History At Old Orange Bowl Location

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I've seen a lot of great football games featuring the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes, but in all of my years of covering baseball, this is the first no-hitter I've ever seen in person.

Of all places, it happened on the site of the Historic Orange Bowl Location.

On Sunday September 29, 2013, a crowd of 28,315 at Marlins Park saw Tigers Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander throw six scoreless innings.

He was relieved by Doug Fister in the seventh inning. Rick Porcello entered the game in the eighth, retired the side and had two strikeouts. He was relieved by Luke Putkonen in the ninth.

This was a tune-up for the Tigers as Detroit prepared for the playoffs.

The fans got more than they bargained for as the story in this game was Marlins right-handed pitcher Alvarez Henderson. He threw a 1-0 no-hitter against the Tigers and it was the fifth in Marlins history.

The winning run came on a bases loaded wild pitch by Putkonen that allowed Giancarlo Stanton to score from third base. Stanton originally reached base with a single.

Henderson had one walk, four strikeouts, hit Prince Fielder with a pitch then cruised to improve his record to 5-6. He threw 99 pitches and 66 were strikes.

The Marlins swept the Tigers as they improved to 62-100 while the Tigers dropped to 93-69.

It was a very unusual game in the sense that Alvarez was facing a pitcher that has two no-hitters himself speaking of Verlander.

The Tigers were resting most of their star players, but by no means am I taking anything away from the kid's accomplishment.

I didn't pay much attention to the pace of the game as I was working on a story and was dealing with technical issues getting online.

My photographer Candice Ebling sent me a text message that she was debating switching positions about the potential no-hitter, but opted to stay put by the Tigers Dugout.

That's when I started taking notice to what could be history.

Indeed that became the case.

Alvarez became the 282nd pitcher in MLB History to throw a no-hitter and he's likely to have some mementos sent to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Alvarez, who was born on April 18, 1990, became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the final game of the season since Mike Witt in 1984 when he did it for the California Angels.

When no-hitters are thrown, in many instances it's by a pitcher that we've never heard of.

Alvarez's career record is 15-23 with a 4.25 ERA and 176 strikeouts.

He was acquired by the Marlins along with six other players from the Toronto Blue Jays in a 12-player trade where five players went North of the Border. Three of the key players sent to Canada include Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.

Since the Alvarez no-hitter, these words have become more common for the Detroit Tigers. In Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Oakland A's, Verlander went into the eighth inning with one.

In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series in Boston versus the Red Sox, Anibal Sanchez took to the Tigers into the sixth and the bullpen carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning. The Tigers were two outs away from making history. Detroit won the game 1-0.

In Game 2 of the ALCS, Max Scherzer took a no-hitter in the sixth inning before it was broken up against the Red Sox. The Tigers bullpen imploded in a 6-5 loss to Boston.

Nonetheless, these masterpieces don't happen often and they do indeed sneak up.

What made Alvarez situation so unusual was that he was sitting in the on deck circle when the freak play occurred and the celebration was as different as it could be.

But only in baseball just when you think you've seen everything, something else dazzles in amazement.

Who knows what this kid will accomplish in his career, but on this one autumn afternoon in South Florida, he dominated the headlines all over the country before the playoffs.

He did it starting against one of the best pitchers in baseball, Justin Verlander and one of the best teams.

During this series, Miami couldn't have asked for a better result at the gate with the Tigers.

During the Friday Night September 27th, 3-2 win, 26,992 showed up as the capacity for Marlins Park was 72.1% full.

On Saturday Night September 28th this was another positive result at the gate as 28,750 (76.8%) saw the Marlins prevail in 10 innings 2-1.

But for those that saw this finale, this is a day that they'll be talking about for years knowing they saw a youngster make a name for himself.

It will be interesting to see what future final games of the year will be like for the Marlins.

Now the question remains, how long will Alvarez remain with the team?

If you're a Marlins fan, the way they have fire sales with star players which has outraged the fan base, I'd find it hard pressed to see them get excited.

But they cheer them when they come back. Just ask Miguel Cabrera.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Tale of Two Football Programs

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

As I went to the sixth floor of the FAU Press Box, I ran into Owls Athletic Director Patrick Chun and we talked briefly about the switch to Conference USA.

Chun was pleased to make the move because FAU was hosting a new conference opponent. More importantly, he knew that by upgrading to a higher level conference, it would also draw larger crowds. It also enabled FAU to keep its rivalry with FIU intact.

This was definitely the case Saturday Evening as 19,760 showed up to see FAU's second conference opponent. The attendance was the second largest in the history of FAU Stadium.

This opponent has been playing football since 1895 and has an interesting tradition. Going into the 2013 season, Marshall's all-time record is 542-520-47 (.510).

The Marshall Thundering Herd has produced a lot of NFL Players. The three alumni which come to mind include QB's Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Wide Receiver Randy Moss. Each of these players appear heavily in the Marshall record book.

Moss should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame when he becomes eligible in five years.

These two schools have other things in common.

Marshall has appeared in five bowl games in Detroit. The Thundering Herd are 3-1 in the Motor City Bowl and 1-0 in the Little Ceasars Bowl. Marshall's record is 4-1 in Southeastern Michigan.

FAU won it's lone appearance in the Motor City Bowl in 2008 defeating Central Michigan and is 2-0 all-time in bowl games.

Going into the 2013 season, FAU is 58-74 participating in the Sun Belt Conference playing for their only two coaches Howard Schnellenberger and now Carl Pelini.

FAU began playing football in 2001 and the Owls winning percentage is .439.

To date, FAU's best players include Tennessee Titans QB Rusty Smith, the first Owl ever selected in the NFL Draft and Washington Redskins star Running Back Alfred Morris, who ran for 1,613 yards in his rookie season of 2012.

There is one thing these programs Fortunately Don't have in common.

On November 14, 1970 the Thundering Herd was devastated by a tragedy that eventually became a movie in 2006 called "We Are Marshall" which centered around the crash and rebirth of the program.

A total of 75 passengers, including 37 members of the football team were killed in a plane crash.

It took a full decade to recover from the crash and Marshall was the worst football program in the 1970's.

The Thundering Herd didn't have a winning season until 1984.

In the 1970's, Marshall was 23-83 from 1970-79, changing head coaches four times during that time frame.

If there is an interesting thing to watch with these mid-major schools is they do produce their fair share of players and many of them are the ones selected in the second and third days of the draft otherwise known as the "Hidden Gems" that win Super Bowls.

As for their first meeting, FAU held a 23-14 lead with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter, but the Thundering Herd came back to win 24-23 as Justin Haig connected on a 41-yard field goal as time expired.

The victory improved Marshall's record to 4-2, 2-0 while FAU dropped to 2-5, 1-4, in the Conference USA Eastern Division.

Detroit native Daniel McKinney, who is photographed, caught two passes for 11 yards.

This was the second heartbreaking loss this season at home for FAU and that aggravated Owls Coach Pelini.

"We can't play 9/10 of a game," Pelini said. "We have to play 10/10 of a game. I'm not going to pat anyone on the back after a loss."

FAU has a bye next week and don't expect Pelini to pat anyone on the back as the Owls travel to meet the Auburn Tigers on October 26 in Alabama. The only thing guaranteed is a large payday to deposit into the Athletic Department's bank account.

Up next for FAU at home is a visit from the Tulane Green Wave. I'll be curious to see the turnout on November 2, 2013.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

A New FAU Era In Conference USA

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The last time the FAU Owls opened the season at home against Middle Tennessee was a day that Michigan Wolverines Football fans certainly would like to forget.

On September 1, 2007, Appalachian State stunned the Wolverines 34-32 in front of 109,208 shocked fans at The Big House.

The rematch will be August 30, 2014.

This same day, I was covering My first FAU contest against Middle Tennessee at Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium. The Owls defeated Middle Tennessee 27-14. Since that win, FAU has lost five straight games to Middle Tennessee and trail the series 7-3.

Six years later, the Owls have opened at home again against Middle Tennessee, but two major things have changed.

FAU has moved from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA.

Three years ago, FAU moved into it's beautiful on campus stadium that faces the Atlantic Ocean. You can see the ocean from the Sixth Floor at FAU Stadium in the Press Box.

Four teams made the switch to Conference USA. Florida International University and North Texas were the first to make their announcements. Months later, FAU and Middle Tennessee followed them.

For the last few years we've seen a lot of conference realignment. Schools like Colorado, Utah, Texas A&M, Missouri, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, West Virginia and TCU are acclimating to their new rivals. The Big Ten will add Maryland and Rutgers next season while Louisville is headed to the ACC.

How have the Owls adapted thus far?

After FAU's 42-35 overtime loss to Middle Tennessee, the Owls are 1-3 and 0-2 in the conference. The Owls have now lost six in a row to the Blue Raiders and trail the all-time series 8-3.

FAU's only victory occurred September 14, as the Owls defeated My Alma-Mater the University of South Florida Bulls 28-10 in Tampa.

It's hard to win committing five turnovers as FAU did, in addition to allowing Middle Tennessee to amass 446 yards in total offense.

It's rare to see a team compile 503 yards in total offense and lose. But that's what happened to FAU.

Wide Receiver, Daniel McKinney, a senior from Detroit was FAU's leading receiver. He had nine receptions for 82-yards and a touchdown. This was a career high for McKinney.

Sophomore QB Jaquez Johnson threw for 321 yards, three touchdowns but also had two interceptions.

When the game was over, FAU Coach Carl Pelini said despite the close loss, he's said there is no such thing as a moral victory.

"You're not going to beat a good football team like Middle Tennessee when you constantly shoot yourself in the foot," Pelini said. "I don't think we were very disciplined on the defensive side of the ball, and I think we made a lot of mistakes on the offensive side of the ball. You can't have five turnovers in college football and expect to win games. It shouldn't have come down to overtime."

Pertaining to the turnovers, Pelini added, "they're tearing at the football. You know you saw it, and we just got to be stronger. We practice ball security everyday, so it's unacceptable."

FAU returns to action on Saturday, September 28 at 7 pm as it hits the road to play in the first "Owls Bowl" visiting Rice in Houston, Texas.

There is one thing FAU didn't have to deal with that two other Florida schools had to face Saturday.

The Florida A&M Rattlers were ripped by the Ohio State Buckeyes 76-0 in Columbus.

FAU's rival Florida International University went to Kentucky and was crushed by Louisville 72-0.

After today's offensive display, I'll be curious as to see what's ahead in the coming weeks for FAU. I find it hard to watch a team score 35 points and lose.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

The Sports Scene

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Here is a change of pace from the norm.

I've decided to take one topic from each of the Four Major Sports and talk about it.

Lets start with the NFL. I know this is a sensitive issue, but I have no problem with Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder keeping his teams' nickname. The fan base has identified with the Redskins and it's Snyder's right to keep it. He is a businessman that's allowed by the free enterprise system in this country to turn a profit. I doubt you'll see Commissioner Roger Goodell pressure him to change the name. I'm sure they'll talk about it, but that's as far as it will go. There is a rich tradition with the Redskins name.

The only time I ever objected to Snyder trying to make a profit was when he used to charge fans money to see team practices in training camp early in his ownership. But when he saw it was a bad public relations move, Snyder backed off.

Super Bowls have been won with the Redskins name and legendary Coach Vince Lombardi also coached in the Nations Capital.

Many college universities had to change their Indian names or they risked harsh NCAA penalties such as not being able to host NCAA sanctioned events and would be subjected to fines if they didn't comply..

The Florida State Seminoles have been able to keep their name.

I can't see Robert Griffin III or Alfred Morris playing for the Washington Wheels. So no worries Washington fans, you'll be able to see important games at your stadium as long as your team is good enough to play in them.

Hosting a Super Bowl is the only exception because warm weather climates and indoor stadiums get these games.

If the Redskins have to change their name, then the Kansas City Chiefs should do the same to make sure there is no double standard. We know that won't happen.

These Indian names will stay.

In MLB, some of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their division title by doing belly flops and jumping in the outfield pool at Chase Field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks took offense to this because they felt as though they were showed up as a sign of disrespect.

Seriously?

Really?

This was a lighthearted celebration and really a good idea.

The Diamondbacks should be complimented that they have one of the newer and nicest stadiums in baseball therefore it was utilized in a positive way.

Besides, it's nice to see a celebration out of the clubhouse and we're showcasing water and not alcohol. I will never object to anything that is creative, original and different.

In the future, the Diamondbacks should win the game instead to avoid such a celebration in their house.

In the NBA, we're starting to see a trend of former star players playing in games overseas and finishing their careers in places like China. Former Houston Rockets Guard Steve Francis played their briefly in November of 2010. For a short period, Francis had an inexpensive shoe that he was selling in China.

Allen Iverson also played overseas in the Turkish league in 2010-2011.

Now recently retired Tracy McGrady is contemplating the idea. I think this is neat because it allows the world to see some of these athletes. There has been a lot more of this in baseball as players careers that wind down go to Japan.

If a player can get paid to do what he enjoys doing, live in another culture, then more power to him. If these guys have endorsement deals, then it's another way to market them, especially since basketball shoes are huge overseas. The NBA has done an outstanding job marketing overseas especially now that they're playing exhibition games that are leading to regular season contests.

In the NHL, it's hard to believe that hockey is playing exhibition games. What will make this year much different then any other is that the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets are now in the Eastern Conference while the Winnipeg Jets are in the Western Conference.

This is a move long overdue and it will be interesting to see how both teams adapt to the physical nature of the Eastern Conference.

In a different way, I doubt they'll be much adapting to the reduced travel schedule and not changing the time zones.

But I have to admit that in a perfect world, it would be great if the Chicago Blackhawks played in the Eastern Time zone if for no other reason, all Original Six Teams would be in the same conference. However, that will never happen unless there is future expansion which somehow allows this to take place. I'm not holding my breath.

I'm glad the Red Wings will have the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens in the same division and they'll see more of the New York Rangers. Five Original Six teams in a conference is a great consolation.

Being a resident in The Sunshine State, I'm looking forward to seeing the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning face the Red Wings more often.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

MLB's Feel Good Story Lines

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

This years final two weeks in MLB's drive to the playoffs have many interesting Story Lines.

Inside those Story Lines, there are some great Manager Of The Year Candidates.

There are some perennial losing franchises that have become winners.

The 2013 season can also have a "Back To The Past" theme as certain teams which faced each other in the playoffs in the past, could very well do the same.

Lets start in the American League.

As of this moment there are four teams that are within 2.5 games of the final wild card spot. The current leaders are the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.

On the outside looking in are the Cleveland Indians, managed by Terry Francona, the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals.

Yes, the Kansas City Royals.

Once upon a time, the Royals and the Yankees faced each other in the playoffs from 1976-78. The Royals only World Series title occurred with late former Yankees Manager Dick Howser in 1985.

After many years of frustration, the Royals have built their team through the farm system and Manager Ned Yost has done a fine job with this squad. Whether Kansas City makes the playoffs is one thing. But the Royals have also created new revenue streams as they renovated Kauffman Stadium for $250 million.

Despite being known as a small market franchise, things are looking good for Kansas City, and who knows, perhaps they will face the Yankees again in future postseasons.

For now, Royals fans are just happy that they can talk about baseball late into September and don't care who they meet in the playoffs. They just want to get there.

In Cleveland, Francona has definitely done a fine job in his first year as Indians skipper. Buck Showalter led the Baltimore Orioles to the playoffs last year and just simply wins every where he manages. Being in the toughest division in baseball makes his work even more impressive. Despite injuries and performance enhancing drugs distractions, I give the New York Yankees a lot of credit for still being in the pennant chase.

In the National League, there are only two teams to talk about.

We're in the "Back To The Past" theme.

In any other season, the Manager of The Year Candidates can come from a group consisting of Francona, Joe Girardi, whose done a masterful job dealing with adversity, and Yost, who could still be a possibility.

The two candidates who are my odds on favorite to win the award are Boston Red Sox Pilot John Farrell, who has his team in first place in the American League East. The one-time Boston Pitching Coach inherited a 69-93 squad which suffered it's first losing season since 1997 and worst since 1965. Now they're certainly the front runner to win the World Series.

The man that I believe Will Win the Manager Of The Year is Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle. In 2007, Hurdle led the Colorado Rockies to the franchises' first World Series appearance. Colorado was swept by the Red Sox 4-0.

This seasons managing job has been monumental for Hurdle as the Pirates have snapped a 20-consecutive losing seasons mark, the largest in North American professional sports history.

The Pirates likely opponent in the playoffs could be the Cincinnati Reds.

Back in the 1970's, these two rivals played in Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh) and Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati). Both stadiums had artificial turf. They both had some great Hall Of Fame players. Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente and Johnny Bench were a few.

Pittsburgh won the World Series in 1971 and 1979. Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, led by former Detroit Tigers Manager Sparky Anderson, won two-straight championships in 1975-76. Now it's very possible they'll play a one-game wild card playoff to advance deeper into the tournament.

It will be neat to see how these Feel Good Story Lines turnout as well as which Manager is honored.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Historical NFL Contests

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When you watch this weeks NFL Games, there are some interesting match-ups that might require a timeline and a USA Map. There are also some interesting coaching stories.

The Tennessee Titans travel to Houston to take on the Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Titans used to be the Oilers, who played in the Astrodome across the parking lot.

My only visit to the Astrodome was when the Detroit Lions faced the Oilers and Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders eclipsed the 10,000 yard rushing mark. The intriguing part of this game is the Texans debated about taking University of Texas standout QB Vince Young, but passed on him and he was drafted by the Titans.

The New Cleveland Browns visit the defending Super Bowl Champions Baltimore Ravens in Maryland. Once upon a time the Ravens were the Cleveland Browns. But when former late Owner Art Modell saw all of Cleveland's Sports Teams get new stadiums and his was left out, in addition to the fact that the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame was built, he bolted Lake Erie for the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls since departing Ohio and the Browns have a new stadium, but have struggled to field consistently contending teams.

When the Dallas Cowboys face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, how many people remember that these two franchises once played in the same city?

From 1960-1962, Chiefs late Owner Lamar Hunt had an American Football League team in Dallas that played at the historic Cotton Bowl. They were called the Dallas Texans. They had a Hall of Fame QB named Len Dawson and legendary Coach Hank Stram that were with the Texans and won an AFL Championship in 1962.

Stram and Dawson played a huge part in the Kansas City Chiefs lone Super Bowl Title. In 1969, the Chiefs pounded the Minnesota Vikings 23-7,  in Super Bowl IV. The announcers in this game were the late Jack Buck, late Pat Summerall  and Frank Gifford. The cost of a 30-second commercial was $78,000 and the audience had an estimated viewership of 44.3 million viewers on CBS. The Vikings entered the game as 12 point favorites. The contest was played in front of 80,562 fans at the now demolished Tulane Stadium, in New Orleans, LA.

The Miami Dolphins go to Indiana and face the Indianapolis Colts. Former Dolphins Coach Don Shula lost his first Super Bowl appearance as a head coach for the Baltimore Colts. In Super Bowl III, the New York Jets defeated the Colts 16-7 on January 12, 1969. This is the game that Jets Hall of Fame QB "Broadway" Joe Namath delivered on his Guarantee to deliver a championship to the Big Apple. Shula would eventually win a pair of Super Bowls with the Dolphins and piloted the only perfect season at 17-0 in NFL History.

Finally, the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins have never played in the Super Bowl, but have a common link to the game when they play in Wisconsin on Sunday.

Hall of Fame Coach Vince Lombardi has the Super Bowl Trophy named after him and has coached both historic franchises. He won Super Bowls I and II defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in consecutive years.

From 1959-1967, Lombardi guided the Packers to an 89-29-4 mark. He coached one season with the Redskins and led Washington to a 7-5-2 mark. Prior to Lombardi's arrival, the Redskins had 14-straight losing seasons.

Lombardi's career record was 96-34-6 with a winning percentage of .738. In the post season he was 9-1 with a .900 winning percentage.

When you watch the game at Lambeau Field, while Aaron Rodgers and Robert Griffin III are the present and future stars, Lombardi's connection with both franchises is indeed something to remember.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

This Weeks Headlines

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During the past week there have been some interesting headlines on the Sports Scene.

Here are six that standout.

1. I don't put too much stock in the Boston Red Sox 20-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers Wednesday Night. Despite the fact that the Red Sox hit a club record eight home runs in the game, for Detroit, this only counts as one loss. Some of those home runs occurred on the right field line. It's called Pesky's Pole and it stands 302 feet from home plate. This is the shortest outfield distance, left or right field in Major League Baseball. These two teams could very well meet in the post season. The Red Sox are currently 85-57 while the Tigers are 81-59 so it would be to Detroit's benefit to at least win more games than Boston so they would have home field advantage at spacious Comerica Park. Detroit could get a break if Boston is eliminated before they meet.

2. I'm glad that the Pittsburgh Pirates finally secured a winning season ending their 20-year futility streak of being a sub .500 team. The Pirates, 81-58, are definitely the feel good story of the year led by the leadership of Manager Clint Hurdle. If the number had reached 21, this would have been sad because Pirates Hall Of Fame Outfielder Roberto Clemente wore it. But thankfully this never happened. For years this team made trades at the deadlines to help contenders. This season, the Pirates made trades as they get ready for their first postseason since 1992. I wish them well except if they face the Detroit Tigers.

3. It's no crime to get hammered by the Denver Broncos in the NFL Season Opener Thursday Night. When Broncos QB Peyton Manning throws for 462 yards and seven touchdowns in the Baltimore Raven's 49-27 bashing, the largest loss by a Super Bowl Champion in NFL history, just look to next week's home opener against the Cleveland Browns. Manning's seven touchdown passes tied an NFL record for most in a game. He joined Joe Kapp  (1969), Y.A. Tittle (1962), George Blanda (1961), Adrian Burk (1954), and Sid Luckman (1943). Manning became the second player in NFL history to have seven touchdown passes zero interceptions joining Tittle.

The heart of the Ravens defense Ray Lewis retired in the off season. Baltimore was playing in the high altitude of the Mile High City. Manning was carving the Ravens defense like we'd carve a pumpkin at Halloween. My Girlfriend Candy took the Ravens defense in her fantasy league. I told her that there was no need to panic because Dr. Manning was simply performing surgery as he does on all defenses. Therefore, judging Baltimore's defense now would be premature because of these circumstances. If the Ravens defense falters in future weeks, then consider making a change.

4. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) loses the first of their four-game series against the Miami Hurricanes on Friday August 30, 2013 at Joe Robbie Stadium 34-6. FAU used three QB's in their new Spread Offense. I will be curious to see how many games it takes for Owls Coach Carl Pelini to find his starter. On Thursday Night, FAU dropped to 0-2 by losing on the road to East Carolina 31-13. Next for FAU, a trip to Tampa to face My Alma-Mater the University of South Florida Bulls on Saturday, September 14, 2013.

5. Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Coach Bobby Petrino made an impressive debut on Saturday August 31, 2013 playing in Nashville, Tenn. A crowd of 47,623 fans at the Tennessee Titans home LP Field with plenty of WKU fans in attendance, saw the Hilltoppers defeat in-state rival the Kentucky Wildcats for the second straight year. This time the score was 35-26. Western Kentucky out gained Kentucky 487-419 in total offense and held the ball for 35 minutes. Western Kentucky's Football Stadium has a capacity of 22,000. This turned out to be a good financial move to play the game in Nashville.

In his career, Petrino is undefeated in season openers, improving to 9-0. When he's had more than a week to prepare for an opponent, he's 28-8 in such games. The former Louisville coach is now 5-1 against Kentucky. His lone loss occurred when he was the head coach at Arkansas.

Petrino, 52, was fired from Arkansas in April of 2012 for misleading school officials about a motorcycle accident that revealed his mistress was a passenger and employed by the coach.

His overall college record is 76-26 and is 4-3 in Bowls. Petrino landed the Western Kentucky job when coach Willie Taggart was hired by USF.

We'll see if Bobby is smart enough to not blow this opportunity.

Petrino's team gets another SEC opponent this time as they travel to Knoxville and face the Tennessee Volunteers in front of 100,000 plus fans on Saturday.

If he wins this game, he could be elected Mayor of Bowling Green, KY.

6. As we approach September 11 this week and remember the tragedy that changed all of our lives, I commend the Arizona State Sun Devils for honoring a legendary alumnus. At Sun Devil Stadium, Tillman Tunnel welcomes the Sun Devils. The Tunnel has received a recent makeover complete with inspirational signage a PT-42 "The Heart Of A Champion" logo and a photo veil of Tillman.

Eight months after the September 11 attacks, Pat Tillman turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals  to enlist in the U.S. Army. He became a Ranger but was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004.

The Sun Devils celebrated the events Thursday night blowing out Sacramento State 55-0.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.