FORMER UVA QUARTERBACK FOR HEISMAN? DON'T LAUGH. IT'S POSSIBLE. REALLY1

 Football, Football … nothing but football …

Starting with a question: why didn’t the country’s top 

running back recruit play for Louisa High against Mills 

Godwin? Curious minds would like to know … In fact, 

that should have been addressed the night of the game 

which was two weeks ago. The more you allow local 

schools and coaches to stonewall the more they’ll do it.

ADD former UVA quarterback ANTHONY 

COLANDREA to the Heisman Watch. Surely you jest.

Well, put it this way: He’s passed … and ran 

(occasionally) … Nevada Las Vegas to an unbeaten (3-0) 

start. Saturday night the Running Rebels added to 

UCLA’s misery 30-23. It was 23-3 at halftime. By then 

Colandrea had thrown for 171 yards, completing 12 of 14 

passes, and two touchdowns of 21 yards each..

The woebegone 0-2 Bruins cut the deficit to 10 to open 

the second half, and UNLV (primarily Colandrea) 

promptly answered. A called QB run accounted for 33 

yards and led to his third TD pass, covering 17 yards, of 

the game. 

Still, cheered on shamelessly by CBS Sports Network’s

 RICH WALTZ and ROBERT TURPIN, UCLA did get 

to within seven points with 8:50 to go … and apparently 

had another touchdown when Colandrea lost the ball 

when hit trying to throw it away deep in his own territory. 

However, a replay check showed his right knee touched 

the ground before he turned it over.

(At least that’s what CBS would have us believe. 

Actually, it would have been an incomplete pass. Details, 

always details.)

Penalties, nothing but penalties, was more like it. To hear 

Waltz/Turpin tell it, just about every time the Bruins 

failed to complete one, the game officials missed another 

interference call.

UCLA was driving for the game-tying touchdown when

a tipped pass was picked off with less than a minute 

remaining. Colandrea finished with 203 yards passing (15 

for 21) with no interceptions. He also ran for 59 yards.

“It’s a whole new team, and everyone has bought in. 

That’s the biggest thing,” Colandrea said on the field 

afterwards.

“[First-year coach] DAN MULLEN came into this game 

thinking about a two-quarterback system. But leaving this 

game, I think he’s found his quarterback of the future on 

the field afterward,” said CARDALE JONES during the 

network’s studio recap. “[Colandrea] sealed the deal with 

his legs. He dominated the first half with his passing.”

WONDERFUL. Six seconds into Thursday night’s first 

NFL game of the regular season (before the first snap), 

Eagles’JALEN CARTER was ejected for spiting at 

Dallas’ QB DAK PRESCOTT … drawing all kinds of 

condemnation from NBC-TV’s crew for bad 

sportsmanship. Of course, it could have been worse. DT 

Carter landed a wad on Prescott’s jersey … when he was 

close enough to shoot for the face.

Who knows? Perhaps Carter is a big fan of pro rasslin’ 

which has been notorious for spitting in recent months

Later in the first half, on a pass play, Cowboys’ OT

TYLER GUYTON completed his blocking assignment 

by throwing a punch that caught DE JALYX HUNT on 

the right side of his head. Fortunately for the Eagles’ edge 

rusher, the solid left-hand blow landed on his helmet and 

did little to no damage.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, none of the nine game 

officials saw it (or pretended they didn’t), and Guyton 

stayed in the game. Come to think of it, NBC’s crack 

announcing crew didn’t mention it either. Get serious!

Eagles won 24-20 despite the absence of Carter, 

considered the team’s best defensive player who said later 

he thought Prescott, who spits a lot (we’re told), had spit 

at him. “Jalen Carter is Jalen Carter’s biggest enemy,” 

said NFL Network’s – and former Eagle – MANTI TE’O

 quoting a former teammate. “My biggest concern for the 

Eagles this year is lack of leadership.”

CALLING NICK SABAN. Name your price, coach, but 

you’ve got to forget retirement and come back, please. 

We need you. Now.

You don’t think Alabama, the University of, has been in 

touch with its Hall of Fame coach, now do you … since 

Florida State rolled all over the Crimson Tide in the 

teams’ season opener?

It wasn’t so much that Bama lost for the fifth time under 

Saban’s successor KALEN DeBOER in little more than 

a year. What really frosted Bama fans was their team 

“looked physically and mentally over-matched.”

Adding to the concern was TE JOSH CUEVAS, who 

said, “We were kind of doing what we were told to do.”

 Kind of?

According to one report … “New starting quarterback TY 

SIMPSON looked frazzled and in a constant state of 

confusion … A good portion of the defenders read the 

plays wrong and took bad pursuit angles … Most of 

Saban’s defenses enjoyed the term ‘murderball’ and 

played with relentless effort. With DeBoer, the Tide have 

a lack of heart, effort and tough mentality … Alabama 

used to be the bully, but now it’s become the one who is 

bullied.” Ouch!

So what is keeping the Tide from removing DeBoer 

immediately? Two things actually. One, AD GREG 

BYRNE doesn’t rush to judgement and isn’t easily 

persuaded. He’s been on the job since 2017 and makes an 

average salary of $2.09 million through 2031.

And two (more to the point), to dump DeBoer will cost 

Bama $63M – that is correct, SIXTY THREE MILLION 

DOLLARS – which would be second (in craziness) 

overall to the $76 MILLION Texas A&M had to give

 JIMBO FISHER. And, we thought Auburn was (cliché 

alert) out of its mind to hand over a mere $21 million to

 GUS MALZAHN. He was replaced by BRIAN 

HARSIN whose severance was a mere $15.5M after 

lasting two seasons.

By the way, Malzahn is the new offensive coordinator at 

… Florida State. Harsin is OC at California/Berkley. 

When he decided to retire two years ago, Saban was 

being paid $10M-plus.

Until next time ...