Tax Slayer Bowl

What, the...a game with some suspense at the end, what is this?  The old Gator Bowl is what it is, now brought to you by an online tax company.  I will give Taxslayer some credit, they seemed like a one-and-done sponsor but have stuck around for a few years.

Penn State vs. Georgia

Georgia coach Mark Richt is out, fired, and off to Miami to coach the Hurricanes.  Penn State with little to no offense with a quarterback who may fly to the NFL if he doesn't get killed behind his terrible offensive line.

Can't start this game without a pregame ride onto the field by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Taxslayer celebrity endorser.

 
Despite a lot of rain in the southeast, the field in Jacksonville must have been well enough to have Dale drive out there.  They should leave the car out there, play around it.

You'd think after all the bowl watching I'd cash in one live quarter and be out but I'm in all the way on this one.

I'm like this guy, but without the blood or athletic ability, and old.  Penn State's offense sputtered around as usual, finally leading to their quarterback Christian Hackenberg getting knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury.

The game had all the look of a blowout with Georgia taking a 17-3 lead to half. After the half, Georgia increased the lead to 24-7 but Penn State found some offense behind their back-up QB.  The Nittany Lions put up two scores in the fourth and we've got a game.

It goes to the end on a Penn State Hail Mary play but Georgia actually defended it correctly (a college football oddity) and that's game.  Tough spot for the backup quarterback, trying to run the hurry up.  Penn State wasted a bunch of time in the final minute.  Overall, a game that was pretty ugly but turned competitive - probably all that can be asked for from these two teams.

Georgia 24  Penn State 17

My pick:  Georgia, I'm on a late winning streak, record to 25-12.

Game notes:

-I don't think Christian Hackenberg is coming back to Penn State.  He has taken a beating behind that offensive line.  He may as well go to the NFL and hold a clipboard for a while.

-At halftime, ESPN studio commenting guy Danny Kannell went with the turtleneck look.

As a large headed man, I can be fairly certain we're not ready for the turtleneck to make a comeback.

What did I eat?  Some of these bread stick things from Costco that are kind of like "everything" bagels, but harder and drier.  I had some sort of artichoke dip with them, but not the kind with cream cheese, some other kind that did not look appetizing but was kind of okay.  We'll probably find the jar of this stuff in the back of the refrigerator in mid May and toss it.

Player swag:  Panasonic gift suite; Fossil watch.

Three more games to go today.  I don't think I've left the house in 48 hours.