The ballad of Fritz Brady -- A NCAA Football 07 Dynasty

[WVUFAN]

This is my first attempt at a NCAA Football Dynasty -- I hope there's interest in something like this.

I have my settings at All-American Level, 7 minute quarters.


The Diary of Fritz Brady -- St. Clair Shores, MI -- April 7, 2006
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 7 am --
Today is the day summer camp, it's like a combine of all the high schools in the area, like mine, L'Ance Creuse, where all the college scouts will be. I know that I'm gonna need some sort of miracle to get into Michigan like I want. I know there's gonna be a scout from Michigan at the camp, because they're looking at DeShawn, the big star wideout from our high school, but no one is paying attention to the guy who threw him all those balls. I guess I'm just gonna have to show them who the real star is.

It's not that I'm not rooting for DeShawn -- he's one of my best friends, my teammate and we wouldn't have had the kind of season we did without him, but it just feels like I'm being completely overlooked and overshadowed, when he couldn't have had those catches and yards without me.

Well, I don't think he could have. It doesn't matter. I'm gonna prove myself and the Wolverines will fall all over themselves to sign me and DeShawn both up.

-- 7 pm --
The camp is over, and I officially suck. What the hell was I doing out there? Jesus.

The quarterbacks had 5 drills to do -- the 40 yard dash to gauge our speed; a drill with balls being tosses at me that I had to avoid and then throw a ball in the general direction of a pylon they pointed out. They called it a "Pocket Presence drill"; a general passing drill with the wideouts called a "Pass Skeleton drill"; a drill gauging my arm strength and then a few scouts asked me and a few others to run some options with the backs. The Michigan scout completely ignored me.

My 40 time wasn't bad, even though a botched the first try by taking off before the count. Figured my nerves were screwy, and I had to settle down. Second time was my best: 4.54. That's pretty good. So, I'm feeling good right about now.

Then the stupid Pocket Presence thing. I was working pretty good there for awhile, then one of the balls hit me and my groove got all screwed up. I got "sacked" by the ball like 3 more times and wound up throwing to the wrong pylon a few more. Started out good, went to crap at the end.

The Pass Skeleton. First off, the goddamned wideouts blow. I hit them RIGHT ON THEIR hands three times in the goalline and they can't be bothered to take a little hit by the corners and keep hold of it. The guy told me I'm tossing into coverage and leaving them out to dry. There's no such thing. Like Lee Corso says on ESPN -- "you touch it, you catch it". I put it in their hands, it's their job to catch it. Anyway, they dropped like 3 touchdowns right there in the end, so I didn't get credit for any scores during the drill.

I got 40-45 yards on my throw, and I got extra points for accuracy. My cousin Tom always told me it doesn't matter if you can throw hard if you're missing the target. Still, not a great job on this. I was pretty shaken up from the other drills that I don't think my head was in the game.

Now the option attack I NAILED. 5 consecutive touchdowns from the 45 yards line with a 3-3 drill. I scored 1, and the halfback, a guy named Rich Greenspear, hit the others. We were like working on one wavelength -- it's like he KNEW when I was gonna pitch it, and when he got the ball, no one stopped him. Come to find out the scouts were more impressed with his running than me, but still -- I was making all the right decisions, and that's what an option attack needs out of their quarterback.

So, now I wait. And pray for a call and a offer from the Wolverines. I just know it's gonna come.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME STATS:

Fritz Brady got 50 bonus points for his stats after the Summer Camp. Here's his adjusted ratings after I put the points in:

OVERALL: 70

Speed: 76
Strength: 56
Awareness: 56
Agility: 70
Accelleration: 62
Catching: 52
Carrying: 52
Jumping: 52
Break Tackle: 52
Tackle: 52
Throwing Power: 80
Throwing Accuracy: 80
Pass Blocking: 52
Run Blocking: 52
Kick Power: 52
Kick Accuracy: 52
Stamina: 85
Injury: 70

[WVUFAN]

The Diary of Fritz Brady -- April 21, 2006
-------------------------------------------------------------

My dad's a big Michigan fan. Has been his whole life. And when Tom went to Michigan, well it just made him that much bigger of a fan of the Wolverines. So when I told him I wanted to play football there, he just about danced a jig he was so happy.
So I was pretty dissapointed when Michigan did not offer me any scholarships. I got a good bit of offerings from some other schools -- West Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota and Purdue to name a few, and those are some good schools, but Michigan had just signed the second highest rated high school QB in the nation to a full scholarship, so they didn't need someone like me.

So I resigned myself to playing for another school. Then, a few days after I got all the offers, I got a call. I swear to God I remember this day. My dad answered the phone, listened for a second, then hung up. I was wondering what was going on. When I asked him, he told me it was a wrong number. Then it rang again. I said to Dad I'd answer it this time and I was gonna pull a trick on this idiot who kept calling the wrong number. My dad yelled "DON'T --" but I had already picked it up.

"Hello"
"Fritz Brady?"
"Yes."
"This is Jim Tressel."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Butter]

I like where this is going so far.

[WVUFAN]

The Diary of Fritz Brady -- April 22, 2006
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5:00 pm
I wonder if anyone has ever looked at their Dad, and felt a combination of emotions that probably have no business being with you at the same time. When I got off that phone call with Jim Tressel, I saw a look of utter fright and anger from my Dad I haven't seen in a long time. After of moment of silence, he looked at me and said "You're not going there.".

At that exact moment, I think I both hated and loved my father at the same time.

On one hand, I couldn't help but think he was trying to get me to not make what he thinks is a big mistake. I mean, Ohio State just offered me a scholarship, but I knew I would ride the bench for at LEAST a year, maybe two if Troy Smith decided to come back his senior year. I could learn from him, since one of the reasons Ohio State wanted me is that they saw a similar style than Smith has, and felt I could multiply my talents from learning from him.

On the other hand, I couldn't help but think my father couldn't bear to see me in a Buckeye uniform, and I hated him for putting his loyalties to a university over his own son. I can't see how any father would do that and still look at himself in the mirror.

Anyway, so he says "You can't go there". I'd like to think I'm a rational person, but I got mad all of a sudden, and spit out the first thing that popped into my head. "You can't stop me."

Another little bit of silence. Then he said the words that still echo through me as I'm writing this. I think about them pretty much every day. He said "You're right, I can't stop you. But let me tell you this ... if you go to that school; if you put on that uniform, you will no longer be welcome in this house."

-----------
7:00 pm
I had to stop writing there for a bit, but I think I'm better now. It's tough wriring about this stuff, because I get too wrapped up in it. I know my dad didn't mean what he said, and he told me that a little bit later after my mom had gotten done "talking" to him (I heard her screaming at him from my room). I don't think I've ever seen her that mad before. He came into my room after and told me I was welcome whereever I went to school. I knew he didn't want me to go to Ohio State, but after all that just happened, I swear I think I would go right now just to see the look in my dad's eyes when I told him. Not the best way to pick your school.

So I thought about it for awhile, and I came down to four schools, and they all offered my scholarships:

1. Ohio State. They got Troy Smith, so I'll probably be redshirted the first year, and probably ride the bench the second. That would give me maybe 3 years of eligibility as a starter, but it's more realistic I would get maybe 1 or 2 years as a starter. That's more than enough to get me into an NFL uniform, but is it really worth it?

2. Purdue. The coach there told me when I talked to him about the whole Ohio State mess the best way out of it was to go to a completely different conference. Just remove myself from the entire Michigan thing, and at Purdue I could do that. Again, I'd ride the bench the first year, but I'd probably have a better shot at a full 3 years at starter, and still be in a killer conference.

3. Maryland. "Get out of that state" is what the coach told me at Maryland. The campus is really nice, and the ACC is probably the best conference in the US, and I again could probably get 3 years in at Maryland as the starter. It's like Purdue only farther away, which right now I could live with. Might be TOO far, though, I dunno.

4. Central Michigan. I wasn't even thinking of a school like this until their assistant coach brought up this point: I'd start THIS year. No redshirt, no sitting on the bench for a year. 4 full years starting. And I'd rule the campus. There isn't a quarterback on that team that has my "upside" as they put it, so by the time my junior year hit, it would be my team. But, it's like being a big fish in a small pond -- I'd never have a chance at a national championship, and the best I could hope for is a minor bowl game. But, it's the MAC, the "quarterback's conference". And it's close to home, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Oh, and they play Michigan. Forgot that one.

Dunno what I'm going to do. Can't go to my dad for advice, and Mom doesn't know the first thing about football.

[WVUFAN]

The Diary of Fritz Brady
-------------------------------------------
April 21, 2006

I am a Chippewa.

Today I informed Coach Kelly of my intention of playing football for Central Michigan. I wanted the chance to play right away, and Coach has let me know that I will have every opportunity to do just that. I toured the campus at Mount Pleasant and I really liked the atmosphere, and the people there really seemed enthused to have me around. They really liked the idea of a "four star recruit" signing up with them.

I saw some tapes, and they (I should be saying "we" now, because I'm a Chippewa now) and they have a really good receiver named Damien Linson on their team. He's a tall guy and have spurts of greatness, but Coach Kelly says he needs someone to really force that ball into his arms. The line could use some work, but there's a good core group of athletes that we can build on and compete for a MAC Championship. It's gonna take alot of work.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- August 21, 2006 --

We still need a lot of work, and Boston College is coming to town in just a few weeks. Our halfback, Ontario Sneed, is carrying alot of the load, and it's really hard to describe the speed that the college game runs in comparison to high school. Looks like I'm starting against BC. I'm sure Brian Brunner, the guy I'm competing with for the starting job, isn't too happy about that.

I've been doing quite a bit of studying, staying in my dormroom here in Troutman Hall, but my new roommate, Dave Condeni (he's a tight end on the team) keeps trying to get me to go out more. I've got a 3.0 GPA coming into the first game of the year, but I need to keep on my toes to make sure I've got the grades to keep playing.

Coach Kelly tells me that while he's now gonna force me, he'd prefer that I don't try to rush any fraternities, at least not the first year. He says I need to keep my head in the game, and in the books until I get more settled in my role. I agreed with him, but that night Dave got me to go to one of parties on campus, and it let me chill out for a bit. Looking back on it, I'm glad I did it, it really did help alot.

Boston College comes on the 31st. I'm wondering what it's gonna be like lining up for the first time.

[WVUFAN]

BOSTON COLLEGE at CENTRAL MICHIGAN

I was sitting in the locker room, and sweat's pouring down my face. My hands are shaking, and I'm having a hard time concentrating. I go over the first 4 plays we already have scripted and try to focus on them, but it's hard.

I can hear the crowd screaming, and it sends shivers down my neck and back. I CANNOT disapoint them. I CANNOT disapoint my teammates. I CANNOT disapoint this school. I CANNOT disapoint my dad.

I hope he's here.

I never got along all that well with Brian Brunner, the backup QB. I tried to talk to him, but I think he was pissed about my taking the job. But the wierdest thing happened. I'm sitting there, shaking and nervous, and I feel a hand on my shoulderpads. It's Brunner. He looks down at me, and he smiles and says "You can do this. Just trust in your talent and your ability. You can DO this."

I swear, instantly, my fear went away. This is a guy that must hate that I'm here, but yet puts all that aside to try and settle me down. He'd probably benefit from me screwing up, but he's more concerned about the team's well being than his. I have no right to be nervous.

I can't describe the feeling rushing onto the field for the first time, the crowd cheering. It feels you with such excitement, you just want to get playing right then. But you've gotta control that emotion -- rather, I do. The linebackers and defense can let it run all over them.

Coin toss, and we lose. BC takes the ball first.

And we kickoff. BC starts out on the 22 yard line, and then our defense takes the field.

And they stuff them COLD. 4 and out. BC punts it away, and me and my offense takes the field. My hands are shaking again, but not as bad as before. We don't huddle up, because we know what the first 4 plays will be, but I can see the looks in my linemen's eyes .. our wideouts and tight ends. They know, just like Brunner. I CAN DO THIS.

I take the first snap.

[Blade]

Great read so far!

[Icy]

Wow nice read, i love first person dynasties.

Too bad that in NCAA07 you still need to manage the whole team, i would like to only manage my alter ego, i think its finally going to be that way in Madden 07.

[Logan]

More please .

[WVUFAN]

The Diary of Fritz Brady
-----------------------------

-- September 4, 2006 --
We lost the game, and I watched the majority of it from a little television in the hospital emergency room.

First play from scrimmage, I get sacked by the middle linebacker when Joe Staley, the right tackle, missed his blocking assignment. No biggie ... first game jitters. I understand.

Third down, I throw a pass to wideout Damien Linson that hits him right in the hands, and he drops it. 0/2 for the drive for me, and we punt.

Luckily, our defense stops them cold. Four and out, and they BOOM a punt, of which Linson stupidly runs back from the 8 and gains a whole 2 yards. So I get my second drive from our own 10 yard line.

We try the running game, and Sneed, our back, makes some headway, and we got out to the 32 yard line on his legs. I then complete my very first pass -- a 1 yard pass to Sneed in the flats. Then, we play-action, and I drop back, and the corner from my blind side blitzes, and I never see him -- he comes in untouched, thanks to Staley once again not blocking. I'm in the throwing motion as I get blindsided, and the ball flops into the air, right into a BC linebacker's hands. My third pass is an interception. GREAT.

But, once again, the defense holds, and they kick a field goal to go up 3-0, midway through the first quarter. Once again, I take the field. THIS TIME, I'll make an impact.

The rest is sorta a blur. I know I went back to pass, and got hit again, and it was my blindside again. When I felt was pain. And alot of it, like a migrane headache on crack. Well, come to think of it, I'm sure if I had some crack it wouldn't have hurt so bad, but I digress.

In any case, I'm lying there on the ground, football still in hand (I didn't fumble), and things are spinning, and my head feels like someone's stabbing a knife through my temples. It felt like I was on the ground for a long time before the trainers came up to me.

I got told the crowd got really quiet when I didn't get up after the sack. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. In anycase, they took me off the field (I got up and walked off, actually), and they decided to take me to the local hospital for a CAT-scan, so I got to watch the disaster we call a football game unfold in little parts. Here's what I remember right off.

An 80 yard TD pass by Brunner to Linson, where Linson broke 2 tackles to get into the end zone. I understand what Coach meant by him being inconsistant.

I remember a total of SIX interceptions between three CMU quarterbacks: I had 1, Brunner had 3 and the 3rd string guy, Charley Molnar had 2. That's unacceptable, and led to 4 touchdowns by BC on short fields.

We lost 43-7. And we have Michigan next week. And my head hurts still.
-----------------------------------
Here's the breakdown of the game:
Boston College - 03-17-03-20 -- 43
Centra Michigan - 00-07-00-00 -- 07
-----------------------------------
1Q -- BC 27y FG by K Ohlinger -- 2:22 -- BC 3, CMU 0
2Q -- BC 1y pass by QB Ryan to TE Loyte -- 5:34 -- BC 10, CMU
2Q -- CMU 80y pass by QB Brummer to WR Linson -- 5:20 -- BC 10, CMU 7
2Q -- BC 11y pass by QB Ryan to TE Purvis -- 3:30 -- BC 17, CMU 7
2Q -- BC 33y FG by K Ohlinger -- 0:40 -- BC 20, CMU 7
3Q -- BC 41y FG by K Ohlinger -- 5:03 -- BC 23, CMU 7
4Q -- BC 43y pass by QB Ryan to WR Gonzalez -- 6:35 -- BC 30, CMU 7
4Q -- BC 27y pass by QB Ryan to TE Loyte -- 5:38 -- BC 37, CMU 7
4Q -- BC 27y FG by K Ohlinger -- 3:26 -- BC 40, CMU 7
4Q -- BC 40y FG by K Ohlinger -- 1:04 -- BC 43, CMU 7
------------------------------------
Box Score:

First Downs: BC 17, CMU 10
Total Offense: BC 413, CMU 191
Rushes-Yards: BC 22-128, CMU 27-10
Comp-Att-TD: BC 22-37-4, CMU 15-27-1
Passing Yards: BC 285, CMU 181
Sacked: BC 0, CMU 4
3rd Down Conv: BC 8-15 (53%), CMU 3-12 (25%)
4th Down Conv: BC 1-1 (100%), CMU 1-2 (50%)
Redzone-TD-FG: 7-3-3 (85%), CMU 1-0-0 (0%)
Turnovers: BC 1, CMU 6
Intercepted: BC 1, CMU 6
PR Yards: BC 16, CMU 0
KR Yards: BC 33, CMU 208
Total Yards: BC 462, CMU 398
Punts-Avg: BC 1-26.0, CMU 4-36.7
Penalties-Yards: BC 1-15, CMU 2-6
Time of Possession: BC 14:19, CMU 13:41
------------------------------------------
Individual Stats -- Central Michigan

Pass
-----
QB B. Brummer -- 11/18, 163 y, 1/3 -- 0 Sack, 122.2 Rating
QB C Molnar -- 3/5, 17y, 0/2 -- 2 Sack, 8.6 Rating
QB F. Brady -- 1/4, 1 y, 0/1 -- 2 Sack, 0.0 Rating

Rush
-----
HB O. Sneed -- 21 att, 50 yards, 2.3 ypc, 0 TD, 5 broken tackles
QB B. Brunner -- 2 att, -6 yards, 1 Fumble
QB C. Molnar -- 2 Att, -16 yards
QB F. Brady -- 2 att, -18 yards

Rec
-----
HB O Sneed -- 6 rec, -7 yards
WR D Linson -- 5 rec, 134 yards, 1 TD, 26.7 ypc, 4 drops
TE A Moore -- 1 rec, 19 yards
WR O.C. Genaille -- 1 rec, 19 yards
TE D Condeni -- 1 rec, 8 yards
FB T Doane -- 1 rec, 7 yards
WR B Anderson -- 1 rec, 1 yard

Block
-----
LT J Staley -- 3 pancakes, 2 sacks all
C D Mormino -- 2 pancakes, 0 sacks all
RG E Tunney -- 1 pancake, 0 sacks all
RT A Hartline -- 1 pancake, 0 sacks all

Top Defensive Players
-----
FS C Cutts - 7 tackles, 1 pass defended
CB T Robinson - 5 tackles, 1 pass defended
LB D Kress - 4 tackles (2 for loss), 3 pass defended
LB I Brown - 4 tackles (1 for loss), 2 pass defended
SS A Carr - 3 tackles, 1 INT
LB T Keith - 3 tackles, 1 Pass defended
DT S Friend - 2 tackles
HB O Sneed - 2 tackles

----------------------------------------------------
Injuries:
CMU QB F. Brady -- Mild Concussion (out for game)

[Tellistto]

Rough start, hopefully the concussion doesn't keep you out of the next game. Tough start to the season as well, with BC and Michigan to start.

I'll be reading along!

Tell

[WVUFAN]

1. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
Last game: 32/46, 339 yards, 5 TD (stock is stable)

2. Adrian Peterson, JR, Oklahoma
Last game: 12 carries, 96 yards (stock is stable)

3. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State
Last game: 15/22, 224 yards, 2 carries 20 yards, 5 total TD (stock is rising)

4. Jay Richardson, DE, Ohio State
Last game: 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles (stock is rising)

5. Ted Ginn Jr, QR, Ohio State
Last Game: 6 receptions, 83 yards, 3 TD (stock is rising)

[WVUFAN]

-- The Diary of Fritz Brady --

- September 5, 2006 --
I have been officially cleared to start against Michigan.

I started practice today after I was cleared, and after practice I did some situational drills. Specifically, I was working on my arm strength. I'm gonna work on this off and on all week, but I can already see an effect -- I think I can throw it a good 5 to 10 yard further than I could before I started here. Now, I don't think I'm gonna be doing alot of long passes against the Wolverines, but you never know.

My mom told me that they would be at the game, but I knew they weren't going to anyway. Dad hasn't missed a Michigan game in 20 years, he's not gonna miss one now just because I'm playing against them. And I know him, he'll be wearing ...

... I know I shouldn't be upset over this. I know how my dad is. There's times when I think he cares more about Michigan than he does about me or the rest of the family. He's predictable, so I shouldn't be surprised by what he does. I just wish that one time he puts me over other things. I know he's proud of me, but I also know he'll be wearing Michigan Blue come Saturday. I'm gonna be the enemy to him when we play them. It's gonna be tough playing your idols on their home field when you know my dad is gonna be cheering every time a Wolverine hits me. It's just rough.

But I gotta get all that stuff out of my mind. This is just another game. It's a chance for all of us to wipe away Boston College from our minds and move on to the next thing. We can beat the number 12 team in the nation on Satuday. We just have to be perfect on EVERYTHING.

-September 6, 2006-
Still working on my arm strength, and I know I'm getting stronger.

-September 7, 2006-
We were told today that Mike Hart, the running back for Michigan, will not be playing in the game. He has a strained something or the other, and they're holding him back so he can play the following week against Notre Dame. They're already underestimating us.

I did some studying today, which I haven't been doing all week. I just been so focused on the game, and what we need to do offensively to match up. I'm doing well in school, still got that 3.0, but something tells me it's not always gonna be this easy.

-September 8, 2006-
Tomorrow is Michigan day. We bussed up to Ann Arbor the night before (even though we really didn't have to) and are staying the night here before the game. The coaches want us all focused. I wonder what being ON the field at the Big House is gonna be like. 100,000 people in the crowd, 99,000 of which want to see me carted away on a stretcher. I know -- I used to be one of them. It's funny being on the other side of things, it gives me a new perspective on it. Doesn't matter. I have to STAY FOCUSED. This isn't Michigan, it's just another team, it's just people out there, just like me and they're no better than me.

[WVUFAN]

Author's Note:

Sorry for all the delays in this. My PS2 died a few months back in a tragic modding accident, and I didn't get a new one until just recently. I'll be keeping this more of a regular thing now that I have my new, correctly modifed PS2 (so I can play my Japanese wrestling games as well as football).

In any case, when we last left off, Michigan was next for the freshman quarterback:

-- THE DIARY OF FRITZ BRADY --

September 9, 2006

I've been to Michigan Stadium a bunch of times. The Big House has always been a place I have looked to and dreamed of. I've always wanted a chance to come out of the tunnel and run onto the field, a hundred thousand people exploding when I emerge. Today this dream came true. Only I was playing for the other team.

I thought that when I ran out I would be able to see my family, but you really can't make out any single person at all. It's like an ocean of angry people wearing blue and wanting me to at BEST utterly fail, and at worse get carried off the field on a stretcher. I was determined to let neither happen to me.

I had a strong feeling, though, that my dad was somewhere in the stands, wearing Michigan colors.

Mike Hart is out this week for Michigan. That's good news. Still had to worry about Chad Henne.

So we win the toss and defer. Michigan gets a decent return and they start on the 26 yard line.

First Quarter.

First snap, ball gets given to Kevin Grady, who is NAILED by DeOnte Burnam, the defensive end, and he chucks up the ball. Daniel Bazuin gets it back and we suddenly have the ball already in field goal range.

So I take the field, and I'm just nervous, and I guess if affected me, because after a failed run, I try two passes, both of which were too low and both got batted down at the line. We miss the field goal. Square One. I hate the kicker.

Michigan goes right down the field, but Bazuin gets his first sack, and the Wolverines kick, and I get sacked. On the blind side. Of which I'm really getting tired of. I think to myself I need to have a long talk with my lineman. We punt.

Next possession, another sack by Bazuin (that's 2), and they go 4 and out. So do we, and I'm 0 for 4 passing at this time.

Late in the first quarter I finally get my first pass, a 17 yarder to Linson to end the first quarter. Tied at 0.

Second Quarter.

I get another pass completion to start it out and we're starting to roll. But then I screw up again, and fumble the ball while flushing out of the pocket. They recover the ball on their own 9 yard line. We were close this time, and I tell myself I can move the ball on these people.

It was about this time I realized how well our defense was playing against them. Especially Bazuin, who had his THIRD sack in this half. I mean, this is a Top 20 team we're playing and we've stopped them cold this entire game so far.

The problem is we can't do jack on offense. I'm either not doing my reads fast enough, something my quarterbacks coach calls "Bledsoe Disease" or my line isn't giving me enough time. Or both, maybe. Either way I can't get a pass completed to save my soul. We keeping punting.

Then Bazuin gets his FOURTH sack. Wow. He's KILLING Chad Henne out there. After a time, we get the ball back, on the 20 with 1:52 in the half. The next series I will remember forever.

First pass, 7 yarder to Linson. Then an incomplete pass. 1:09. Quick out pass for a first down. 1:03 and a time out. Big 22 yard pass to the sideline to Linson but he doesn't get out of bounds. :53 and another time out.

Then I can't complete a pass until the clock hits :36. It's third down, and I hit Linson again, he gets to the 23 yard line and I call my last time out.

We're been talking all this week about how Jason Forcier, the safety is out this week and how we should put pressure on the sub. We're thinking maybe we can put Linson as a decoy and bait the safety into protecting him and hit Chris Morris in the middle of the field. The safety should split, especially if they keep running that Cover 2 they have been most of the game.

So I take the snap, Morris hits the middle and Linson runs an out, and that damned safety didn't bite, but I stupidly threw the ball anyway, to a double covered Chris Morris.

And good ole' #88 caught it in the end zone. My first college touchdown pass, and it was against my dream team Michigan. The half ends.

7-0 CMU at the end of the half. Holy Hell, we're winning.

[WVUFAN]

Third Quarter.

So we're up 7-0, but everyone knows this isn't even close to being over. Our defense is doing really well, and all we have to do is not make any stupid mistakes and rely on our defense, because they've proven they can hang with the Wolverine offense.

No stupid mistakes. Check.

We get the ball first, and first play from scrimmage, our running back Ontario Sneed fumbles and they recover. Just like they did on the first play in the first half.

Stupid Mistake #1.

So Bazuin gets his FIFTH sack, but it doesn't matter, because Chad Henne hit Mario Manningham perfectly in stride for a touchdown. And we're tied.

We get the ball back, but we can't do anything. Same for them. Each of us go 4 and out.

We finally get some rhythm on offense, especially me and Linson. We're taking it right down the field. It's first down, on their side of the field, and I go back to pass. I had gotten into a pattern this half of doing my reads TOO quickly, and I saw Linson, saw him open, and didn't see the cornerback hiding in a zone coverage. He saw me all the way, though, and read me and the ball perfectly, picked the ball off and was gone, untouched. Touchdown, Michigan.

Stupid Mistake #2.

Fourth Quarter.

All but the last few minutes of the fourth quarter is a blur. Really. I know that by this time, our defense was getting really tired, and they started to give up bits of yardage, and we hardly took the field the second half. They fumbled at one point, and we got a field goal out of it, which made it 14-10, but they SLOWLY drove down the field and got 3 points themselves.

So now it's 17-10, and there's 1:25 left in the game, and we have the ball. This time, with no time outs (we used them to stop the clock due to Michigan playing clock management on us).

First pass is a perfect one for 16 yards. 1:25. Then I can't do jack until 1:08. 4th down.

People have told me ever since I was a kid that "practice makes perfect" and that "there's no such thing as practicing too much", and I can sit here and say without a doubt that it's a lie. Case in point with this 4th down play.

I go back to pass again, and Jammy Jasmin, a receiver is a good 4 to 5 yards ahead of the corner. The safety evidently screwed up the coverage, so there's no help. This was a touchdown. He's probably on their 30 yard line, a good 40 yards away, so I just toss it as hard as I can down the field.

And I overthrow him by 5 yard, something I could NOT have done if I hadn't been working on my arm strength ALL WEEK LONG leading up to the game. Game over. I can't believe I had the game in my hands and I blew it. We lose 17-10.

I'm so upset and hurt and pissed off at myself I can't breathe. I feel like someone kicked me hard in the jimmy. I HAD THIS GAME IN MY HANDS and I let it go. That's why they recruited me -- I'm supposed to win the game when it's on the line. I should never have been on that field. I'm not ready.

Oh, and I get to see myself on Sportscenter for the first time that night -- tosse interceptions for touchdowns and missing a wide open receiver for the tying score against a Top 20 team. Fantastic.

This world freakin' hates me.

[WVUFAN]

BY THE NUMBERS...	GAME BALL...
Cent. Michigan 0 7 3 0 10 Michigan 0 0 14 3 17	Daniel Bazuin 10 Tackles, 5 sacks, 1 FF

Fritz Brady was 17/40, 279 yards, 1 TD-2 INT, and sacked 5 times

SEASONS STATS - Central Michigan

Name Pos. School Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma Troy Smith QB Ohio State Rherma McKnight WR Notre Dame Ted Ginn Jr WR Ohio State

Passing Statistics
---------------------
B. Brunner 11-18, 164 yards, 1TD, 3INT
F. Brady 17-44, 279 yards, 1TD, 2INT
C. Mulnar 3-15, 17 yards, 0TD, 2INT

Running Statistics
----------------------
O. Sneed 39 rush, 87y, 0TD, 1F, 6BT

Receiving Statistics
----------------------
D. Linson 10 rec, 213y, 1 TD 7 drops
O. Sneed 9 rec, 27y, 0 TD 0 drops
J. Jasmin 5 rec, 87y, 0 TD 2 drops
C. Morris 3 rec, 71y, 1 TD 1 drop
J. Ekkins 2 rec, 34y, 0 TD
A. Moore 1 rec, 19y, 0 TD 1 drop
R. Moorehouse 1 rec, 1y, 0 TD
T. Doane 1 rec, 7y, 0TD

Defensive Statistics
---------------------
LB I. Brown 10 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 int, 0 ff, 1 fr, 2 pd
DE D. Bazuin 10 tack, 5 sacks, 0 int, 1 ff, 0 fr, 1 pd
LB D. Kress 9 tack, 0 sacks, 0 int, 1 ff, 0 fr, 4 pd
SS A. Carr 8 tack, 0 sacks, 1 int, 1 ff, 0 fr, 0 pd
FS C. Cutts 8 tack, 0 sacks, 0 int, 0 ff, 0 fr, 1 pd
CB P. Home 8 tack, 0 sacks, 0 int, 0 ff, 0 fr, 1 pd
LB K. Red 7 tack, 0 sacks, 0 int, 0 ff, 0 fr, 2 pd
CB T. Robinson 5 tack, 0 sacks, 0 int, 0 ff, 0 fr, 1 pd

[WVUFAN]

Top 25 -- September 10, 2006

Rank	LW	Team Name	Record	Score	Points
1	1	Ohio State(38)	2-0	W 14-13 Texas	1502
2	3	Notre Dame(21)	2-0	W 45-0 Penn State	1321
3	4	USC(1)	1-0	BYE	1241
4	5	LSU(1)	2-0	W 36-17 Arizona	1191
5	6	Florida	2-0	W 49-21 UCF	1142
6	7	Auburn	2-0	W 34-7 Miss St	1107
7	8	Oklahoma	2-0	W 40-8 Wash	1044
8	2	Texas	1-1	L 13-14 Ohio St	1028
9	9	West Virginia	2-0	W 62-0 EWU	988
10	10	Louisville	2-0	W 31-3 Temple	955
11	11	Miami	2-0	W 84-3 FAMU	901
12	12	Michigan	2-0	W 17-10 CMU	808
13	14	Tennessee	2-0	W 49-13 AirF	762
14	16	Iowa	2-0	W 27-10 SU	684
15	18	Arizona State	2-0	W 27-17 Nevada	581
16	17	Florida State	1-1	W 49-27 Troy	574
17	12	Penn State	1-1	L 10-45 Notre	543
18	19	Nebraska	2-0	W 39-7 Nich St	537
19	20	Virginia Tech	2-0	W 31-21 UNC	506
20	16	Georgia	1-1	L 31-37 S Carolina	370
21	NR	South Carolina	2-0	W 37-31 UGA	343
22	24	Alabama	2-0	W 42-18 Vandy	322
23	23	California	1-1	W 25-22 Minn	315
24	25	Oregon	2-0	W 45-22 Fresno	293
25	NR	Boston College	2-0	W 24-20 Clem	219