on the game, and a weatherperson explained the situation and advised residents in the affected zone to seek shelter immediately. My complaint is that she went on and on and on, fillibustering endlessly with meteorology lessons, asides about the broadcasting process, and endlessly repeating the warning and advice over and over. Meanwhile, with Georgia leading by three and only  seconds left in the half, Alabama was advancing the ball closer and closer to a go-ahead touchdown, a potential turning point in the game. 

The weatherperson said she understood she was interrupting the game, but her tone was dismissive. She never said anything insensitive to the fans she was interrupting, a transcript of her words would show no condescension, but the tone of her voice was "Well, so sorry to interrupt your precious little sports game with a life-and-death emergency warning." We could see the game, but the clock had stopped for some reason that wasn't clear with the audio off while the weatherlady repeated for like the ninetieth time, "Tornado watch in effect for Butts County."             

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!", I and the rest of Bulldog Nation were collectively screaming at our television sets (I confirmed on Reddit that I wasn't the only one screaming). Alabama eventually scored and took a 10-7 lead - we could see that on the silent half of the screen - but we had no understanding why the clock had stopped for them multiple times during the drive or why calls were made or not made (more on that later).

So for the record, I was wrong about the wanting the rescheduled and the interruption was the only impact Isaias had on the game, as far as I know.

Anyway and otherwise, what a game! It felt like and it was played like a championship match. Two titans, longtime SEC  rivals and the No. 2 and No. 6 teams in the country, going at it with everything they had.

Well, maybe not quite everything. Georgia came into the game without star running backs Nate Frasier (211 yards and five TDs) and Chauncey Bowens (124 yards and six TDs), both out with injuries. Dwight Phillips, Jr. stepped up to the challenge and delivered 120 yards on 17 carries, and Bo Walker was no slouch with 69 yards of his own on six carries. 

Georgia scored first. On thier first possession of the game, Gunner Stockton and the Dawgs drove the ball from their own 39 to the Alabama 17, but a pair of costly penalties forced Georgia to settle for a field goal. The Dawgs scored again in the second quarter on a 20-yard, Stockton-to-London Humphries pass. It was quickly 10-0, Bulldogs. 

On the next possession, Alabama struck back with a TD of their own. The Tide's Trae'shawn Brown broke through Georgia's d-line for a 59-yard run before getting tackled deep in the backfield by KJ Bolden On the next play, Alabama QB Keelon Russell completed a 22-yard TD for the Tide's first points of the game. However, there was clearly a hold by an Alabama lineman that allowed Russell the time in the pocket to complete the pass, but the refs missed the call. Let me repeat that: the refs missed a holding call on an Alabama scoring play. They should have been penalized five yards, but the play was allowed to stand. It was a bad call - bad no call, actually - but coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs didn't lose their shit over it, like Alabama and their loser coach did later in the game. Some calls go your way, some don't - you focus on what you can do on the field and try your best to overcome whatever obstacles the zebras throw your way.       

As discussed above, Alabama scored again in the last seconds of the half as the broadcast in Georgia was interrupted by some weatherlady yapping incessantly about a hurricane watch in a far-flung suburb (no one was hurt and as far as I know, no damage was reported). The score was 14-10, Alabama, at the half,  the first time all season the Bulldogs weren't ahead in the score.  

Georgia fixed that in their first possession of the second half, They had won the coin toss, and elected to receive in the second half, and the decision payed off. They drove the ball 61 yards from their own 25, and then Stockton rushed for a TD from the Alabama 14. With the score 17-14, Georgia, the Dawgs were back in the lead. At least until Alabama tied the game back up with a third quarter FG.

For another insufferable 10 minutes, the game remained tied until Georgia's Peyton Woodring, who had missed a FG attempt earlier, completed a kick from the Alabama 23. 20-17, Georgia.

On their final drive, Alabama advanced the ball to within range for a game-tying FG field on the Georgia 34. Then the play the game will unfortunately be remembered for occurred. Alabama QB Russell threw an incomplete pass into the end zone intended for Rico Scott. But two Georgia defenders were there and KJ Bolden, who earlier stopped Trae'shawn Brown's potential TD run clearly made contact with Scott. 

Was it pass interference? Yes, it was. Was it called? No, it wasn't. Should it have been? Yes, it should have. There I said it. Georgia should have gotten a PI call but didn't. Just like Alabama should have been charged for holding on their first-quarter TD, but didn't. Just like Alabama has gotten away with "no calls" on countless games in the past. Just like for every other team in the FBS, some calls go your way, some don't, and others aren't made at all, for or against your team. That's football. That's what happens. Deal with it.

But OF COURSE Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and the entire state of Alabama went apeshit. Of course, ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit, who's long hated the Dawgs, at least since they beat his precious Ohio State Buckeyes, complained over and over and fucking over again that Alabama got robbed, and after the game concluded, "Georgia got lucky."

Luck went both ways, Kirk. In addition to the first half  TD, Alabama got away with other holding calls. And even if the PI was called, Alabama wouldn't have been awarded with a TD. All the way back on the 34, they wouldn't even have gotten half the distance to the goal. Georgia would have been assessed a 15 yard penalty which, yes, would have put Alabama in a better position to possibly score, but Georgia had led the game for all but three seconds of the first half and led or was at least tied for most of the second. Alabama had the lead for only about five minutes all game. Yes, it's only the final score that matters, but there's no guarantee the correct call would have won the game for Alabama. 

As it was, Russell got sacked on the next play, putting Bama out of FG range and forcing them to punt back to Georgia for a final drive. The atmosphere on the field and the Bama sideline was so toxic that on Georiga's final drive, Alabama hothead Dijon Lee slapped a little mustard on Bulldog wide receiver Craig Dandridge at the end of a play. Dijon was assessed a personal foul, which gave the Bulldogs the first down they needed to run out the clock and win the game, 20-17. Thanks, Dijon! 

Not only on the field, the atmosphere was so toxic in the stands that Alabama fans were throwing gabage ond "objects" at Georgia players as they left the field. Coash Smart had to tell the players to put their helmets on as they left the field. Talk about sore losers! 

The narrative that Georgia "got lucky" with the PI no-call and that the refs were biased against Bama is simply paranoid bullshit. MAGA-level self-delusional. Georgia fought through plenty of their own penalties, including an earlier offensive pass interference call and a holding call that took away a Dwight Phillips Jr. touchdown run. Calls went against both teams, but Georgia fought through them while Alabama imploded. 

And Kirk Herbstreit is a jerk.

Gunner Stockton finished the game with 249 passing yards on 18-for-22 attempts and a QB rating of 182.8. Alabama's Keelon Russell had 185 yards and on 16-of 30 and a 116.1 rating. So what's the Yahoo Sports headline after thee game?  "Georgia deserves credit for gutsy win over Alabama, but Crimson Tide QB Keelon Russell has us hoping for a rematch." It's always, "Bama, Bama, Bama" with these guys. Fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers. 

I could say more, and sooner or later probably will, but I like ending this post with "fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers." 

Fucking sore-loser, cry-baby motherfuckers.

BU 2 , Holy Cross 1

 

After losing the first two games of the season on the road against No. 1-ranked Wisconsin, the Terriers have won two on the road, a shoot-out win last night at New Hampshire and tonight at Holy Cross.

There was no scoring in the first period tonight and Holy Cross took a 1-0 lead in the second. Then, Lo Lachappelle tied the game up 2:28 into the third period and then Neely Nicholson won the game and tied up the season with a power play goal. Sydney Fogu made 34 saves in the net.

The Terriers are 1-2-1 overall according to the NCAA, which doesn't count shoot-out wins, and 1-0-1 in Hockey East play. Their five points put them in first place in the conference, one point ahead of BC (suck on it, Eagles!). 

Next weekend, the Terriers host two non-conference games against No. 14- ranked Colgate.

Meanwhile, the No. 14-ranked BU men's hockey team (2-0-0) played an exhibition match against Brown University. The Terriers won, 3-1, and will play two conference games up in Vermont next weekend.

Bruins 5, Flyers 1

 

Do thy even play hockey anymore in Philadelphia? The Bruins romped their way to a 5-1 win in this old-school NHL rivalry game.

Pavel Zacha scored the only goal of the first period, his first of the season, assisted by David Pastrnak, his fifth. Mason Lohrei scored the only goal in the second, his second, assisted by JJ Peterka and Fraser Minten. In the third, Marat Khusnutdinov scored his first of the season assisted by Minten (second of the game and third of the season) and William Borgen. 

Then the weirdest thing happened.  Somehow, the Flyers found the back of the goal on a power play and it became a 3-1 game. Casey Mittelstadt wanted no part of that and scored his second goal of the season with assists by Elias Lindholm  and James Hagens. The then Minten, with two assists already under his belt, scored the fifth and final goal of the game, assisted by Peterka  and the other (Hampus) Lindholm.

Goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman made 14 saves for a .933 percentage.

Former BU Terrier Trevor Zegras (Class of 2020) wasn't much of a presence for the Flyers - no points in his 15:53 on ice, three giveaways, 1-1 on faceoffs, and a hit on Connor Clifton in the opening seconds of the game.

The Bruins improve to 3-2-0. Their six points are tied with Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Florida, but they're still being penalized for playing on the NHL's opening day and having one more game under their belt than their Atlantic Division rivals - the games-played tie-breaker is keeping them in fourth place.  

The Bruins are off on a West Coast road trip for the week. Their next game is Tuesday night (11:00 pm) in San Jose against Macklin Celibrini (BU, 2024) and the Sharks. It's not at all certain that the Bruins will face Macklin as hee suffered a lower-body injury and the Sharks are carefully managing his playing time, putting him in for only two games so far this season. 

BU 5, New Hampshire 4 (SO)

 

According to the NCAA, the game is a 4-4 tie. According to the Hockey East conference, the BU Terriers women's hockey team won; 5-4. Officially, the game ended, 4-4, after two scoreless OTs. But Hockey East has a shootout in the case of tie games, and although the results aren't recognized by the NCAA, the Terriers won the shootout and get two points for a SO win in the conference standings.

It almost didn't happen that way. BU missed the first shot in the shootout and the New Hampshire Wildcats took a 1-0 lead. But Mylie Ellis, Anežka Čabelová and Greta Henderson all scored on their attempts and BU won a tied game, 5-4.

New Hampshire took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but BU's Ella Pukala scored on a power play and then Julia Curran hit an even strength goal a mere 23 seconds later. No one scored in the second, and the third period mirrored the first - the Wildcats scored two goals and then BU tied it back up again with even-strength goals by Quinn Taylor and Avery Supryka. 

BU's Mari Pietersen made 27 saves in the net on 31 shots (.871).

This was the first conference game for the Terriers this season. They're 0-0-1 in the conference and 0-2-1 overall. Their two points for the shootout win puts them in third place in the Hockey East standings, behind BC and Northeastern's three points 

Tomorrow, the Terriers play Holy Cross (1-1-2) in Worcester. Their loss was in conference play against BC tonight, 3-1, so they're 0-1-0 and fifth in the Hockey East standings. 

Puck drops at 5:00.  

 

Bruins 6, Mammoth 1

 

Before last night, Bruins' team captain David Pastrnak hadn't scored a single goal, and the Bruins hadn't scored on the power play all season. All that changed fourteen minutes into the first period, when Captain Pastrnak scored on a power play, assisted by Fredrick Brunet and Morgan Geekie. To make his case, Captain Pasta scored again on another power play in the second period, assisted by Geekie and Hampus Lindholm. 

A big part of being captain is leadership, so on another second-period power play, Pasta fed a puck from Pavel Zacha to Geekie, who scored the goal. Pasta also assisted on an even-strength goal by Matthew Poitras in the second period.

On top of all those Pasta-powered goals, Casey Mittelstadt scored his first of the season, assisted by James Hagens and Elias Lindholm. Mason Lohrei also got his first goal of the season in the first period, assisted by Poitras and Mark Kastelic. In the end, the Bruins crushed the Mammoth, 6-1.

Jeremy Swayman was 36-for-37 in the net for a .973 average.

Our old friend, Andrew Peeke, had 12:56 minutes on the ice for the Mammoth and got off one shot on goal and a hit on Hagens, both in the first period. Clayton Keller (BU, 2017) had 19:41 minutes, four shots on goal, one takeaway, three giveaways, and a second-period hit on the Bruins' Connor Clifton.

The Bruins improve to 3-2-0 and six points, but are still in fourth place in the Atlantic Division because of the stupid games-played tiebreaker. C'mon, Ottawa, Florida, and Tampa Bay - play some more games, dammit!

The Bruins are in Philly tomorrow. The team may be led by long-time (11 years) Flyer Travis Konecny's three assists, but  Trevor Zegras (BU, 2020) is tied for second on the team with two assists. The puck drops at 1:00 pm.

Senators 4, Bruins 1

 

Boston Bruins' goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves in the net last night, but the Ottawa Senators just kept coming and scored four unanswered goals in the first two periods. None of those goals were on power plays, and one was even short-handed. Finally, early in the third period, James Hagens said "Fuck this shit," and scored an unassisted goal, Boston's only goal of the game.

Our old friend, goalie Linus Ullmark, played the first two periods for the Senators last night and went 10-for-10 on saves; it was his third period replacement, Sam Ersson, who gave up Hagens' goal. Ottawa defenseman Cameron Crotty (BU, 2016) got his first time on ice this season, 10:56 minutes worth, and had one hit in the game, on Mason Lohrei early in the first quarter. 

It was the second straight loss for the Bruins after winning the first two of the season, and they fall to 2-2-0. Ottawa moves up to first place in the Atlantic Division, while the Bruins fall to fourth. Both teams have four points, but the games-played tiebreaker puts Ottawa (two games) first and Boston (four games) fourth. Tampa Bay and Florida also have four points each, but both have played three games and are second and third in the division behind Ottawa and ahead of Boston.

The Bruins are off until Thursday, which will give some of the other teams time to catch up on games played. When they finally return to play, it will be against the Utah Mammoth (2-1-0) in the Garden. In addition to our old friend, defenseman Andrew Peeke, who's scored one goal and one assist so far this season, Utah's team also includes forward Clayton Keller (BU, 2017), who's racked up five assists so far.

Patriots 29, Bills 23

 

Drake Maye and the New England Patriots played well today! That would be reason enough to celebrate right there, but they also won against division rival Buffalo, 29-23, and improve to 2-2 (.500!) and second place in the AFC East.

The win didn't come easy and Buffalo fought hard on their home field. The Pats scored first on their first possession, starting at their own 3-yard line and driving the ball downfield in twelve plays until Drake Maye completed a touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs. This was the old Maye of last season returned to form, not the interception- and fumble-prone Maye of the first three games this year. 

Buffalo tied the game up with a TD midway through the second, but Rhamondre Stevenson took the lead back with a one-yard run into the end zone. The Bills tied it back up again with another TD, and as the half expired they took a 17-14 lead with a field goal. 

Undeterred, Maye connected with Doubs again for a third quarter TD to regain the lead, 21-17, but Buffalo narrowed the lead to one with a FG early in the fourth. The Bills then took a 26-21 lead with another TD (they missed the two-point conversion) with 4:27 left to play. 

 

Maye then ran a Brady-esque drive in the closing minutes to move the ball 73 yards down the field, culminating in a 23-yard passing TD to Efton Chism III; Maye connected with Stevenson for the conversion and a 29-26 lead. On the Bill's next possession, the Pats' Craig Woodson intercepted a Josh Allen pass with 1:14 left on the clock, and the Pats worked the clock to win the game.   

Woo-hoo! The Patriots are back, baby!

Maye finished the game with 269 passing yards and led the Pats with another 54 yards on the ground. Doubs finished with six receptions for 58 yards and Hunter Henry had 62 yards on five receptions. 

Next week, the Patriots will host the Oakland Raiders (3-0, with a 13-10 lead over K.C. in the third right now). I know they're currently based out of Las Vegas, but to fans my age, they'll always be "Oakland." Former Georgia Bulldog Brock Bowers has averaged 66.3 yards per game for the Raiders since 2024 and had 116 yards in the one game he played this season. Veteran QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State, 2011) is in his first season with the Raiders and so far boasts a QB rating of 107.2, his best rating since 2019.

The early line favors the Patriots by 3½ points.

No. 2 for the Fifth Straight Week

 

For the firth straight week, the University of Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) are No. 2 in the AP Poll. In fact the top five teams in the poll are the same teams in the same order as last week. 

Just like last week, the Dawgs got six first-place votes in the poll. The No. 1 Texas Longhorns (4-0) had a bye week but lost one first-place vote and received only 61 this week, while the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes (5-0) received two and the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers (5-0) received one. No 3 Notre Dame (5-0) and No. 5 Ohio State (4-1) didn't receive any first place votes.

Former No. 6  Indiana and former No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) swapped place in the poll, with Alabama the new No. 6 and Indiana the new No. 7. Georgia plays No. 6 Alabama next Saturday (7:30 pm)  and the Tide's new ranking just makes an already interesting game that much more intriguing. 

Statistically, the two teams are pretty evenly matched. Georgia leads the FBS with 51.4 points per game, but Alabama is second, tied with Miami at 49.6 ppg. Georgia also has a slight advantage in total yards per game (478.8 vs. 473.8). However, while Georgia leads Bama in rushing yards per game (213.0 vs. 186.4), Alabama leads in passing yards (287.4 vs. 265.8). 

Defensively, Alabama's passing game may spell trouble for the Dawgs because Georgia ranks only 42nd in the FBS against the pass at 187.2 yards per game. Georgia's advantage on the ground will be challenged by Alabama's rushing D, 10th best in the subdivision at 79.0 ypg. Georgia is third best at 57.4 ypg against the rush, but Bama has a more potent passing than running game.        

Georgia's Gunner Stockton has a QB rating of 202.0, third best in the FBS, while Alabama's Keelon Russell is sixth bast at 185.7. Gunner has a total of 13 TDs this season while Russell has 11. 

In other words, it will be a close game. 

The biggest news in the latest AP Poll may well be the Florida Gators (4-1), the Bulldog's Week 9 opponent, dropping from No. 8 all the way down to No. 16 after their 47-17 loss to No. 25 Missouri (4-1), while the Tigers, Georgia's Week 11 opponent, moved up 11 places to No. 14 in the poll.

Ole Miss, Georgia's Week 10 opponent, remain at No. 9 in the poll.

So off the Dawgs go into the toughest conference run in recent memory: No. 6 Alabama on the road, followed by unranked Auburn at home, followed by No. 16 Florida in neutral territory, followed by No. 9 Ole Miss on the road, and finally No. 14 Mizzou at home. And then they still have to go to South Carolina and their annual rivalry game against Georgia Tech. 

Buckle up, Bulldogs!

BU 4, Alaska 0

 

After two scoreless periods by both teams up in Fairbanks, Alaska, BU freshman Haoxi (Simon) Wang hit his first collegiate goal 3:43 into the third period. Junior Kamil Bednarik scored an unassisted goal midway through that final period, and after the Nanooks pulled their goalie, freshman Caleb Malhotra and sophomore Tynan Lawrence each added empty-netters to make the final score, 4-0.

Mikhail Yegorov faced 16 shots without allowing a single goal for his fourth career shutout. It was the 100th win for Jay Pandolfo as BU's head coach.  

In case you're wondering (I was), the high temperature in Fairbanks today is 43° and the low was 32. 

The No. 16 Terriers return home for an exhibition game next Saturday against Brown ("What color is horse shit? Brown! Brown! Brown!"). BU's Hockey East season will start the next weekend with October 16th and 17th games in Burlington against the Vermont Catamounts (0-0-0).  

Wild 4, Bruins 1

 

The Bruins scored first, almost immediately. A mere 1:53 into the first period, Tanner Jeannot scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Mark Kastelic and Connor Clifton. But that was it for the Bruins, the only score of the game. They went through the remaining 18:07 of the first period and the entireties of the second and third without a single additional goal.

The Wild scored twice in the second period and again in the third. Down 3-1, the Bruins pulled the goalie with 2:07 remaining in the game and the Wild hit the empty net to make the final score 4-1.

Michael DiPietro, who played in only one game for the Bruins all last year, was in the net last night, making 26 saves on 29 shots (.897).

The Bruins are 2-1-0 on this young season. Their four points have them all alone in first place in the NHL East's Atlantic Division.  They make their home debut tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators (1-0-0) featuring our old friend, goalie Linus Ullmark (.931), and former Terrier Cameron Crotty (BU, '20), who has yet to appear in a game this season.