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

Grip on Sports: The day after Christmas contained little in the way of gifts for college football fans

TCU place-kicker Jonathan Song (46) celebrates his game-winning field goal with holder Adam Nunez (29) as California's Traveon Beck (22) looks the other way during overtime of the Cheez-It Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin / AP)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The college bowl season, Wednesday, Dec. 26 edition: One game declared “no contest,” thanks to the weather, and another that was no contest, thanks to inept offense. What a way to start a big week. Read on.

••••••••••

• OK, the Cheez-It Bowl was entertaining in the “hey-look-a-car-accident” type of way. The two teams, California and TCU, combined to intercept nine passes. One way to look at it: The defenses were great. Another way to look at it: I fell asleep.

I mean, really? How often can you watch quarterbacks make the wrong decision with the ball? Sometimes it almost seemed as if both just forgot what jersey their team was wearing.

A quick thought about Cal’s offense: Don’t for a second put this on Beau Baldwin’s shoulders. Watch the game again. And see how many times the Bears’ quarterbacks don’t even see folks running free. When Baldwin, the former Eastern Washington coach and Cal offensive coordinator, recruits an EWU-level quarterback – and yes, that’s exactly what I meant; the Eagles have had at least four quarterbacks in the past decade that are better than anyone California has on its roster – the Bears will begin to show why Baldwin is respected by his peers as one of the best offensive minds in college football.

As for the First Responder Bowl, that’s just sad. Spend Christmas Day in a hotel, play nine minutes of football, be pushed off into the locker room to sit for a couple hours and then the game is canceled.

If the weather report had called for sunny skies, fine. But all week organizers knew there was a good chance lightning would disrupt the activities. Despite that, there wasn’t a contingency plan enacted. Nothing. The result: no contest. And Brett Rypien, the son of Spokane who spent four years setting records for Boise State, ends his college career with a whimper, not a bang.

That’s sad.

•••

Gonzaga: There are a trio of really interesting stories in the S-R to read this morning, and the first one we draw your eyes to is from Jim Meehan. It explains the reasons behind the numbers the Bulldogs wear. You may not realize it, but numbers are important in recruiting. And some high school athletes have made their decision on which college to attend based on the availability of a number. Interesting, isn’t it?

WSU: The other two stories you shouldn’t miss this morning come from Theo Lawson. The first, as it should be, contains references to Gardner Minshew. OK, it’s about Gardner Minshew. He’s a gift that keeps on giving. … The second is one I’ve heard about but couldn’t put a leash on. Theo has a story on the extraordinary number of Cougar players who have dogs. It’s helped in a season that began with such sorrow. By the way, I’m sure the dog sitters of Pullman are busy this week. … The Cougars play tomorrow night in the Alamo Bowl with a chance to set records. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, the basketball season may end with one team in the NCAA Tournament. … The football season is ending just like last season, with the conference 0-2 in bowls thus far with California’s 10-7 overtime loss in the Cheez-It Bowl. … The biggest positive news for Oregon (and the Pac-12) yesterday was quarterback Justin Herbert deciding to return for his senior year of school. He has a chance to help the Ducks do something special. Right now, he has to worry about Michigan State’s defense. … Utah has a long bowl winning streak that outgoing offensive coordinator Troy Taylor wants to continue. … Washington finally gets to experience the hoopla and fun that is Rose Bowl week. … In hoops, Colorado has to regroup after a disappointing trip to Hawaii.

Preps: Gonzaga Prep is playing in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation this week, the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland. The Bullpups won last night. That’s part of our basketball roundup. There are also photos from The Oregonian. … Steve Christilaw has the story of a U-Hi wrestler with a family legacy.

Seahawks: Pete Carroll is positive the Hawks are in good hands with Jody Allen, Paul’s sister, in charge of the team. … Chris Carson was positive he could rush for 1,000 yards this season. … Ken Norton is positive the Hawks should play their defensive starters Sunday against the Cardinals. … Michael Dickson is positive he can drop kick a field goal.

Mariners: Mitch Haniger has emerged as the new face of the M’s.

Sounders: Former coach Sigi Schmid, whose large presence on the sidelines defined in a lot of ways the franchise’s first few seasons, died on Christmas Day, He was 65.

•••       

• I thought about, early on, saying the weather in my office had deteriorated so much I had to cancel the rest of my column, but that seemed disrespectful. Sort of like not having a contingency plan in place – a day’s delay, maybe? – for a bowl game. Until later …