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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: Saturdays always reaffirm our faith in mankind’s ability to obsess over sports

Troy players celebrate their team’s 24-21 victory over LSU with Troy fans in an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017. (Matthew Hinton / Associated Press)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We all know college football fans are a bit obsessed. But yesterday showed another level to it. Read on.

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• It didn’t hit me until this morning. Yesterday felt like a Sunday because there was no Washington State football game to attend. It had happened the night before. No wonder the weekend seemed a little off.

But then other little elements began to slip in that really got me thinking.

A young man who I’ve known his whole life – the first few years via face-to-face contact, the past few through Twitter – got married in Washington D.C.

He’s a Cougar – and a Cougar fan. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here saying he got married yesterday because Washington State had the Saturday off. He’s a football fan after all.

(And besides, his dad is a Duck, the type of Duck who used to drive from Spokane to Eugene for games back when Oregon was god-awful, so the extra-added attraction is dad would have to miss his game. Sons are always thoughtful that way.)

But that wasn’t the only inkling yesterday was different – and that college football fans have one arm in a straightjacket.

The TV was on all day and other than a few soirees over to watch the President’s Cup wipeout, college football was on for all of it.

Heck, I watched part of Weber State’s win at Montana State, just because there was nothing else of interest on. (I’m sorry, I’m a football guy but even I draw the line at watching UTEP play, even if the Miners are facing Army. Well, for any more than 20 minutes or so.)

What did we see? Fans of all colors and creeds sitting in stands packed like an Amazon package, enduring wind, rain, sun or Jim Mora coaching, just to see their team play. And it is still September, when the weather is nice. Remember, November is coming.

It’s nuts I tell you. When the wind is blowing hard enough to make a punt take a U-turn, how the heck is it worth it to sit in stands for four hours? And pay a bunch of money for the privilege?

Because that is your team down there. And they are playing that other person’s team. It’s that simple.

Want it even simpler? Our guys are good, their guys are bad.

Nothing else matters on a college football Saturday.

• One quick note. Today, I will sit in front of the computer and write my final Mariner column of the season. I will try to be upbeat and give you hope for next season. Spoiler alert, I will invoke the name of the Minnesota Twins.

Then I will start my new assignment. I will be writing a bit about the Seahawks’ game. Which will force me to watch the entire game.

No more throwing down my Snuggie and stomping out of the room. No more playing vids while they are playing, listening to the moans and groans from the other room. Nope, tonight I’ll have to endure every snap, even the ones after Michael Bennett jumps offsides.

And then try to make sense of it.

I will make you one promise. Tom Cable won’t figure prominently in the column. Unless he does.

•••

WSU: Should we label the stories linked today as fallout or aftermath of Friday night’s win over USC? I guess that depends on what your favorite shade of red is. Theo Lawson empties the notebook for a look back at the 30-27 game. … The game in Eugene next week will begin at 5 p.m. … Stefanie Loh stayed up late to add some to her report from Friday’s game, focusing on kicker Erik Powell and the crowd’s effect. … USC is still thinking about the playoffs. …The Cougars’ win earned them some national recognition.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, we learned a few things Saturday night, and not just that most football fans are a little obsessed (we already knew that). … It was a one-touchdown game at halftime in Corvallis. It finished with Washington breezing to a 42-7 win over Oregon State. as the Husky defense dominated. … Down the road in Eugene, the Ducks lost some of their most important players – quarterback Justin Herbert reportedly has a broken collarbone – in a 45-24 win over California. It was a tough homecoming for defensive-minded Cal coach Justin Wilcox. … Who is that guy who carried the ball for Stanford last season? What’s his name? This year it’s Bryce Love and he is spectacular. And was in a 34-24 win over Arizona State. Love had a Stanford-record 301 yards rushing. … UCLA did everything it could to hand Colorado the game last night but the Buffs dropped their chances, literally, in the Bruins’ 27-24 win. The Bruins kept one streak alive. They had a player ejected for targeting. … Utah had a bye this week but we have news. … With the football team off, Arizona fans gave the basketball program’s disintegration their full attention.

Gonzaga: Who will be starting for the Zags this season? Jim Meehan makes an educated guess – or three. … The volleyball team edged San Francisco.

EWU: The wind was blowing in Cheney and it made a difference. Except Gage Gubrud was able to overcome it. Does he wear a big “S” under his jersey? Jim Allen has the game story from the 52-31 win over Sacramento State as well as a difference maker and the key drive. … Despite the gusts, Colin Mulvany somehow was able to keep his camera steady and has this photo report. … An Eastern soccer player is up for an honor. … Around the Big Sky, Montana bounced back from the EWU loss and handled Portland State on the road. … The biggest game of the day was in Bozeman, where Montana State wasted a handful of opportunities in a 25-17 loss to 20th-ranked Weber State. … Speaking of lost opportunities, North Dakota has wasted this season’s, losing again, this time 48-24 at UC Davis. … Northern Arizona defended home dome with a 48-20 rout of Northern Colorado. … Cal Poly led by two touchdowns in the second half, but Idaho State rallied for a 38-34 win in Pocatello.

Whitworth: Remember the scene in “Kung Fu Panda” when Po looks at the road ahead and says “stairs, my nemesis.” That must be how the Pirates feel when they face Linfield. They lost again to the Wildcats, this time 38-9.

Chiefs: After a perfect three games on the road, Spokane returned to the Arena last night and lost, 2-1 to Kootenay in its home opener. Kevin Dudley has the story. … Portland opened its home schedule by blowing out Seattle 6-2.

Preps: Gonzaga Prep won the Linda Sheridan Volleyball Classic, defeating Mead in the final.

Mariners: Kyle Seager belted an eighth-inning home run and the M’s won their penultimate game of the season after another injury hit the pitching staff. … Bob Dutton is retiring, so he’ll miss the Mariners’ roll to the postseason next year.

Seahawks: The Hawks seem to be comfortable with a slow start to the season. But they need to get it going tonight.

Sounders: A win today in Philadelphia will clinch a playoff spot for Seattle. … Portland couldn’t stop San Jose and lost 2-1. … Real Salt Lake scored late to pick up a point.

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• The coffee is hot, the air a bit chilled and I just realized it’s the first day of October. Only a week until my birthday. I think the earlier game against Oregon was my present. Until later …