The feds seized Washington Mutual, marking the largest bank failure in U.S. history, and JPMorgan Chase agreed to buy WaMu's assets. In our nation's capital, bailout talks were imploding, thanks to a group of House Republicans who dug-in against a fragile consensus.
But never mind those trivial tremors -- the real seismic activity was happening in Corvallis, Oregon.
Weary of sitting the financial crisis, I'd clicked over to ESPN to watch top-ranked Southern Cal assert its dominance over twice-beaten and unranked Oregon State. Because USC whipped my Buckeyes two weeks ago, I expected to pull for the Trojans -- theoretically, anyway, Ohio State's stock rises with the success of the teams it plays.
Apparently, no one told the Beavers that they were outmatched, and suddenly I found myself rooting for the underdog.
From the opening kickoff, and on both sides of the ball, Oregon State completely manhandled USC. Freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers -- all 5'6"and 180 pounds of him -- shredded the confused Trojans for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Older brother James Rogers, himself just 5'7" and 182, caught six passes and scored twice.I turned off the game at halftime with Oregon State up 21-0 -- if the athletically superior Trojans managed to engineer a second-half comeback, I wanted to remember those first 30 minutes.
Final score: Oregon State 27, USC 21. Party on, Beavers.
In a game determined by attitude and matchups, the underdog Beavers had the advantage in both. Their performance reminded me of the 2002 Buckeyes' unexpected national-title win over Miami, captured in Coach Jim Tressel's pre-game answer to a sideline reporter: "We can't wait to play!"
The Trojans' BCS championship hopes may or may not have vaporized on the field in Corvallis, but it's certain that pollsters will name a new #1 team come Sunday. Buckeyed optimists will see last night's upset as a glimmer of hope that Ohio State is back in the picture.
Whatever. My memory of this game will be the sight of tiny Jacquizz Rogers walking back to the Oregon State huddle after running for a first down, woofing at a USC defender at least 75 pounds heavier and a foot taller.
Now that's attitude -- the best kind, because Quizz and his teammates backed it up.
