Here's your Keep-Calm-And-Chop-SMU poster for game 5 of 2013

I also wanted to apologize to anyone I may have offended by referring to SMU earlier as "Southern Meth". It turns out that the initials SMU may have nothing at all to do with methamphetamines.  I ask your forgiveness when dealing with my ignorance about these institutions from alien areas of the nation.



I've now found ironclad photographic evidence online that SMU actually stands for Sock Monkey University:

Scarlet Knights Never Stop Choppin'

Even on bye weeks...

That was a fun day at R House.

Rutgers Stadium is one place where the mighty SEC still doesn't have a win. This picture was taken as the Scarlet Knights finally scored their first 7 points at the end of the first half.
It was 10-7 in Arkansas' favor when this cannon fired.

Arkansas extended their lead to 24-7 in the third quarter on more Rutgers turnovers, and there were some people who left the Stadium and must be very sorry they did.  A 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Janarion Grant at the end of the third quarter and two touchdown passes from Gary Nova to Leonte Caroo in the fourth quarter sent the rest of us home very happy indeed with a final score of Rutgers 28 and Arkansas 24. It was a great day for everybody who spent his or her afternoon and early evening On The Banks (except for that sizable contingent of Razorback fans in the Stadium this afternoon).
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And to follow up on my last blog post, there was a very spirited singing of "On The Banks of the Old Raritan" in section 109 before and after the game, with the correct opening lines.
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And to follow up on another earlier post this week, I'm sure the bar owners in Fayetteville, Arkansas are very happy tonight.

My Father Sent Me To Old Rutgers / And Resolved That I Should Be a Man

I know which words I'll be singing when "On the Banks of the Old Raritan" plays tomorrow at Rutgers Stadium. I'm never going to call Rutgers Stadium by the name of some fly-by-night corporate sponsor, and I'm never going to sing our alma mater with "From far and near we came to Rutgers/ And resolved to learn all that we can," the new opening lines that will introduced at the Arkansas game tomorrow. I'll stick with the words of Howard N. Fuller, who played football on the banks from 1871-1873.
 

I'd even be prepared to make an argument that these words belong to us, Rutgers alumni, and not to the university.  I'll continue singing the real lyrics. I hope some of you join me tomorrow.

And here's the "More Chest Hair" version from the Rutgers Glee Club giving this old drinking song its due in a European drinking establishment (followed by another great old Rutgers drinking song that may need some serious gender reworking, "Vive la Rutgers' Sons!").

Here's hoping Fayetteville gets "Rutgers Drunk" next Saturday night

Regular readers may remember that I posted this quote from an Arkansas Razorbacks' blog last September 24th after the Scarlet Knights beat the Hogs on their turf.  I can't help repeating it this year as we prepare to host them at R House.

The writer in Arkansas Expats wrote about names for various varieties of inebriation and their anecdotal origins. There was "Grandma Drunk" (something about taking someone's Grandma to a sports bar) and "Kentucky Drunk" (following a 2007 Arkansas football loss to that basketball powerhouse that caused the writer's brother-in-law to go on a legendary bender), and then the writer had this suggestion:

"...And following the debacle I witnessed Saturday night inside Razorback Stadium, "Rutgers drunk" should be a deserving candidate as well.

"The only problem is that right now there isn't enough booze in the world to numb the anxiety, angst, or apoplectic rage that comes with a preseason Top Ten team posting a 1-3 record in its first four games, including losses to members of he Sun Belt and the Big East. Whiskey worked wonders for helping us temporarily forget watching Andre Woodson march a basketball school up and down our football field, but it falls way short of medicating properly a loss to freaking Rutgers."

Here's hoping that the liquor stores and bars in and around Fayetteville, Arkansas have tremendous paydays next Saturday night.

Here's Your Keep-Calm-and-Chop-Arkansas Poster for Week Four

And your hashtag for the week on Twitter is #ChopArkansas.

Eric LeGrand's Speech Today

Here it is as it was seen from the stands (specifically, from Section 109):


 Of course, the bigger occasion will be when Eric LeGrand's number is unretired, when he can walk again, when he can live his dream of going back to MetLife Stadium and getting up from the spot where he fell and finish the play that changed his life. I'm not surprised that he spent a large section of this day prepared to honor him to speak not about himself, but about others who have been paralyzed and are going through what he's going through with less notoriety.

As inspiring as Eric LeGrand is and has been since the injury that put him in a wheelchair, I was also inspired by the fans at Rutgers Stadium this afternoon, none of whom rushed to the restrooms and concession stands at halftime of the Rutgers - Eastern Michigan game, and with Coach Kyle Flood, who stayed on the field at halftime to introduce Eric, present Eric with his ceremonial sword, unveil his number high above the stadium, and present a film of Eric's friends and former teammates around the country. I'm sure that the current Scarlet Knights in the locker room didn't mind that their coach delayed his time with them. They were still able to play a solid second half and win 28-10 without his undivided attention at halftime.

LeGrand For Governor?

Eric LeGrand's Day at R House

The Third 2013 Keep-Calm-And-Chop Poster (but what have those poor emus ever done to us?)

I checked and the official hashtag for next Saturday's game against Eastern Michigan University at R House is #ChopEMU.  So here's the poster of the week.

The Second Keep-Calm-And-Chop Poster of the Season

It's week two of the 2013 Rutgers Football Season.

Let's hope #ChopNorfolk is more effective than last week's hashtag.