MATTHEW BROWN: Wake up and win the game

Published 5:01 pm Friday, January 24, 2025

This is a good time to catch up with the 2023-24 County Players of the Year for basketball from Baldwin High. Both went on to sign college scholarships and are seeing a good bit of playing time as freshmen.

That starts with Isaiah Dennis, who is playing junior college basketball at Southern Union in Alabama. He played in the team’s first 19 games, starting in 14 of them. This will sound like Dennis, a 34.5 shooting percentage from 3-point land and 40.5% clip overall from the floor. So far he’s had two 30-point games, a 13.7 per game average, 24-for-30 in free throws, 35 assists and 20 steals.

The two-time girls County Player of the Year (and enough other Player of the Year honors to use two hands to count) and state champion Madison Ruff is taking the court for Division I Mount St. Mary’s. The team is 6-10 as of Tuesday, but that includes last weekend’s 69-64 overtime win at Quinnipiac. MadRuff had 16 minutes off the bench, scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds and stole the ball three times. One of those thefts was in the last two seconds of OT.

She’s started six games so far and averages 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds a game to go with 25 assists and 12 steals. Her career best output was 14 points off the bench in her first MAAC game at home against Marist Dec. 19.

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Last year I was so furious when a major eclipse took all the attention away from my birthday. But hey, when else are you going to schedule such a popular natural phenomenon?

In fact, my birthday is now considered so important that the National Football League has scheduled a tripleheader on it. And it’s in April. Don’t ever argue with the Shield.

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What might be the defining game of the 2024 college football season (anyone start the countdown clocks for 2025 Tuesday morning?) is Michigan’s 13-10 win over eventual national champion Ohio State on the final weekend of regular contests. It’s still the most talked about.

My reasons for saying this might be different from others. Some would say that is what lit the fire under the Buckeyes and the best collection of talent in the nation (thought that was the University of Georgia, but guess it depends on who’s doing the talking). A wake-up call.

It is pointed out how Ohio State, at the No. 8 seed, and Notre Dame, at the No. 7 seed, would not have been in the championship hunt had the playoffs stayed at four teams. That is true if everything transpired in the exact same way with the knowledge that the playoffs include 12 teams. Big assumption.

The way I see it, if Ohio State knew it had to at least play in the Big 10 championship game for a shot at the national playoff, that team would have found an extra four or more points to beat its bitter rival (and wouldn’t need to make any phone calls to do it, I might add).

In a four-team playoff for 2024, which conference runner-up – Southeastern or Big 10 – gets in? Both? Unless somebody in the committee room is thinking, ‘Let’s slip Notre Dame in there to prevent any more rematches.’

All speculation. Just like the following is: Can’t help but wonder the big risk the Buckeyes took if that performance against Michigan was a tank knowing its playoff invitation was safe and didn’t want to face Oregon again so soon. No way can anyone think – effort-wise – the same team in those four playoff games was the same one that took the field against the average-at-best Wolverines. (That’s why they needed a wake-up call … A wake-up call? Buckeyes playing Michigan doesn’t wake people up?)

Those Texas Longhorns had the best chance of knocking off the Buckeyes if they can just punch it in from as close as you can get to paydirt. Say what you will about the importance of all phases of the game, but if you want to win, you better score when the golden opportunities are there.

The only time defense matters in football is third down. Get those guys off the field. Ohio State was 9-for-12 converting third down Monday, which equals championship.

And that will bring me to analyzing the NFL playoffs and the history that’s only two games away. But if anyone wants to keep the Kansas City Chiefs from winning three in a row, my advice is: SCORE POINTS!

The two-time champions averaged 22.6 per game in 17 regular season contests, never went over 30 and really hurt the average by tanking that last game to Denver 38-0. Then the average held true in the first playoff win over Houston.

I know, easier said than done. Let’s don’t count that Denver game; KC’s D might be the best out there. It’s Buffalo that put the most up on KC this year with 30, and the Bills get the chance to prevent the Super Bowl three-peat in this weekend’s AFC title game.

As long as the score is close, Patrick Mahomes can find Travis Kelse wide open. As long as the score is close, you might as well tie your hands behind your back because someone is just waiting to say “Illegal contact, defense, automatic first down.”

Find me any game this season involving any other team but KC where yellow flags were a factor.

As far as a Super Bowl favorite, rooting favorite, you can’t go wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles and all of those former Georgia Bulldogs on defense. They aren’t just there; they are making noise. Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalen Carter accounted for five sacks in the playoff win over the Rams. Carter just may be ready to take the Aaron Donald-Warren Sapp-Mean Joe mantle as the Alpha Male of the interior line.

Maybe he can repeat the photo op from the 2022 SEC Championship game giving former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels – rookie sensation of Washington – a victory ride in the NFC title game.

(If at all possible, give pet adoption a try through the Animal Rescue Foundation in Milledgeville. Donations of any kind are also in great need. ARF is the little red building at 711 S. Wilkinson St., and more information is available at animalrescuefoundation.org.)