Have you ever wanted something so badly that you’d do anything to keep it in your grasp?  I’m talking about wanting something so badly that you’d give up anything just to keep it in your life, even a body part.

Well, that’s exactly what happened with Trevor Wikre, a senior offensive lineman at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO.  After getting his right pinky caught in a blocker’s jersey, Wikre looked down and saw the bone from his finger staring up at him like a newborn seeing his parents for the first time.  That’s right – the guy’s bone snapped and then popped through the skin like a warm knife through butter. 

This impediment, however, did not stop Wikre.  “Just tape it up,” he said to the athletic trainer. “We got practice to finish.”
Tape is an incredibly useful office tool, something that most people use for mending rips in paper or putting up a poster – not for putting body parts back together. So instead of wrapping industrial duct tape around the wound, the coach sent him to the hospital where he received the unfortunate news from doctors: he would need complete reconstruction, including pins and ligament treatment. 

Wikre, however, had different plans. 

Knowing that a surgery of that magnitude would end his final season of football eligibility, Wikre provided the doctors with another option:  “We can cut it off,” he said.  And so they did.  Instead of shrugging and accepting his football fate, Wikre decided that playing with nine fingers was better than not playing at all.

Now I don’t know about you, but my first thought in this situation would be something like “My pinky is hanging by a thread. I need to get to a hospital and fix it now.” And definitely not, “My pinky is hanging by a thread–let’s lop it off and huddle up.” I really don’t know if I should admire this guy or admonish him.  Sure, it’s about as ballsy as it gets to forfeit a flange but is it courage or cuckoo?

I’m curious as to what you all think of this story.  Do you think it was simply dedication and desire to play?  Or do you think it’s stupidity – I mean, the kid can never wear one of those trendy pinky rings on his right hand.  Let me know what your take on the decision is – but regardless of what you think, Wikre is in store for more “high 4’s” this season than anyone ever thought possible.

Georgia’s running back Knowshon Moreno is certainly tearing up the field this season. However, if this superstar ever wants to take a break from college football, he might have a fighting chance in men’s high jump in 2012.

Take a look at his technique and judge for yourself.

Heisman, anyone?

At this point, it’s starting to look like Rich Rodriguez’ departure from West Virginia to Michigan didn’t benefit anyone.  His old teammates, the Mountaineers, are 1-2 after losing back-to-back road games against unranked teams.  The Wolverines are also 1-2 and three of their next four opponents are among the top 22 teams in the country; they could easily find themselves 2-5 by the time they play Michigan State. 

While Rodriguez has a bit of an excuse - a spread offense and no quarterback to run it - the Mountaineers have none.  They returned Pat White, a preseason Heisman candidate, along with sophomore RB Noel Devine, who could challenge the Gators’ Percy Harvin for the title of fastest player in NCAA football.
 
Once again, all of the top teams took care of business this week.  The highest-ranked loser this weekend was East Carolina; the would-be Cinderella team got beaten by a touchdown in overtime at North Carolina State.  LSU survived a big scare at Auburn, before a late touchdown pass from their backup quarterback propelled them to the 26-21 victory.
 
Looking ahead to next Saturday, there are a handful of great games on the slate, including three matchups between ranked teams: #24 TCU at #2 Oklahoma, #22 Illinois at #12 Penn State, and the game of the week, #8 Alabama at #3 Georgia. 

Personally, I’m feeling an upset coming for the Bulldogs…check back on Thursday and I’ll break down the game, along with some early-season predictions.