Blog: Raeder of the Lost Blog
Louisiana/Fairbanks running blog
Published Saturday, May 17, 2008
(10:53) Unless John Fourcade cools down -- and I wouldn't count on it -- no one's job is safe.
He called his players out for a lack of heart and a lack of brains after their 66-point loss.
His players, though, are saying the right things. Talking about getting back on the horse and playing harder next time.
"We weren't working together. Everyone had their mind other places," wideout Kenny Wilson said. "We can always get back to practice and come out better next week."
Thanks for stopping by for this one. Make sure to check all the reaction out in the paper or here on newsminer.com tomorrow!
(9:58) I'm one of the few people left in the Grizzly Cave, and I'm heading down to the field to make sure the players can't run off.
I'll post when it's all over, but thanks for sticking with me, folks.
There's always next time...
(9:56) Can they get 100?
That's the only question that's left.
ANOTHER fumble returned for a touchdown. 93-27 with 2:41 to play.
(9:51) Seemed like this blog needed another list.
So here's the top five dances we wish the Swashbuckers defense was doing right now.
The Tango. Really, if John Paul Jones stuck a rose in his mouth and started leading Charles McRae around the field, we'd enjoy this.
The Worm. (Why not? Nothing says "We don't need to take this game seriously anymore" like The Worm.)
Whatever people tried to do to Achy Breaky Heart. (In case you can't tell, this list is made up of things we think it would be really funny to see really big men do. I think this fits the bill.)
The Soulja Boy -- an encore (Because, seriously, no one has gotten enough of that song yet. Nope, it's 15 minutes aren't up yet. Let's keep playing it.)
The Beer Barrel Polka (Who doesn't enjoy a good polka? I'm sure the Swashbucklers do.)
As for the game, the teams have traded touchdowns. Donny McCumby snaged an 18-yard score, but the Swashbucklers answered right back on their next play from scrimmage, a 24-yard pass.
86-27 with 5:04 to play.
(9:41) The Swashbucklers defense is dancing the Soulja Boy on the field.
Really. As the Grizz were in the huddle, the Swashbucklers were cranking that Soulja Boy. Man, blowouts are interesting.
(9:37) Well, that 53-point deficit was short-lived.
Sammy Knight returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
He took it near his own end zone, cut to the left boards, ran to the Fairbanks 20, stopped, read War and Peace, checked his e-mail, then cut back to the center of the field and ran in untouched.
80-20. 9:43.
(9:35) The Louisiana lead is down to 53.
Kenny Wilson found paydirt on a 4-yard end around.
73-20, 9:57 to go in this one.
(9:30) Since there's not much to say about the game at this point we present: Raeder of the Lost Blog's Top 5 Sports songs.
What your game to be a hit with this blog, play these songs.
Jump Around, House of Pain (Works best when the fans, you know, actually jump. I do everything House of Pain tells me to. It's a good way to go through life).
Crazy Train, Ozzy (The key to enjoying this song is to do the "Aye, aye, aye" part as loud and high-pitched as you can. No one else around you is doing it? Who cares, that just makes you the cool one.)
Lose Yourself, Eminem (You've got to do the hand out, rhythmic bob. You just have to. It should be the law. Great song though.)
He's Going the Distance, Cake (They can't all be hard rock or rap, come on. And what else are you going to play? The 1812 Overture? No, you're not. So you play this. Or, at least you should.)
On Wisconsin (What? You don't think so? Tough, this is what this blog would like, and we loves us some On Wisconsin).
9,345,231,567,234,764,333. Cotton Eyed Joe. (If you play this song, well, ignore that. Just don't play this song. Seriously, just don't.)
Oh, and the Grizzlies game? Lee found Wilridge on a nice lob, 73-13.
(9:19) 66-13.
It's last call for beer, so I expect the stands to be thinning out real soon.
At this point the Swashbucklers are toying with Fairbanks.
Their last touchdown -- a fake end around pass. Worked like a charm.
27 seconds left in the third.
(9:10) He looks like a tight end, but he throws like, well, a somewhat decent throwing tight end, I guess.
Come on, it's a blowout, these analogies just aren't coming to me.
But the imposing figure of Darnell Lee is now in at quarterback for the Swashbucklers and he just threw for a touchdown.
59-13 with 3:17 to go in the third.
(9:04) Well, that was possibly the most unique safety you'll see in your life.
Well, you guys probably didn't see it, but still...
Facing fourth and forever-ever, the Grizzlies opted for the IFL's standard field-goal-that's-really-a-punt. That kick was blocked through, right back to the holder Bartik.
Bartik picked it up in the end zone (where the Grizz were kicking out of to begin with) and just threw it to the stands.
It was ruled intentional grounding on Bartik for the safety.
52-13 Swashbucklers, 6:25 3Q.
(8:59) A REALLY nice pass by Bartie.
With Wilridge running a simple go down the left boards, Bartie faded back and unleashed a pass that went 35 yards in the air was placed right on Wilrdige's right shoulder pad. With tight coverage from Marcellus Carrington, it was right where it had to be (though, honestly, it looked like Carrington didn't see the ball).
50-13 Louisiana, 9:24 3Q.
(8:54) The Grizzlies offense gets into the action.
Ward threw a nice pass to Jones, leading him perfectly.
Two defenders were collapsing on Jones but Ward found a way to thread the needle.
The extra point goes fine this time.
43-13 Louisiana, 12:02 3Q.
(8:52) Louisiana's kicker must read this blog.
He just booted the kickoff right into the scoreboard. Grizzlies ball at the 25.
(8:49) And the Swashbucklers answer right back.
Bartie found Kurt Duhon leaking out of the backfield for a 13-yard touchdown.
The Grizzlies might have just been cost two points though. Louisiana's extra point was blocked and the Grizzlies scooped it up and returned it, but the play was whistled dead.
Why? Search me. But it was.
43-6 Louisiana, 12:32 3Q.
(8:43) All game, Louisiana's kicker has kicked the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs, letting the Grizz start at the 25.
He might want to stick with that strategy.
Derek Zak returned a kickoff (this one skipped along the field) 45 yards to open the second half.
But it wasn't all good news, the extra point was blocked and returned by Louisiana's Damien Huren for two points.
14:33 left in the third 37-6 Louisiana.
(8:22) HALFTIME 35-0.
What can be said. This was as one-sided as a game can be.
Very, very, very little has gone right for the Grizzlies as the Swashbuckers danced off the field to the locker room.
A lot can happen in an entire half, but it looks very bad for the Grizz right now.
(8:16) Bo Bartik is back on the sidelines.
With the offense getting shut out right now -- despite constantly good field position -- coach John Fourcade opted to bring in Damion Ward at quarterback.
The struggles, though weren't all Bartik's fault. His receivers dropped six or seven passes including three in the end zone.
(8:13) Fairbanks couldn't find a stop.
Henry Hunter made a leaping catch along the back boards to give Louisiana a 35-0 lead with 55 seconds to play in the half.
(8:11) Clemon Johnson is in the house.
We're at the 1-minute warning and they just showed the Alaska men's coach on the video scoreboard.
Louisiana has 3rd-and-10 at the Fairbanks 19.
(8:06)The mistakes keep coming.
Bartik fumbles trying to run a fourth-down option deep in Swashbucklers' territory.
3:43 to play in the half. Still 28-0.
(8:00)The Swashbuckers pad their lead.
On 4th-and-6, Bartie found Shaun Piper running across the back of the end zone for the score.
It's 28-0 Louisiana with 5:42 to play. If this gets ugly, I'll still be here posting, so keep checking back.
I don't want to get lonely.
(7:54)If you were going to make an instructional video on how NOT to run an offensive possession, this would be it.
Solomon Jones dropp what would have been a sure touchdown and Bo Bartik was sacked for a 12-yard loss on fourth down (just throw it up at that point) as the Grizz turned the ball over on downs.
21-0L 7:56 to play in the half.
(7:49)Like a good team, Louisiana made Fairbanks pay for its mistake.
After a three-yard penalty, Bartie connected on his second touchdown, finding Sammy Knight wide open in the corner of the end zone.
21-0 Louisiana 10:23 2Q.
(7:46)That was ugly.
Bartik threw a pass right to a Swashbucklers defender.
The signals had to get crossed somewhere there. No Grizzly was close.
Louisiana ball at the Fairbanks 6.
10:41 to play in the 2nd, 14-0L
(7:42)The Grizzlies can't afford any mistakes. Definitely not ones like this.
Facing first-and-goal, Bo Bartik couldn't handle the center/quarterback exchange and the ball bounced three yards away and right to Louisiana's Travis Moses.
Moses picked up the fumble, ran back into his own end zone before turning the corner and sprinting all the way up the sidelines for a touchdown.
That's a 14-point swing there folks.
14-0 Louisiana, 13:41 of the second.
(7:35) We're at the end of the first quarter 7-0 Swashbucklers.
The Grizz are driving. They'll start the second facing 2nd-and-7 at the Swashbucklers' 12-yard line.
There's a lot of empty seats here at the Carlson Center today.
Maybe it's because the weather's finally nice, or maybe it's because of the team's recent struggles. But the upper deck is lucky to be 20 percent full.
At least the seats are Grizzlies colors.
(7:31) Fairbanks got a very important stop.
After turning the ball over on downs, Fairbanks forced Louisiana to go three-and-out (though they received help when one pass went incomplete off Wilridge's facemask when he was well behind the secondary. The next play, there was an obvious defensive hold that didn't get called).
After the punt went off the scoreboard that hangs over the field, Fairbanks takes over at their own 24.
2:09 to play, 7-0L.
(7:27) Fairbanks is pulling out all the stops.
Facing 4th-and-7 from the Louisiana 8, the Grizz ran a fake field goal, but Damion Ward was planted three yards short of the marker.
What hurt Fairbanks on the drive, though, was dropped passes.
Solomon Jones and Kenny Wilson each developed a bad case of gator-hands and dropped passes in the end zone.
Fairbanks can't let golden chances like that slip through its hands.
4:55 to go in the first, 7-0 Louisiana.
(7:17) The Grizz missed an opportunity.
They had Louisiana at 4th-and-goal, and quarterback Lawrence Ashberry's pass was tipped.
But instead of taking advantage of the tip and crushing the receiver to prevent the catch, Fairbanks' Derek Zak tried to make a play on the ball, but Marcus Wilridge outjumped him for it.
Touchdown Louisiana.
7-0 Louisiana with 11:04 to play in the first quarter.
(7:14) Bad news for the Grizzlies.
As they try for a goaline stand, linebacker Lawrence Ashberry went down hurt after making a 3rd-down stop.
Ashberry had to be helped off the field
We're up and running.
Thanks to things called "prep roundups" I just made it to the Carlson Center, err.. Grizzly Cave, in time for the National Anthem.
The Grizzlies are kicking to start the game. A defensive stop on the opening drive would say a ton. Let's see. Stay tuned.
Y'know, there was once another poster on the Lost Blog who would have taken serious offense to being lumped in with fans of "On Wisconsin" and people who enjoy solely the intro to "Crazy Train." You saved yourself with the War and Peace line ... for now.
Ah, nothin' like a good polka. You're back on my good side, Raeder.
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