IT DIDN'T SEEM SO AT THE TIME BUT VIRGINIA'S ELLIOTT WAS RIGHT ABOUT TRANSFER QB

 Thoughts While Thinking … about a wild, wacky weekend that was ...

I know, I know … it was difficult getting excited over 

Virginia landing a transfer quarterback from North Texas 

State … even if coach TONY ELLIOTT knew (and 

vouched for) him. The Cavaliers  would regret letting

 ANTHONY COLANDREA get away to UNLV where 

he’s been very good.

Friday night Elliott had every reason to say I TOLD YOU 

SO. Instead, amidst the chaos of fans doing what win-

starved fans do, charging the field and blanketing it in a 

tight, wall-to-wall fashion never before seen there, he was 

asked by ESPN’s KRIS BUDDEN why the Cavs upset 

No. 8 Florida State, and Elliott didn’t hesitate … pointing 

to QB CHANDLER MORRIS. “This man, right here,” 

Elliott said.

On a night when little went wrong for the home team, he 

certainly got that right, too.

While FSU’s TOMMY CASTELLANOS, a transfer 

from Boston College, received most of the pre-game 

hype, Morris outplayed him in every category including 

keeping his cool and using his head as well as legs, arm 

and damaged right hand.

Although he has been most instrumental in Florida State 

still leading the country in scoring (53.4 points a game) 

and yards gained (600.1) per game, the 5-11 Castellanos 

gave his best RUSSELL WILSON (of the New York 

Football Giants) impersonation, throwing moon balls off 

his back foot oftentimes (too often) when rushed because 

he couldn’t see over his bigger offensive linemen

Morris ran for touchdowns of 11, 7 and 4 (game-winner) 

yards and passed for two more including one for 15 yards 

in the fourth quarter despite injuring his throwing hand 

earlier in the second half when he hit it on the helmet of a 

FSU player.

“He’s a warrior,” said Elliott whose 4-1 team is ranked 

(24^th) for the first time since 2019 … after going 11-23 

overall (6-17 ACC) during his first three seasons in 

Charlottesville. The Cavaliers are in a three-way tie for 

first in the ACC … with unbeaten Louisville next, on the 

road for the first time … and mindful they were 4-1 a year 

ago only to lose six of their next seven.

ADD WAHOOS’ seventh victory, all-time, against top 10 

opponent … Morris got weekend’s game ball from CBS 

Sports Network’s “Inside College Football” with 40.3 per 

cent of viewers’ vote … “The crowd went cu-razy,” said 

ICF panelistRANDY CROSS, initiatting discussion of 

lack of crowd control. “They will be fined for it.” … No 

sooner did Cavaliers’ JA’SON PREVARD make a game-

saving interception in the end zone on the final play than 

he was buried by the mass of humanity ignoring PA pleas 

to stay off the field. 

ADD STUPID. Southern California’s backup center went 

brain dead, drifting downfield (before the ball was 

thrown) and, thereby, nullified a 75-yard touchdownn that 

would have knotted the score at 14 in Saturday’s seven-

point loss to Illinois.

THE RYDER CUP is not your typical gathering devoted 

to golf. For one thing it seldom is boring if, for no other 

reasons, spectators are encouraged to vent their feelings 

and, thereby, direct criticism against the visiting team, 

which (hopefully) will give an advantage to the home 

team … by distraction that invariably has a noteworthy 

negative impact.

This past weekend’s 45^th renewal, held at Bethpage Black 

in New York, was no exception. The players from Europe 

engaged the typically-rowdy crowd, exchanging epithets. 

The spectators’ favorite target was RORY McELROY, 

who gave as well as he took. His wife became an 

unintend consequence when she was hit by a beer can.

In the end, McElroy and friends prevailed … but not 

before the Yanks almost pulled off one of the great 

comebacks in sports (not just golf) history. Embarrassed 

during the first two (of three days), needing a seemingly 

insurmountable 9 1/2 of a possible 11 points in Sunday’s 

one-on-one competition, they finally succumbed 15-13. 

The winning shot was a birdie putt of about six feet by

 SHANE LOWRY to halve a match with RUSSELL 

HENLEY, who moments 

before was short with a putt that would have kept the US 

alive. For Lowry, who had been the object of some pretty 

harsh comments from the gallery, it undoubtedly was the 

highlight of his career.

How did we know? He said so … after clearly being 

overwhelmed by the moment. Lowry also called Europe’s

 LUKE DONALD “the greatest captain of all time.”

Meanwhile, his American counterpart KEEGAN 

BRADLEY was the object of scorn by the golfing media. 

He was blamed for everything … including how he 

matched certain players for the early rounds … like it was 

his fault SCOTTIE SHEFFLER and BRYSON 

DeCHAMBEAU didn’t have a victory between them.

Bradley also pointed a finger at himself for not making 

the course tougher … which the media immediately 

added to their list of Bradley Blunders.

OH, AND BY THE WAY … it was a week that was full 

of sports drama and unanswered questions ...

Like Seattle catcher CAL RALEIGH finished with 60 

home runs to lead the major leagues. The most the 

switch-hitter struck in a season previously was 33 …. yet, 

to our knowledge, nobody’s accused him of using illegal 

drugs, unlike BARRY BONDS, for example, or MARK 

McGUIRE or SAMMY SOSA, ALEX RODRIGUEZ

 ad infinitum. Why?

Like why can’t JAMES FRANKLIN win The Big One? 

With a loss to now-No. 2 Oregon, the Penn State coach is 

a career 6-41 against Top 10 opponents. In his 12th 

season in Happy Valley, Franklin is 104-43 which is very 

impressive   ...  until you consider he is 0-18 against top 

10 teams from the Big 10.

Until next time ...