If you can get Nick Saban chocked up, you must be a pretty special person.
I love the life lessons that can come to us from the sporting world.
This weekend, Alabama was playing Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide were trying to continue one of the most dominating seasons in college football history, but they had struggled against Georgia and trailed by 7 when star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (the favorite to win the Heisman trophy as college football’s best player) left the game with an injury. (more…)
Easily their best game since USC last year, but this game reminds me more of the 2014 Wisconsin game. Playing a good team, playing as an underdog, and just imposing their will. Dominating the game in every facet.
But Urban Meyer takes this game to another level. Ohio State’s defense had been widely (and justifiably) criticized and maligned. People kept saying that this was Harabugh’s year. OSU has dominated the series over the last 17 years. But this was one of the rare times, where the Wolverines came into this game playing better, more highly ranked.
But at the end of the day, it was dominating win over the fourth ranked team in America.
Throughout the season, Ohio State has struggled on defense. They have given up their longest rushing and passing plays of all time this year. They’ve given up big plays. They’ve had a historically bad scoring defense. Gave up 51 points last week to Maryland.
But in the first half of this game, Ohio State made the Wolverines earn their yards. It was the best tackling they’ve had all season. Buckeyes were bending but not breaking, holding the Wolverines to just six points until late in the first half.
With 3:18 left in the first half, Dwayne Haskins hit Johnny Dixon for a 31 yard pass to give OSU a 21-6 lead.
With the Wolverines against the ropes, Shea Patterson led a really solid scoring drive capped off by a great catch by Nico Collins which made the score 21-12.
On the ensuing kickoff, something happened that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my 25 years of watching football. The return man (DeMario McCall) fumbled the kick. The Wolverines suddenly had the ball on the nine yard line. They scored on the next play (failed on the two-point conversion). It was a swing in momentum, but Ohio State had really dominated the play in the first half. In the last :41 of the first half, OSU was able to drive down and kick a field goal.
The third quarter was what put Ohio State ahead, as the Buckeyes outscored the Wolverines 17-0. After the initial Ohio State drive of the second half stalled, the Wolverines traded them an unfruitful possession. When OSU took the ball back, the Buckeyes hit a 31 yard run by J.K. Dobbins and a 36 yard pass to Parris Campbell and the Buckeyes were suddenly inside the 5, threatening going up by 12. In short yardage, they decided to put Tate Martell in at quarterback. This has been a struggle this season. Martell has gotten in on short yardage situations each of the last three games. All the plays were runs, as were all three plays in the red zone and what looked like a touchdown drive resulted in a field goal. Still a one-score game, as the Buckeyes led 27-19.
Wolverines picked up a couple of first downs on the following drive. On fourth down, punting from their own 36, Buckeye receiver Chris Olave blocked the kick. Olave had also scored two touchdowns in the first half as he began a legacy in this gam today. The blocked punt was returned for a Buckeye touchdown.
Now trailing 34-19, on third and long, Shea Patterson threw an interception to Buckeye Joran Fuller. Two plays later, Mike Weber scored to make it 41-19.
Fourth quarter was back and forth. Wolverines finally caught fire on offense but had no answers on defense.
The Wolverines had 40 carries for 160 yards, but a lot of those yards came late. Ohio State dominated between the tackles today. The heavily touted Oho State defensive line had been banged up (Nick Bosa out most of the season), but they had also been underwhelming at times. Today they were able to get pressure.
It was a great game. Great performances from Dwayne Haskins, Chris Olave. Parris Campbell had 192 total yards in his final home game as a Buckeye. As much as the defense and linebackers have struggled, Malik Harrison had a huge game. Easily Ohio State’s best game of the year.
Wolverines have the number one defense in the country: Ohio State scored 62 points. Over 300 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. Just under 250 rushing yards.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
It’s incredible to think about what Drew Brees has accomplished on the football field. Last night, against the Washington Redskins, Brees became the NFL’s all time leader in career passing yards.
Sports radio show host Colin Cowherd brought up some of the adversity he’s overcome in his opening monologue on today’s program.
Injuries
In high school, he blew out his knee his junior year.
As a senior, he only had two scholarship offers: Purdue and Kentucky, two schools known more for basketball than football.
At Purdue, Brees put up incredible passing numbers. He’s still the all time passing leader in the Big Ten (and second all time in touchdown passes).
Too small
Before coming into the NFL, Brees was considered undersized. He stood just 6 feet tall and came into the league at a time where a lot of prototypical quarterbacks were 6’3″ or bigger. But Brees was a trailblazer for future quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield.
Better options
Brees was taken as the first pick of the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He had a successful stint in San Diego before the Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers. Seeing the writing on the wall, Brees left San Diego after the 2004 season.
Brees had his coach suspended for an entire season after the Bounty-gate scandal.
Through all of that adversity, Brees kept plugging along.
There are only nine 5,000 yard passing seasons in NFL history. Brees has five of them.
You can accomplish anything in life if you’re willing to work for it.
-Drew Brees
Last night, when Brees broke the record, his wife and four children were on the field to celebrate with him. He told them “You can accomplish anything in life if you’re willing to work for it. Alright?”
He knows it because he’s done it.
There are a lot of excuses we can make: didn’t have the right parents, didn’t have the right connections, didn’t catch the right breaks.
We have to respond to adversity by working hard, growing as people, learning from mistakes, and being opportunistic. It’s easier to make excuses than to take responsibility. It’s easier to settle than to strive to do great things.
I think that’s why we should appreciate what Brees has accomplished. Because it’s a reminder to us all that you can accomplish anything in life if you’re willing to work for it.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
Minnesota Vikings rookie kicker Daniel Carlson did not have a good game Sunday against the Packers. Carlson missed three field goals in a game which ended in a 29-29 tie. What made matters worse, two of those missed field goals came in overtime, including a lot second field goal that was basically a chip shot. On Monday, Carlson was released from the Vikings.
It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
It’s also life. It happens. We have bad days, it’s just that most of us don’t have bad days in front of millions of people.
It’s interesting in the aftermath reading the comment online. I’m a sports fan so I understand frustration but what I don’t understand are the obscene tirades, the threats, taking shots at him as a person.
Carlson’s most recent instagram photo was from September 11 and it was a collection of photos with him and local firefighters in commemoration of that day. A very nice thing. But it’s on that photo where “fans” are directing their venom and vitriol. I couldn’t help but read those comments and consider just how displaced someone’s priorities would have to be to think that that is an appropriate venue to criticize. The kicker later made his instagram private to avoid further online harassment.
It’s not just Vikings fan. People harassing athletes and being over the top in the face of failure is common in sports. It’s also not unique to American sports.
There is an unhealthy obsession with sports. It’s idolatry. The result of a game is not a person’s ultimate key to happiness and wholeness. People who curse out strangers in the safety of their parent’s basements because of a game are not happy people.
If a person has so much anger in their heart that a loss makes them that mad, a win was never going to make them happy. Your team’s loss or an individual athlete’s failure isn’t the cause of unhappiness, it’s a symptom of underlying misery. We were made for infinite joy, and that joy is found in God. It is not something that is meant to fluctuate with the performance of our teams, our jobs, or even our health.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it.”
Sacrificing everything?
This is the slogan on a new Nike ad featuring former Colin Kaerpnick, former NFL quarterback who was the first in the NFL to kneel during the National Anthem as a protest. The ad is on a new marketing campaign from Nike as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their famed “Just do it” slogan.
There are varying opinions on football players kneeling. In general, most Americans do not support this and see it as offensive and disrespectful. 63 percent of people responded unfavorably in a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University.
But I feel like we should all agree that he most certainly did not “sacrifice everything.” People go off to wars and die. But Colin Kaepernick is in an ad for a shoe company that says he “sacrificed everything?” People in other parts of the world stand up to barbaric dictators and pay with their lives (and sometimes the lives of their own families). But Colin Kaepernick not playing football anymore is him sacrificing everything.
That’s absurd.
Kaepernick has far more fame and notoriety for his protest than he ever would have had for being an ok NFL quarterback. He made millions playing football.
He’s going to make millions with Nike. According to the New York Times: “Nike will produce new Kaepernick apparel, including a shoe and a T-shirt, and if the merchandise sells well, the value of the deal will rival those of other top N.F.L. players, according to people close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because Nike had not formally announced it. Nike will also donate money to Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights” campaign.”
I think it hurts the cause. Sports writer Jason Whitlock, who’s been critical of Kapernick’s protests commented: “Told y’all from Day One this has always been about the money. All of it. Revolutionaries aren’t sponsored by major corporations. It’s been a hustle from the giddy-up.”
I agree with Whitlock. Gandhi wasn’t saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world. Obey your thirst.”
I think Kaepernick cashing in on his protest (first of all, that totally undermines the idea of sacrifice) hurts his message. He’s trying to address real issues and he’s going to attach his name to an apparel line? Obviously that’s his right too. But it also makes him look like a corporate shill.
It doesn’t seem to be a very successful means of rallying support to a cause or advancing a public discussion on the issues. A lot of Americans find the display disrespectful and offensive. And that’s fine. You can do something that offends people. But then what’s the end game for actually being an agent of change? If you turn off people whom you’re trying to reach and they don’t want to listen to the message, how do you achieve anything?
These are complicated matters and there are a number of thoughtful opinions. The issue for me has never been kneeling for the national anthem. My biggest issue is that he’s getting treated like he’s some sort of martyr. Kaepernick has certainly received lots of criticism for his protest but many also celebrate him as a hero, he’s been given a huge platform, and he’s going to profit greatly off of this. This isn’t what it looks like to sacrifice everything.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it.”
