A laboratory of overtimes

I covered the Thunder game Sunday night, then drove home while listening to Giants-Panthers on the radio. I got home just as regulation ended.

That means I got to watch the overtime, which was a doozy. Giants win the toss but punt. Carolina threatens but punts, and R.W. McQuarters drops the ball and almost gives the game to the Panthers but corrals the precious jewel. Finally, Derek Ward said enough is enough and rambles 51 yards into field-goal territory, then carried even more, 82 yards on the drive alone, to set up Brandon Jacobs’ winning touchdown.

Heck of a game. Then I thought, well, I’ll watch SportsCenter, which I like on Sundays but really not any other day. I flipped over, and lo and behold the New Orleans Bowl still was in progress.

Southern Miss-Troy. It was tied late in the game, Troy had the ball about midfield, so I said great. I watched Troy gak up its last possession, forcing my second overtime of the young night.

And I got a perfect picture contrasting the NFL and college OTs. The college system stinks. No field position. No kicking game. No strategy, really. It’s football’s version of hockey’s shoot-out.

Southern Miss didn’t do much and had to kick a field goal. Troy didn’t do much and had its field goal blocked. Southern Miss.

Good for the Golden Eagles. Good for old pal Larry Fedora, the Mad Hatter. Good for fans of college football who like bowl games, of which I am one, because this was an entertaining game.

But the overtime was not good. The overtime was unsatisfactory. It wasn’t real football.