OSM{Arkansas State} 47, Memphis 3

September 10--Congratulations, Arkansas State! The Red Wolves won quite convincingly against the Memphis Tigers, who it appears are more worthy of that Shame Mask. Arkansas State outgained Memphis 611 yards to 187. Starting QB Ryan Aplin was 19 of 21, but still managed to throw an interception against his 3 TDs and 274 yards. His backup was 10 of 12 for 101 yards and a TD. Not too shabby. It's been 11 months since we last saw Memphis here at the Shame Mask Central, and unfortunately, the Tigers have lost 11 straight since that win. San Jose State has lost its last 12, and so on that front the Tigers are safe. And they do have the Governors of Austin Peay coming down for a visit next week. This I-AA team lost 72-10 to Cincinnati in their only game of the season so far. Party on Beale Street? We'll see.

GGSM{LA-Monroe} 35, Grambling State 7

September 10--Louisiana-Monroe invited Grambling State over for a football game, and they got what they wanted, a convincing win over a I-AA team. They will try to use this momentum to dislodge that Shame Mask next week at TCU.

Illinois 33, OSM{Arkansas State} 15

So maybe Arkansas State's season opener at Illinois didn't go as nicely as they would have hoped. Their first third of the game was something I'd be proud of. They did give up a first quarter touchdown, but then the second quarter started with their punt converage team pinning the Fighting Illini at their own 1. One play later, the Red Wolves tackled the running back in the end zone for a safety! On their following drive, they got 6 yards to convert a 4th-and-2, but unfortunately, they fumbled on this play. However, they did quickly force a punt, which they followed with a field goal. And then they quickly forced another punt, and then they followed that with second field goal to claw their way back and take an 8-7 lead. It unraveled kind of quickly, though. This fantastic lead lasted only 1:26 as Illinois's Nathan Scheelhaase threw a 45-yard TD pass to Darius Millines with 1:24 left in the half. Then on their next play, Arkansas State's Ryan Aplin threw an interception, which Illinois converted into a field goal to take a 17-8 lead into the locker room. Aplin's 290 yards on 20 of 32 is good enough for 17th in the nation after the first weekend of play. That's not terrible. And the guy who caught his 66-yarder has the last name Frampton. I'm pretty excited about the "comes alive" possibilities for later games, especially next week, when the Red Wolves take on Memphis, who gave up 645 yards against Mississippi State.

Florida State 34, GGSM{LA-Monroe} 0

September 3--It's September, and that means the return of Sun Belt football action! Sixth-ranked Florida State invited LA-Monroe, wearers of the Golden Gopher Shame Mask, over to help them kick off the season with a warm up. For half a quarter, the FSU got a little more than they bargained for. The Warhawks defense held the Seminoles to just three-and-out on their first two drives, with four rushes for 6 yards and two incomplete passes. FSU kicked it into gear on their third drive with a touchdown, and they never looked back. To their credit, the Warhawks did outrush the Seminoles 98 yards to 92 although they did need eleven more rushes to do it. LA-Monroe welcomes I-AA Grambling State to Monroe next week, and so it looks like they'll spend another week in the Shame Mask.