Bloglander

Each week in the Monday Morning Placekicker, we get you ready to survive and contribute to every casual sports conversation inspired by the weekend's events concerning the Zags, the Seahawks and assorted other sports-ball teams of note. Let's do this. 

ZAGS SURVIVE AN UGLY BATTLE IN SEATTLE
Maybe it was the fact the players finished final exams the day before. Maybe it was because the game was played in the cavernous Key Arena in Seattle instead of the cozy confines of the home gym. Maybe it was because Gonzaga was finishing a dominant run through its pre-conference schedule just in time for Christmas, and a week before playing rival BYU on the road. 

Whatever the reason, the Zags struggled to beat Cal Poly in the so-called Battle in Seattle. We have a stellar report from the scene right here that you should check out. Suffice to say, the timing is good for the boys to get a few days off before the serious part of the season gets underway Saturday in Utah. 

EWU HANGS TOUGH, LOSES TO CAL
Eastern fans might be feeling a little down after the Eagles third straight loss, but don't despair! A tough loss to the Pac-12's Cal on Friday showed that Eastern is going to be a beast in the Big Sky. Venky Jois and Tyler Harvey combined for 54 points in the losing effort. Even with the loss, consider that the Eagles were on an 11-day, five-game road trip that included a stop at UW, and went 2-3 on the trip. And at 8-4, the Eagles had their best pre-conference season in 28 years. 

YOU SHALL KNOW HIM BY THE TRAIL OF BODIES HE LEAVES IN HIS WAKE
In the event that you didn't see last night's Seahawks game and don't subscribe to any form of social media or possess an AM radio or have talked to anyone who watches football, this happened in the second half of Seattle's thumping of Arizona.

Here's how I remember this happening in real time:

Oh wow, he's gonna get a first down...shit he's breaking to the sideline...oh, but those guys have him bottled up and are going to knock him out of... — nope, he threw that dude to the ground and just embarrassed the entire state of Arizona! Go Beast, go! Don't get caught from behind! Oh shit, he's gonna score! And did he just grab his nards when he was flying into the end zone? Why am I standing on my couch? What year is it? Time has ceased to exist! That run must have ripped a whole in the time-space-continuum, but I don't care! I shall forever worship at the altar of Marshawn Lynch.

You get the picture. Marshawn Lynch exists on another plane of reality in which runs like this can happen and we all just need to accept that.

Here's how Steve Raible, the voice of the Seahawks, called the run on the radio. Yes, he definitely said "Holy Catfish."