Author: jcalvert

I have played NCAA Football since its beginnings on the original PlayStation, but I have never seen anything like this before. Today I started playing the various rivalry games in order to get a better feel for the game, and to experience some teams that I do not normally use on a year-to-year basis. Tonight I decided to play Air Force (me) vs. Army, and I just got walloped; I mean really, really, castrated: 72-45.

There is a lot to say about this game, but first let me start with the score. I do not think the CPU has ever put up that many points on me; ever. Seriously, 72 is a hell of a lot of points, and the CPU kicked a 57-yard field goal with 11 seconds left just to rub salt in my wounds. Pretty nasty stuff.

For what it is worth, I was playing on the default settings (with 6-minute quarters). I have written about this before, but I always start out on the default settings and adjust from there as needed. If I am in the mood, in a future post, I will once again recap why I take this approach, if anyone is really interested.

One thing I have noticed about the 2007 iteration of this football classic is that the momentum feature can be brutal. This game is a case in point. Even though I was the home team, once the CPU took the lead (28-24), I never had a chance. The CPU WRs caught everything thrown their way, while my guys started fumbling left and right. At times it really seemed unfair, but while I do think this game was fairly typical of momentum getting out of control, I am going to try to reserve judgment until I get in a few more games.

I am not sure if Air Force’s defense is really awful, or if Army’s offense is awesome, or if I really suck, but I just could not stop the Black Knights. In fact, Army scored every single time they got the ball. Their starting QB (#14) was 19-24, 486 yds, 7 TDs (0 INT), good for a 79% completion ratio, which is a vast improvement over anything I saw in the last two versions of the game. Army’s backup QB (#15) was just as lethal: 7-9, 115 yds, 2 TDs (0 INT), good for a 77% completion ratio. My starting QB (#5) would have been great under any other circumstances, going 13-24, 299 yds, 3 TDs (2 INTs), and 150 rushing yards, including 1 TD.

Besides the fact that I sucked on defense, I just could not keep possession of the ball: 2 INTs and 2 lost fumbles (5 total fumbles). This was the first game where I did not get sacked left and right; I was only sacked once. Time of possession was in my favor 13:11 to 10:49, and I accumulated more total yards: 943-791.

On a positive note, I did return a kickoff for a TD, which has been a pretty rare occurrence for me the last couple of years. All in all, this was a not so fun game because it was just so damn unrealistic. Seriously, I may not be the best player in the world, but I have never given up 72 points, and I seriously doubt anything like this would happen in real life. I guess I am going to have to start playing with sliders (QB accuracy down for starters, and FGs need to be more difficult), and I may have to go back to 5-minute quarters. So far 6-minute quarters have not been bad since most of my games have been fairly close affairs, but I guess it can all go south in a hurry in the case of a shootout.

I have another rant about slider settings, but that too shall be saved for another day.

I finally broke down and picked up NCAA Football 2007 for the PS2 this afternoon. I just could not stand not having a yearly NCAA update. I guess EA Sports banks on guys like me.

Impressions? I do not have much to say after one game. I am ashamed to say that I took it on the chin by two touchdowns in my rivalry game of good old fashion hate (GA Tech vs. UGA). Contributing factors were a lack of a rushing attack, 5 fumbles (4 lost), and seven sacks. The sacks killed me, contributing in 3 fumbles, but Brown also coughed up the ball a couple of times while trying to push in for a TD.

I am not sure what to think about the new kicking meter (controlled power and accuracy via right analog stick), but at least the developers attempted something different. The graphics are pretty much the same. As with each yearly release, I assume there are some new animations, and there is a new camera view for kicks. I actually like the new presentation style, which is really just more of the same, with a little more polish and small new touches such as the stadium noise indicator.

Hopefully I will actually have some time over the next few days to really dig into this one, but for now my next big decision is do I try to take North Texas to the top once again, or do I just go with UGA or Texas?

Looks like Texas, ranked #2, still has lots of respect even without an established replacement for Vince Young. The 2006 USA Today Preseason Coaches’ Poll has Ohio St ranked in the top spot. SEC notables are Auburn #6, Florida #8, LSU #9, Georgia #14, Tennessee #23, and Alabama #24.

I am not sure there are any real surprises other than West Virginia #7 � yes they beat UGA in the Sugar Bowl last year (and I am still bitter), but they do not have much competition, and I just do not see them being a legitimate Top 10 team. California and Louisville are not Top 15 teams; at least not at this point. I also think it is too soon to give the Dawgs a #14 ranking, and Alabama should be much better than their #24 ranking indications.

Oh course it is all speculation, hype, and anticipation at this point. The reality is that I have never seen much point in preseason rankings, other than giving college football fans something to debate in the final days before kickoff.

I was looking at the PS2 games @ EBGames.com to see if there was anything cheap that floated my boat, and I came across GameDay 2004 for the low, low price of $24.99. I wonder if anyone actually orders the game; forget the price … seriously, does anyone actually order this game? The used version is on backorder, but it goes for $1.99, which may be a buck too much.

Only 29 more days until UGA kicks-offs the 2006 season (September 2 vs. Western Kentucky @ 12:30PM EST). The biggest question for Georgia fans has to be when will Matthew Stafford play? Of course there are a lot of other questions to answer, but I am not sure that Western Kentucky is the right opponent to see just how good (or bad) this year’s team actually looks.

The Western Kentucky/UGA game will be televised locally by Lincoln Financial Sports (formally Jefferson Pilot Sports Network). That got me to thinking that my dad used to hate JPS because their games often preempted the Big 12 Game of the Week on ABS. Heaven forbid if Texas was featured because dad always missed most of the first quarter (and sometimes more). Those JPS games were legendary for running past their allotted time, and often filled with silly post game stuff that just made the wait for the next game almost unbearable. Of course the same thing happened here; JPS always preempted the SEC Game of the Week on CBS, often causing UGA, Auburn, and Alabama fans in my area to scream in agony.

This is a great time of year for college football fans, and I am facing the realization that dad is no longer around to email tidbits about UGA, the SEC vs. Big 12, how the next great Texas recruiting class is looking, how much we hate Arkansas (the football team, not the state), if Texas can defend their title, the state of OU football, and so on.

Apparently there is a major glitch in the running game, which pretty much makes this a null and void purchase for me. One of the main joys I get from NCAA Football is establishing a fine-tuned running game, especially focusing on run first offenses (option, wishbone, etc). I have read that the game makes you down where contact is first initiated, instead of where your knees touch the ground. This would seem like a major, major oversight on the part of EA. I am going to have to take a pass on this one until an updated game or patch is released.

I have not been around much lately because there has been so much going on around me. Work always seems overly important – like this weekend’s major project that we have been digging out of the ditch since last Friday. Important? Not so much.

Two weeks ago Tonya’s doctor told us that Tonya had a 50-50 chance of miscarriage. Needless to say, we have been extremely stressed, but prayer and faith pulled us through. Today the doctor told Tonya she was out of the miscarriage danger zone, but my joy was tempered after learning that a friend and colleague’s wife had a miscarriage just before Tonya’s appointment. Life is so fragile. Prayers of healing go out to this person, his wife, and family; while prayers of thanks go out for my wife and “Calvert No. 3” � for those wondering, Tonya is 12-weeks pregnant.

My dad, Ollie, is pretty sick – he has been fighting the good fight against lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) for six or so years now – I am really not sure how much fight he has left in him. While we have never been close (my parents split up when I was very young), we have grown closer as I have grown older. Talking about sports and the grandkids always helps.

Last March dad was in the hospital, and things were not looking very bright, so I made the 12+ hour car trip from Columbus to Little Rock because I wanted to see my dad one last time (you just never know). Dad did recovered enough to leave the hospital, but the best I can tell is that he never feels very well � good days and bad; I cannot imagine what it like to fight this terrible stuff. When I spoke to him last Sunday, he seemed like he was hanging in there, but then he spent the rest of the week in the hospital. He gets to go home this weekend, but his immunity system is not so good, which means no visitors. Tough stuff all around, but I am proud (if that is the right word) that he is putting up a hell of a fight. Please pray that he has it in him to recover once again.

Count your blessings, and be grateful for the time you have with your loved ones, because life is also so very short and fragile. Life is sweet.

For the first time in a long time, I have not preordered the latest, greatest, incarnation of NCAA or Madden football. I just do not see a compelling reason why I should upgrade over NCAA 06 and Madden 05. I have not touched NCAA 06 in months; I sold Madden 06 after I realized that it was just not going to get much play; have not touched Madden 05 since I sold Madden 06.

EA should consider the above a real “ouch,” or at the very least, an “oops.” What happens when those of us with disposable income are no longer enchanted with the latest yearly upgrades? How does EA (and other publishers) make money when those of us that like spending money on videgames become complacent, dare I say indifferent to the traditional bounty of coffin filling football releases? What if I am not alone? I digress.

With all that said, I am considering getting a PSP football game (I sold my PSP version of Madden several month ago), but I am still not convinced that EA is going to improve Madden. My hopes were not encouraged after seeing the following on GameStop’s site (in reference to PSP Madden):

* PSP Exclusives�Return kicks, avoid tackles, and aim for the High Score in a PSP-exclusive mini-game, or transfer an entire season in Franchise mode back and forth between your PSP and your PlayStation�2.

Wow! We get to actually return kicks in a football game. What a crock of crap. Actually, it should say something along the lines of realistic punt returns; I suppose that would be worth something.

If tradition holds true, NCAA will be based on last year’s PSP Madden, which was a so-so game, that I only enjoyed for a short while before moving on to something else. A proper portable NCAA title would be money well spent, but will EA do the game justice?

If it is not obvious by my lack of videogame posts, right now I am finding console gaming a rather blah experience, which may explain my lack of enthusiasm for this year’s crop of football games.

It is always nice to return home, especially after a long business trip. I will not go into the details of work (since some folks from the office actually read my crap), but the trip was very draining. I did get to see some football in an English pub, and I got to try all sorts of beer (that is always the fun part). In Chester I got to run around the old Roman wall, which was great exercise, and extremely entertaining. It is hard to believe that this wall was built 1000+ years ago; nothing like that in Georgia. I also had beer in some extremely old pubs, including a couple that were underground, and once used as Roman barracks.

The not so fun part of the trip was getting sick; very, very sick. I cannot recall ever feel as bad as I did Monday morning at the train station. Not sure if it was a virus or some bad clams from the night before, but the train ride from London to Chester was the trip form hell. I never thought I would make it without hurling all over the place, but thank the good Lord that I did make it in one piece.

I did not get in much gaming, except for a couple of hours on the plane with the PSP. Lumines, Pinball Hall of Fame, and Winning Eleven receive all the action, so noting really new to report.

At any rate, I am glad to be back on US soil!

I am taking off to the UK on business this Friday; will be back on July 1. I am sure I will post here and there, when the opportunity presents itself, but if I am not around, know that I am having a delicious cold one (or three). I am actually looking forward to watching some proper football (World Cup style) in an English pub. Should be for good time. Cheers!

So I was wrong about Georgia; I thought they would have a better showing in the CWS.

So what of Team USA’s chances over Ghana tomorrow morning? You have to score to win, so for starters the US is going to have to figure out how to get the ball in the net. No advice here other than we have had next to no quality shots on goal, and technically we have yet to score (an own goal vs. Italy does not really cut it when it). No idea what Arena is going to do to improve the offense, but something has to change or we will be going home.

I think Italy will beat the Czechs, so it is up to the US to do their part. I am going to go on a limb and predict a 2-0 victory for the Red, White, and Blue.

Oh yeah. The Braves are still sucking wind.

People at work get tired of me fussing, cussing, and complaining about the lack of passion for soccer (yes I know it is football everywhere else) in the US. I long for the day when there is some pride in what the National team does on the international stage. I want people to be hacked off about the officiating in today’s game. The stuff of water coolers.

Maybe we took some small step today. When I was in the check out line at the local adult beverage store, a couple of buddies in the other checkout line waved over another buddy entering the store. After some brief chitchat, they started talking about the US/Italy game. It was obvious that they were not soccer fans or even that knowledgeable, but wonders of wonders, they were talking about the game.

I could go on with this story. Tasty, cold, adult liquids. Explanations of the US not being out of the WC. But the day has been long, and I have posted enough for one heck of a sports day (LeMans, WC action, CWS).

GA had a chance (so says the announcers – I was watching the World Cup), but in the end they could not hold on against Rice. I guess I should not feel too bad because I had Rice beating UGA in my office pool. I actually picked several of the CSW teams correctly: Clemson, Rice, GA, GA Tech, Cal St Fullerton, and Miami. I picked Clemson to down Texas (oops) in the finals.

Unless Oregon State mounts a major comeback against Miami, it looks like the Dawgs will go in the losers’ bracket against the Beavers. Of course that is right were we want them. Seriously, GA has played awesome of late when in elimination games. Still not a great way to start, but I like our chances on Monday.

Un’fing believable. What a poorly officiated game. When is the US going to score? I guess a tie is better than a loss, but now we have to play the “if we beat Ghana and Italy beats the Czechs …” game. To be honest, without studying it more, I am not even sure what it will take to advance. That -3 goal differential is going to kick us in the teeth before it is all said and done.

The Mastroeni red card was bad enough, but the Pope red card (second yellow of the match), just minutes into the second half was really unnecessary. I am really beside myself right now, spitting mad, and should not be typing this entry. BUT I am so f’ing upset that I have get this off my chest.

I was right on a couple of points. Beasley was a second half sub, but he did a piss poor job of stretching the field. To be honest, I hope he does not see any action against Ghana, but I best he sees time because two of our boys are down for group play. I also said that Keller would get the job done if given some decent support, and he proved his worth with a couple of nice saves late in the second half.

For a few seconds my 2-1 prediction seemed to come to fruition. So close, yet so far away. I guess the interference was the right call, but after so many crap calls, I would hope for some type of break. Alas, it was not to be.

Playing a man down (9-10) most of the second half sucked, but I really do not understand why we did not try to mount some sort of attack in the final minutes. Beasley should have run the sidelines just to try to make something happen.

More later. When I calm down.

Holy crap! Up 2-0 with 7 mins to play. Makes you really wonder WTF happened to the US earlier this week? I know the Czech Republic is hurt, but still, what an amazing upset in the works.

Now it is up to Team USA to do their part! USA! USA! USA! Come on boys! Make us proud!