TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS BOWL
DELIVERS ON ITS PROMISE
By Brad RockDeseret Morning News
I'm not a fan of certain types
of advertising. For instance, when I hear a commercial that says, "Come
in and check out our inventory! These unbelievably low prices won't
last!" I want to hide. If I see an ad that says, "Charming
fixer-upper in quaint neighborhood — must see inside!" I
figure someone should check the wiring.
So naturally, when I got an e-mail from Rick Pike inviting me to the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl, unabashedly admitting he hoped one of our newspaper columnists "could be persuaded to come freeze their fanny off with us," I was hooked. At last, truth in advertising.
Top of the Mountains Bowl it would be.
I like games where the players have to scrape frost off their facemasks, anyway. The third annual TOMB was held Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with Snow College defeating Coffeyville, 26-21. I would have preferred to have it snowing, but since temperatures were in the 30s, that was close enough.
"This is great weather for us right here," said Snow coach Steve Coburn. After all, it is SNOW college.
Truth is, there were numerous bigger sporting events going on this weekend in Utah. BYU was playing basketball at Weber State, Utah was hosting Washington State, USU was playing Idaho State and the Jazz were matched with the Seattle Sonics. Not to mention World Cup luge races in Park City.
Suffice it to say there were plenty of stories to go around. But none had the same charm.
This year's game featured the No. 3-ranked junior college team in the country against the No. 13-ranked Red Ravens. You may not think that's a big deal, but 25 Division I scouts who attended would disagree. Among them were UTEP, Utah, USU, BYU and Oklahoma State.
For junior college players, that sort of incentive is enough. They certainly don't do it for the glory. There were only a few thousand fans in attendance. Consequently, the TOMB doesn't pretend to be something it's not. People like Pike don't produce promotional videos of swaying palms or bikini-clad women frolicking on a beach. It is what it is: one more game and the chance to be discovered.
The mission of the TOMB is to "showcase the talents of amateur athletes from Snow College and another junior college, give athletes an opportunity to play in a first-class venue and to raise money for higher education scholarships and medical care for children."
That's a lofty goal.
But this is a lofty bowl. How many other bowls are held at 4,500 feet?
Lest one assume small-college football is dreadful, consider this: Snow is a fine place to discover big-college potential.
Ex-Badger quarterback Paul Peterson, to name one, went on to start at Boston College. Snow alumni who recently went on to NFL careers include Kevin Curtis (Rams), Brandt Boyer (Cleveland), Brett Keisel (Pittsburgh), John Madsen (Oakland) and Derek Smith (San Francisco).
This year's Badger quarterback, Cade Cooper, a sophomore from Timpview High, led the nation in passing (2,901 yards, 29 touchdowns), while sophomore running back Matt Asiata, from Hunter High, finished fifth nationally in rushing (136.5 ypg).
But even some of the lesser-knowns got to be seen on Saturday. Backup quarterback Steven Vincent entered late in the third quarter when Cooper was knocked unconscious. He proceeded to lead the Badgers to the winning touchdown on a nine-yard pass to Devin Frischknecht. As the shadows lengthened, the Badger defense held firm and Snow had its third TOMB victory in as many years.
Thus, another Frozen Fanny Bowl was in the books. Was it pretty? No. There were fumbles galore. The snow had been bulldozed into high piles on the sidelines — much to the consternation of the cheerleaders. Two key Badger players — Cooper and running back Colt Mund — went out with injuries. Was it perfect? Maybe not. But the advertising was.
So naturally, when I got an e-mail from Rick Pike inviting me to the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl, unabashedly admitting he hoped one of our newspaper columnists "could be persuaded to come freeze their fanny off with us," I was hooked. At last, truth in advertising.
Top of the Mountains Bowl it would be.
I like games where the players have to scrape frost off their facemasks, anyway. The third annual TOMB was held Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with Snow College defeating Coffeyville, 26-21. I would have preferred to have it snowing, but since temperatures were in the 30s, that was close enough.
"This is great weather for us right here," said Snow coach Steve Coburn. After all, it is SNOW college.
Truth is, there were numerous bigger sporting events going on this weekend in Utah. BYU was playing basketball at Weber State, Utah was hosting Washington State, USU was playing Idaho State and the Jazz were matched with the Seattle Sonics. Not to mention World Cup luge races in Park City.
Suffice it to say there were plenty of stories to go around. But none had the same charm.
This year's game featured the No. 3-ranked junior college team in the country against the No. 13-ranked Red Ravens. You may not think that's a big deal, but 25 Division I scouts who attended would disagree. Among them were UTEP, Utah, USU, BYU and Oklahoma State.
For junior college players, that sort of incentive is enough. They certainly don't do it for the glory. There were only a few thousand fans in attendance. Consequently, the TOMB doesn't pretend to be something it's not. People like Pike don't produce promotional videos of swaying palms or bikini-clad women frolicking on a beach. It is what it is: one more game and the chance to be discovered.
The mission of the TOMB is to "showcase the talents of amateur athletes from Snow College and another junior college, give athletes an opportunity to play in a first-class venue and to raise money for higher education scholarships and medical care for children."
That's a lofty goal.
But this is a lofty bowl. How many other bowls are held at 4,500 feet?
Lest one assume small-college football is dreadful, consider this: Snow is a fine place to discover big-college potential.
Ex-Badger quarterback Paul Peterson, to name one, went on to start at Boston College. Snow alumni who recently went on to NFL careers include Kevin Curtis (Rams), Brandt Boyer (Cleveland), Brett Keisel (Pittsburgh), John Madsen (Oakland) and Derek Smith (San Francisco).
This year's Badger quarterback, Cade Cooper, a sophomore from Timpview High, led the nation in passing (2,901 yards, 29 touchdowns), while sophomore running back Matt Asiata, from Hunter High, finished fifth nationally in rushing (136.5 ypg).
But even some of the lesser-knowns got to be seen on Saturday. Backup quarterback Steven Vincent entered late in the third quarter when Cooper was knocked unconscious. He proceeded to lead the Badgers to the winning touchdown on a nine-yard pass to Devin Frischknecht. As the shadows lengthened, the Badger defense held firm and Snow had its third TOMB victory in as many years.
Thus, another Frozen Fanny Bowl was in the books. Was it pretty? No. There were fumbles galore. The snow had been bulldozed into high piles on the sidelines — much to the consternation of the cheerleaders. Two key Badger players — Cooper and running back Colt Mund — went out with injuries. Was it perfect? Maybe not. But the advertising was.